HS Freshmen Apply for Med Sci Program

The Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health has paired with Brooklyn's SUNY Downstate to offer a three-year afterschool enrichment program in the health and laboratory science area called the Health Science Academy!

Current high school freshmen who come from groups that have been historically under-served and under-represented in the health sciences and higher education must apply by Friday, April 20.

Apply by April 20 to be considered for enrollment as a sophomore. You will continue in the program through your senior year. This is a rare chance to be exposed to the medical science professions so close-up!

By the way, as background for those too young: Arthur Ashe was a great Grand Slam tennis player and the only African-American male to ever win Wimbledon. He passed away in 1993 after contracting AIDS from heart surgery, but not before he established his foundation, which helps people to this day.

A GREAT thing!

Applying to High School vs College: Which is Easier? Surprise!

It's hard to convince me that the college search is more harrowing than the New York City public high school search.

Why? So few really good schools, so few seats within those schools, more and more gifted, talented and on-track students.

Everyone scrambling for the same seats, ranking the same schools in the same order, tens of thousands auditioning and test-taking for less than 8,000 seats in the really good schools.

Need I name some? The eight specializeds that use the SHSAT take the bulk of the students: 5,000 lucky ones out of the 23,000+ that take the specialized high schools admissions test. The ninth specialized school, LaGuardia, takes 600 out of the 10,000 auditions.  Townsend Harris in Queens takes about 250. Midwood in Brooklyn takes 500 in its science and humanities programs. Bard Manhattan and Bard Queens take 120 each. NEST+m has room for 120, but that includes those that continue on from its middle school.

There are about 30 more schools considered "noteworthy" on the list at the insideschools website, and a few more good ones beyond that.

More than 80,000 eighth graders apply for public high school each year.

About That Application Process…

So you go on all the tours and open houses; you spend six months on SHSAT test prep; you take art, drama, music and dance training after school and perfect audition techniques; you try to remember your interests and memorable experiences for the interview and essays; you get the teachers who can write the best recommendations — oh, and you maintain a 90+ average and perfect attendance in 7th grade.

Finally, you strategically rank the schools based on realistic qualifications, preference, location in descending order,  making sure to not overreach too much and making sure that every school is one you can live with, right down to the lowest ranked choice.

You put at least ten schools on the general application.

You can do all the right things, and still, through a computer algorithm, you won't get into a school that you're qualified for. You could be one of the 7,000 who gets no match.

Neither parent nor child should take it personally.

Why You Can't Take (most of) the Selection Process Personally

The schools have a limited number of seats. They use a process where there are no names, just numbers. They rank the students who have listed the school as first or second choice. This is the only time in the selection process where human subjectivity takes place.

The selection committees could be looking for a certain way with words in an attached essay, or a certain level of enthusiasm in an interview or audition (very introverted kids who can't be drawn out need not apply, probably).

Weak Spot: A major flaw in the interview/audition process is that the committees may subconsciously select the better-looking candidates. It can't be helped and it's hard to overcome. (So put on that big, genuine, authentic smile and remember that kids are cute —and since you're a kid…)

The computer then takes a school and finds all student applications that ranked that school first. It compares applications with the school's list and makes placements with the highest on both sides. A very popular school will finish with the selection process quickly because a large number of applicants met the criteria and those students also chose the school as first.

Any leftover seats will likely fill using the second choice slots on the applications. If there any spaces left after that, applicants' third choices will be placed, and so on, until kids start falling through the cracks.

Fast forward to March. Then comes appeal time, where the most insistent and persistent persevere to find a school with which the child and parent can live.

Re Specialized High Schools…

As for specialized high schools that require the SHSAT, acceptances are solely based on score and where the school is ranked on the test application. The cut off score changes slightly every year. Stuyvesant requires the highest score and has approximately 800 available seats. The schools with the lowest score requirement are Brooklyn Tech (1,500 seats) Brooklyn Latin (100).

The computer notes the scores of all students taking the SHSAT.  It finds out who ranked Stuyvesant as first. The approximately 820 highest scores get their match ("overbooking" is done, as not everyone will go). The score of the 820th student who chose the school first is the cut off score for Stuyvesant, and thus the varying cut off score from year to year. Bronx Science and American Studies will be in the next rung with lower cut offs, and so on till the Latin places its 100 people.

Here's where people make a mistake: A student is not certain they want to list a school with a high cut off as first on their list. They choose Brooklyn Tech first, Brooklyn Latin second and put Bronx Science third. Pessimistically, Stuyvesant is not on the form at all, as they don't think they'll do that well. They take the test and surpass Stuyvesant's cutoff — behold! They actually really did well on the test, better than they expected! Since they have the high score, they think they will be placed into Stuyvesant or all they have to do is appeal.

