肯特咨询集团双周简报
Bi-weekly Newsletter from KCG
Dec. 16th - 31st, 2014
简报介绍：肯特咨询集团双周简报致力于与您分享作为顶级教育咨询公司的优质服务和相关新闻，希望能够帮助您更多地了解关于肯特咨询的价值观和使命。
Naviance系统
通常, 我们使用Naviance系统来提交电子版本的成绩单和推荐信。所以维护和更新你的Naviance账户是你必须做到的。请遵循Naviance系统的操作指南，包括在八月一日之后在公共申请表里将家庭教育权利和隐私法部分信息填写完整。在夏季，你可以在Naviance账户里有一份你正在考虑申请的大学的名单。回到学校后，你和你的顾问将会对名单进行筛选,列出你要申请的学校的名单并激活这张表格。这是确保所有表格都能在合适的时候提交给合适的院校最关键的一步。而且，我们会要求老师将电子版的推荐信提交到Naviance系统以便确保你的所有材料能够同时到达学校。
访问与面试
从你列出的学校名单目录里选出一些你想要访问的学校。这是非常关键的。如果可能的话，与你的父母商议、做出决定，然后给学校打电话预约访校和面试。绝大多数大的院校都不会给予面试的机会，但是很多小的文理学院会有。利用好面试机会，这不仅仅是一个让你了解这个大学的机会，同时也是你表现自己在学术和课外兴趣方面的能力的机会。面试其实并不困难，大部分迪尔菲尔德的学生都能坦然地，清晰地，且非常轻松地与成人交流。你会让人眼前一亮! 而且面试可以向学校表达出你对该校真正的兴趣，这个对于目前很多学院来说都是非常重要的。对有50%到70%的几率录取你的学校表达出的你真挚的兴趣，这尤为重要。本来我们今年有几个学生会被他们名单里面有50%和70%的几率录取他们的学校给录取的，但是他们没有，因为他们没有访问这些学校，或者他们在面试的时候给人的感觉是他们对这些学校并没有真正的兴趣。 面试可以是评估类或信息分享类的。在一项评估类的面试当中，面试官会对你作为候选人进行评估，并撰写一份报告作为是否录取你的材料。作为信息分享类的面试，主要是让你来了解更多有关学校的信息。准备面试时，先研究下这个学校在你感兴趣的学术领域有什么有特色的项目和资源并准备好几个问题。准备好谈论学术方面和学术以外领域的兴趣。让父母模拟招生官，和他们进行面试练习。正式的面试过后，亲笔写一封感谢信，提及你喜欢这个学校的具体方面。
艺术类补充材料
你应该在夏天准备一些艺术类的补充材料，无论你是计划提交一份戏剧录影带，音乐带或者是有关艺术作品的胶片还是摄影作品，请仔细查看截止日期，因为有时候这个截止日期跟你申请时的截止日期不同. 注意对你提交的文件的格式的要求和说明。
老师的推荐信
一般来说，最好是自己找老师去要求写推荐信，你的老师能够理解你为什么在这个夏季让他们帮你写信，尤其是当你要提交早期申请的话，一定要确保你的邮件内容充分而且完整，而并非很简单的只是要求写一封信。如果你不清楚应该找哪个老师写信，请咨询你的大学咨询顾问。
ACT/SAT的准备
你无需花很多钱去上补习课程或者聘请老师来提高你的考试分数。当然，适当的准备和复习以及训练也是必要的，以下有几个免费或者花费不高的方式来帮助你在这个夏季学习SAT或者ACT。
找一本练习题集，做一套题。核对正确答案并评分，再回顾下你做错的题目。从犯错的这些问题中能发现模式或规律？你能学着尝试做这些题目吗？
在大学委员会的网站上去注册SAT的每日一题。每天你将会获得一个SAT题目。你可以通过邮件来做题。
大学委员会的网站和ACT网站都提供备考贴士以及考试练习题，而且，他们都出版备考书籍。
我们推荐的另外的备考书籍是布莱恩利夫针对SAT，ACT考试写的书。
如果需要更多有关备考的链接，可以在我们的链接和资源页面找到。
组织
大学申请可以考验你的组织能力。首先将所有关于学校的信息整理归类到不同的文件夹，硬拷贝或电子版的均可.如果你对一个学校很感兴趣，就去了解他们的申请流程。他们是否接受公共申请？ 如果接受，那么他们是否还有其他补充材料的要求？学校需要什么考试？ACT或者SAT是可选的还是必须的？SAT科目考试是否作为要求？有多少考试项目？需要多少老师推荐信？在文件夹里面为每一个你想要申请的大学制作一个清单目录或者设计一个你自己的在线检查系统。你应该在清单上留有记录投递申请的日期、补充材料、分数以及给老师推荐信日期的地方。
邮件
你的大学申学顾问想了解你在这个夏季的情况。请通过迪尔菲尔德邮箱地址联系我们，并给我们提供你最新访校的信息和对大学的一些看法。当然，正如上面所提到的，当你们开始写文书的时候，我们愿意在文书题目以及修改润色方面提供一些帮助。
公共申请以及大学文书
我们强烈建议你在夏季将公共申请表格填好，2013-2014年的公共申请应该在八月初就开放申请了。
夏季该是你完成这个项目的时候了，你的目的是要告诉他们除了申请材料以外其他有关你自己的信息。这也意味着你并不想写简历或写一些抽象的题目, 通常你很难在500个字里把她讲清楚。相反，尝试讲诉一个关于你自己的故事，通过故事来展示你想让学校了解的东西。想找一个好的题目是最困难的事情，从头脑风暴开始，和你的顾问分享几个你最好的想法，你们俩可以决定哪一个想法最值得写。首先写一个草稿，给你的顾问看看，并获得一些反馈意见。我们并不希望你在这件事上花大量的时间，然后到了这个秋季，我们再来告诉你这个想法并不可行。我希望在你回到迪尔菲尔德的时候，你可以带给我们你的第三稿或第四稿供我们参考。你也可能会咨询你的某个英语老师或者你的顾问。控制帮你看文书的人的人数. 过多的编辑反而会把水搅浑。大学委员会有些指导你如何撰写高质量的大学申请文书的资料可供参考。
提早决定申请
提早决定这个计划表明学生明白他/她想要去哪所大学并知道自己完全符合了申请条件，申请截止日期通常在11月1日或者15日。并且在12月份就知道结果。但是目前就这个主题存在着花样繁多的让人困惑的变化，比如提早行动，提早通知，滚动录取以及第二轮提早决定等。我们的建议是：仔细检查每所学校在提早申请上的具体要求。有着明确的第一选择以及具备非常符合申请条件的学生，在申请之初就能保持平静的心态。但是偏好的改变以及在学业上的巨大进步,都会使只能绑定就读一所特定的院校的决定变得仓促和不合适。很多学生未认真考虑和切实评估自己是否适合做提早申请就被提早申请的热潮卷进去。（我们学校几乎有一半的提早申请的申请者都被延迟或者拒绝；只有一小部分被延迟的学生之后才被大学录取。）作提早申请的学生要对他们在高中一，二，三年级的记录和考试分数有足够的信心。同时也要记住，很多大学目前在拒绝大量的提早申请的候选人而并非只是延迟。尽量不要在没有搞清楚状况之前就去赶提早申请的潮流；仔细考虑下自己目前的状况。任何一个想要提前申请的学生必须要在10月1日之前就让大学招生办知晓。这样我们才有时间完成提早申请需要的支持文件的准备工作。
秋天，叶子，课间
