This document contains announcements and opportunities for high school students. It announces upcoming college visits, volunteer opportunities, important dates like the last ACT makeup date and deadline to submit college application materials. It also provides details about two colleges and gives students writing prompts and options for brainstorming ideas for college essays.

1. November 29 th , 2012

2.  Lots of Announcements
 Colleges of the Day
 Class Survey
 Writing Exercise
 Game
 Apply Texas Essay Prompts
 Essay Brainstorming Time

3.  Last ACT make-up date is Saturday, December 8th @ 8 am
 Upcoming college visits @ Connally:
 Texas A&M Kingsville, Tuesday Dec 4th, 2:45 pm
 University of Houston- Victoria, Wednesday Dec 5th, 2:45 pm
 If you haven’t set up your College Forward e-mail account,
turned in your transcript, or e-mailed me a rough draft of
your resume, you need to do that ASAP! See me if you have
any questions.

4.  What: Event to celebrate 30 years of the Texas Land
Conservation’s environmental work
 When: Saturday, December 1st (evening—shift times
vary depending on position)
 Where: 7400 Coldwater Canyon Drive, Austin TX,
78730
 Sign up ASAP if you’re interested because positions are
filling up! Search for Texas Land Conservation on
volunteermatch.org or go to the link on the class
website
 Must be at least 16 to volunteer

5.  When: December 1st (this Saturday)
 What: free event for young girls to explore science,
technology, engineering, and math
 Where: Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum
 Girlstart needs volunteers to help lead booth activities
such as snowflake chemistry, igloo engineering, and
gingerbread architecture
 Shifts: 10:30 am-3:30 pm, or take a shift from 10:30-1 or
1-3:30

6.  When: December 8th (Saturday after next)
 What: 5K color run
 Where: Travis County Expo Center
 Color Me Rad needs volunteers to throw color bombs
on runners and also to help clean up after the event
 Shifts: 7 am-12 pm (color bomb squad) or 11 am-4 pm
(clean up)
 Must sign up with me by today if you are interested in
doing this.

7.  ~3.5 hrs from Austin
 5,561 undergrads
 Tuition + fees: $6,940
 Average loan
indebtedness at
graduation: $2,867
 56% retention
 37% graduate within 6
years

9.  16:1 student to faculty ratio
 Pop majors:
interdisciplinary studies,
business, engineering,
social sciences, parks & rec
 Acceptance rate: 86%
 Other interesting majors:
kinesiology, reading
specialization education,
criminology, ranch
management

10.  Pasadena, CA
 978 undergrads
 Tuition + fees: $39,588
 100% of financial need
met on average
 98% retention
 87% graduate within 6
years

12.  3:1 student to faculty ratio
 Pop majors: engineering,
physical sciences,
computer sciences, math,
biology
 12% acceptance rate
 ACT mid 50%: 33-35
 #1 Students Study the Most
 Top 10 Best Value Private
Schools

13.  Please take a few minutes to fill out this survey to give
me some feedback on the class. You don’t have to put
your name on the survey if you want to be anonymous.
Remember, if you want to see a change in the class,
give constructive criticism.

14.  Imagine that you could create and run your own
country. What kind of geography would the country
have, what kind of laws would you enforce, what would
the culture be like, etc.? How do all these things relate
to your own personality?

15.  Write an essay in which you tell us about someone who
has made an impact on your life and explain how and
why this person is important to you.

16.  Choose an issue of importance to you—the issue could
be personal, school-related, local, political, or
international in scope—and write an essay in which
you explain the significance of that issue to yourself,
your family, your community, or your generation.

17.  There may be personal information that you want
considered as part of your admissions application.
Write an essay describing that information. You might
include exceptional hardships, challenges, or
opportunities that have shaped or impacted your
abilities or academic credentials, personal
responsibilities, exceptional achievements or talents,
educational goals, or ways in which you might
contribute to an institution committed to creating a
diverse learning environment.

18. Option #1: Freewriting
What you do: Get out a sheet of paper and set a timer for
15-20 minutes, then start the timer and start writing on
one of the given topics. You don’t need to write in
complete sentences, just write in a stream of
consciousness style and KEEP WRITING until the time
is up.

19.  Option #2: Cluster Map
 What you do: Write a word or phrase related to a topic
you want to write about in a circle in the middle of
your paper. Then write related words in circles
connected to that one so that you have a spiderweb.

20.  Option #3: Design a magazine cover or web page
layout.
 What to do: Think about what you want to write about
and decide how it would look if you had to lay out the
most important information for a magazine cover or
web page. Feel free to draw pictures.