Hello everyone. We hope you are all safe and well. One important factor that aids the college decision process is your ability to communicate effectively. As such, we have made the above etiquette video that provides you with training on how to formally address professionals through email. We highly recommend that you watch this video in its entirety . If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to the summer session instructors.
For this week’s CTP tip, we will be providing you with ways to stay organized over the weeks to come. Balancing standardized testing, essay writing, financial aid applications along with classes, assignments, friends and family can be challenging (we as college students still struggle with this on the daily, so know that you’re not alone). Therefore, to get the most out of this experience, it is important that you have a means of strategically achieving your goals and holding yourself accountable.
The first step to staying organized is to have a clear idea of your goals, your action plan and your deadlines. Invest in a notebook/planner and first write down all the things you have to achieve every week. Rate those items in terms of urgency and difficulty. Ideally, you should be spending the most time on the most urgent and difficult activities. Finally, block in times in your planner to work on these items. When you do cross off a certain item on your list, reward yourself (an episode of your favorite TV-show, candy – whatever works for you, as long as it doesn’t break the bank. Do it to keep yourself motivated!)
The second step is to pace yourself. A lot of the work you must complete to produce a successful college application can’t be done overnight. The best essays come out from weeks of editing and rewriting, and the highest SAT scores are contingent upon routine practice leading up to the exam date. Set a dedicated time each day (for instance, 45 minutes a day for SATs and 45 minutes twice a week for essays) to work on these items. Stick to your routine and you will see a lot of progress!
The third step is to structure your workspaces (notes and on your computer). For SAT’s keep a folder of your notes divided by section. On your laptop/computer, set up folders for financial aid, transcripts, essays, practice tests and guides to colleges. And of course, back up EVERYTHING on another computer or a flash drive!
The last step is to work with others. Find people who will motivate you and you in turn will motivate when the going gets tough. Work with them, share resources and support one another. The process will be less stressful for you if you’re around people with the same goals as you.
Managing college apps with classes can get tough but know that you are supported and more than capable. Stick to your plan, organize your workspaces and keep your self motivated. You got this!!
The first step to staying organized is to have a clear idea of your goals, your action plan and your deadlines. Invest in a notebook/planner and first write down all the things you have to achieve every week. Rate those items in terms of urgency and difficulty. Ideally, you should be spending the most time on the most urgent and difficult activities. Finally, block in times in your planner to work on these items. When you do cross off a certain item on your list, reward yourself (an episode of your favorite TV-show, candy – whatever works for you, as long as it doesn’t break the bank. Do it to keep yourself motivated!)
The second step is to pace yourself. A lot of the work you must complete to produce a successful college application can’t be done overnight. The best essays come out from weeks of editing and rewriting, and the highest SAT scores are contingent upon routine practice leading up to the exam date. Set a dedicated time each day (for instance, 45 minutes a day for SATs and 45 minutes twice a week for essays) to work on these items. Stick to your routine and you will see a lot of progress!
The third step is to structure your workspaces (notes and on your computer). For SAT’s keep a folder of your notes divided by section. On your laptop/computer, set up folders for financial aid, transcripts, essays, practice tests and guides to colleges. And of course, back up EVERYTHING on another computer or a flash drive!
The last step is to work with others. Find people who will motivate you and you in turn will motivate when the going gets tough. Work with them, share resources and support one another. The process will be less stressful for you if you’re around people with the same goals as you.
Managing college apps with classes can get tough but know that you are supported and more than capable. Stick to your plan, organize your workspaces and keep your self motivated. You got this!!
Hey Everyone. We are reposting the above tip since getting organized during this time is so important. Especially with the current pandemic and the uncertainty that comes along with it, it has never been more important to stay organized. For those of you, that are taking a gap year and are awaiting Grade 12 Matric examination at the same time, you have got lots of things on your plate and you need to make use of the above tips to stay on top of all of your tasks. For those of you that are in Grade 12 this year and are on the verge of applying, it is paramount that you stay organized. You need to visualize the tasks you need to do whether you are applying during Early Decision or Regular Decision. You have been afforded a significant amount of time with school out of the picture, and you need to make use of it especially with your school days on the horizon. For those of you that are in Grade 9 to 11 this year, it is important to identify what you have to do or make a tentative plan of how you would approach the college application. As it is mentioned in the post above, the purpose of being organized is so that you can maintain a balance between your college application and other parts of your life, so be compassionate with yourself every step of the way.
Hey Everyone,
We wanted to swing by and remind you that the deadlines for Early Decision and Early Action for various schools are approaching. Most schools have a deadline of Novemeber 1 and others have a deadline of November 15. So make sure to check the deadline of the school you are applying to. It is said there is a better chance of acceptance during the Early Decison/Action pool. If you feel like you have a complete application, you should definitely give it a shot since it is one more application cycle you can take part in.
