Spring 2018 IECA Presentation. Catherine Marrs, Rebecca Joseph, Elizabeth Stone

1. IECA Spring Conference
Catherine Marrs, CEP
Rebecca Joseph PhD
Elizabeth Stone PhD

2. Who We Are
 Three diverse
counselors
 Three perspectives

3. Goals for Session
 Demonstrate how to effectively
use the prompts to help our
students more clearly
understand themselves.
 Show how these prompts can
keep the students on track
academically and with
extracurricular activities.
 Share strategies how to use the
prompts to guide the college
application process and
success in college.

4. Use Prompts for
College Readiness

5. UT Short Answer #1:
Career Plans
“If you could have any career, what would it be?
Why? Describe any activities you are involved in,
life experiences you’ve had, or even classes you’ve taken
that have helped you identify this professional
path.”
Instead of students having to cram in their future
academic and professional plans, UT now allows them to
answer the prompt directly. Here, you should address why
you are applying to UT and your first choice major.

6. How to Use Prompt #1
 Help students identify their interest(s) by starting
the conversation of favorite subjects
 Opportunity to teach students how to “network” for
the purpose of identifying shadowing, internship,
and/or job experiences
 Give students a focus – both academically and in
identifying shadowing experiences

7. UT Short Answer #2:
Academics
“Do you believe your academic record (transcript
information and test scores) provide an accurate
representation of you as a student?”
This question gives students a great opportunity to demonstrate their
fit for major. If you have a particularly strong subject, consider talking
about it here. If there is a class or semester you are less than
satisfied with, use this as your chance to discuss a special
circumstance or something going on. Regardless, applicants should
use this prompt to highlight strengths or how they have overcome
adversity.

8. How to Use Prompt #2
 Use this prompt as an exercise to again help the
student reflect on both their academics and their
standardized testing results.
 Help students brainstorm more academic opportunities
they can pursue in and out of school.
 Provide opportunity to write an explanation that can be
used for UT as well as other colleges if they do have
some explaining to do – to prevent “the elephant in the
room.”

9. UT Short Answer #3:
Leadership
“How do you show leadership in your life? How do
you see yourself being a leader at UT Austin?”
Demonstrating leadership has always been a core
component of UT’s review process. Now, students can
discuss taking a leading role in an activity, sports team, in
your community, or in your family. Here could be a wonderful
opportunity to highlight a particular interest or activity that is
important to you.

10. How to Use Prompt #3
 The more time the student will have to identify leadership roles AND
put some thought into what type of leader they want to be in college,
UT and other campuses, the more interesting they will appear to
colleges.
 Give us the opportunity to brainstorm ideas of what leadership looks
like for students who are not inclined to put themselves out there.
 An important aspect of this essay is the second part: seeing
themselves as a leader at UT Austin – students often forget to
address this piece of the prompt.

11. Using Prompts for College
Admission and Success

12. UC Personal Insight Questions
 Answer any 4 of the following 8 questions: (350 word max each)
 1. Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others,
helped resolve disputes, or contributed to group efforts over time.
 2. Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original
and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side.
 3. What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated
that talent over time?
 4. Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to
overcome an educational barrier you have faced.
 5. Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome
this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement?
 6. Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest
inside and/or outside of the classroom.
 7. What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?
 8. Beyond what has already been shared in your application, what do you believe makes you stand
out as a strong candidate for admissions to the University of California?

13. Use Prompts To Help Market
Students For Applications
 Use prompts to
 teach them how to
self-advocate
 prepare for
application
completion
 resumes,
 activity sections
 essays
 interviews

14. Get to Know Students
 End of 11th grade, summer
before 12th, fall senior year
 Use prompts to help students
understand what their match
colleges look for
 For business, engineering,
and arts students, use
prompts to have them decide
whether they want direct entry
or other academic options.
 Use prompts to guide self-
advocacy self-advocacy
 Have them prepare a culture
bag

