We are so excited to announce this year’s upcoming CTP spring workshops! The CTP New York team has been working hard to bring you three sessions on March 9th (at St Joseph School) March 16th (at Nazareth School) and March 23rd (at Cathedral School) to provide you with key information about the US college application process. We will be covering topics such as standardized testing, Common App, essays, financial aid and more. You will also get to hear all of this from students recently accepted to universities in the US! Registrations is live, so please use the link below to book your spot. You should only register for one session as the content on all three sessions will be identical.

https://goo.gl/forms/xB2iOWOXYsv3LNz42

We will be posting updates and important information on our telegram channel, https://t.me/ctpethiopia, and Instagram page, www.instagram.com/ctpethiopia/, so make sure to go ahead and follow us! Stay tuned!

Important announcement for those of you registered for the March 9 session at St. Joseph School:

You MUST bring your school ID to the workshop as it is required for entrance to the school. Since there will be another event taking place on the same day as the workshop, you will not be allowed to enter the premise without your school ID. For any questions or concerns, contact the admins @Amanuel_ML @m51145121

Hello everyone,

This is a reminder for those of you who are interested in attending one of our workshops but haven’t registered yet, please make sure to do so as soon as possible as we are looking to finalize registration soon. You’ll find the registration link below.

Good day!

Selam y'all!

It has been brought to our attention that many schools don't provide students with school ID's. If you're in that category, make sure to register for the upcoming session at St. Joseph before Friday 8pm (mishit 2 se'at) so that we have a list in handy to check off and let in students.

Also, for everyone who plans to attend the Saturday session but has not registered yet, this is a reminder to complete your registration by the same deadline on Friday.

You will find the registration link on the previous message.

Cheers!

Hello all,

A few announcements: For those of you who have registered for tomorrow's session, we look forward to seeing you at St. Joseph School. The workshop will begin at 9am (ከጠዋቱ 3 ሰአት) and will go on until 2pm (ከከሰአት 8 ሰአት) with a 30 minute break in between. Show up on time so that you don’t miss out on anything. We will also send out some important materials after the workshop through the email you used to sign up so keep an eye out for that.

Students who have not registered for the session cannot enter the premises of the school. Therefore, to avoid any complications, if you haven’t registered, please don’t show up tomorrow and ask to be let in. We have two more sessions coming up in the next two weeks so you can register for one of those.

መልካም ቀን!

Hello all, quick reminder that registration for the session at Nazareth School this Saturday ends at 8pm today.

Registration for this Saturday's session is closed. You can sign up for the March 23rd session if you missed the registration deadline. Melkam mishit

Looking forward to seeing everyone who registered for tomorrow's session at Nazareth School. The workshop will begin at 9am (ከጠዋቱ 3 ሰአት) and will go on until 2pm (ከከሰአት 8 ሰአት) with a 30 minute break in between. Show up on time so that you don’t miss out on anything. We will also send out some important materials after the workshop through the email you used to sign up so keep an eye out for that.

Students who have not registered for the session cannot enter the premises of the school. Therefore, to avoid any complications, if you haven’t registered, please don’t show up tomorrow and ask to be let in. We have one more session coming up next week so you can register for that one.

Cheers!

Hello all,

Due to mock exams, and hence, unavailability of instructors, we are sorry to announce the third and last session that was planned to take place this Saturday (March 23) at Cathedral has been POSTPONED. Therefore, there will be NO SESSION THIS SATURDAY. We haven't set a date for the rescheduled session but we will make the announcement here once we decide on a date. Once again, we apologize for any inconvenience and we will make sure to settle things as soon as possible and bring you a great final session.

All the best,
The CTP Team

Hello everyone,

This is a final reminder that the session that was scheduled for tomorrow (March 23) has been postponed. We will announce the alternate date here in the next few days. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Have a great weekend!

Happy Friday!

We have finally secured space for the third and last CTP Spring Workshop of 2019! It will be held on April 13 from 9am to 2pm (ከጠዋቱ 3 ሰአት እስከ ከሰአቱ 8 ሰአት) at Cathedral School. For those registered for the March 23 session, you don't need to do anything. But, if you have not registered, please use the link below to secure your spot.

https://forms.gle/1Jv2u5YwPyr6Qm2k6

We look forward to seeing you!
The CTP Team

Hey guys, this week’s tip is on dealing with rejection and failure. It’s a bit long so please bear with us.