Make sure your counselors and teachers submit your recommendations and your transcripts and the separate application they have to fill on your behalf by that same date because the same deadline applies to them. Given the condition we are living in right now with the pandemic and all, it is hard to get in touch with teachers and counselors but you have to find a way to do so because as we have said above, that Novemeber 1/15 deadline applies to them as well. You can certainly tell your colleges about the difficulties you are having in trying to connect with your teachers and counselors but chances are they will ask you to meet the deadline nonetheless.
Not far away from the deadline for the common application is the deadline for financial aid. Most schools have a financial aid deadline of November 1 to 15 so make sure to check the deadline for the particular college you are applying to. If you can't afford the CSS fee, you can send an email to the particular college with your reason so that they can give you a fee waiver or an alternative form like ISFAA that you can fill for free and send. But you have to send them an email sooner rather than later since it takes them time to respond and the deadline might pass by the time they respond or there is also the possibility that they could run out of fee waivers so ask them as soon as you can but always have a plan B incase they don't concede to your demands.
With that being said, all of us at CTP wish all of you the best of luck in your college applications!
We wanted to swing by and remind you that the deadlines for Early Decision and Early Action for various schools are approaching. Most schools have a deadline of Novemeber 1 and others have a deadline of November 15. So make sure to check the deadline of the school you are applying to. It is said there is a better chance of acceptance during the Early Decison/Action pool. If you feel like you have a complete application, you should definitely give it a shot since it is one more application cycle you can take part in.
Make sure your counselors and teachers submit your recommendations and your transcripts and the separate application they have to fill on your behalf by that same date because the same deadline applies to them. Given the condition we are living in right now with the pandemic and all, it is hard to get in touch with teachers and counselors but you have to find a way to do so because as we have said above, that Novemeber 1/15 deadline applies to them as well. You can certainly tell your colleges about the difficulties you are having in trying to connect with your teachers and counselors but chances are they will ask you to meet the deadline nonetheless.
Not far away from the deadline for the common application is the deadline for financial aid. Most schools have a financial aid deadline of November 1 to 15 so make sure to check the deadline for the particular college you are applying to. If you can't afford the CSS fee, you can send an email to the particular college with your reason so that they can give you a fee waiver or an alternative form like ISFAA that you can fill for free and send. But you have to send them an email sooner rather than later since it takes them time to respond and the deadline might pass by the time they respond or there is also the possibility that they could run out of fee waivers so ask them as soon as you can but always have a plan B incase they don't concede to your demands.
With that being said, all of us at CTP wish all of you the best of luck in your college applications!
Hey Everyone,
For those of you that are currently applying, we hope your are well on your way to completing your applications. For the past few weeks, we have been trying to institute new concepts that can help you in your applications. One of them is a Podcast. This is a platform on which we invite other students in the U.S. and have a conversation with them about their applications and get them to answer your questions.
For those of you that are currently applying, we hope your are well on your way to completing your applications. For the past few weeks, we have been trying to institute new concepts that can help you in your applications. One of them is a Podcast. This is a platform on which we invite other students in the U.S. and have a conversation with them about their applications and get them to answer your questions.
In the first episode of our podcast, we talked to Rediet, who is a senior at Columbia University, about her college application experience. You can find the link to that episode below. We hope it will be helpful to all of you that are in various levels of the application process.
Hey Everyone,
We wanted to share a valuable opportunity with you to participate in a program called "Enabib" that is geared towards giving high school students the platform to develop and lead initiatives that address cultural, social, and economic factors that may hinder effective menstrual health management in Ethiopia. This program is launched by a student organization called Harvard Undergraduate Partners for Action in Africa (HUPAA). Participating in this program will provide a boost to your college application as it will enrich your extracurricular activities. On top of that, you will also play a role in the movement against period poverty in Ethiopia.
If you are interested, you can look at the infographics below that shed light on the nature of the program, how to apply, the requirements and everything you need to know about the program.
We wanted to share a valuable opportunity with you to participate in a program called "Enabib" that is geared towards giving high school students the platform to develop and lead initiatives that address cultural, social, and economic factors that may hinder effective menstrual health management in Ethiopia. This program is launched by a student organization called Harvard Undergraduate Partners for Action in Africa (HUPAA). Participating in this program will provide a boost to your college application as it will enrich your extracurricular activities. On top of that, you will also play a role in the movement against period poverty in Ethiopia.
If you are interested, you can look at the infographics below that shed light on the nature of the program, how to apply, the requirements and everything you need to know about the program.
