Author Archives: Holly Spence

Tips for Strong Letters of Recommendation

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For students thinking about getting letters of recommendation for their college application, it can tricky to figure out how to best go about the process. We are here to help answer all of your letter of rec questions, and guide you on how to be in the BEST position to receive strong letters! 

 

One of the first thing we notice is that students seem to think there is some kind of “silver bullet” or secret equation to getting a strong letter of recommendation. Really, all it boils down too is being a good “classroom citizen”. 

 

What does that mean? Well, it means you don’t necessarily have to have an “A” grade in a class to get a strong letter of recommendation. And in fact, you might have an A in a class and still NOT get a strong letter of recommendation, because the teacher doesn’t know you very well – you showed up, got good grades on tests, and that was that!

 

A letter of recommendation is NOT about your academic performance. Colleges learn about that through your transcripts, looking at the classes you signed up for, your standardized tests results – they have all kinds of ways to get information about what kind of student you are from an academic perspective. A letter of recommendation is about your character and your personality. 

 

I strongly recommend that you take a look at the Common Application recommendation form by clicking HERE. Scroll down to the “Recommendation Letter” section, and here you can see the suggestions of what your teachers will be invited to write about in your letter. They are things like maturity, integrity, concern for others, contributing to class discussions, etc.  So, knowing those are the factors your teacher will be writing about, a good classroom citizen is someone that is exhibiting all of those factors every day.

 

In fact, if you are struggling in a class, engaging in this type of positive behavior can be a really great way of building a strong relationship with your teacher. If they see that you are working toward really overcoming struggles in the class and grappling with the material, it shows a dedicated side to you as a student. Some of the best letters of recommendation we have seen is from students that asked their teachers for help, and really worked toward improving their grades and work in a class. 

 

Letters of recommendation are really just someone putting pen to paper and writing down what they know about your personality. If you think about all areas of your life, you always want to be behaving in a way that would invite people to say great and positive things about you, should someone ask! 

 

All the best, 

Team Insight 

 

College Facts Friday: Columbia University

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This week, #CollegeFactsFriday is heading to New York City! Learn more about Columbia University below: 

 

1. Columbia University was founded in 1754 as King’s College by royal charter of King George II of England. It is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York and the fifth oldest in the United States.

2. In 1784 the school took on a new name—Columbia, as we know it as today! 

3. The architectural centerpiece of the campus is Low Memorial Library, named in honor of Seth Low’s father (Seth Low was the President of the University at the time of building). The building appears in the New York City Register of Historic Places and is used today for the University’s central administration offices and the visitors center.

4. Columbia’s motto is “In Lumine Tuo Videbimus Lumen” which translates to “In thy light shall we see light”.

5. The college colors are blue and white. 

6. Columbia has roughly 6,000 undergraduate students, 22 libraries, 200+ study abroad programs and 13 Graduate and Professional schools. Many more interesting numbers and statistics about Columbia can be found here. 

7. If you graduate from Columbia, you’ll be in great company with your fellow alumni – Former President Barack Obama graduated from Columbia, as did Warren Buffett and Amelia Earhart. 

8. The mascot for Columbia is a lion, and fun fact – the MGM Studio’s Lion was inspired by Columbia’s Lion mascot! 

9. Beginning in fall 2019, Columbia will launch the Year of Water, an interdisciplinary investigation of water in all of its social, political, cultural, economic, and environmental complexities.

10. Learn more about Columbia University on social! Visit Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for more. 

College Facts Friday: Santa Clara University

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We’re back in the Bay for our #CollegeFactsFriday, this week looking at Santa Clara University! Read on for some facts: 

 

1. Santa Clara University was named the top-ranked regional university in the western United States in the 2019 U.S  News & World Report Best Colleges rankings. The University earned a perfect overall score of 100 out of 100! 

2. Students at Santa Clara enjoy nearly 300 days of sunshine a year – that’s sunny California for you! 

3. There are some fun spots to check out just off of campus, including a game a Levi’s Stadium and the Winchester Mystery house. Check out more spots to visit here. 

