STRATEGIES
Scholar Quarterly
The Scholar Quarterly is a collection of grade-specific advice, best practices and resources for high school students. Maximize the spring semester by understanding exactly what to prioritize and tackle.
Guidance on Standardized Testing
Standardized tests are undergoing significant changes, and expectations that colleges have of their applicants are constantly evolving. Students and families are exploring several questions, including:
What is currently happening with standardized tests such as the ACT, SAT, AP and IB exams?
What does a college mean when it says test optional, test flexible and test blind?
Should I still take a standardized test for my college applications?
What resources are available to help me prepare for these standardized tests?
Learn the facts, tips, strategies and resources to decide for yourself about this component of the college application.
Learning From Others
Hear from Ismaili students on how they navigated middle school and high school to strengthen their academic performance, pursue their interests and broaden their community impact, all while aiming for education of the highest possible quality.
Episode 1: Alena Rajwani @ Yale University
Episode 2: Armaan Ismail @ University of California, Berkeley
Episode 3: Insha Maknojia @ Vanderbilt University
PROGRAMS
1. American Lived Ismaili Faith (ALIF)
Through ALIF, 11th and 12th grade REC students acquire knowledge in a holistic manner, and then apply that knowledge as a lived experience in their lives. The below contributions by the Aga Khan Education Board USA are to aid in exploring college planning via the ALIF experience.
For Students and Families:
Week 5
- Recordings to Review Before Class
- Student Preparation Summary
- Presentations Covered in Recordings
Week 13
- Presentations
- Additional Reference Material
Week 20
- Presentations
- Additional Reference Material
For Teachers and Mentors:
Week 5
- Mentor Preparation Summary
- Additional Reference Material
Week 13
- Presentations
- Additional Reference Material
Week 20
- Presentations
- Additional Reference Material
Week 32
- Additional Reference Material
2. Apollo 8 Buzz Monthly Letters
- In this first session, we learned that, with a growth mindset and SMART goals, our dreams can become our reality. Additionally, families learned that effective communication can help nurture a growth mindset. Read through this month's newsletter to learn more.
- In preparation for high school, it is important for student's parents to consider all aspects of education, including the purpose of education, types of schools, available classes, and graduation requirements. All of these factors should be carefully considered, even before beginning 9th grade. Read though this month's newsletter to learn more.
- Learn more about "knowing" and evaluating your school? Learn about key differences between public, private, charter, and magnet schools and about what do school and quality impact. Read through this month's newsletter to learn more.
- Although academic excellence is a primary focus of high school education, extracurricular activities play a key role in developing a well-rounded lifestyle. Following our passions in high school helps us develop character/confidence, promotes leadership, and teaches vital skills for future careers. Extracurricular activities and electives often allow students to practice their passions and develop skills. Read through this month's newsletter to learn more.
- Personal growth and wellness are comprised of our physical and mental health. Our mental health impacts our physical health and our physical health impacts our mental health. Stress is an important factor in your health and it can have a positive or negative impact on you. Read through this month's newsletter to learn more about stress and how to deal with it.
RESOURCES
Highly-Ranked U.S. Colleges
The Aga Khan Education Board for USA has developed the 2022 College Composite Ranking report featuring the leading 300 public and private national universities, liberal arts colleges and other institutions of higher learning.
The Composite Ranking report can be a powerful resource for you to begin identifying a list of target schools. This report aims to suggest options that you may not have considered, inspire your interest in more selective institutions and, overall, assist you in building a broad selection of choices for your college education. Many common questions you might have about choosing a college are also answered in the report.
2022 College Composite Ranking report
2021 College Composite Ranking report
Starting Your College Search
Develop a criteria to help identify and prioritize schools. Factors you might consider include size of school, learning environment, geographic setting, proximity to a Jamat Khana, breadth and depth of course offerings in your field of interest, extracurriculars and student life, and other dimensions; this approach of building a criteria improves objectivity by ensuring you evaluate schools based on your needs and interest (after receiving acceptances is when you can review your options based on fit; if you begin with the approach of filtering first by fit, you risk limiting your options). Example templates are available for your consideration.
Connect with the College Expedition team at www.collegeexpeditionusa.org , on Instagram ( @nce_usa ) or via the College ExPODition podcast (available where you listen to podcasts) to learn about how you can continue your school search, maximize your high school experience and more
Fair Opportunity Project is designed to help high school students navigate the U.S. college application and financial aid process by offering practical information, advice and tools
Campus Reel offers virtual college tours and student perspectives for high school students to learn about various colleges and universities
Common Data Set helps aggregate all statistics from colleges so students can gather information on average exam scores, GPAs, etc. in one place
World Class College Counseling has assembled informational materials for hundreds of colleges, including video content, brochures and more
Developing a Love for Learning
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are typically free online courses, in many cases from leading universities, available to anyone with an Internet connection. MOOCs provide a flexible way to learn new skills, explore special academic interests and deliver quality educational experiences.
Several leading MOOCs include Coursera, edX and Udacity to name a few. Here are Coursera’s curated courses for high school students
Other Resources
Feeling bored or need help with your homework? Here are Activities & Resources for you at home, provided by AKEB USA
If you have questions about the college planning process, send us an email at [email protected].
