With a gap year and our crippled economy, the silver lining is that some colleges are changing policies and admitting more students. San Francisco State University just announced that they will accept transfer students with as few as 6 credits! Normally they require community college students to complete 2 full years of courses and apply to transfer with a minimum of 60 credits. The new rules mean that students could take one fall semester of courses at a community college and then transfer spring semester to SFSU.
Thanks to thousands of students who will not be attending the online classes this fall, the admissions dept has opened up these 2500 spaces to transfer students. All that’s required for eligibility under these pandemic times are the following:
High School GPA: B- average
Community College GPA: C average
SAT/ACT: not required
Required course completion: (1) basic writing; and (2) basic math
So the silver lining is a huge bonus for students of color and students who are the first in their families to go to college. SFSU is partnering with City College of San Francisco to implement these new guidelines and to help community college students get into a 4-year university. All community college students will be considered, and other California State Universities may follow suit. Stay tuned!
With a gap year and our crippled economy, the silver lining is that some colleges are changing policies and admitting more students. San Francisco State University just announced that they will accept transfer students with as few as 6 credits! Normally they require community college students to complete 2 full years of courses and apply to transfer with a minimum of 60 credits. The new rules mean that students could take one fall semester of courses at a community college and then transfer spring semester to SFSU.
Thanks to thousands of students who will not be attending the online classes this fall, the admissions dept has opened up these 2500 spaces to transfer students. All that’s required for eligibility under these pandemic times are the following:
High School GPA: B- average
Community College GPA: C average
SAT/ACT: not required
Required course completion: (1) basic writing; and (2) basic math
So the silver lining is a huge bonus for students of color and students who are the first in their families to go to college. SFSU is partnering with City College of San Francisco to implement these new guidelines and to help community college students get into a 4-year university. All community college students will be considered, and other California State Universities may follow suit. Stay tuned!
Here we are again in the middle of a perfect storm: Fires are raging in California after Sunday’s lightning thunderstorms that sparked fires amidst some of the hottest days we’ve had on record. This is unnerving as we’re already dealing with fears of COVID-19, loss of jobs, displaced students, and isolation from friends. This is the best time to fill out my Micro-Community Disaster Plan and Information packet to prepare your family now. Here are 5 proactive things you can do now to give you more control over the many things that feel completely out of our control today.
#1: REACH OUT TO YOUR NEIGHBORS
Put your differences aside, and email or visit with your neighbors today. Check in with them to update their contact information so you can help if they need support in evacuating or taking care of pets if they’re not at home.
#2: CREATE A FAMILY DISASTER PLAN
Select a meeting place to avoid going in circles searching for one another should there be an evacuation or a disaster. Make sure all family members understand that they should meet at this location and wait for everyone to arrive. Choose an out-of-state (or out-of-area) person to be the contact person. That way, if cell phones aren’t working or your internet is down, your contact person can retrieve messages and keep everyone informed of the status of each family member.
* Disaster Plan
#3: MAKE YOUR GO-BAGS
Gather the things you absolutely need to survive, and place them in a backpack or suitcase. Think: medications, personal items, clothing, water, food. Be prepared as evacuation orders don’t give you much time. If evacuation isn’t eminent, then create a Go Bag for your car and your house so you’ll always be ready.
#4: SIGN UP FOR CODE RED
Go to your alert notification systems and sign up for alerts. That way, you’ll be alerted to evacuation orders and you can start preparing by gathering your family, pets, and Go Bags. You can also help your neighbors by giving them a heads up and helping those who are non-ambulatory.
#5: PROTECT YOUR HOUSE
Move wooden or flammable items that are within 5 feet of your house. That means that cord of wood next to the garage, wooden picnic tables, old planter boxes, and other things. Ideally, move them 100 feet from your house but do whatever works for your home and property.
If time permits, remove dead branches and lower limbs on trees that are within 100 feet of your house. This could reduce the chance the wildfires would make their way to your homes. Weedwhack dense areas to create a firebreak. Clean out gutters and debris that have collected on your roofs. Learn more here.
