More than 1,600 high school students from across Georgia competed for spots Saturday in the prestigious Governor’s Honors Program at Berry College.
The Georgia Governor’s Honors Program is a residential summer program for gifted and talented high school students who will be rising juniors and seniors during the program. The program offers instruction that is significantly different from the typical high school classroom and that is designed to provide students with academic, cultural, and social enrichment necessary to become the next generation of global critical thinkers, innovators, and leaders.
Berry College was selected to host the program in 2017.
During the breaks at Saturday's competition, Rob Franek, Editor-in-Chief of the Princeton Review, gave parents a quick overview about the college admissions process. According to surveys, 94 percent of high school students and their families say they are stressed or extremely stressed about college.
Franek’s tips:
1. Start the college process as early as possible.
2. Research, research, research. Where you earn your degrees matters!
3. Let your parents help you, they may actually know something.
4. The college admissions process is difficult because everyone is applying to the same 25 schools. There are 3,000 four-year colleges in the U.S. alone!
5. The No. 1 thing admissions officers look at is your high school GPA. Have you challenged yourself with AP, IB, Dual enrollment, honors classes?
6. The No. 2 thing admissions officers look at is your ACT/SAT scores. Prepare for the ACT and SAT and you could see your score increase an average of 200 points.
7. The No. 3 thing admissions officers look at is your variety of academic and extra-curriculars, which you can express in your college essay! There is no room for error on the essay when it comes to poor spelling or grammar.
8. If you interview it is a golden opportunity. You should be prepared to say ‘I see myself in your school and did my research and believe I can be a fit for your school.’
9. To help find your college fit, talk to current students and look at surveys.
10. Parents should be following the college’s social media.
11. What is going to be your return on investment for your student academically and for the family? Look for a college’s career services and job placement rates.
Written by Public Relations