Nope; because it's not first on the test application; as a matter of fact, it's not there at all.

Well, surely they'll get Bronx Science; that was on their application and they beat that cut off easily.

Not gonna happen. The ranking is absolute. They met and surpassed the cut off score of their first choice, so they will be offered a seat at their first choice. When they ranked Bronx Science third, they wasted a slot on their application. 

Lesson learned: on the SHSAT application, rank the schools with the highest cut off first, as long as you like that school a little. Please only include the schools that are truly appealing and realistic — eg, a Douglaston, Queens resident should think twice about putting Staten Island Tech on their application unless they have a consistent, reliable, easy form of roundtrip transportation for four years. That's one tough commute.

All the specialized high schools offer a great education; aim high by ranking highest first. You never know. But to be realistic: it takes copious amounts of test preparation (or the rare equivalent innate ability) in order to score high. And with so many others studying as much as you, be ready to not meet the cut off of your highest ranked choice. It can be done, however; so study and do your best!

So back to my claim that it's easier to find a very good college than to get into a good New York Ctiy high school.

College vs. New York City High School

Yes, 35,000 people apply to Harvard for 1900 seats, about a 5% acceptance rate. Most of the 23,000+ SHSAT test-takers rank Stuyvesant on their test applications, but Stuyvesant can only accept 800, less than 3%.

And on the general side, here are the most-applied to non-specialized high schools for the 2010-11 school year, from GothamSchools on March 31, 2011. Most of those schools listed have less than 400 seats and average 4,500 applicants each. So many applicants, so few seats.

Assuming that Harvard is one of the colleges with the worst application-to-acceptance ratio, that means that it's harder to get into a specialized high school than most renowned colleges, even the Ivy Leagues.

So What Point Is It to Rub These Potentially-Depressing Facts in a Student/Parent's Face?

First, it is to bring everyone down to reality. Every 85-average child can dream of attending a Midwood or Harris; every singer could be good enough for LaGuardia; getting a 530 on a SHSAT proves they can handle the workload at Stuyvesant. Reality comes in once they know that there are hundreds of children just like them. Whether they get a seat or not depends on how many are in line ahead of them in the computer's database.

Some years there will be more ahead of them; some years, there'll be less. Brace yourself.

Second, this is to open the eyes of dreamers and bring more attention to the other schools in the next popularity tier — very good and a better match for someone who truthfully can't handle rigorous work due to having a history of 80 averages. Those kids would drown in an very, very advanced school. The level of discouragement could cripple an academic career.

Third, it's to get readers to reconsider not ranking those extremely popular schools so low on the list. Instead, substitute other, slightly less competitive schools that are still appealing. No way will a tiny school like NEST+m have any seats left for someone who ranks it third on an application.

Fourth reason is to be grateful and look on the bright side of attending public schools in New York City: Choice. So many choices, so many opportunities to explore new neighborhoods, new people, new subjects; so many chances to study an interest and/or talent in depth; so much freedom, so much confidence and independence built by traveling; so much to learn by meeting, accepting and making friends with new people.

Basically, this list of complaints ultimately shows how lucky a New Yorker is, and that the selection process, done by a computer, is objective and fair, even if there are not enough good seats for every smart kid (the real problem!).

Even if there are more great colleges in the country than great schools in New York City.

Middle School Choice Mayhem Part II

It's a little confusing, the new middle school application, which gives Mark Twain its own spot. In previous years, parents pre–applied to magnet programs at Mark Twain, Bay Academy, David A. Boody and other schools in District 21, a result of a 1974 desegregation court order. Those children who met the ELA and Math cut-off scores received a special application, students auditioned/tested and then the fortunate received acceptance to two middle schools: the one in their district and the Mark Twain/Bay Academy.

Although the court order was overturned in 2008, Mark Twain Intermediate School for the Gifted and Talented remains the only school in District 21 that still accepts applications from all five boroughs. This little hot house of self–selected over–achievers at the very end of Coney Island produces a high ratio of graduates accepted into the specialized high schools.

Let's hope that the Office of Student Enrollment, Planning and Operations (OSEPO) has shaken out all the kinks that high school applicants experienced in their school selection process. Not to make you soon–to–be middle schoolers scared for the next three years, but there were accusations that Brooklyn students were purposefully excluded from the Millennium High School pool — even though all Department of Education publications indicate that there was no geographic restriction. Also, according to insideschools.org, three popular high schools were allegedly accidentally omitted or not filled from the Main Round (occurring after the specialized high school round); no one received acceptances to Bard HS-Manhattan and open seats mysteriously remained at Millennium and Leon M. Goldstein in Brooklyn.

