Don't forget what we do in school.

We do what we have to do so we can do what we want to do.


For instance, right now, I have reading to do before the African American Slavery class I have tomorrow (It's Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 11-11:50am). I can't find it online where the teacher said it should be. So am I going back to bed? No! I need to read this article so that I can discuss it with my classmates tomorrow. I need to read the article so I know why I study the things I study. I need to read the article so that one day, I can teach it to college students in my classroom one day.

So I'm not going back to sleep. I'm calling my professor and asking her if I can borrow her copy. I'm doing what I have to do so I can do what I want to do.

How to Apply for College

Hello!

I hope you've all had an awesome summer, and are starting off the school year on the right foot.

A lot of you are seniors, and have called me with questions about how to get into college. I'd like to encourage you to sign up for an account with Embark.com. This Web site lets you put in your personal information, and creates a college checklist just for you. It's important that you do this now, because your applications have to be in by December, and you have only 2 more shots to take the ACT - October and January.

The site will answer a lot of your questions, but I'd like to make myself available to help you with the college applications process. I'm thinking that Fridays at 3pm at the McDonald's on Bullard might be good. I need to know, though, if any of you are actually interested. Depending on how many people are interested, I can either help you individually with whatever you need, or have a different topic to address every week.

If you're a junior, you should come, too. This whole process should actually begin at the start of your junior year.

Never hesitate to call me for help. And forward this information to any of your friends (especially Linda To!) who are interested. I love you all.

Do what you have to do so you can do what you want to do,
Ms. Jolly

P.S. Yesterday, in my slavery class, the professor had every student in the room say their name and where she was from. When a student proclaimed that he was from New Orleans, the professor asked for the name of his high school. These Tulane students from New Orleans went to De La Salle, Brother Martin, Newman, Edna Karr, and O. Perry Walker. The professor looked just as disappointed as I felt. Why? Because none of those students came from Reed, or Cohen, or Rabouin.

What does that mean? It means those students are doing something that you're not. They're applying to colleges. We have to get the ball rolling on that, because nothing in the world would make me happier than sitting next to one of you in class next year.

"Any time you see someone more successful than you, they're doing something you're not." Malcolm X

Colleges for Students with LD

Although most colleges have programs to help students with learning disabilities, here are a number of colleges that go above and beyond in providing extra support for students who need it. You can find a list here.

Additionally, there are some colleges specifically for students with learning disabilities. Check out Landmark College, one of these colleges. Here, they also offer a summer program for high school students, to help build skills and teach students HOW to learn (it's $4500 for 3 weeks, but they have scholarships!).

College info (and a Gaza update)

Things in the Gaza Strip are now so bad that even the United Nations is trying to get out. Read more here.


COLLEGE
I know that a lot of you are seniors, and you’re starting to really freak out about next year and college. The bad news? You should be freaking out, because you were supposed to have started your college search and applications last year. The good news? You still have options. Use the following information to get next year in order today.



You can still register for the February 7th ACT until January 16th. You just have to pay a late fee. The next ACT test date is April 4th. You can register for that until February 27th; March 13th is the deadline for late registration. Go to actstudent.org to register online and find out more information.

Delgado Community College is a two-year college that’s a great choice for students who have fallen behind in the college admission process. You can go here for a year or two, boost up your GPA and save money before transferring to a four-year college. Delgado’s application deadline is July 15th. Learn about their application process here.

The University of New Orleans is a four-year university that’s funded with public tax dollars. It still costs money to attend, but way less than other colleges. The application for UNO isn’t due until July 1st, so you still have plenty of time to take the ACT, raise your score and GPA, and apply. Find out more here.

Tulane University is a pretty selective school, but if you’ve got above a 3.0, I’d recommend applying. The deadline for incoming freshmen applications is January 15th – that’s next Thursday. You can absolutely pull an application together in a week, if you don’t play around. Find out more about how to apply here.

ITT Tech has a campus in St. Rose. Find out information about their different degree and trade programs here.

One of you asked about ROTC programs. The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) is a college-based, officer commissioning program. Basically, you take military classes as electives while you’re in college (majoring in whatever you want), and the military pays for your college and gives you a living stipend. When you finish school, you automatically become an officer, and then serve in the military as payback for your tuition. The Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines all have ROTC programs.