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If getting one student through the college admission process is a feat of its own, imagine working with dozens at the same time! Wendy Andreen is a former high school college counselor who has done exactly that. She shares some of the advice that she has learned along her career: the perks of going to college fairs, the benefit of community resources, and even some insight from her own book, the Three “IN” Factors in College Admissions. She also talks about the Birkman Method, an empirical test that can help students in their fact-finding journey of what they might want to be in the future.
Key Takeaways:
If it is possible, go to college presentations by the reps! It is a chance to keep up to date with what the college wants.Check your community resources.Sophomore year = go to college fairs. It is like window shopping, you can look and learn but there is not as much stress this year than in others. Junior year = CRITICAL to attend college fairs! The rest of the year is to delve deeper into the colleges you are interested in. The Birkman Method, an empirical assessment, can help you identify what you would like to work in, potential majors and career paths. It is more affirmation than revelation. Interest Report
- What are your interests? What do you enjoy?
- What gives you energy when you work with it?
If you have a low score in these areas, it doesn’t mean that you are unable to do it, it just means that it may not be an interest that you have! But if you are working constantly in areas where you have a low interest, it can be draining to your energy,The various scores include:
- Behavior Score – Adaptable, how do you act?
- Needs Score – What do you need? What is so important to you that it is a requirement to be fulfilled?
- Stress Score – Helps understand the potential of stress and how to manage it!
- Career Report – Outlines potential jobs to think about and it compares you to other people in that job family.
Take it preferable in sophomore year!
Important Resources and Links:
Three Factors College Admissions
Meet Wendy Andreen
Wendy Andreen, PhD resides in Houston, Texas and is a former high school college counselor, who led thousands of students through the college application process at a very competitive public high school. With over 40 years of professional experience, Wendy is currently a mentor with Spring Branch ISD’s Collegiate Challenge program and continues to work with high school and college students through her private practice as a senior-certified Birkman Method assessment facilitator, helping students learn more about themselves and find direction for their majors and career paths.
She earned her BBA, teacher certification, and PhD in Educational Administration from The University of Texas at Austin and her MEd in Counseling from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas. Wendy published her first book in 2017, Three “IN” Factors in College Admissions, which is a model designed specifically for students in grades 8 – 12 to easily read to navigate high school with intentionality and still love what they are doing, so they will be ready to showcase their accomplishments in the college application process.
and then