Whether you’re waiting for evacuation orders or you just haven’t had time to prepare for disasters, let this be a wake-up call to get started. Share this with family and friends, and encourage them to do prepare now.
Fresh squeezed apple juice on a blistering hot summer day. Yum. I wish I could say that my Fuji apple trees produced so many apples that I had to juice them – but, not so much. I only got about a dozen apples this year – up from last year though!
So where did I get the apples? A lovely lady on NextDoor had a bumper crop of apples and lots of then were falling to the ground. I responded to her post and she’s called me every week for 3-4 weeks to give me bags of bruised apples. They’re perfect for juicing!
I pulled out my 30+ year old juicer and made a jug of apple juice for Nicole and Brad. During this heat wave, I plan to juice another 3 bags tonight!
Discrimination comes in many forms. In a time when headlines like Black Lives Matter, Voters’ Rights Act, and others consume the press – as they should, — I’d like to address discrimination in college admissions against Asians and white applicants.
As a private college advisor, I work closely with hundreds of students as they apply to the Ivy League and other top universities in the world. My students conduct independent projects that change the world and make them dynamic young leaders. They study hard – like all college-bound students – but they separate themselves from their peers by doing unique projects over 1-4 years. They get in based on their academics and projects.
Yale University is under investigation for violations to the 1964 Civil Rights Act (considering race and ethnicity in admissions policies). Harvard is dealing with a similar case under appeal. What’s different now is that Asians and white students are being denied admission even when their scores and rankings might be higher than those of people of color who get in. The original Civil Rights Act was established so colleges wouldn’t discriminate against black and Hispanic students for simply being people of color. Now the Act is being challenged by the opposite end of the spectrum.
I completely support the BLM movement and believe that we as a society need to even the playing field so people of color have opportunities available to them. The rates at which blacks and Hispanics are incarcerated, killed by police, and receive higher education is appalling. Systemic changes need to be made starting in preschool so they will receive the skills and guidance needed to lift them out of this unconscionable state.
I do believe, however, that students should be accepted to colleges based on their academic and innovative skills. Isn’t that why universities were organized in the first place? They were designed to be places of higher education where intellectuals gathered to share ideas and improve society. I don’t believe admissions officers should consider race or ethnicity and base admission decisions on a formula that factors in discriminatory practices against anyone.
When an Asian or white student is denied admission to an elite college, to open up a spot for a student who has lower academic and innovative skills, this is discrimination. It bothers me when I tell my students that if their last name is “Wong” or “Agrawal,” their applications have to be substantially better than student applicants who are black or Hispanic.
I met with a student who got into a 4-year college back under Affirmative Action. His academic foundation and ability to succeed in the freshman year was low; his reading comprehension and writing skills were substandard. Even with tutoring and psychological support, the student dropped out and felt like a failure. Admitting students who don’t have the same high-caliber academic skills as the other students at the university will only exacerbate the low rate of graduation and career opportunities for these students.
Fixing this problem doesn’t start with admitting these students into colleges that they won’t prosper in. Instead, we need to create better preschools so underrepresented students have the same, or better, exposure to academics before they start kindergarten than their white and Asian counterparts. Elementary, middle, and high schools that serve students of color should receive more funding, smaller class sizes, better teachers (with better pay and benefits), computer equipment, and everything each student needs to be successful in school. Students who live in poor neighborhoods should be equipped with personal computers, internet, smart phones, and wifi. And during turbulent times like today, these students should also receive personal tutoring to ensure that they are learning, making it to classes whether on site or online, and completing daily homework and keeping up in classes. Then, and only then, will these students of color have a fair chance at moving up the ranks and succeeding in a world that is designed to keep them down.
Then, I believe the playing field will be more level for high school students applying to the elite colleges. I’d like to see a day when all students can compete to get into college based on their own merit.
And if two students (one Asian/white; the other black/Hispanic) have the same academic and innovative skills, I believe the black or Hispanic student should be granted admission until our K-12 education truly offers equal educational opportunities.