Middle school choice is much simpler, since the vast majority of students will stay within the district of their elementary school, with the exception of NEST+m, Professional Performing Arts and Mark Twain.

But I worry… a new application with a new option… does that mean new ways for the DOE to mess up?

Sesame Street Ode

Well, parents of teens can't believe that Sesame Street is 40 years old.

I remember my first grade teacher telling our class about a new television show that we should watch. I went home not knowing what to expect — would it be a cartoon? A variety show? Was she tricking us into watching some news show?

I remember asking my mother to turn to channel 13. How weird, the pacing, normal–seeming people talking to puppets. It wasn't shrill, or wise-cracking; it was respectful, and cool.

Sesame Street changed my little life, and changed children’s television.

Saturday Workshops at Bard HS

www.knowledgecollege2010.com 

Bard High School Early College (BHSEC) PTA presents 

KNOWLEDGE COLLEGE   

Please join us for an afternoon of engaging workshops and seminars by BHSEC faculty and special guest lecturers.

When: Saturday, February 6, 2010

Time: 1:00 to 4:30 PM, Cafe open until 5:00 PM

Who: Everyone! Current students and parents, alumni, alumni parents, faculty, friends, family and anyone looking for a stimulating way to pass a February afternoon!  This is a public event so please FORWARD THIS EMAIL. 

        

Tickets: $50 in advance, $60 the day of the event. Purchase online at www.knowledgecollege2010.com - select the 2 classes of  your choice. 

Where: 525 East Houston Street (just west of the FDR Drive on Mangin Street) 

IMPORTANT! You must bring a photo I.D. to enter the building!

                   

Need directions? Here’s a map.  

Classes include:

Madman, Architect, Carpenter, Judge: A Writer’s Workshop

Instructor: Peter Hedges; novelist, playwright, screenwriter, film director. He wrote the novel and screenplay for What's Eating Gilbert Grape.

Have you wanted to write a novel, a play, or a screenplay, and you don’t know where or how to begin? 

Light and Dark: A History of New York City in the Early 1900s

Instructors: Daniel Freund, PhD and Michael Lerner, PhD; BHSEC Manhattan

Explore the history of New York City in the early 20th century through the framework of Light and Dark. 

The Wrath of Achilles

Instructor: David Clark, PhD; BHSEC Manhattan

Homer’s Iliad, as the poet tells us in the very first line, is about the wrath of Achilles. How does Achilles’ wrath define this epic? 

The Mexican Muralists of the 1920s: Artists and Agents of Renewal

Instructor: Patricio Hernandez, PhD; BHSEC Manhattan

With the triumph of the Mexican revolution in 1920, the Mexican government commissioned artists to create murals on public buildings. Who were these muralists, and what were their role and influence? 

A Discussion: Why is Obesity an Ethical Issue?

Instructors: Tom Berner, JD and Wendy Phillips Kahn, MS; BHSEC Manhattan

What is responsible for the significant rise in levels of obesity in this country, and the world, during the last 30 years - and what should we do about it? 

Developing Your Voice: A Workshop on Storytelling

Instructor: Meghann Walk, MSLIS; BHSEC Manhattan

Does the mere thought of public speaking inspire anxiety or, perhaps, fear in you? 

Strength and Conditioning for High School Athletes

Instructors: Chris Gagstetter and Maryah Nardone; BHSEC Manhattan

Building Crosswords: Your Clue to Solving Crosswords

Instructor: Caleb Madison; crossword puzzle constructor, BHSEC student

Do you love solving crossword puzzles? Are you ready to start building crosswords yourself? 

Human Rights Violations and the Media

Instructor: Thomas Keenan, PhD; Bard College

What are the effects of media on situations in which human rights are abused or challenged?  And do the media actually play a role in these situations? 

Transitions and the Turbulent Teen Years: The Psychology of Adolescence

Instructor: Susan Spieler, PsyD; clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst, BHSEC parent

Many adults and teens find adolescence puzzling. Why is there often so much turbulence? What if there is no drama? What are the key concerns of most teens? What do teens need from parents? 

Oriental Medicine: Ancient Origins, Modern Applications

Instructor: Peggy Schubert, MS, LAc; acupuncturist, BHSEC parent

Oriental medicine is thousands of years old and is considered mainstream medical care in Asia. Why has it been used for so long, and how can you apply it to your life? 

