How does your personality impact success?
June 11th, 2018
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test has been used for over 75 years and is often applied as a screening process by businesses to determine success in the workplace. Many psychologists believe that this particular test which categorizes people into 16 different personality types is outdated.
In today’s blog post, we are sharing an article from the BBC, in which psychologists Ian McRae and Adrian Furnham have developed a “new and improved” way to determine success across all areas of the workplace. Their new test called the High Potential Trait Inventory includes 6 traits. Not only is this type of test helpful in the workplace but also great for high school students to utilize when considering future career choices. Either test is a great way for students and really all people to get to know themselves and how they can choose a successful path to go down.
Article referenced below from BBC
Published on May 9, 2018 by David Robson
Are you curious, conscientious and competitive? Do you also have the more mysterious qualities of “high adjustment”, “ambiguity acceptance” and “risk approach”? If so, congratulations! According to new psychological research, these six traits constitute a “high potential” personality that will take you far in life.
The truth, of course, is a little more nuanced. It turns out the same traits, in excess, may also impede your performance, and the real secret to success may be to know exactly where you fall on each spectrum, and how to make the most of your strengths and account for your weaknesses. But this new approach promises to be an important step forward in our bid to understand the complex ways our personality affects our working life.
Read more at BBC >>
Tagged: Boarding school, Career, College, High school
Reward your hard work with a thoughtful summer book list
May 29th, 2018Over the next several weeks, millions of high school seniors will don their caps and gowns and receive a diploma they have been working towards for the last 4 years. Here in Kentucky, they’ve already started! I am truly proud of each and every one of the ShropEd graduates and I know major accomplishments are to come. If you are graduating high school, middle school or college this is the time to celebrate!
The school year is filled with projects, homework, sports and many other commitments. Now, warmer temperatures have finally arrived and the days are longer; with the hustle and bustle of the school year behind us, summer seems to be the perfect time to encourage both reading and mindfulness.
Today, I want to share with you a list of books put together by college admissions officers and college advisors. The theme of this list is mindfulness and in this busy world we live in, I hope by reading some of the books from this list we will gain mindfulness and live a more thoughtful (and less stress-filled) life.
Article referenced below published June 14, 2017 from The Washington Post
Each summer I publish a summer edition of great reading with recommendations from college admissions counselors and deans, compiled by Brennan Barnard, director of college counseling at the Derryfield School in Manchester, N.H., and a contributor to this blog. Here is a unique list of 50 fiction and nonfiction books with some titles that can appeal to just about everybody.
Read more at The Washington Post >>Tagged: Boarding school, College, Graduation, High school, Summer
Are test-optional colleges more diverse?
May 14th, 2018As more colleges eliminate standardized tests from their admission requirements, the long-standing debate about whether test-optional schools provide more diversity on campus is still going strong. Studies have documented a correlation between family income and test performance. The higher the income, the more opportunities for test prep classes, which in turn increase scores. This typically leaves low income families, including many minority students, at a disadvantage.
Our experience shows that test scores do not always reflect a student’s strengths and abilities and we have a great appreciation for colleges that are test-optional, interested in understanding all facets of an applicant.
One significant question remains to be answered: does a test-optional admission policy really diversify a college campus? In today’s article from Inside Higher Ed, writer Scott Jaschik lays out all the evidence. After reviewing this article, what are your thoughts?
For a full list of schools that have a test-optional or flexible test policy, please visit www.fairtest.org.
Article referenced below published April 27, 2018 by Inside HigherEd
Each year, more colleges announce that they are ending requirements that applicants submit SAT and ACT scores — joining hundreds of others in the “test-optional” camp. Just this week, Augsburg University in Minnesota made such a shift. The university’s announcement said that the policy had strong faculty support and was seen as likely to boost the diversity of the student body. High school grades in college preparatory courses are the key to good admissions decisions, said officials there, just as their peers have said at many other institutions.
Read more at Inside HigherEd >>Tagged: ACT, Admission decision, College, High school, SAT
Social media is fair game
April 30th, 2018
In this digital age we live in, many high school students document much of their lives through social media. And with increasing competition amongst college applicants, many admissions officers are using social media as an additional tool for screening candidates. This approach is a fast, easy and anonymous way to gain insight into students’ lives. But will it weigh in your favor?
Keep in mind that your social media presence can add value to your application; it could be used as a way to highlight talents and experiences and leave a positive impression. If you’re not careful, though, it could have the opposite effect.
While admissions officers are continuing to place greatest emphasis on traditional components of the application such as transcript, test scores and extracurricular accomplishments, there is a chance that they may look to your social media accounts as another means of evaluation. This trend has increased over the past several years and will probably continue to move in that direction.
In the article we share with you today from Kaplan Test Prep, you can learn more about why many admissions officers are choosing this form of assessment.
Article referenced below from Kaplan Test Prep
Published on April 17, 2018
More than two-thirds of colleges (68 percent) say that it’s “fair game” for them to visit applicants’ social media profiles like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to help them decide who gets in — despite the fact that less than a third actually engage in the practice, according to Kaplan Test Prep’s annual survey of admissions officers*. Notably, students agree: a separate Kaplan survey of over 900 high school students finds that 70 percent consider social media profiles “fair game” for admissions officers evaluating applicants — an increase from 58 percent in 2014**.
Read more at Kaplan Test Prep >>Tagged: Admission decision, College, High school, Social media