I remember worrying about the public and private schools in my neighborhood when I was pregnant with Nicole, my first child. I visited many classes to find the “perfect” school for her – and didn’t find one school that provided the academic rigor, depth in critical thinking and problem solving, the arts and theater, and the physical activities (dance, sports) that I was looking for. I didn’t bash schools for not offering what I wanted for my daughter; instead, I supplemented both of my daughters’ education so they would love to learn and get all of the important experiences to keep them engaged.
That’s exactly what parents will need to do during this pandemic, and most likely after this pandemic has passed. Yes, things are different now. Whether your school is 100% online, hybrid, or on campus, you can supplement your child’s education so they thrive. Use this time to experiment and try new approaches.
You can tell if your child is engaged in classes and work (asynchronous or synchronous). This is where you can fill the void by giving them interesting assignments or even inviting a mentor or teacher to work with them in virtual sessions. Here are some activities that I’ve set up for families during this pandemic:
1. Bamboo vs Oak Tree Experiment (to find faster, efficient ways to produce oxygen in the atmosphere)
2. Reading Challenge (to increase their reading fluency and comprehension)
3. Math Challenge (to build a solid math foundation so they’re prepared to move on to the next level)
4. Gardening Experiment (to determine which organic pesticides work best)
5. Research Writing (to teach them how to write a comprehensive research paper – something they probably will never learn in school)
6. Create a Podcast (to find their voices – and do research – and share their opinions)
7. Start a business (to learn about marketing, accounting, ecommerce)
If you find that your child is not thriving in whatever mode of learning they are engaged in, you can hire teachers to teach their classes one-on-one. Some states require that students be enrolled in a public or private school, so check with your state. It’s actually easier to open a private school for just your children (in most states) than to jump through hoops with homeschooling or independent studies programs.
You can also start a pandemic pod, see my blog: How to Form a Pandemic Pod for Free that can be free to the hosting family. In this setup, the hosting family hires the teacher, sets the curriculum and invites 2-3 other families to join. The other families’ tuition covers all costs so the pandemic pod is free to the hosting family. I’ve even written curriculum for preschool through high school.
While this is a stressful time as you make difficult decisions about whether to send your child back to school (if they’re opening) or worry that your child is slipping behind academically (for online classes), know that you have many options. Sometimes chaos gives us the unique opportunity to reinvent ourselves, and in the case of our children’s education, we can create something really stimulating and challenging for them. For me, I started Merit Academy with the projectMERIT theme. And yes, it was created when I realized that the existing academic options just weren’t good enough.
UCs are requiring all students, faculty, and staff to get flu vaccinations before Nov. 1st. They already required that all students have the measles, mumps, rubella, chicken pox, meningococcus, tetanus, and whooping cough vaccinations prior to this pandemic. Really worried about colleges that are opening up this fall when the seasonal flu and the coronavirus are expected to create havoc on our already stressed bodies and medical communities.
Purdue Univ, Univ of Miami, and Univ of Tennessee Knoxville have also added the flu vaccine to their entrance requirements. Glad to see that some of the universities are taking proactive steps in protecting their students, professors, and staff.
This year’s peaches, nectarines, and plums were delicious! Love to devour a peach in a few bites while it drips with sweet nectar down my chin. We picked them ripe right off the tree!
I’ve been growing almond and walnut trees in my fruit orchard for about 8 years hoping to be able to harvest fresh organic nuts. But until this year, we usually only produce about 2 or 3 nuts per year. Pretty sad. I stopped expecting to see almonds or walnuts in the trees, so when I saw 50-60 nuts this year, I was thrilled.
Not knowing when an almond is ripe or when to pick them, I searched online to learn that when the outer skin opens, it’s time to harvest. After 8 years, it was gratifying to pick each nut on my 3 almond trees. I didn’t know that there are 2 layers that protect the almond seed. City girl…
Only got 4 walnuts this year, so maybe next year I’ll get a bumper crop like I did almonds. I get a comforting sense of satisfaction to grow my own nuts. I hope to master the art of growing nuts so I don’t need to buy them. Maybe I’ll have enough next year to share!
