Junior Year - September/October, '10

Juniors, make sure you sign up for PSAT which is the very first thing that needs to be done as a junior. Of course, make sure that you are prepared.

Sophomore Year '10

Continue working on those study skills/habits I just posted for freshmen. Take PSAT in October.

Freshman Year '10

Have a 4-year plan, knowing what you are required for graduation, specific classes to take, and targeting a type of graduation plan (Minimum, Recommended, or Distinguished).

Start a routine, the easiest way to build good study habits, and be consistent.

Use a planner, learn to manage your time wisely – plan ahead.

Communicate frequently, every day, your plans, thoughts, and oncerns with your parents, siblings, teachers and/or counselors.

Get to know your guidance counselor. Stopping by and emailing are two great ways to do so.

To All My Students, 9th to 12th, O through SL

Quite a few of my students and parents, former or present, have asked me about "falling off the saddle" on updating/maintaining this blog.

I hear you. But one thing I do have to point out here. Ever since we came back on August 1st, these past seven (7) weeks have been brutal. Due to changes in the department/school/district in terms of staff re-assignment, budget cut, policy reinterpretation and a brand new computer administrative/management system, we have had an unprecedented amount of work/corrections/changes to have been made on our students’ schedules. Putting in 11/12 hour day was a norm in the counseling department during those days.

Things are getting much better now. I am “Getting back on the Saddle Again”! And I will do the best I can to stay on it. :-)

Senior Year - June/Graduation

I just can't believe it is graduation day again! I guess it is also the time for reflection. Going through all the thank you cards and gifts reminds me of one thing I have been saying all along. We have great students. They all are good kids, not just academically accomplished. We have the most supportive and appreciative parents. They spend countless hours volunteering at school and never miss any chance to show their appreciation of everything we do. Tokens of appreciation like an email, a phone call, or a card are just a few things we routinely receive.... Many, many times, I found myself starting my letter of recommendation with something like, “Johnny is one of many students at Clements who make this school so great….” Or finishing it up with, “He is obviously a product of a loving, nurturing family….”

At this point, I just want to use this opportunity to say thank YOU, Clements seniors and parents, for another great class/year. It is all because of you that make our job so much more meaningful. It is also because of the support and appreciation you have shown throughout which further enhances the greatness of CHS!

Go Rangers!

Junior Year - May/Summer

Summer, believe it or not, is finally fast approaching. Many students have big plans to make best use of the last summer before their senior year. With AP currently going on, I know it is almost impossible to think about anything else. Besides the activities I mentioned in my April 8th’s posting, quite a few juniors will be going to summer school in their last attempt to improve/maintain their rank/GPA since the official rank for college application will be calculated at the very end of August. Many others are going to summer school to make/catch up the credit(s) they need for graduation....

Summer is near!!!

Senior Year - April/May

A few students who had just received rejection letters stopped by, asking about the appeal process, and/or if they should go for it.... Here are a couple of my thoughts on this.

Generally speaking, the admission decision is final; chances of a successful appeal are slim. You should not appeal simply because you are upset with the rejection, and an appeal should not move forward if your general message is something like, "You clearly made a mistake because you failed to recognize how great I am." However, a couple of circumstances may warrant an appeal.

1) You have significant new information to provide. Things like winning a major award or honor, getting back test scores that are significantly better than the ones you originally submitted.

2) You have just learned that a procedural or clerical error was made. For example, SAT scores reported incorrectly, inaccurate information on your transcript.

Examples for no grounds for appeal: Your application needs to be taken another look by another admission counselor; Friends got in with similar qualifications (SAT score/Rank/GPA etc); Rank/GPA and scores fall within the published admissions criteria; Convinced that you are a perfect match for the school; Offered admission to some "better" schools, so their rejection doesn’t make sense; Felt the decision was unfair; Family legacy deserves a reconsideration.