Hey Everyone,
Some of you guys have told us that you were having problems accessing the form. Here is the updated link: https://forms.gle/YFfxsUh7dbyg3uin6
Some of you guys have told us that you were having problems accessing the form. Here is the updated link: https://forms.gle/YFfxsUh7dbyg3uin6
Hey Everyone,
It has been a long time since we released the first episode of our podcast. But we are back with the second episode which mainly focused on Gap Year and how to prepare for it. Bruk and Debi share their experiences with gap year in this episode. They also talk about some of the aspects of the college application process. We hope this episode will be helpful to all of you. You can find the link to the second episode of the podcast below.
It has been a long time since we released the first episode of our podcast. But we are back with the second episode which mainly focused on Gap Year and how to prepare for it. Bruk and Debi share their experiences with gap year in this episode. They also talk about some of the aspects of the college application process. We hope this episode will be helpful to all of you. You can find the link to the second episode of the podcast below.
Good Morning Everyone,
Spring Sessions are back!!! We are pleased to announce that CTP will be holding its annual Spring Sessions event this weekend over Zoom, and you are all invited! We will discuss everything about the College Application process. We will talk about the Common Application, Standardized Tests, Financial Aid, Essays, and a whole lot more. Nothing is off limits! You will get to hear about the experiences of students that navigated the college application process and made it to the other side. You will also have the chance to get all of your questions answered during the Q&A. You can find more information about the Spring Sessions event on the poster below. We hope to see you there!
http://tinyurl.com/ctp2021spring
Spring Sessions are back!!! We are pleased to announce that CTP will be holding its annual Spring Sessions event this weekend over Zoom, and you are all invited! We will discuss everything about the College Application process. We will talk about the Common Application, Standardized Tests, Financial Aid, Essays, and a whole lot more. Nothing is off limits! You will get to hear about the experiences of students that navigated the college application process and made it to the other side. You will also have the chance to get all of your questions answered during the Q&A. You can find more information about the Spring Sessions event on the poster below. We hope to see you there!
http://tinyurl.com/ctp2021spring
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Hi everyone! Reminder that the first day of our spring session is starting in less than ten minutes! Join the zoom link to attend the workshop!!
Good Morning Everyone,
CTP would like to thank all of you that attended the first day of Spring Sessions today! We hope you have learned one or two things about the college applications process.
But wait! We are not done yet! We will have the second and final day of our Spring Sessions event today starting from 5:00 PM. In today’s session, you will be given the chance to ask questions about college applications and whatnot. Make sure to show up later if you have questions you want to ask the CTP Team or want to hear what the CTP team has to say about the different facets of the college application process during the Q&A. We can’t wait to see y'all there!
P.S. You can find the zoomlink for the Spring Sessions event on the poster that has been shared via all of our social media platforms.
The CTP Team
CTP would like to thank all of you that attended the first day of Spring Sessions today! We hope you have learned one or two things about the college applications process.
But wait! We are not done yet! We will have the second and final day of our Spring Sessions event today starting from 5:00 PM. In today’s session, you will be given the chance to ask questions about college applications and whatnot. Make sure to show up later if you have questions you want to ask the CTP Team or want to hear what the CTP team has to say about the different facets of the college application process during the Q&A. We can’t wait to see y'all there!
P.S. You can find the zoomlink for the Spring Sessions event on the poster that has been shared via all of our social media platforms.
The CTP Team
Now that most of early and regular decisions are out, we wanted to highlight some of our CTP Alumni who have been accepted to prestigious colleges abroad this year.
Aimen Ali — Dartmouth College
Akotet Yeshaw — KAIST
Beemnet Andualem -- NYU Abu Dhabi
Dagim Haddis — Columbia University & Tufts University
Efrata Thewidros — Lafayette College
Hawi Humnessa — Cornell University
Kidest Frew — Cornell University
Keto Etefa — Pomona College
Nebus Adane — MIT
Tsigemariam Yizengaw — Columbia University
Wakuma Tesfaye — Columbia University
Yeabsira Tofik — Harvard University
Congratulations to you all! We are so proud of you! All of your efforts and passion has paid off. The hard-work is not over. Let the passion, goals, and hard work continue and we can't wait to see you do monumental things.
Aimen Ali — Dartmouth College
Akotet Yeshaw — KAIST
Beemnet Andualem -- NYU Abu Dhabi
Dagim Haddis — Columbia University & Tufts University
Efrata Thewidros — Lafayette College
Hawi Humnessa — Cornell University
Kidest Frew — Cornell University
Keto Etefa — Pomona College
Nebus Adane — MIT
Tsigemariam Yizengaw — Columbia University
Wakuma Tesfaye — Columbia University
Yeabsira Tofik — Harvard University
Congratulations to you all! We are so proud of you! All of your efforts and passion has paid off. The hard-work is not over. Let the passion, goals, and hard work continue and we can't wait to see you do monumental things.