When high school students at public schools in wealthy areas have access to better classes and better college advising than others, we are increasing our divide between the haves and the have nots.  Some public school students have engineering, robotics, speech and debate, over 20 AP courses, and excellent introduction to high-paying careers in STEM, while students from inner city ghettos don’t have basics like AP classes, honors courses, and the breadth of courses that selective colleges require for eligibility to attend.

The average high school counselor works with about 450 students, while counselors in poorer districts can have upwards of 1,000 students. These students from low-income families rely on their school guidance counselors to choose the necessary courses to meet minimum requirements for college but when their counselors are struggling to handle the sheer volume of students, they don’t have time to offer the support the college-bound students need to look at majors/careers, GPA and SAT/ACT averages, and financial aid. 

It seems unfair that students who attend public schools in wealthy areas have smaller counselor/student ratios and better courses offerings than students who attend schools in poverty-stricken areas.  Wouldn’t we want those underserved students to get more help?  After all, wealthy students work with private college advisors and most only meet with their guidance counselors for class schedules.  Hmm.

Being married to a “tree hugger” for over 30 years, you would think I’d know what is recyclable and what isn’t.  Right?  When in doubt, I’d just toss it in the recycle container so I wouldn’t feel guilty throwing into the trash…  A new report by Global Citizen states that there’s been an 84% increase in what is REJECTED for recycling!

Here’s what can be recycled:

– Recyclable containers that are NOT contaminated by food (wash out plastic bottles and tin cans)

– Cardboard containers (pizza boxes) need to be free of oil and food

– Plastic bottle tops (remove caps from the bottle)

– Recyclable coffee cups

– Cups WITHOUT a thin layer of polyethylene (use metal or ceramic reusable cups instead)

Here’s what CAN’T be recycled:

– Kleenex tissues

– Containers contaminated by food waste

– Toothpaste tubes

– Plastic toys

– Wrapping paper

– Mylar food bags (chips)

– Anything that is put in plastic bags to recycle

– Batteries (take to Household Waste Collection centers)

– Any food waste: eggshells, peels, compost

– Old clothes

Use reusable items when possible.  When you do need to recycle, do it properly.  Just be sure that no items that have been contaminated by food end up in your recycle bin!  Happy Earth Day!

It’s time to stop using single-use plastic. You’ve seen the photos showing tons of plastic washing up on the shores worldwide.  You’ve seen the harm plastics do to fish and mammals that get tangled in or ingest plastics.  Here are 5 easy things you can do to substantially reduce your single-use plastic usage:

1) Stop buying drinks in plastic bottles – buy in bulk and use refillable glass or metal containers

2) Stop using plastic wrap – use Tupperware or reusable storage containers

3) Stop using straws – use reusable straws or forgo straws altogether

4) Stop using Styrofoam – tell restaurants that you prefer compostable containers

5) Stop buying food in plastic packaging – buy food in bulk and use your reusable glass or metal containers.

This is actually easy to do and will save you lots of money too.  Stock your car with reusable bottles and containers so you’ll have them when you need them.  I use glass containers for my left-over food at restaurants.  I appreciate being able to microwave these treats in glass so the plastic doesn’t leech into my food.  After I wash the containers, I put them by the door so I remember to put them in the trunk of my car.  Just thought I’d post this as we approach Earth Day. 

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If you’ve been offered a place on a college waiting list, don’t hold your breath! This year, colleges have offered more students on their waiting list than their entire freshman class size.  Brown University admitted 2,566 students to fill 1,719 spaces for their freshman class this fall. Considering this is an elite Ivy League college, they should easily receive deposits for all of these spaces.  Right?  Well then why did they offer an additional 2,724 students a place on their waiting list?

Brown isn’t alone.  Just about every college offers waiting list.  Not only do colleges want to unsure that they have a full class of freshmen but these waiting lists give colleges the stats to keep their admit rates low.  Many families rank their colleges choices by admit rates – the more difficult it is to get in, the more desirable it becomes.  Simple supply and demand.

