Pathfinder: An Action Plan

iUniverse, Inc.

Contents

Introduction: The Power of Choice...................................................ixHit the Road: The Journey...........................................................1Choosing Courses: Through a Class Darkly............................................7Standardized Exams: Put to the Test.................................................19Developing Interests and Activities: Sweating in the Dojo...........................26Academic Solutions: Red Flags and Homework Hags.....................................39Alternatives to Traditional High School: Above and Beyond...........................48International Students Studying in the United States: Crossover.....................54Learning Styles: Peeling the Label..................................................57Table Talk: Parents Walk the Line...................................................63What Matters Most to Colleges: The Next Step........................................70Appendix............................................................................74A List of Recommended Books for High School Readers.................................74Sample Interview Questions..........................................................83Sample Student Résumé.....................................................88

Chapter One

"Did I call the right place? Do you do packaging?"

Was the caller looking for UPS or FedEx? Or perhaps a shipping company to specialty-wrap a precious work of art?

"Do you package kids? My son is really going to need packaging."

This father's precious work of art was his own son, a rising high school sophomore, looking ahead to the college application process. Something seemed wrong to us as counselors with this notion of a young person being viewed as a product in need of a sexy wrapping or pitch in order to be appealing to the college market or to prospective employers.

As the admission process to secondary schools and colleges, as well as competition for entry into the job force, become increasingly fierce, we hear the term packaging more often in our work as educational counselors. Although this anxious father's urgent question sounded blunt and misguided, the core of his concern reflected a trend. Parents were calling earlier in their students' secondary school years with specific concerns about high school. How would it influence college or career after graduation?

Had our father called the right office? Yes, because what he needed from us was not packaging but planning. Out of this father's sincere, if wrongly phrased, concern was born Pathfinder: An Action Plan—Making the Most of High School, a book to guide parents on how to work collaboratively with their sons and daughters to help them navigate the turns and detours of the adolescent passage through high school. If high school is viewed as a time of self-discovery and self-realization, choices and planning, then the notion of packaging becomes unnecessary.

The kind of thinking, which focuses on college placement rather than on the experience of high school, which can lead to college placement, is all too common. In our work as educational counselors, we try to help families frame the question differently.

We encourage families to think of the time between ninth and eleventh grades of high school as a journey that prepares the student for the eventual process of applying to college or for a job after senior year. Navigating the way through high school should be a thoughtful plan that is mindful of, but not fixated on, the ultimate destination, focusing instead on the steps along the way. Anyone who has been a member of AAA is familiar with the trademark Triptik®, a tool that breaks down a long journey into smaller segments. The driver using a Triptik® is alerted to detours, road conditions, highway speed traps, and other variables along the way, as she turns each page outlining a particular segment of the trip, mile by mile. The driver using the Triptik® knows that the ultimate destination is Cambridge but focuses on each milestone along the way, including tourist attractions and comfortable rest stops.

For the student in grades nine and ten, whether in day school or boarding school, the cornerstones are course selection, skill building, standardized testing, and the development of nonacademic interests and commitments. However, to continue the driving metaphor, the beginning high school student has only a learner's permit, not a full-fledged license. He/she cannot yet drive solo. Most of us can well remember how difficult it was for us to learn to drive with a parent in the passenger seat, exercising his or her critical judgment as we negotiated sharp turns and learned to shift gears. This is the time when communication and collaboration are paramount to the ultimate success of the process of getting ready to think about the college application process. Most ninth and tenth graders are not ready or willing to talk about applying to college, be it Harvard or the University of Michigan. So when parents jump-start the process and talk about what their children need to do to pave the way to a specific college, kids understandably become frightened and worry that they will not pass their road test. The typical ninth or tenth grader does not, and perhaps should not, have a clear destination yet. He or she should be urged to concentrate on getting the most out of high school and enjoying the ride. To do this, most students need help with problem-solving skills. It is the time when a driving instructor other than the parent can be so useful—a prized teacher, an educational consultant, a close relative, an advisor, or school counselor. Talking to ninth and tenth graders about concrete particulars such as course selection and commitment to a community service project is much more relevant and understandable—and much less threatening—to them, than talking about which college to attend or which job to seek.

There will always be obstacles in one's path and detours that call for a change of plans.

