Sophomoric Year

Sophomore year in college was when, for the first time in almost twenty years of formal education, I got my first grade below a B. This was rather late in the normal scheme of things, since this often happens when a student is a sophomore in high school. Hence, the word "sophomoric", which means you think you know it all when, in reality, you don't know nothin! You may wonder why they even use the word "sophomore" to describe the second year of high school or post secondary study. From personal experience, I believe it must have stemmed from teacher observations of their students dating from when Socrates lectured young people under the cypress trees. (In his case, they may have been hemlock!)
The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) of the National Center for Education Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor (PHEW!) reports that high school dropout rates increase as grade level increases. When I was a school counselor, I frequently saw an uptick sophomore year when students turned 16 and could legally drop out. It is so important for students to have a goal towards which a high school diploma is a necessary step. IES reports that in 2006-7, over 600,000 high school students out of around 14 million dropped out. That's definitely a dead end, especially in these economic times.
Since high school sophomores are often sophomoric, they usually don't see the link between current courses and a career. It is especially important at this time to flesh out a dream and keep it alive. Career interests should be identified and they should be explored through high school course selection. Career Days and College Fairs should not exclude underclassmen in an attempt to focus on juniors and seniors trying to decide on a college/major.
Since many sophomores won't be old enough for summer jobs, this is the perfect summer for exploration through a pre-college program. As I've mentioned previously, I've used and like Peterson's Summer Programs for Kids and Teenagers. Another that might be of interest is the Kaplan Yale Daily News Guide to Summer Program .
If you have a specific college in mind, see if it offers any pre-college summer programs. Many do. Check the school's website. Websites are especially good resources, as they are usually current. Two that I like are: http://www.studenteducationprogram.com/precollege.html and http://www.bc.edu/sites/genpulse/pass/summer_pulse.htmlThis last one is out of Boston College and lists sources of information on summer programs with descriptions.
This post was long enough to make up for missing last week!!!

PSAT/NMSQT

As mentioned previously, I will break the sequence of topics as more timely issues arise. Most High school juniors interested in college will have taken the PSAT/NMSQT today or will take it this Saturday, October 13. Test takers can expect to receive their individual results and actual test booklets in mid-December. While this "gift" may not have been on any holiday wish lists, it is an invaluable tool in helping a student prepare for its successor, the SAT. The student receives a report that shows which specific questions were answered correctly or incorrectly, the content area each question was meant to assess and its difficulty level. The student can also use the access code on the score report to register to use the MyRoad program on the collegeboard.com site. There are many features on this site that can be used without registering but, with it, one can customize an individual program and gain access to:
-take a personality assessment
-explore a list of suggested careers and majors that fit the student's personality, and
-explore colleges and majors and more.
This service is free for those who took the PSAT. As mentioned in a previous blog, paid subscriptions area also available for those who did not take the test.

I'm not going to post on Wednesday, October 20 but will return on October 27 with the next blog, "Sophomoric Year".

High School Homework - HELP!!!!!

In reviewing last week's blog, I noticed the Amazon.com portal had the Hallinan book I referenced as costing over $100. Yahoo! I ran up to the attic and retrieved my copy, planning to put it up for sale lickety-split. On closer inspection, I realized that price was for the paperback edition which is obviously rare. My copy of When I Grow Up is the hardcover edition and can be purchased at around $8.00 which is less than I spent! Moral of the story: Read carefully and check your work.
Speaking of work - how's that high school homework? Now that the September review segments are over, the work should be getting more difficult. Here are two great sites for assistance with your homework and research.
- http://edsitement.neh.gov This is an index of websites which have been reviewed by the National Endowment for the Humanities and provides links to those sites in the following areas: Art & Culture; Literature & Language Arts; Foreign Language and History & Social Studies.
- http://www.rcan.org/schools/links.html This site is run by the Vicariate for Education of the Archdiocese of Newark and provides links to great websites - the Library of Congress, the College Board, et.al.

NOW, GET TO WORK!!!!