Some of these colleges have waiting lists with over 3,000 students but they admit only 20.  Odds don’t look good.  But colleges do want to know if you would attend if admitted, so letting them know that you would accept their offer off the waiting list could improve your chances of getting in.  Good luck, and check out the source link below for a fantastic table of colleges with waiting lists, how many students are on them, what percentage are admitted, etc.:

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Many colleges have changed their marketing strategies to recruit top students.  Instead of sending the “large envelope” to congratulate students on their acceptances, colleges are sending giant mascots, balloons, and gifts to their most coveted applicants.  At Merit, students have received handwritten letters from the dean, and Yale actually called one of my daughters three times to encourage her to accept their full-scholarship offer.  Wheaton filled a bus with admissions officers/staff and drove out to a student’s high school to surprise her with the news (captured on YouTube).  These stories have gone viral on social media building hype about college acceptances, which only benefits the colleges and the very few who get in. 

I wonder if this type of extravagant marketing leads to self-doubt, anxiety, and depression among the tens of thousands of students who don’t get into their top colleges.  When these other students see colleges rolling out the red carpet and offering gifts to a few lucky students, the vast majority of college applicants may suffer in silence as they receive rejection letters.  Social media already creates an unrealistic view of how “happy and successful” everyone else’s lives are compared to themselves. 

At Merit, I recommend that students keep their college lists, GPA, and SAT/ACT scores to themselves.  That way, if they get rejected from their top colleges, they don’t have to share that sad and disappointing news with their friends, relatives, and social media.  It’s tough enough to deal with rejection when students open those small envelopes.  Having dozens of people ask if they got in or having video cameras on them as they check their inboxes, can be devastating.  I hope colleges stop their public hype about accepting a few students to promote their brand.  Let’s give all students the decent respect of choosing their colleges and making those final announcements privately.   

If you’ve been accepted by “reach” colleges, but waitlisted by your “safeties,” you’re not alone.  Strong students (GPA 3.9 and SAT 1400+) are being rejected by UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara, and UC San Diego.  Top students are being waitlisted, when they would normally be accepted. Why?

Last year, UCs received more deposits to enroll than expected, which put them in a precarious situation.  UC Irvine actually revoked about 500 acceptances because they didn’t have space to accommodate their incoming class. But amidst public criticism, they reversed their revocation and allowed most of the 500 students to attend that year. To ensure that none of the UCs faced the same situation this year, many UCs, especially the middle-range campuses, are offering waitlist positions instead of acceptances.  On May 1^st after they receive all official deposits, they’ll admit students off the wait list.

With the cost of private college tuition soaring ($40,000-65,000/year), many California families are opting for the less expensive public college tuition ($18,000-30,000/year).  Just be prepared as you receive letters from the California public universities in the next few weeks; your “target” or “safety” colleges may offer disappointing news. 

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Is your high school keeping up?

Finally, colleges are recognizing that GPAs and SAT/ACT scores alone don’t give them enough information to select students who have potential for success in college. 

Rhode Island has recently adopted a new diploma system that requires students to demonstrate competency in the following areas:

1. Critical Thinking
2. Problem Solving
3. Research
4. Communication
5. Decision Making
6. Interpreting Information
7. Analytic Reasoning
8. Personal or Social Responsibility

More colleges are jumping on board as they realize that these portfolios give them a more comprehensive peek at student performance that isn’t only GPAs and standardized test scores. These colleges support and participate in this new movement:

1. Calif Community Colleges
2. MIT
3. Pomona College
4. Smith College
5. UC Riverside
6. Univ Michigan
7. UT Austin

I’ve watched Merit Academy students do projects throughout their 4 years of high school for the past 18 years.  Doing these individual projects over their entire high school tenure gives students a sense of confidence and pride that they don’t get from working for grades and standardized tests. Brainstorming and developing projects requires research, analysis, public outreach, and creating budgets.  As teens delve into these new and exciting steps, it helps them explore future careers.  Each student becomes interesting and fully vested young people.  I am thrilled that other schools are also giving students access to these opportunities instead of forcing them to take AP classes and bury themselves in memorizing facts for one test at the end of the year.  America needs to provide our youth with skills to compete in the ever-changing world and we need to rethink what teens learn in high school.

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