We’ve all failed at something at least once in our lives. And if you haven’t yet … you will. I personally have feared failure since I can remember, all the way back to kindergarten. I lived my entire life doing as much as I could to avoid failure. Why did I fear failure so much? Well I thought it confirmed all the worst things I thought about myself and exposed them to the world. I thought each failure would close a door until I was left with no options and no one to blame but myself. So you can imagine how terrible my college application experience was. I blamed myself for each rejection and was filled with regret. Maybe I should’ve spent more time on the essay, maybe I should’ve worked harder in high school, or maybe I should’ve read more books as a kid. Whatever reason I came up with, I thought it had ruined my life forever - I mean, how will I ever find the time to read all those books I should’ve read as a kid? I wish I could tell you I realized how silly this mentality was soon enough. But no, I took acceptances I got as indicating luck, you know … as much as rejections surely indicated incompetence, and went to college set on doing everything right and not giving myself anything to regret. I’m now in my junior year of college and I can tell you that that didn’t go so well. But after multiple sessions feeling sorry for myself and crying it out, I’ve learned lessons that I think are important for you guys to hear.

The best lesson I’ve learned is to NOT TAKE FAILURE OR REJECTION PERSONALLY. And this is especially important to keep in mind when you guys hear back from the colleges you applied to. As much hard work as it needs, getting in to a college also needs a fair amount of luck. Getting rejected from a college doesn’t mean the end of the world nor does it mean you are any less than your peers. The best thing you can do is take it for what it is - a story, a lesson, motivation. Roadblocks only make your final destination all the more sweeter.

Lesson 2 - Relax, have a little faith, everything is happening the way it should. It’s when you face these roadblocks that you are able to see the many paths you could take that lead you down an unexpected and beautiful journey. Imagine staying in Ethiopia … did you know that the location of the 2020 INTERNATIONAL Conference on Learning Representations(an artificial intelligence conference) is our very own Addis Ababa? Yeah guys, amazing things are happening in our country right now and not just in fields like Artificial Intelligence but numerous other fields as well. Staying in Ethiopia might actually open up more opportunities for you. Another option, if you can afford it, is community college. Community college is a great way to experience small classroom settings where you can get the attention that’ll allow you to prosper. And when the time comes you’ll be ready to transfer to the college of your choice. All I’m saying is, trust your struggles (I took this from a TED talk :-)).

This isn’t to say that you should give up on studying abroad, which brings me to lesson 3 - IT’S NOT TOO LATE. Take gap years for example, many of us don’t know who we are or what we want when we go to college and gap years are a great way to change that. And you know what happens when you know what you want … amazing things. Not only only will you be more effective and successful in achieving your goals moving forward, other people (aka admissions officers) will easily be able to see your passion and your application will stand out. How could it not with all those amazing things you could do when you have an entire year. Believe me, gap years are your chance to do something that’ll impress the hell out of admissions officers.

Last lesson (I’m sort of still learning) - DON’T GIVE VALUE TO EXTERNAL VALIDATION because if you do you’ll fear having to be without it. Did you by any chance feel a lot of pressure when I said you can do something very impressive during your gap year? Did you get scared of disappointing your loved ones or even total strangers despite the supposedly many options available to you? That’s how I would’ve felt. And the only thing I can say to that is that it’s only going to hold you back. Many of us procrastinate because we think of failure before we even begin. We wait until we feel everything is perfect and we have maximized our chances of success so that eventually we can get that sweet sweet pat on the back. It’s as if we want to be assured that we’ll succeed before we can take on a task. And unfortunately, this is never going to happen. Don’t be scared to fail … failing is wonderful. And your loved ones will be proud of you for having the courage to put yourself in a position where you could fail because those are the ventures that pay off. Did I mention you should be proud of yourself? Seriously, you’re taking it upon your self and giving your best effort to bettering yourself, and that is very commendable.

Selam!
Trying to decide between two (or more) colleges is a good problem to have. It means you have options, and you probably have a couple of good ones. If you’re excited by more than one of the possibilities within your reach, if you have to decide between two colleges, making your final decision can be difficult. In fact, the days leading up to May 1,Decision Day, may be filled with dread, second-guessing, and nervousness. This week we picked up some tricks for students who find themselves in this situation.

The first and most important thing you would want to do is to compare your financial aid packages. in fact, it’s so important that it may make the decision for you. While comparing packages keep your eye out for your total family contribution. That’s the amount you’ll have to pay out of pocket.The bottom line is that if School A is offering to meet 100% of your financial need and School B is only meeting a small part of it, it’s usually a good idea to steer yourself toward School A. A college’s commitment to meeting most or all of their students’ financial need also means a commitment to serving a student body that is socioeconomically diverse.