在秋季，我们会要求填写另外一个信息表格并组织另一轮和学生单独面试的环节，与学生交流夏季所有获得的一些想法。这时你会精简你想要申请的学校的名单并最终确定。（过往的平均申请学校数量为8到10）。在整个秋季，大学招生办代表将会访问迪尔菲尔德中学。大部分这种座谈会将以小组的形式举行。也有几个将会是单独面试—有一些是作为挑选学生的步骤之一，但大部分只是作为信息分享。学生们应该尽量与这些学校代表们见面，安排有冲突时，应当向任课老师请假。
如果提前和学校约好见面时间，那么周末（尤其是秋季周末假期）和感恩节的假期可以被当做进一步访校的机会，但是学生需要在秋季有时间来进行申请，所以不要把太多访校时间延后。我们必须在你过感恩节之前获取你最后的申请大学名单，所以请仔细考虑下你的假日安排。学生在离开迪尔菲尔德学院之前会需要大量的空余时间来进行大学申请。
Naviance
Whenever possible, we submit transcripts and recommendations electronically using Naviance. This means that it is ESSENTIAL that you keep your Naviance account up to date. Please follow the Naviance instructions, including completing the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act section on the Common Application after August 1. During the summer you will be able to keep a list of colleges you are considering in your Naviance account. After you return to school, you and your advisor will narrow this list down to the schools to which you wish to apply and then activate the list, a critical step in being certain that all of your forms get to the right college at the right time. In addition, we'll be asking your teachers to submit their recommendations electronically to Naviance so that all of your materials reach colleges at the same time.
Visits and Interviews
Select schools from each category on your list that you are most interested in visiting. THIS IS CRUCIAL. Determine a visit plan with your parents, and call the colleges to make appointments to visit and interview, if possible. Most large colleges will not offer interviews but many small liberal arts colleges will. Take advantage of the opportunity to interview. Not only is it a chance to learn more about the college, but it will also give you an opportunity to talk about your academic and extracurricular interests. These interviews are not difficult-most Deerfield students are poised, articulate, and comfortable speaking with adults. You will shine! And interviews demonstrate to the college your sincere interest, which at many colleges today is very important. It is especially important to express your serious interest at 50% and 70% schools. This year we had several students who should have been admitted to schools on their 50% and 70% lists but were not because they did not visit or did not seem interested in their interview.
Interviews are either evaluative or informational. In an evaluative interview, the interviewer will assess you as a candidate and write a report for your admission file. An informational interview is non-evaluative and primarily for you to learn more about the college. To prepare for an interview, research the college's offerings in your academic area of interest and have a few prepared questions. Be ready to speak about your academic and extracurricular interests. Practice a mock interview with a parent pretending to be the admission officer. After an interview, write a hand-written thank you note, mentioning specific things you liked about the college.
