Blog
6 creative tips for rising sophomores to start thinking about college
If you are a sophomore, and you are interested in studying a creative discipline or including your visual art portfolio in your college applications, here are 5 tips that might benefit you—and they are fun!
Make time to LOOK at contemporary art. Go to the nearest art museum, community art center, arts and entertainment center, or university near you and look at contemporary art. This is so important. So much of what we see online is repetitive and similar and is not necessarily the best for generating new ideas.
Find an art coach or visual art center to take classes and learn a new skill! If you have always wanted to try photography but haven’t learned, the summer before your junior year is prime time! Look for classes that are narrow in their scope, not broad - and that teach a tangible skill like sewing so you can try making your own clothes independently or drawing so you can show your observational skills. Consult this list for more details on residential summer programs.
Visit colleges. You don’t have to go very far most of the time to swing by a college campus. If you live close to an urban center there are many! If you are more rural, make a day trip out of it and visit your local state college. Find out what kind of creative disciplines they offer! Look at the studio spaces and see what kind of work the students are making!
Set up a workstation at home. If you don’t already have a creative place to go in your home, now is the time to set one up! Any table and chair will do but you want to make sure you have a space that you do not have to clean up. Yes, that is right parents! A space where your student can leave materials out, come and go as they please, and not be on show for anyone. If this is in your room, be careful to use only non toxic material - no oil painting in the bedroom! Colleges love to see what you do outside of class, not just for AP Art.
Connect your academics and extracurriculars to art. Look for ways that you can connect your interests in writing, math, biology, French, or whatever to art. This shows an admissions committee that you are already capable of thinking in an interdisciplinary way, and it is a way to highlight your achievements in other areas. If you belong to a club, is there a way to contribute to the club through art? Like making a poster for an upcoming event or doing a service event that includes art? Can you find an internship that utilizes some of your art skills?
Do you feel like you might need additional support in finding activities? Reach out to us at The Gesso, and we can help find the perfect opportunity for you to get involved in art! If you have limited access to art education in your local area, we can be a virtual resource for you.
7 tasks for rising juniors to prepare for college art admissions
As summer comes to a close, we are recharged and taking stock of what our goals are for this upcoming year. For you and your families, you are at the beginning of the journey towards college admissions. So how can you as a rising junior prepare?
Understand this year is different.
Have you had the experience of someone wincing when you tell them it is your junior year in high school? That is because junior year can be HARD, GRUELING, and BRUTAL.
Juniors tend to be taking challenging academic classes like AP’s or IB’s that may fall outside of their comfort zone. Juniors tend to be stressed out to perform at exceptional levels - because they know their performance affects their abilities to produce an application that stands out from others. Juniors may move from JV sports to varsity sports and acquire more responsibility and they may be involved with extracurricular activities that also require a large time commitment.
Add making ART of any kind to that list and you could be one overloaded junior.
Not to mention you have people telling you to start researching colleges. How do you manage and where do you start to understand what your options are when it comes to art and college?
So here are 7 tasks to manage your junior year in the fall semester while also preparing for the college art admission process.
Balance academics with fun. Yes,you may have very hard classes but everyday find time in your schedule to have some fun. Wake up early to do some drawing. Take a break after school and exercise with friends. Or if you have sports or other extracurriculars, seriously look at what you are committed to make sure you have some downtime.
Search for clues about colleges by looking to artists. Looking at your favorite artists, games, animators, etc. and find out where they went to school. This is a GREAT way to learn about colleges without going to just another website. Once you find out some info, then go to the school’s website and check it out more.
Start developing a creative practice and take a skills inventory. Start now to develop your own voice. Keep a sketchbook - almost every field requires that you have concept ideas. Think of drawing as a way of recording your thoughts - graphs, scribbles, notes are all super important. Take a notebook everywhere. And make a list of your technical skills - what do you know and feel confident about in art and what can you learn in this upcoming year.
Understand what tools and services your high school offers. If your school has college fairs, or information sessions on college, get a handle on the process but don’t stress about it. Schools are uneven in terms of their ability to build college prep into their school day. So if you attend public school, know that you have to do your own homework outside of school hours. If you attend a private school, you may have resources available to you during the school day and you should take advantage of them.
Prioritize your extracurricular activities and reevaluate. If you have agreed to participate in everything, that is probably too much. Prioritize one thing that is academic, one thing that is service oriented, and one thing that develops your skill set as an artist. If you have a part time job, you know what it is like to fit in work hours. Consider doing the same thing in your calendar twice a month to dedicate to the college search process.
Prepare for the summer before your senior year and find an academic or artistic opportunity that relates to your specific interests. This could be an internship, a college class, a part time job, or an academic opportunity that relates to a particular interest you have.
Sign up with The Gesso for expert, tailored advice throughout the admissions process. We can help you build a path towards the college application cycle that is exciting, productive, and works for you and your family! Contact us to learn more.
How to ask for a letter of recommendation (and other questions)
One of the things that you have to do when applying to college is to ask for a letter of recommendation. Thank goodness someone else gets to do some writing, right? It may not seem too hard, but there is a craft to asking for a letter of recommendation. What teacher should you ask? When should you ask? And should you provide them with any information?