4. “Santa Clara College” began as an all-boys preparatory school in 1851. Santa Clara started offering college courses in 1853, and by 1875, had enrolled more than 275 students at the preparatory and collegiate levels. With the addition of the law and engineering schools, the College became “The University of Santa Clara” in 1912

5. The college colors are red and white. 

6. Santa Clara places a big emphasis on sustainability and recently was ranked third among 93 masters-level institutions in the U.S. for its success with campus-wide sustainability initiatives. This includes things such as educating students on water usage, transportation, energy usage, and food waste 

7. Opportunities to learn abroad are integrated into all Majors and fields of study at SCU. Learn more here.  

8. There are more than 50 majors, minors and special programs for law, medicine, and teaching at SCU. 

9. Santa Clara University has a great YouTube channel showing different areas of the school, including housing tours and interviews with students. It’s a great insiders look! 

10. See more of Santa Clara University on social! Visit Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for more 

A Little Etiquette Can Still Take You A Long Way

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We live in a society driven by technology, that allows individuals to interact through keyboards and some kind of screen. Unfortunately, this means that some people either lose their politeness or don’t develop it in the first place. The anonymity of how we interact these days means we are losing some of the skills that are truly fundamental to relationships.

 

Unfortunately, high school students and college students will actually suffer from this. First impressions are built upon initial emails and interactions. Interviews are impeded by an inability to understand one’s physical and social cues. Internships and jobs may not be offered. Relationships with peers and colleagues may not forge naturally. So below are a few skills that I hope you will work hard to inculcate in your lives:

 

Please and thank you: In a time of 280-character updates, text messaging and a million emails a day, we often don’t think that we have the time to be polite. But remember to say please and thank you when it matters — which is always. When you write an email with a request, be polite in how you go about doing so. Your rushed off message can come across as rude to the recipient, reducing that person’s desire to assist you.

 

Be courteous in all messages: Unless you are sending a text or message to BFF or mom, start off messages with at least a hello, if not something more formal. Sign off by writing your name or initials. Take the extra three seconds to show that you care about this message and how the other person perceives you. For example, a student sent me a sample email he was going to send his teacher about a missing assignment. It went like this: “Can you put in the missing assignment from Tuesday? I should actually have an A in the class.” There was no “Dear Ms. Teacher.” The email was demanding and selfish in nature, even though that is certainly not how the student meant it. A better email would have been, “Dear Ms. Teacher, I noticed that I am missing an assignment from Tuesday, but I handed that in. Would you mind checking on it, please? If there is a problem, please let me know what I should do to get it sorted out. Thanks so much, Student.” It is especially important to be courteous and use proper and polite language when you are engaging with any type of superior. You can get away with a little more with your casual friends and family.

 

Be on time: A student showed up 20 minutes late this weekend for a scheduled exam. He was told he would have to wait or come back at another time since he was not on time. His father then proceeded to tell me he did not know that his son had to be on time for appointments. Yes, things happen and we cannot always be on time, but we should at least make a concerted effort. Showing up late demonstrates a lack of respect for the person waiting for you. And more importantly, it is wasting their time as well as yours. Plan events that you can be on time for. If you know that you are not a morning person, do not schedule classes, interviews, and appointments for earlier than 9 or 10 a.m. If you will have to travel a distance to get to your destination, account for rush hours, accidents or just traffic. Being late also causes you to be stressed out, which is never a good thing.

 

Learn to make proper phone messages: Do not assume that the person you are calling has Caller ID. When you leave a message, start with “Hello my name is …” Be concise in why you are calling and repeat your name and phone number so that someone can call you back. If you leave an email address on the message, make sure that it is a simple email to understand and spell it out. And say thank you or bye before you end the call.

 

Give people time to get back to you: Often, a student will send me an email and then immediately call me asking the same question in the email. I know we live in a time when people are accessible nearly around the clock but do not assume that you will receive a response instantaneously. Just as you are probably working on many things, so is that other person. A little patience will go a long way in preserving a relationship.

 

More than anything, think about how you would like to be treated when interacting with other people. Human interaction is core to our lives, but it is up to us to make that interaction meaningful and considerate.

