Consider this. Steve Jobs is the CEO of Apple Corporation, the company that makes your fancy iPods, among many other products. What if he never took the initiative to make Apple products “cool”? What if he never prodded his engineers to make quality products? Oh no! What would you do with all your free time if you can’t post on Facebook, listen to music, and play games on your fancy iPod at the same time?

The same concept applies to a leader in a school environment—that is, you. Being a leader is not simply a title; it is a responsibility, and with that, a whole lot of work. And you have to realize that being a leader is not just about organization and division of labor: it’s about getting down to working yourself.

Imagine that you’re organizing a talent show for your high school, but you have a club of 20 members that you have to work with. You need posters to advertise, people to perform, manpower to decorate, teachers to supervise, MCs to announce, etc. In addition, you need money to fund the show, approval from the administration, and a place to host the show. How do you start? Well, you might think: since I’ve got people under me, I can just have one person to get approval from the administration, three people to make posters, two people as MCs, five people on a fundraising committee, and the rest of the people on the audition/recruiting committee. Done.

Hold on. What if the person that you designated to get approval never does? He’s too busy and couldn’t squeeze the time. Well, that’s easy. You’ll just do it yourself. But then, your fundraising committee never got a chance to get together, so you don’t have a fundraising plan. The next day, you find out that the people who were supposed to make the posters never got together to do that. Your MCs quit because they’ll be out of town. The talent show is just two weeks away.

At this time, you have two choices. Cancel the show (which is easy) or find other people/do the jobs yourself (not so easy). What do you do?

Wait, you say. This is an extreme example. Find trustworthy people to do all the jobs, and everything will be just fine. Unfortunately, there aren’t enough “trustworthy” people in a high school or college environment. Everyone is extremely busy, and those who aren’t busy… let’s just say you don’t really want them on your team.

This is when you, as a leader, come into play. In your school, you can’t simply assign jobs to your followers and expect them to do it—unlike in the business world. In some ways, your job is harder than that of Steve Jobs, because he can expect his employees to be responsible. Since you’re not paying them, you can’t.

As a leader, you have choices as to how to combat this problem—and this is what we’re going to explore.

This article is a part of the Effective Leadership series.
Prev: Introduction                              Next: Principles and Explorations

In a world where everyone is pressed to be a leader, it’s important to know what being a leader actually means.

According to the New Oxford American Dictionary, to lead is to show (someone or something) the way to a destination by going in front of or beside them. But in many cases, leadership is more than that. It’s a way of interacting with peers, of encouraging them to accomplish. Sometimes, a leader has to push from behind, rather than, for lack of a better word, “lead.”

This series of articles is about leadership. About the hardships and sweat that encompass leadership—sure—but also about the rewards of this process. What better time to start leading than in high school or college? Today, there is a decline in the number of leaders in the academic and business worlds. In fact, some companies believe “there is a war being waged for leadership talent.” This series will hopefully help to start you in the right direction and start you on your leadership journey.

You must realize that leadership today is different from leadership yesterday. Today, leaders and followers tend to be “allies” and work together to achieve goals—the image of one leader and many minions is flawed and should be discarded. This series will show you why.

This article is a part of the Effective Leadership series.
Prev: None                               Next: What’s a Leader?

What’s been keeping you busy this past week? Killing bugs!! It was brought to our attention that College Applicant Pro had significant display problems in Windows browsers, especially in Firefox. We have fixed these problems and hope that there are no others. If you discover more display problems, please let us know!

In addition, a major bug that prevented correct form changing on the “View College” page has now been corrected. If you experience further problems, please let us know.

Enjoy!

If you tried to visit Nerld on July 15, you might have noticed sluggish loading and even times when Nerld was inaccesible. There were problems with the server that hosted Nerld, which prevented you from visiting. The problems seem to be resolved. We are currently monitoring our server for further disturbances. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

So you’re done with everything. Application? Check. Required materials? Check. Losing and regaining your sanity? Check.

What now?

Well, if you think that you can just kick back, watch House, and eat pizza, you are gravely mistaken. In fact, even when you’re not actively applying, colleges still expect you to do work. How cruel. 

But it’s also for your own good. During the waiting process, colleges are working through your applications, reading your essays, and making decisions. Your job is to make sure that the colleges aren’t missing anything.

Checking Up

Most colleges have a system to log your application requirements. Every time they receive something from you, they log this into a central database so that they can keep track of the vast amount of paperwork that they have to deal with every application season. It is your job to check this information regularly to make sure that you didn’t forget to send anything in (which is impossible with College Applicant Pro) and that college didn’t lose anything (which happens). Generally, colleges will email you in February or March if they are missing any part of your application, but you should always take the initiative. A general rule of thumb is that if the college indicates that they are missing a requirement that you submitted four weeks earlier, you should contact the admissions office and inquire about your application. Sometimes they just forget to update your file (which can be bad too!), but other times they truly lose applications materials. In this case, you would have to resend the missing requirement. When you inquire about your application, you show the college that you are a responsible applicant, and you sleep … Read more

In order to be able to afford college in these troubled times, almost everyone would need to apply for some sort of financial aid. Financial aid generally comes in two big categories: need-based and merit-based. Need-based financial aid is given solely based on how much money you need to go to college; merit-based, on your qualifications only. Some financial aid may even be both need-based and merit-based (ie only given to you if you need it and are qualified). Financial aid can be given by a high school, the college, an organization, an individual, the city, state, or federal government, or some other entity. You almost always have to apply for financial aid.

What’s a Financial Aid Package?

A financial aid package is the total amount of money that the school and the government is willing to pay for your education. Generally, the financial aid package is modified when you notify the school of any “outside scholarships” (ie money received from organizations or individuals). The specific ways in which it is modified is determined by the college’s financial aid office.

