Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product
through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not
required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.
Who Is This Kid? Colleges Want to Know! from The Critical Thinking Co. gives high school students writing exercises for
winning applications. Students will use these writing exercises to discover
what kind of student they are and they will use what they learn about
themselves as they search for colleges, write college applications, write
essays, take college tours, and as they interview online or in-person. These
writing exercises help students separate themselves from other students who are
applying to the same college or university.
Part I is a student self-assessment. In the part, students
are given writing exercise that really make them stop and think about who they
are as a person and as a student. They begin by writing five adjectives that
describe them according to their mother, father, friend, and self. Students
will write about three important events in their life and why the event is
important to them. They will list their favorite band/musician, book, video
game, TV show, movie, quote, and word. They will write about three people who
have influenced them the most. They will list their student interests and write
half pages giving examples from school or out-of-school activities. As you can
see from the pictures below, there is plenty of writing space for the student.
After going through these self-assessment writing exercises,
students take a 10-Step Campus Culture Quiz to think about what kind of college
would be the best match for who they are.
Part II provides college search worksheets. Throughout these
pages (23-82) students fill-in the blanks as they search colleges.
Part II also provides college fair worksheets, college
preparation worksheets, and campus visit worksheets. After completing these
worksheets, students make a list of their top ten colleges.
Part III provides an application organizer that helps
students keep up with application deadlines, essays, and interviews. This part
includes five essay exercises and a list of example questions for the college
After graduating two daughters from our homeschool, I can
tell you, after the dean has read high school transcript and test scores,
students are in the group of “qualified” students who have met the necessary
academics to do the work; but their application is the first thing the college
reads from the student. The purpose of a college admission essay is to help the
admission dean get to know the student. No matter the question, the college
wants to know the student’s personal opinion. They want to know to know if that
student is an interesting person, a good student, and a hard worker, who will
bring their own way of thinking to the college campus.
Part IV provides college admission calendars to help the
student throughout their Junior and Senior year in high school. This is a great
resource for every high school student pursing college!
When I completed the Vendor Interest Form for this review, I
thought it would help me with Kaylee; but after flipping through its pages, I
was not be able to use it with her because she has been accepted to her first
college choice. So, I will be using this book with Isabelle as she begins her
freshman year because we are seriously considering dual-enrollment and this
book will help us determine where to begin dual-enrollment and where to pursue her
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