 

Insight Alma Mater: Seattle University

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We are back with one of our favorite blog series here at Insight, the “Insight Alma Mater”! Client Operations Manager Casey Shook attended Seattle University and tells a compelling story of her journey during first semester. Read on below! You can also learn more about Seattle U on their Facebook, and Instagram

 

“Can’t you just attend a local school and live at home?” my parents replied when I told them I’d be applying to college in Seattle. I had lived my entire life (all 17 years at that point) in Silicon Valley and I knew it was time for a change of scenery. I also knew that I wanted my college experience to include small class sizes, an urban setting, and little to no focus on athletics or a Greek system. In other words, there was almost no chance I would be attending school close to home or even in this state. 

 

My high school hosted a number of university representatives during my Junior year, and by sheer luck one of them happened to be from Seattle University. I saw the city name and I added myself to the attendance list, figuring such a musically-renown city might be worth checking out. When I heard the representative discussing the school’s emphasis on social justice and the larger Jesuit Catholic values of “educating the person as a whole” and “academic curiosity as a lifelong habit,” I knew where I would be applying that Fall. In fact, I only applied to one other school but I had no intention of attending anywhere but Seattle U. 

 

What I didn’t know was how unprepared I was for such a transition. Even though I had my heart set on college for most of my life and knew that I would be the first in my family to attend a four-year school, I didn’t realize how much I had romanticized the academic rigor and the freedom of campus life. In other words, I didn’t focus enough on the impact of leaving home and the only people I had ever known. 

 

I knew that my fellow incoming Freshmen and I would hit the ground running in our classes, but my first quarter at Seattle U was more eye-opening, invigorating, and challenging (mentally and academically) than I could have ever imagined. It didn’t help that my grandmother had also lost her fight against cancer just a month after I stepped foot on campus, or that my now-husband and I were only a year into our then-long-distance relationship, so there were several occasions where my roommate would return from class to find me crying on the floor from homesickness. 

 

“Would this be it?” I thought during those dark moments. Would everything I had pursued since elementary school come to an abrupt end after just a month of college? Would my parents get to have me return home and attend a local school after all? Could I entertain the thought of dropping out of something I thought was my dream experience? 

 

Desperate to keep my dream alive, I sought out resources on campus and within my new circle of classmates and acquaintances. I took a chance and joined my school’s radio station, hoping that this small step might help me dive into the famous Seattle music scene, but it actually gave me a chance to get to know people outside of my dorm and my major. Every Friday evening I would get on the air and play whatever I wanted, which mostly consisted of me saying hi to my family and friends back home while playing music from the Bay Area’s local scene. I had started to discover my own way of bridging my past and future and it gave me something to look forward to after a long week of classes and studying.

 

I also made a point to meet with my academic advisor several times, who then referred me to the school guidance counselor for weekly meetings to discuss “directional therapy,” as I called it. Based on the counselor’s advice I took many personality and aptitude tests, did values exercises, and studied career paths of my major at the time (which I ended up changing — twice — since then).

 

My advisor and counselor also helped me find ways to double-down on my studying and I managed to recover from my first failing grade ever (on a midterm in a class I loved), and I learned how to wade my way through those first few academically intense courses that my high school classes could not have prepared me for, despite being Honors and AP-level.  After my first flight home (following my grandmother’s passing), I also realized that I was only a couple of hours away from “home” and all that it meant. With the money I saved from my summer job I saw an opportunity to fly back every quarter or more often if needed. 

 

I eventually opened up to the other students on my floor, eventually forming life-long friendships with amazing folks from across the country who gave me better advice than I thought possible of kids my age. My dorm building was on the far side of campus so my floormates-turned-friends and I would walk over to the cafeteria in a huddle every night for dinner; this helped us to not only stay warm in the frigid Fall temperatures but to provide comfort as we all adjusted to our new home away from home.

 

During our first finals week we were all packing up for our three-week winter break and I remember being asked if I was coming back in January. Without hesitation I said yes; it was in that moment I realized that by giving myself this chance to try (and very possibly fail) I finally felt like I was truly flourishing and growing. 