Next you should get in touch with your prospective department. If you have already developed a specific academic interest, compare the departments of the two schools. If your potential major is in the sciences, look at the labs, research opportunities, and faculty. If your interests lie in the humanities, what are the department’s resources like? Get in touch with the professors of that specific department or even students you might know. Make a list of questions before you email, but be sure to ask that student about his or her personal experiences, too.

you’re likely making a decision not just about where you want to study but also where you want to live. So, unless both schools you love are located in the same neighborhood, look at the big picture. Sure, you’ll want to see what their campuses are like, but take time to investigate the towns in which they are located, too. Is the neighborhood walkable? What’s the crime rate? Are the living expenses affordable in that location? You’ll likely live in this town for four years, so be sure you can make the most of its location.

If your decision is this hard, it probably means you’ve received two wonderful offers. By all means, make an effort to visualize yourself at each, to explore the differences between the two schools, but the truth is, if you think both offers are amazing, they probably are. You’ll likely find happiness at either school. Go with your gut.

Hello everyone,
So, you’ve gotten your acceptance letters, and maybe by this point, you’ve already decided which school you’re going to commit to. (If you haven’t that’s perfectly fine too; take a look at last week’s tip for some advice.) Now what? If you’re going to college for the Fall 2019 semester, you still have a few months between now and then. To some of you, this might either seem like a really long wait or it might seem too close for comfort. Both reactions are completely understandable and very valid. But while dealing with those emotions and coming to terms with them, there are some steps you have to take between now and then to make sure your transition is as smooth as possible. First and foremost, if you’re still a senior in high school, you still have that to finish. Remember, just because you’ve gotten an acceptance doesn’t mean your admission is guaranteed. Most schools still ask for a final transcript and do look it over. So, a major drop in grades or a possible disciplinary action could affect your school’s decision. You’ve made it this far and even though senioritis is very real, don’t risk your future by completely disregarding school for the last few months. You’ve worked too hard for that. You also have your final national examinations, and though it might seem irrelevant to some at this point. It’s still important that you try your best. Your school might or might not ask for those grades (depending on where you applied) and even if they didn’t, it’s the culmination of all your education up to this point so a good grade wouldn’t hurt. It’d also make you and your parents proud. And one thing that you might take into consideration is that just in case something happens between now and enrollment, you still want to make sure you do well. In the hopefully unlikely chance that everything doesn’t work out, you can still enroll in top universities back home. And one more thing, as to your last few months in high school. Have fun!! Hang out with your friends, converse with your classmates and faculty. Make the most out of your last few months. They can be very bittersweet so make sure you make some memories. As unbelievable as it might seem, you’re going to miss some of it.

Next, make sure you’ve submitted everything for your applications. Some schools might ask for further documents for financial aid or ask you for documentation regarding vaccines and medical records. The earlier you get those out of the way, the more time you have to enjoy your summer.

And make sure to get started on arranging for your visa documents as early as possible. If you’re going to be on a student visa, make sure you’ve submitted everything that you need for your I-20 and get started on your visa application. There are multiple forms to fill out and most likely an interview to go through before getting that final stamp on your passport. Prep for your interview and make sure you have everything ready and you’ll be fine. Again, the sooner you get this out of the way, the less you have to worry about.

And buy your plane tickets. The earlier you buy them, the cheaper they are. But remember to check your school’s housing policies. Some schools only allow you to move into the dorms at a certain date and if you’re going to your school directly from your home country, this is something that you have to put into consideration.
And if your school offers any pre-orientation programs for international students, take advantage of that. Very important information is often given during these orientations that are especially tailored for international students. It also allows you to interact with students from other countries which is a great bonding experience. But if this is not available, check if there are any other programs available for first years that you can apply to that you might be interested in. This might let you move into your dorm a few days before the rest of the students. The university’s website also often contains important information about what you might be required to do either before or after arrival on campus. And you can also ask students that you know who’ve spent a year or more abroad for any tips/advice that they might be able to offer you. This is especially helpful if you know someone who is attending the university that you plan to enroll in. If you need any help with contacts at the school you’re going to, you can reach out to us and if we know anyone, we’ll try our best to connect you.

And finally, it’s your last summer! Relax! Eat (Trust me you’ll miss your home cuisine; It might even be a good idea to stock up on some snacks or if you can cook, some ingredients so that when you crave food from home, you can make some here. Just make sure you have access to a kitchen or somewhere that you can cook). And Sleep!! (The truth is: transitioning into a new country and a new academic system isn’t always very smooth. So, you might have some nights where you have to cut down on sleep in order to finish a homework or study for a test so save up on as much sleep as you can before your summer’s over.) And from personal experience, enjoy the weather!!! (Depending on what country or state you go to, the weather might not be as nice as back home. If you’re going to a state that has long winters or is very cold, you’re going to miss the warmth of the sun so get your tan on! And enjoy it while it lasts!) . Enjoy all the time you have with your family and friends. It might be a little while before you see them again so make sure to make the most of your time together.

After all this, all you have left to do is pack and get ready for your Freshman year!!!!!