Types of Aid in a Financial Aid Package

Grants

Grants are essentially free money. Someone is writing you a check to help you pay for college. You do not have to repay grants. Your college’s financial aid office or the government may assign you grants as a part of your school’s financial aid package, or another entity may simply write you … Read more

FAFSA, Common App, Mid Year Report, Counselor Recommendation… as you surf the web and do college research, you will certainly run into these seemingly foreign terms. Take a look at the following glossary of common admissions lingo (alphabetically sorted!) to help you get a quick definition for these strange terms. Then, you should read the rest of the Applying to College series in order to really grasp the college application process. Good luck with your application!

Glossary of Common Admissions Lingo:

Admissions Application – All colleges require you to submit an admissions application in order to consider admitting you as a student. These applications will always ask for your name and personal details, and most will ask for educational background and details. Some applications may even require you to write short answers or essays.

ACT/SAT Official Score Reports – Most institutions require the ACT or the SAT, which are college entrance exams. These tests are supposed to test your college readiness. You must sign up for these tests and study for them. For more information, visit http://www.actstudent.org/ or http://sat.collegeboard.com/.

Application Fee – Most schools charge you an application fee in order to process your application. Normally, you may pay this amount with a credit card or a check.

College – Any post-secondary institution that you are applying to.

College Board CSS/PROFILE Online – The College Board also offers a financial application that is required by most private institutions around the United States. This provides the schools with the necessary information they need to determine your … Read more

Back in Applying to College – Step 2: College Research, we introduced you to programs and scholarships. To refresh your memory, read College Research, Programs and Scholarships.

Programs and Scholarships’ applications may be due before or after your admissions application is due, so you need to make sure that you’re on the top of all the due dates! The same drill applies to these applications: fill out the application form, write the essays, and send in the necessary requirements for the application.

Remember that you can keep track of these applications with College Applicant Pro, too! Learn more about College Applicant Pro.

The same tips and advice for applying to colleges also work for applying to specific programs and scholarships. For these tips, see Applying to College — Step 3: Gathering Materials and Applying to College — Step 4: Application & Essays.

Good luck! Do you have more to say about applying to programs and scholarships? Comment below.

This article is a part of the Applying to College series.
Prev: Step 5: Admissions Interview                                Next: Step 7: Financial Aid

The college admissions interview can occur before your application deadline or after, and you generally need to request the interview by a certain date. This interview is important to your application, and you should always try your best to secure an interview. For more general information about interviews, why they’re important, and how to find out details about a specific college’s admissions interview, see Applying to College — Step 2: College Research, Interview.

During the interview you must look and sound your best. There are some points you must keep in mind about your interview in order to make it a smooth and enjoyable experience.

Requesting the Interview

Many schools require that you request your admissions interview (others may simply contact you—so there would be no need for you to go looking for one). These are generally conducted by local alumni of that college and are limited. Sometimes, depending on where you live, there may not be an opportunity for an alumni interview. In such instances, the schools may strive to offer you a telephone interview. If that’s not possible, then you will not be penalized for not having an interview, so don’t worry.

You can request for your interview in a number of ways, generally by phone, email, or online form. Check with your college’s admissions office to see if you are eligible for an interview, and if so, how you can request one, if need be.

Preparing for the Interview

Though there have been stories of successful on-the-spot interviews, it is always better to prepare. There are some questions that you can expect to be asked at the interview, including:

• Why did you choose to apply to our school?
• Why do you think our school is a good fit for you?
• Do you have questions for me about the college?

Though we don’t guarantee you’ll be asked those three questions, chances are, they’ll come up during your interview. Thus, we suggest that you make sure you prepare those questions every time you go for an interview. Specifics are key. The “Why did you choose to apply to our school/Why do you think our school is a good fit for you?” question should be answered the same way as the “Why Us” essay, though you can be a little more … Read more

You are going to embark upon the most difficult part of applying to college: filling out the application. Better have all your snacks and drinks ready, ’cause this step is going to hurt—a little.  All college applications, whether it be a school-specific application, the Common Application, or the Universal Application, require you fill out your biographical information. Then, they require you to fill out your educational experience, including what schools you’ve attended. They’ll ask about your test scores. The Common Application and most others will require you to fill out your extracurricular activities and awards. Finally, you will most likely have to write some essays to show the admissions office the “true you.” After all, no matter what people may tell you, you are more than just scores and statistics.

Under normal circumstances, you should send in your application form BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE! Once you send in your application form, the college will create a file for you so that your recommendations, scores, and other materials can be kept together. If you submit those materials before your actual application form, they could easily be lost! Some schools may also have a “pre-application” form that you must submit in order for the school to create your file. Check with the school’s admissions website for any deviations from the norm described above.

When filling out your applications, there is one rule that you must absolutely follow: DO NOT FALSIFY INFORMATION! Once colleges discover that your application is a fake, you WILL be rejected from that college. That is a chance that you should not take. Plus, it’s not good ethics, you know.

The “application” part of the application is fairly straight-forward. They want your counselor’s name and email? Give it to ‘em. They want to know your GPA? Or AP score? Fill it in. We’re not going to talk more about that. Instead, we’ll talk about…

The Essays… dun dun dun!

The challenging part about applying to colleges is the essay. Below are some of the most common essay prompts you’ll run into:

• Why did you decide to apply to College X/How is College X a good fit for you?
• Describe an experience that has changed your life significantly
• Describe an issue of national or international concern and your opinion on the subject
• Tell us something about yourself.
• etc…

When writing these essays there are several key points that … Read more