Back when my daughters were young, I created a preschool and enrichment program to give them stimulating activities with a few other children. I developed the curriculum, trained the teacher, and hosted the program in my rec room. My girls LOVED the program and their academic skills were off the charts. I loved being able to set up the lesson plans to ensure that they were challenged and intrigued by their classes. By charging tuition to the 2-3 other families that joined the program, their contributions paid for the teacher and material expenses. It was a win-win situation for all of us.
Today, Bay Area families are scrambling to set up pandemic pods for their children to either enhance their school curriculum or to replace it. My consulting firm, Merit Educational Consultants, is helping parents set up their pandemic pods as coops (all parents contribute funds to pay for expenses), as independent programs (parents pay the hosting family to cover expenses), or as private schools (parents pay hosting family for program and/or work with Independent Studies programs for school credits.)
I’ve written a book that lays out exactly how to set up these programs and it comes complete with forms, policies, and tips. Check it out: The Millennial’s Guide to Free Child Care in Your Home. I have also written curriculum framework for all subjects starting at 18 months old to 12th grade; the high school courses are all UC A-G approved. DIY parents love customizing their family programs by utilizing the book and curriculum.
Creating a pandemic pod is similar to setting up in-home child care or starting a small homeschool. The only real difference is selecting families who share similar coronavirus safety protocols. You could imagine how this adds a new layer of complexity because there are still many unknowns about how this virus spreads and how to protect everyone.
Choosing students for your pandemic pod requires looking beyond the students themselves. You’ll need to evaluate how the family lives, who they socialize with, how they protect themselves, and most importantly, how honest they’ll be about their social interactions when not in the pod. In other words, you are interacting with everybody THEY interact with.
So if they don’t wear masks when stopping at the grocery store, it’s like you went with them to the store and didn’t wear your mask – and you may be exposing your family and the entire pod to the coronavirus. If one of the parents is having a sexual affair with someone out of the pod family group, you’re essentially in bed with their lover too. Get my drift? Now the big questions are can you trust them to tell you these private details about who they’re socializing with and can you operate your pandemic pod safely for your teacher and the students?
I’m helping families design their pandemic pods and vet students/families to find good matches. It’s best to keep pods to just 2-4 families. By doing the interviews and setting up policies as their consultant, it makes it easier for the families to discuss concerns about other family member’s activities and the overall safety of all parties. Is it worth it? We’ll see… For me back in the 90s (pre-pandemic,) it was the best decision I made for my girls, their education and their social lives.
I vividly remember Shozun, my cousin’s husband, telling me about the day the atomic bomb was dropped on his home town of Hiroshima. My father’s family lived on the other side of the mountain from Hiroshima, which shielded them from the atomic bomb explosion that instantly vaporized 66,000 people. Many of my family members died that day and others died later from radiation poisoning.
On that fateful day, Shozun was taking the train from Tokyo back to Hiroshima after work. All of a sudden the train stopped and the doors opened. Everyone disembarked and Shozun, carrying his black briefcase, started walking towards Hiroshima. At the time, he didn’t know that an atomic bomb had destroyed the entire city and 80,000 people at the hypocenter. As he walked through the city, he saw people with melted body parts crying for help and others seeking water in the radiation-filled waterways. He was an engineer and couldn’t understand why the US would drop the atomic bomb on civilians.
When I was 11 years old, I visited Hiroshima for the first time. Walking through the Peace Memorial Museum sent chills through my body as I saw black and white photographs of people burned by the 4,000-degrees Celsius blast. I remember seeing a woman with burns on her face in the shape of a metal grate. As I walked around the Peace Park, I wondered why a human being would engineer an atomic bomb and why President Truman would order the Enola Gay to actually drop them on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
It’s been 75 years since the atomic bombs were dropped on Japan. Not one president or leader in the world has used a nuclear bomb since Truman. Understanding what we know now about nuclear bombs, world leaders have resisted using them because life on this planet is much too delicate to withstand nuclear wars. I hope that we remember the devastation that ensued when the atom bombs were released on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and find peaceful negotiations to solve political and economic problems.