Arts Supplements
You should prepare your arts supplement over the summer, whether you plan to submit a theater tape, a music tape, or slides of your artwork or photography. Check carefully for due dates, which sometimes differ from application deadlines, and instructions about the desired/required format for your submission.
Teacher Recommendations
While, generally speaking, it is preferable to ask for letters of recommendation in person, your teachers will understand if you email them over the summer to ask them to write, especially if you plan to file an early application. Be sure your email is full and complete—not simply a request for a letter. If you have questions about which teacher(s) to ask consult with your college advisor.
ACT/SAT Preparation
You don't need to take an expensive course or hire a tutor to improve your test scores. Some preparation and review is advisable and discipline is required. Here are a few free or inexpensive ways to study for the SAT or ACT this summer:
Get a book of practice tests and take one. Score it and go back over the questions you got wrong. Is there a pattern to the kind of problems you missed? Can you learn to do these types of problems?
Sign up for the SAT question of the day on the College Board website. You will get an SAT question and answer each day in your email.
Both the College Board website and the ACT website offer tips and practice test questions. Both publish test prep books.
Another suggestion for test prep books for ACT and SAT are by author Brian Leaf.
Find more test prep links on our Links & Resources page.
Organization
The college admission process will test your organizational skills. To begin with, organize all the information you have received from colleges into file folders either actual or virtual. As you become interested in a college, learn about its application process. Do they accept the Common Application? If so, do they have a supplement? What testing does the college require? Is the ACT or SAT optional or required? Are SAT Subject Tests required? How many? How many teacher recommendations, if any, do they require? Make a checklist on the inside of the file folder for each college where you plan to apply or devise your own online tracking system. The checklist should include a place to record the date you sent the application, the supplement, your test scores, and the date you gave your teachers your recommendations about college.
Your college advisor would like to hear from you during the summer. Please contact us at our Deerfield email addresses and provide us with an update of your visits and thinking about college. Of course, as mentioned above, we want to help with essay topics and/or revisions as you begin writing your essays.
Common Application & College Essay
We strongly recommend that you fill out the Common Application this summer. The 2013-14 application should be available online in early August.
Summer is the time to begin to tackle this project. Your objective is to tell them something about yourself that they do not know from the rest of your application. That means that you do not want to write a resume or write about an abstract topic that is hard to grasp in 500 words. Instead, try to find a story about you that illustrates something you want colleges to know. Finding a good topic is the hardest part. Start brainstorming. Send your advisor a couple of your best ideas, and the two of you can decide which idea has the most potential. Write a first draft, and feel free to send it to your advisor for some feedback. We don't want you to spend hours on it and have us tell you in the fall that we really don't think it will work. By the time you return to Deerfield we hope that you will have a third or fourth draft that we can look over. You may also want to consult with one of your English teachers or your advisor. Try to limit the number of people who look at your essay; too many editors tend to muddy the waters. The College Board has some helpful information on writing an effective college essay.
Early Decision Application
Early Decision is a plan whereby the student who knows where he or she wants to go and seems well qualified can apply, usually by November 1 or 15, and receives a decision in December. There now exist numerous, confusing variations on this theme including Early Action, Early Notification, Rolling Admissions, and Early Decision II. Our advice: check out any of the early plans with the specific institution involved. A student with a clear first choice and strong qualifications at the time of application may be rewarded with early peace of mind. But, changing student preferences and dramatic academic improvement can make a binding commitment to attend a particular institution both premature and uncomfortable. And many students get swept into the early application frenzy without realistically assessing their prospects for early admission. (Almost half of our early candidates are deferred or rejected; only a few of those deferred are later admitted to that college.) Students who wish to file an early application must feel that they are a strong candidate based on their freshman, sophomore, and junior year record and test scores. And remember that many colleges are now rejecting a larger number of early candidates rather than simply deferring them. Try not to get caught up in the early frenzy; give your own situation careful thought. Any student wishing to apply early must let the college office know by October 1, so that we have time to complete the paperwork in support of that application.
fall, leaves, between class
In the fall, we will ask for another Information Form and conduct another round of individual interviews with students in order to share the thinking that has taken place over the summer. At that time you will narrow the list of colleges to which you will apply. (In past years the average number has been eight to ten). Throughout the fall, representatives of college admissions offices will visit Deerfield. Most of these sessions will be held in groups, a few will be individual interviews-some are used as selective measures, most are simply informational. It is the student's responsibility to see those representatives when they are on campus and to arrange with teachers to be excused from class when necessary.
Weekends (especially the Fall Weekend holiday) and Thanksgiving vacation can be used for further college visiting if appointments are scheduled well in advance. But students will need to use time in the fall to write their applications, so don't postpone too many college visits. We must have your final list of colleges to which you plan to apply before you leave for Thanksgiving vacation. Consider your Thanksgiving vacation plans carefully. Students will need plenty of free time in which to work on college applications while they're away from Deerfield.