Understanding physics may prove impossible, and your best friend may be elected captain of the varsity lacrosse team instead of you. Thoughtful planning can help you to consider an alternate route that may, in fact, prove an advantage. For instance, deprived of the opportunity to be newspaper editor, one may explore a totally unfamiliar area and excel in it, becoming an outstanding debater.

We believe that getting the most out of high school includes self-discovery and self-realization. There are, indeed, road signs along the way. Students need to maximize the resources of high school as well as their own. For instance, they should follow a sequence of courses to the highest level at which they can do well, such as three lab sciences, or three years of foreign language. They should take risks and stretch their capabilities, for instance by trying out for a play or joining the debate team or writing for the school newspaper. It is important for one's own sense of self to develop an interest and take it to the top: try for a leadership role or an editorship or a captaincy. Then, when students actually begin the college exploration process midway through junior year, they will be equipped to start taking the wheel, to assume ownership of the process. The fusillade of standardized tests —PSAT, ACT, SAT I, SAT IIs, and AP exams—can be counterattacked by thoughtful planning that has occurred each year. SAT IIs can be spaced over time; for instance, biology SAT II at the end of grade nine and world history at the end of grade ten, rather than both being clumped together on one Saturday in June at the end of grade eleven. Students who have made the most of the high school experience, academically, socially, and personally, are ready to take charge of the college application process because they have been given the tools to do so. These are the college candidates who stand out in the applicant pool.

When it does become the right time to talk about college, if one has used the high school years to develop academic and extracurricular potential, then much of the groundwork has been established. One is not in the position of scurrying to make up for lost opportunity and time. It has been demonstrated time and again that students who maximize and enjoy the high school journey make more appealing and sought-after college candidates or employees.

When students are shown how to make informed choices about courses in high school, whether they head for college or a job, their background will be appropriate for the expectations that lie ahead. Such requirements cannot be met retroactively. Students interested in a career as a medical technician must study chemistry or biology. The student interested in business should have pursued math study. Exploring and developing their interests through joining clubs, actively committing to community service projects, or joining athletic teams enriches students' lives while creating character and confidence as well as building a résumé. There is no need to pad one's résumé at the last minute if the right moves have been made all along. Packaging is external; it is like window dressing, an artificial presentation. For instance, realizing during junior year that it would look good to a college or future employer to have engaged in community service, a student volunteers to work at a local home for the elderly. This is done merely to fill a blank on the activity section of an application or résumé, when prior to this, the student has shown little or no interest in this kind of outreach. By contrast, the student who plans develops this interest over time and might be heading toward a future in a helping profession.

What happens in thoughtful planning is that the commitment made becomes not only a part of what students do but of who they are. In packaging, the activity is merely a means of trying to look better on paper, with no integration into the personality. Whereas planning is evolutionary, packaging is an attempt at an instant fix. Learning how to study effectively, asking for help from teachers, seeking alternative styles of education, writing clearly, and speaking with conviction are lifelong strengths. These are just a few examples of how planning preempts packaging for either career or college. The question we would like parents to ask is, "Can you help us as a family understand how our son or daughter can get the most out of high school?" Whatever college or career eventually becomes the destination, the journey starts here.

Chapter Two

A course is a way or a path, in addition to being a subject such as English, history, or math. The choice made sets one on a course of study that leads to understanding, insight, and future goals.

Courses that students choose help to determine both their academic path through four years of high school and the next journey, from high school to career or college. If more work is done in math and science than in the humanities such as English, art, and government, that decision may eventually lead toward higher study or a career in medicine or engineering rather than one in journalism or politics. On the other hand, there is much to be said for learning for learning's sake, for the joy of learning that many students experience by experimenting with a course in art history even while focusing on math or science. Discovery through a particular course in unfamiliar territory can take a student off one planned course and onto another, just as an unplanned exploration down a side street can take a visitor into an unexpected and delightful part of a new city.

