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Miller: Applying to college: a guide for parents

Well, April 1 has rolled around again, and the thick packets and dreaded thin envelopes have found their ways to most everyone’s door. The dust has settled on the 2010 application season — the most competitive ever, with applications rising 10 percent overall and acceptance rates dwindling below 25 percent (as low as 6 percent at Harvard) at the most selective institutions.

Newton is known for its wealthy and educated population, so it should come as no surprise that the college application process hits Newton fairly hard. I know. I just went through it. Thanks to my supportive but non-helicoptering parents, a supportive college counselor and some motivation; I did fairly well. (If you must know, I am off to NYU in the fall). But I’ve seen and heard the horror stories: the woman outside College Night at South last year telling her daughter “if you don’t get into a college that takes less than 20 percent, your father and I will be terribly disappointed in you,” the seemingly bright and motivated people who face a sea of waitlists and rejections.

Not all of this can be avoided. But much of it can, through some common sense and basic tips. All of these I have culled from four years of osmosis at Newton North. There are many of these, but I’ve culled it down to five for here.

1. You fit in where you get in. Parents and students: you will hear this mantra over and over again. It is true. I know many people who did not get into their first choice and were vowing to transfer last year. None of them did. This personal experience holds true even when one looks at the larger statistics. By and large, you will get a great education regardless of what college you go to.

2. This is your child’s college process, not yours. Yes, parents, I know that you want to go to college. It’s fun. They have dorms redesigned by Crate and Barrel (instead of Cinder and Block like when you went), and athletic centers, and seminars, and beautiful campuses. But at the end of the day, your child will have to go there. Give them breathing room on the tour. Let them absorb. If they don’t like it, don’t press them too hard. They are the ones who have to attend. Additionally, don’t make them apply to schools that they don’t want to go to. I know one poor girl last year who applied to upwards of 20 colleges because she had to apply to both her list and the list that her parents made for her (the Ivy League plus Stanford and MIT). She drove herself crazy working on the applications and supplements. It wasn’t pretty.

3. Old parameters no longer apply. Dear parents: things are NOT the same as when you went to college. Application rates have declined by factors of three and four at almost all colleges. Newton parents often make a big deal about the selectivity of colleges. In the park, on the street, at the PTO meeting, you hear things like “oh, well, don’t they take everybody?”, accompanied by a slightly furrowed brow. The answer? Not any more, they don’t.

4. Don’t act disappointed by the results. It is almost guaranteed that your child will be rejected from at least one college that they really want to go to. They will be upset and stressed enough. Don’t drop hints about transferring, don’t cluck and say “If only you hadn’t gotten that B+ in Trigonometry.” There will be time for dissection and analysis of the process, the day that the rejection letter comes is not that day.

5. Make sure your child has one person other than you that they can speak to about the admissions process. This is critical. This person may not be your child’s guidance counselor — both high schools have career centers where you can get good information (I found my career center counselor to be particularly helpful). But make sure that person exists. If there is nobody in the school, consider looking for a private firm (but avoid massive multithousand-dollar package deals). This person will be a source of accurate information and more importantly another shoulder to lean on in what can be a stressful time.

Hopefully, we can follow these few simple guidelines – and make everything less stressful for everybody.

Ben Miller is a graduating senior at Newton North High School. He maintains a website at benmillerblog.tk

Miller: Applying to college: a guide for parents

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Dog Crate Pads Make Puppy Training Easier!

Whoops, it happened again! All dogs will at some point have an accident in the house or the car.

Because dogs like to taste everything, they can sometimes ingest things which don’t make them feel too well.

The results can be messy, especially when in your home. Sometimes problems will occur very rapidly so it is impossible for your dog to warn you he might not be feeling too well.

Being kept in during the night can prove too much for some dogs, and they may need to go to to the toilet wherever they are. Thank heavens then for crate pads.

This is a tough issue which needs a tough solution – Crate pads. Designed for dog use, ClearQuest Puppy and Adult Pads come in three levels of absorbency: Super Absorbency Puppy Pads, Maximum Absorbency Puppy Pads and Maximum Absorbency Adult Pads.

These pads are suitable for a whole range of scenarios, whether you are puppy training, dealing with an incontinent or stay at home dog, and the occasional accident, they are even scented to attract your dog to do their business right there.

So why make them in three types?

Super Absorbency Puppy Pads are ideal for most puppies, with super absorbency for most waste, a whole troupe of puppies may call for Maximum Absorbency Puppy Pads.

They also give you the leeway to need to refresh the pad more infrequently, leaving more time for playtime rather than cleaning up.

For adult dogs, clearly a product designed for puppies won’t do the job, so reach for ClearQuest Maximum Absorbency Adult Pads, which offer twice the absorbency of the Puppy Pads.

So which is right for your dog? If you are the proud owner of a puppy choose Super Absorbency Puppy Pads.

With a capacity to hold 4 cups of liquid, this pad should address the needs of most puppies.

If you are dealing with a large breed puppy choose the Maximum Absorbency Puppy Pad.

This is an automatic first choice too with more than one puppy in the house, or when dealing with a large breed.

The Maximum Absorbency Pad can soak up 8 cups of liquid, more than enough capacity for large puppies or multiple puppies.

10 cups of water is the capacity of the adult pad, which i am sure you will agree is ample for most dogs.

With the added benefit of a special formula to eliminate smells from the house, you will be glad you bough crate pads the moment you walk in through the door.

The puppy pads are slightly smaller at 22 inches by 23 inches compared with the 27 inch by 29 inch adult crate pad. Crate pads help to keep your home and your dog clean and happy!

Article Source: http://www.a1-articledirectory.com

About the author: Rebecca Foxton can help you give your pet better health with dog crate pads. Check out her health tips for people with dogs and cats and visit her flea control article series on Dog Buffs.