 

Casey at High School Graduation

College Graduation

Casey visiting the college radio station (then KSUB, now KXSU) at 10-year reunion

 

College Facts Friday: Georgetown University

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Welcome back to #CollegeFactsFriday! This week we’re taking it to the capital with Georgetown University in Washington, D.C! 

 

1. Located in Washington D.C, students at Georgetown are surrounded by museums, theaters, famous monuments and landmarks

2. Georgetown was established in 1789 

3. The university motto is “Utraque Unum” which translates to “Both into one” 

4. The college colors for Georgetown are Blue and Gray, and the mascot is Jack the Bulldog

5.  The Civil War (1861-1865) nearly closed Georgetown, as the student body dropped from 313 to 17 between 1859 and 1861. A total of 1,141 students and alumni enlisted in the war, serving in both the Union and Confederate forces. You can read more about the history of the school here. 

6. Georgetown alumni include Bill Clinton, Bradley Cooper and Ivanka Trump 

7. The Georgetown University Medical Center is the largest medical center on campus and houses more than 400 scientists working on basic and clinic research projects. 

8.  The Georgetown seal in mosaic tile that covers the ground at the central entrance to Healy Hall carries a lot of suspicion! It’s believed that students who stand or walk down the middle of the seal will never graduate, so you’ll notice many students walking rather awkwardly around it! 

9. Every year, the “Hoya’s bucket list” is posted in the New Student Guide and lists 25 activities most often cited as essential to the student experience. You can read about these and other traditions at Georgetown in the school newspaper – here.  

10. You can learn more about Georgetown on their Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube pages. 

 

Three Tips for a Successful Senior Year

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Congratulations, incoming seniors! You’re about to embark on a very exciting time in your life as the school year begins on your final year of high school. While you’re enjoying this year, there are some important things to remember! We have three great tips for you to keep in mind: 

 

1- Be Prepared! 

Your senior year you are taking on more than ever. It could be leadership roles in your extracurricular activities, academics and classes will be intense, wanting to send time with family and friends, and your college applications are happening alongside all of that. The biggest thing you can do to have a successful senior year and manage your stress well is to start on your college applications early. Write your essays, get your letters of recommendation as early as possible, start filling out your application. 

 

2- Senior grades DO matter. 

Don’t forget, your grades in senior year do matter and for some of you, they will matter more than others. If you have had semesters in high school that have been very strong and others that have been a little tougher, your senior year grades will show if you manage to keep up the positive trajectory of your grades. Think of it like reinforcing what you’ve already done – colleges will see that you have kept up your grades in senior year alongside all the other things you’re doing, which shows you really care about your academics. Don’t worry – you got this! 

 

“Senioritis” is commonly believed to be a lack of interest in school. But rather, “senioritis” should mean fully immersing yourself in your senior year and all that is has to offer. Read our blog about senioritis here! 

 

3- Know it’s ok to say “no”! 

Living senior year to the fullest is part of the fun and joy of this being your final year at high school, which means you will likely want to be saying YES to all the opportunities that come your way. Remember, it’s ok to say no to things if you’re feeling too busy. You’ll be taking on a lot this year, so creating boundaries is important. Prioritize what you want to focus on the most, and know that even if you have to say no to something now that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to do it in the future! 

 

We hope you have a wonderful, enjoyable and busy senior year filled with all the things you love! 

All the best,

Team Insight 

 

College Facts Friday: University of California, Berkeley

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This week we’re sticking close to our HQ in the Bay Area and focusing our #CollegeFactsFriday on The University of California, Berkeley! 

 

1. UC Berkeley is rated as the Number 1. Public University worldwide by US News & World Report. 

2.  The mascot for UC Berkeley is known as “Oski”, a golden bear. 

3. UC Berkeley was founded in 1868 and has the motto “Fiat Lux” which translates roughly to “let light be made”. 

4. The colors for UC Berkeley are Blue and Gold, chosen in 1873. Blue represents the Californian sky and for the Yale graduates that helped establish the University, and gold represents “Golden State”. 