Below are some tips that address common questions when asking for a letter of recommendation.
When is the ideal time to ask for a letter of recommendation?
The ideal time to ask for a letter of recommendation for college is the spring semester of your junior year. If you are a sophomore and need a letter for a competitive summer program, give at least two weeks notice before the letter is due. If you want to wait until your senior year (say if you are new to a school, or you forgot to ask before you left for the year), you can but you will want to ask right at the beginning of the school year. With that said, never feel shy asking a teacher. Writing letters is part of a teachers job and they are proud of you and usually want to help you.
How should I ask my teacher? What should I say?
If you are asking your teacher in person, make sure you are not with other students, because your teacher may not be willing to write them a letter of recommendation. When you ask in person, explain when you are applying and where you think you may apply. Then politely ask if they would they be willing to write you a letter. Later you will follow up in an email if the teacher says yes. If you did not get a chance to ask in person, send a formal email to your teacher. Make sure you say Dear so and so, and make it short - two or three sentences politely asking.
Here is an example:
Dear Mr. Smith,
Hello! I missed you in person the other day at school and so I wanted to follow up via email to see if you would be willing to write me a letter of recommendation for college. I am not applying until the fall of 2022, but I thought I would ask you now, and then send a follow up email closer to the date with specific information. I have valued our time together in class and learned so much from you. Would you be willing to write one of my recommendations?
Sincerely,
Your name
How do I submit letters of recommendation?
Once you receive confirmation, you can go ahead and list the person’s name and email on the management system. Sometimes this means Naviance. For outside letters from a community member or coach, you may list them directly in hte management system ( common app, UC, Suny, etc. ) Then at least one month to two weeks prior to the due date, send an email to your teacher that reminds the teacher of the recommendation, and gives all the information that the teacher should know. Specifically when are you applying, to what schools. Remember, you always want to waive your right to see the letter. It is common practice for all letters to be submitted electronically without the student seeing the letter.
Should I give them information about myself?
Yes. You want to make it as easy as possible for the teacher to write the letter. Include all information in the email. You could write a paragraph that reminds the teacher of what courses you took from them, what some of your projects were like that you remember doing well on, what extracurriculars you are involved with and where you plan on applying and what your general interests are. The more information you give the teacher, the easier it is for them to write a letter of recommendation.
Want more advice about letters of recommendation and other parts of the college application?
Reach out to us at The Gesso! Let our expert team guide you through your college applications. We specialize in working with aspiring artists and students with creative passions, but we have helped students with many different interests find success.
10 tips for college deadlines and decisions
Regardless of where you are in the college application process, you probably have a deadline or a decision looming. Maybe you have completed your applications and are starting to hear from schools. Or you could have approaching deadlines and can see the light! Maybe you’re looking to transfer, or just beginning to work on your applications. Whatever situation you are in, here’s 10 tips to consider!
Strive to reach the early action deadlines if you can because they are often linked to scholarship opportunities. Not all early action deadlines are the same, they could range from rolling, to Nov. 1 to as late as Dec. 1.
If you are applying to an art program, your supplemental material may not be due until December. Look to each school for specific guidance or sign up with us for specific guidance UC schools have a Nov. 30th deadline for their UC application.
Check your EMAIL daily and set up a student portal for each application. You will receive a confirmation from each school that your application has been receive. If you do not, this is odd and you should follow up with the school. You will be prompted by each school to open a student portal. You must do this as this is where you can see the status of your application. It is your responsibility to make sure you check the portals to understand what is required of you. Always use the same email for all college applications.
If you have heard from schools regarding your application and they answer is Yes, Let the Door wide open to bask in the congratulations! And then look closely at what they are offering. It feels amazing to be wanted but just like any situation, you want to make sure you want them back. You have plenty of time to decide if you applied Early Action.
Private schools tend to release decisions as your applications come in. Smaller programs may try to offer you a spot early so that you sign up. But there is no pressure. Enjoy this moment and get all your answers before deciding.
Don't worry if you have not heard. Most, if not all highly competitive programs - like under 30% acceptance rate will release decisions at the same time and they announce it on social media. Follow your schools on social media and you will see. State schools often do not release information until Dec/Jan. and at the same time - so even if your state school is not a reach school, it may not send you an acceptance yet. Bottom line, as long as you have heard that your application is being processed, hang tight and wait for those acceptances.
Sometimes schools offer additional opportunities like applying to an honors program that you did not consider at first, or applying for more scholarship/merit competitions. These opportunities have new deadlines. Schedule a meeting with us to discuss these specific applications.
Finished up with your college applications? Take this opportunity to start looking for scholarships. Think of it like a part time job. Check your state arts council, or county arts council. apply for Scholastic arts. Look to art companies who offer scholarships. Look to your local community for small scholarships or set up a holiday market to make things to sell.
Thank your family and teachers. You are amazing and you got to be amazing with amazing support. Handwritten thank you letters go a long way. We know your families and know how much they care about you. So don’t forget to thank your parents too!
Still feeling concerned? Reach out to us at The Gesso, and we would be more than happy to help with advice, admissions materials, and anything else!