15. Teach How To Self-Advocate
 Ask students what they most want a college to
know about them.
 Show them the UC and UT Austin prompts
 Show prompt choices for last year’s UC apps
 Teach them that they must boast and
advocate
 where they have made a difference in their
own lives and the lives of others,
 how they have explored their passions,
 where they have shown initiative,
 where they have made an impact, and
 what what impact they hope colleges will have
on them
 how they have overcome setbacks (what
defines a shareable setback)
 What sets them apart

16. Prepare for All College
Application Essays
 Explore the role of
essays
 Brainstorm which UC
essays they might
answer.
 Show them models with
matching resumes and
applications
 Share how they will use
these short essays for
most of their supplement
essays

17. Write the Essays
 Start with one prompt
 Recommend provide specific examples in essay and write at least three
paragraphs (make it easy to read)
 Emphasize how writing style and chronology doesn’t matter
 Make sure they answer the prompt
 After reviewing first, have them write the rest(I don’t allow kids to do both
UC 4 and 5, unless UC 4 is taking advantage of an opportunity)
 Require students even if they don’t want to use it to write UC 6—
academic interests as they can use this with many supplements
 Revise and see if categories must shift, frequently move them around
 See if any of these essays can lead to Common App or to longer UT
essay

18. UC 1 Samples

19. UC 7 Examples

20. Prepare for Interviews
 Empower students to see how these essays
will help them with interviews
 Match their essays with programs and
resources at each college where they
interview
 Do mock interviews using evidence from their
essays

21. Steven…

22. Helping Students Prepare
Powerful Responses

23. Different College
Application Essays Types
Categorical
 Factual
 Research
 Advocacy
 Opinion
Narrative
 Storytelling

24. Experience
Research
Read/Reflect

25. Experience

26. UC PROMPT #6
Question 6: Think about an
academic subject that inspires
you. Describe how you have
furthered this interest inside and/or
outside of the classroom.

27. Student in AP Government Class

28. 1. Identify topic
1. Search
2. Learn logistics
3. Prepare
4. Follow up

29. Experiential

30. Experiential
In AP U.S. Government/Politics we delved
into the Constitution and the fundamental
American values it represents. Learning that
the U.S. Constitution was designed to
prevent alterations prompted me to explore
the pros and cons of this design.
Consequently, I researched and registered
for a lecture at Stanford called “The Living
Constitution’s Dead Hand” (full essay)

31. UC Prompt #4
Describe how you have taken
advantage of a significant
educational opportunity or worked to
overcome an educational barrier you
have faced.

32. Student
volunteering as
Teacher Assistant

33. Research

34. 1.Guide student to resources
2.Instruct to record observations
1.Consider controversies
2.Apply theory to experience

35. Research
My job as a teacher’s assistant was to
keep students on task and help them
through their difficulties with
worksheets and science projects. By
working in a classroom every weekday
for five weeks, I observed students’
distinct learning styles and stages of
cognitive and moral development. (full
essay)

37. Read/Reflect

38. Prompt # 6:
Think about an academic subject that
inspires you. Describe how you have
furthered this interest inside and/or
outside of the classroom.
English inspires me because literature helps society consider ethical
dilemmas. To further my interest in literature and ethics outside of
the classroom, I read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. In the second
half of the novel, Frankenstein must consider whether or not he
should abide by the creature’s request to generate a second, female
companion or if he should refuse. The reader witnesses
Frankenstein’s internal, moral debate. ………My junior year, I felt
myself faced with a similar moral debate. I had to decide whether to
call out a teacher to the administration who was verbally abusive to
a classmate. Notifying the administration would protect my
classmate, but would likely create consequences for the entire class.

39. Summary
Together with the UT and UC prompts, students can be
much more focused as they move through high school
creating a purposeful strategic college readiness,
application, and success plan.
We all know:
 Each student is unique. Colleges are looking for
students who are more than just in the top of their class
or have the highest test scores and rank.
 Colleges are seeking interesting and engaging students
– students who will contribute to their community.

40. Contact Us
 Rebecca Joseph -
getmetocollege@gmail.com
 Catherine Marrs - catherine@marrscaa.com
 Elizabeth Stone - estone@campanile.us