Welcome!

This questionnaire asks for some in-depth thought about yourself. It is less about what kinds of colleges and settings might appeal to you, and more about what kind of person you are and what kinds of choices you have made.

The purpose is two-fold: 1) to get you thinking more subtly and thoroughly about your future so that you can present yourself articulately in your college applications; and, 2) to help me get to know you better so that together we can develop a fuller, more detailed portrait of you. This will help me advise you more effectively.

Please take your time and think the questions through. I hope you will enjoy pondering about your past, present, and future. Students often find this exercise thought-provoking.

Write as much on any question as you choose. When in doubt, say more, not less.The questions are meant to prompt your thinking. If some of them sound like a possible essay question for a college application, that is not an accident. Just express yourself. Please take it seriously, though you can also have some fun with it, and, in turn, I will take you seriously and enjoy working with you.

Please type your answers directly on this document, re-save, and then return to me over email. Do not write your answers in another document because this will delete the questions, which are helpful for me as I review your answers.

I am looking forward to meeting you soon!

Sincerely,

Sam

1

STUDENT QUESTIONS

  1. How have you changed during high school? In particular, during the past year? What has come easily, and what not so easily? (classes, activities, community service, social experiences, family life, sports, etc.) What might be different about you if you had gone to another high school? (i.e., how has attending your particular school changed you?)
  1. In particular, what has been your favorite class (or two)? How did this class change how you see yourself or the world? Maybe it gave you an inkling of what you would like to do in life. Maybe it excited or disturbed you. How were you moved or engaged by the material?
  1. Do you have any academic weaknesses or dislikes? Does this show up on your transcript? Where? Do you have a learning difference or difficulty or a physical or emotional issue that concerns you? How and when did it appear? What accommodations, if any, do you receive for it?
  1. How often do you read books outside of class? What is the favorite book you have read in the past year in school? Out of school? What did you find in each book that stirred you?
  1. What magazines and newspapers do you read regularly or occasionally? What do you get out of them?
  1. Describe your family and your role among your siblings, (if applicable). Do you feel pressure to achieve in school, sports, or another realm? Is where you go to college very important to your parents? Have events (moves, illness, etc.) had an impact on you, especially on your academic record?
  1. What is your favorite activity outside of academic classes? Arts, community service, athletics, or something outside of school? How did you get started? What kind of satisfaction do you derive from this activity? How does it fit into the rest of your life? Why is it worth the sacrifice of time and energy? Have you received any recognition from this activity?
  1. Are you planning to do anything new and different during your senior year? What will you continue? What leadership roles will you have? Student Council, clubs, sports, publications, music,? Or outside of school?
  1. Have you done any summer academic, artistic, or athletic programs, including this summer? What have you gained from them in the long run? How have they contributed to your development?
  1. Have you done any extended academic projects that you found satisfying and fulfilling? History term paper or project? Physics project? Independent study? If you have a physical product like a paper, we would like a copy. If you do art, we would like to see it and have you explain it to us. How did you come up with this idea, and what did you learn from it?
  1. Have you done any community service? How much has it meant to you? Do you think you made a difference?
  1. At this point, do you have an idea of what you would like to study in college? Why? (If you still have no idea, that’s fine too.)
  1. If you didn’t have to worry about earning a living, what kind of career or work would you like to have? Since you will need to earn a living, what kind of career do you think you will have? Does it bother you if these are different?
  1. What do you like to do just for fun?
  1. Do you have a strong (or weak) religious or political identity? Would you consider yourself a spiritual or a political person? What kinds of questions do you ask yourself about such matters?
  1. If you could live your (still young) life over again, what one thing would you try to do differently?
  1. How has your view of college admissions changed over the past year? How are you feeling about it all at this point?
  1. Describe a moment where you did something that you are proud that you did that no on else knows about.
  1. Make a list below of people who you admire or respect. These can be people you know personally or people you don’t know, alive or historical, celebrities or people no one but you have ever heard of.

You may have people who you respect greatly for certain things but don’t know enough about them to know if you respect everything. Or there may be something about them that you don’t respect as much as the main quality that you do respect. That’s ok. If you can simply say, “I admire or respect this person for ______,” you can still list them.

Please list at least seven people.

  1. What are you doing this summer?
  1. Do you have topics already in mind for college essays? (It is perfectly fine if you do not – but if you do, I’d just like to know . Just skip this question if you don’t.)
  1. As you know, part of what we’re going to be doing during together is a process of self-reflection. This helps you write stronger essays. From your past experiences, what have you found helps you to self-reflect? Do you do a lot of your self-reflection while talking with friends, or do you keep things to yourself? Do you have a mentor you confide in? Do you write things down? Use a journal? Write songs? Go on a run? Does reading help you think about things? I like to ask this question to learn about what already supports you to enter that “reflection zone.”

Thanks for taking care with these questions. I am looking forward to getting started with you soon!

1