Embodied Yoga

Instructor: Roxlyn Moret; World Yoga instructor, BHSEC parent

Peace. Quiet. Contentment. Don’t know how to find them anymore? You may discover them again in this class. 

What Should I Do With My Banana Peel?  (If I’m Concerned About Global Warming)

Instructor:  Kendall Christiansen; expert on solid waste recycling, BHSEC parent

What can we and our communities do about the challenge of disposing of food waste?  “Food fights”—intense competition over re-directing food “scraps” (no longer “waste”) —are emerging into one or more forms of beneficial reuse. 

  

WALKING TOUR:

East Side, West Side, and In Between: An Architectural Walking Tour of 57th Street 

(an off-campus event held on June 5th)

Guide: David Fishman; architectural historian, author, and BHSEC parent

Explore the architectural treasures of 57th Street, Manhattan, from river to river! 

See complete list of classes at www.knowledgecollege2010.com

Questions? Email bhsecpta@gmail.com

PLEASE FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO FAMILY AND FRIENDS

www.knowledgecollege2010.com 

Inspiring People Across the Earth

More than 25 years ago, four kids from another country wrote a couple of songs for Martin Luther King, Jr. Here's one.

And here is U2 in 2009, singing the same song at the Barack Obama Inauguration Concert on the Mall in Washington DC. I wonder what was going through their minds?

Even four boys from Ireland felt Martin Luther King, Jr.'s impact. Will American and children all over the world always remember and take heart?

Pride — in the Name of Love.

High School Admissions Peril Part V

Today is the deadline to submit completed high school applications to the guidance counselors.

Kids waited anxiously outside unfamiliar buildings in unfamiliar neighborhoods in the cold, in a queue that started 90-minutes before the 7:30am arrival time.

Kids have sat through the SHSAT.

Kids survived the auditions and call back/look-agains at LaGuardia, Frank Sinatra, Talent Unlimited, Professional Performing Arts, Art & Design, Brooklyn High School of the Arts, Edward R. Murrow, etc.

Kids suffered through the assessment tests at places like Bard High School/Early College and Bard HSEC II, NEST+M.

Kids made it through the individual or small group interviews.

Kids wrote new essays (what has been your most challenging moment in your 13 years of sheltered, over-scheduled, helicoptered life on this planet?), sent their best old schoolwork, forwarded recommendations from their 6th and 7th grade teachers.

Kids and parents tracked package shipping numbers to confirm the delivery of "portfolios".

Kids expressed interest/skill in sports/science research/playing the oboe, bassoon, viola, sousaphone or some other attractive unusual underpopulated area of talent.

Kids jumped through the hoops, swung on trapezes, juggled chain saws, talked through dummies while drinking water, stood with each foot on the backs of two elephants and rode around the ring while overworked, underpaid, jaded, self-important strangers watched impassively and made notes that are neither accurate nor relevant yet will affect the next ten years of the kids' lives.

And parents had no control except to choose which 12 tortures through which to put their pre-teen children.

It's thrilling, it's exciting, it's interesting, it's important, it's a learning experience at a young age.

It's bull.

Other than scoring well–enough on the SHSAT, a fairly objective series of trick questions (read carefully!) and math problems of which no ordinary 8th grader has been exposed, how does one pick 25-60 promising artists out of 5,000 candidates? How can there only be 25-60 excellent dancers who've been dancing since they were three years old? Of all the flute players in NYC public schools, only five can play a high–E-flat clearly? Sing to match notes played on a piano?

Seventh-grade averages help narrow down the selection process (unless the 7th grade teachers decide this is the year to get tough and score hard to make everyone work harder), as do statewide ESL and math test scores, except everyone seems to score a "3" — a 625 gets in but a 623 does not?

Okay, use the absence and lateness records as ways to weed out the disaffected. Of course, there's no excuse for insomnia, 5 hours of homework until midnight, bad luck, bad transportation, bad home life or a contagious baby brother who takes his infected little fingers out of his mouth/nose/diaper to touch the remote control/door knobs/refrigerator/video game controller/older sibling's homework. Every week.

And then, after those filters, it's all up to the algorithms of a computer who takes into account children's ranking on the application, school's ranking of the candidates, and balances geography, middle school, race, sex ratios…

So a computer does it in the end.

It's all so arbitrary.

Parents and children list the schools that they can hold their nose in order to attend for four years, submit applications, and pray.

I pray everyone is happy with the outcomes.

In the meantime, until February or March, enjoy the last winter spent at your current middle school, for most of your classmates will be going to high schools spread across the City next year.