5.  Many Californian based students and families will be aware of the “Stanford Axe” and the big game between the two schools. The tradition began in 1899 at a Cal v Stanford baseball game, when the axe was brandished at the Stanford rooting section and captured by Cal fans at games end. It was made into the trophy for the annual Big Game in the 1930’s. 

6. UC Berkeley has 14 schools and colleges, including Environmental Design, Journalism and Law. 

7. A fun student tradition is to rub the stone ball in front of the Campanile before an exam. It has been dubbed the “4.0 ball” and is considered good luck. 

8.  There are many clubs, activities and student groups to get involved with at UC Berkeley, in fact there are over 1,000 student groups alone. You can search through them here. 

9. The University Botanical Garden is 34-acres and has over 10,000 types of plants including many rare and endangered species. It’s also incredibly beautiful! 

10. You can learn about UC Berkeley on their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube pages. 

 

How To Decide Which UC Prompts To Answer

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Insight counseling students are working hard on their University of California Applications, which always brings up a common question that we get asked – “Which UC Prompt is the right prompt to answer?” 

Well, the first and most important thing to say here is that there is NO “right” prompt to pick. The UC’s have made it very clear that all prompts are considered equally and there are no better or worse prompts in their eyes. There’s only prompts that are better for you and your life experiences, and at the same time, prompts that may not be the right fit for your life experiences. 

 

My advice to students is to pick a set of prompts that allows you to talk about a range of experiences, talents, values, interests and so on. If you’ve already talked about your creativity in music through the creativity prompt, then you should probably avoid talking about music again in the prompt that asks you to talk about your greatest talent. 

 

Another key thing that we always tell our students is don’t get too creative because you are worried that all of your activities are cliché… So you’re an athlete who plays an instrument and wants to be a pediatrician because you like helping people… and so are most of your friends. That’s ok! Don’t avoid talking about sports and music and your passion for biology just because you’re worried it won’t be unique. Those are in fact OBVIOUS topics for you to write about. The things that are most important in your life and the things you spend the most time doing. The goal needs to be to focus on how each of these experiences shaped you as a person and helped you build resilience, creativity, concern for others, and other character traits.

 

If you are applying to an extremely competitive major like any engineering major or computer science, it is wise to choose one essay in which you discuss the experiences that led to your choice. In fact, generally speaking you should be able to see a connection somewhere in your essays between what you want to study and what major you are applying for. It’s also totally ok if you are undecided about your major, but I bet if you are undecided it is because you are curious about a lot of different things and just haven’t quite figured out which subject you want to commit to for the next four years of your life. You can still write about an academic subject that inspires you! 

 

In the end, think of the four UC prompts that you choose as puzzle pieces that fit together to complete a picture of the whole you. 

 

All the best, and happy writing! 

Team Insight 

College Facts Friday: NYU

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We’re back with another #CollegeFactsFriday, this week bringing you facts about NYU – New York University! 

 

1. NYU has a world champion Quidditch team who recently made it to the top 16 of world cup Quidditch. You can keep up with them on Facebook here! 

2.  NYU was founded in 1831 and is now one of the largest private universities in the US. 

3. The university motto is “Perstare et Praestare,” which is generally translated as “to persevere and to excel.”

4. Violet is the college color for NYU, and NYU athletes wear violet and white in competition. 

5.  The flagship library at NYU is the Elmer Holmes Bobst Library, which receives 11,000 visits per day! 

6. NYU alumni include Lady Gaga, Martin Scorsese, Angelina Jolie, Anne Hathaway and Adam Sandler. 

7. From a student body of 158 during NYU’s very first semester, enrollment has grown to more than 50,000 students at three degree-granting campuses in New York City, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai, and at study away sites in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North and South America.

8.  On May 30, 2019, NYU Shanghai broke ground on a new 114,000 square meter campus.

9. NYU fosters a University-wide startup ecosystem that encourages multi-disciplinary collaboration, accelerates innovation, and cultivates the next generation of startup leaders. Learn more here. 

10. You can learn about NYU on their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube Pages.