Gifted Jaguars and Eagles

College Advice For Juniors: Seeking The Right Recommendations      From Forbes on June  1, 2017 The high school year ends soon, so Juniors who have not already lined up their two teacher recommendations and laid a sound foundation for their counselor recommendation might want to act now, because the best time for most teachers and counselors to concentrate on writing is during the summer, when other obligations diminish or disappear.  Because students are asking professionals to do additional work on their behalf—writing letters that will be read by admissions officers like me at   Drew University , as well as colleagues in other colleges—it’s worth thinking well before asking (and reflecting on how to say a proper Thank You!)   A few basics on how recommendations work: ·        Each applicant is expected to have ONE counselor rec, ONE or TWO teacher recs and—at most—ONE other rec, but only if it sheds a differen...

Bloomington juniors Josh Lueth and Adeline Vacura (Jefferson High School) and George Thielen (Kennedy High School) have earned perfect scores on the ACT.  Lueth and Thielsen are both DAHS alumni!   On average, less than one-tenth of one percent of students taking the ACT earn a top score of 36. WCCO covered the story here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=8VcYUxvBby8

When I was Your Age” and Other Pitfalls of Talking to Teens about Stress By Juli Fraga, April 16, 2017 on National Public Radio http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/04/16/523592625/-when-i-was-your-age-and-other-conversational-pitfalls-of-talking-to-teens It's difficult to have a teenager's mind.   The brain  develops rapidly  during the adolescent years, which partially explains why teens experience anger, sadness and frustration so intensely. During these tumultuous years, hormones surge, bodies change and adolescents must face a number of social and academic challenges, such as managing their relationships, coping with peer rejection and,— especially this time of year — graduating from high school or preparing for college admission tests. These worries can take a definitive toll on a teenager's emotional health. "My daughters are dealing with friendship conflicts, school pressures and college applications. My younger daughter has so much home...

Harvard College recently rescinded admissions offers to at least ten prospective members of the Class of 2021 after the students traded sexually explicit memes and messages that  targeted minority groups in a private Facebook group chat. Last week I took a group of DA9th graders to Macalester College and the admissions officer told us they were looking for students that are both academically talented AND empathetic to others.   Please think before you post but also think about how you portray yourself.   http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2017/6/5/2021-offers-rescinded-memes/

Former Ivy League admissions officer reveals how schools pick students The Ivies are coveted colleges to attend.   Courtesy of Stefan Stoykov High-school students all over the country are putting the finishing touches on their college applications. While the decision process may appear shrouded in mystery for college hopefuls, admissions officers know the intricacies that take place on campus. Reddit hosted an  AMA, or Ask Me Anything , that featured former Cornell admissions officer Nelson Ureña answering questions about the admissions process in the Ivy League.  Ureña, now a cofounder of college-mentor-application company  Mentorverse , has unique insight into how Ivy League schools sift through tens of thousands of applications and come to a decision on whom to accept or reject. Here is how Ureña described the admissions process (emphasis added): "Once a student completes and submits his or her application to Cornell via the Common App, a first-...