I remember enjoying Latin in high school for three years, never asking why I was studying the ablative absolute. Our revered Latin teacher was fond of saying, "A dead language, huh? Well, what do people think when they see an omnibus coming down the street?" oblivious to the fact that no one actually referred to city buses as omnibuses anymore. Later, when I began to prepare for the SAT and was studying prefixes and suffixes, I saw how relevant Latin was to the study of English vocabulary. I was also learning how to study any foreign language, which helped me begin French in college. In graduate school, the required History of the English Language course made a lot more sense because I knew Latin. Students frequently complain about having to study a foreign language or calculus when they see no practical use for them. Although relevance is not always readily apparent, it often becomes clear later on. And we adults need to encourage students to experience the delight that lies in discovery as they explore new fields of learning. There is satisfaction in learning that takes us to new heights of thought and understanding, whether we are studying the development of the human figure from cave painting through Picasso or the patterns that are evident in history from colonial through postmodern periods. Following sequences, becoming aware of interdisciplinary connections, and experimentation on a canvas or in the lab are all very important as students are guided through course selection.

At the time of filling out college applications, students will be asked what they want to major in. It is important at that time to be credible by having done well. In other words, it is unwise to choose science if one's grades in that are or have been less than impressive. One launches oneself into the application process by bouncing off proven strengths.

Choosing courses is not, therefore, based on an absolute set of musts. Highly selective colleges do have certain expectations, but as we discussed above, there is room for some individual selection amidst those expectations. Choices need to be made based on the individual student's sense of a larger plan with a reason behind it.

* Math

A representative math sequence would include algebra, geometry, precalculus or trigonometry, and calculus. This sequence would put a student on the path to applying to a competitive college.

A student less gifted in pure math, or one interested in social science, such as sociology or psychology, might consider statistics and probability in lieu of calculus, or in addition. In some high schools, business math and accounting are offered under a math curriculum for students on a track into further business study, but these courses are not typically recognized as fulfilling a math sequence by selective colleges. Calculus is practically a must on that track. Even some colleges that have no distribution requirements and do not care if a student ever takes math expect that the student, before enrolling, will have studied calculus.

These decisions can only be made year-by-year as grades in math accrue. Unless students earn at least a B in precalculus, most high schools will not let them enter calculus. The student who has a more or less clear idea of a career path is at an advantage here over the liberal arts student with an undeclared major, in that the choice of business math over calculus or probability/statistics might make a lot of sense. Most students, since they do not have a clearly set career path, should think about studying math at least through precalculus or trig. Three years of high school math is a typical expectation of four-year colleges.

If you are thinking about a career in math, engineering, premed, research, or architecture, take as many courses in math and science as possible, following sequences to high levels—for instance, advanced placement physics after physics. Applicants to specialized schools such as Cal Tech, Clarkson, or MIT will have taken a rigorous curriculum in these areas and demonstrated the ability to do well in them. They are also likely to follow up high grades with high scores on the standardized tests, SAT II or AP, in these disciplines. Advanced Placement calculus AB is usually the highest-level math expected by even the most selective colleges. Advanced Placement calculus BC and above is designed to challenge the truly talented in math. Unless a student is considering premed, architecture, engineering, or a career such as astrophysics, and is a whiz at math, calculus AB should suffice.

The question arises of whether to elect math at the Honors, Advanced, or AP level, if offered, and perhaps get a lower grade or to take regular sections and get an A. Several years ago parents used to ask an illustrious dean of admission at a well-known West Coast university this question at information sessions and college nights. He answered, "Students who come to our university take the AP course and get A's!" The students in these advanced sections are highly motivated and usually gifted in that subject area; one swims with the sharks in entering those waters. On the other hand, there is little to be gained by piling on advanced level courses and getting mediocre grades. The key is balance. Select a reasonable schedule that contains courses in areas of demonstrated academic strength and do well in them.

For young people thinking about entering business- related areas after high school, facility with numbers is essential, as are computer and word-processing skills. Entry-level positions in business also call for the ability to file, write coherent memos, and participate actively in regularly scheduled department or staff meetings. Students contemplating work in business immediately after high school might consider adding to their schedules courses in statistics, business math, accounting, writing, and public speaking. Broad exposure to business-related disciplines is smart preparation to meet opportunities that arise unexpectedly. Being well-informed and flexible provides an excellent chance to step up to the plate.

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Excerpted from Pathfinder: An Action Planby Frank C. Leana Carole S. Clark Copyright © 2010 by Frank C. Leana, PhD, and Carole S. Clark, MEd. Excerpted by permission of iUniverse, Inc.. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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