Thursday, August 20, 2009

Welcome to HippoCampus Goes to College

Greetings! This new blog is intended for students interested in the college preparation and college admissions process. While other blogs under the HippoCampus umbrella deal with specific academic subject areas or life as a student, this blog focuses on what students can DO with what they've learned in classes. In particular, we look at extracurricular activities that might help inform a student's choice of majors or careers, the process of selecting colleges to which a student might apply, and the application process itself.

I bring to this blog a background in college admissions counseling (both independent and as an adjunct counselor at a private high school), as a graduate of the UCLA Extension College Counseling Certificate program, and as a graduate of Stanford University with a long history of work in the fields of writing and editing. I currently produce and host the Countdown to College Radio Show, in which I interview deans and directors of admissions, school counselors, college professors, and others involved in the nitty gritty details of helping students prepare for and succeed in college. The show's interviews are available for free downloading and listening at http://www.CountdownToCollegeRadio.com.

But in this blog, I get a platform for sharing the ideas and views gained from my own experiences at both public and private high schools, the coursework I did at UCLA, the interviews I've conducted on the show and the students I've worked with in person. I hope you find the insights and suggestions to be immediately relevant and applicable to your circumstances, and that they help smooth your path through the process of transitioning from high school to college.

Cheers,
Beth Pickett