Stress can interfere with your friendships and daily activities. For students it can make you less productive at school, create problems at home with your family and even lead to serious health problems immediately or later in life.

Talk to your parents or see your school guidance counselor if you have any concerns regarding stress.

If you are currently exhibiting any of these symptoms or not feeling like yourself, see your School Guidance Counselor who may work with you or refer you to a non school professional.

In the next couple of weeks I’ll write about why you need to be aware of stress, the causes and how to manage it.

• What to do if you didn’t get into your first choice colleges
• End of the year stress
• Some stressors
• How to manage stress

For those of you who didn’t get into your preferred group of colleges there is still hope.  Some of the University of California schools continue to accept applications and are open in various majors.  It will take some research on your part but if the UC system is where you want to be it will be worth the time and energy to inquire by phone, email or individual college websites.  Additionally, some out-of-state colleges and California State Universities continue to accept applications.  The two-year colleges and training programs will begin to accept applications in mid-May. 

As an aside, now is the time to begin searching for that summer JOB!

• Learn about the company/college and the position.  Check out their web site and request information from the company’s public relations department.  Information that can prove useful is the company’s size, its history, the main products and services they provide, and current news stories.
• Double-check the time and location of the interview.  If it is an area that is new to you, consult a map or take a drive there before so you know how to get there.
• Prepare what you want to say in the interview.  Think about your greatest strengths and weaknesses, your most significant work or school experiences, your future plans and your ideal job.
• Review your resume and think about how your experiences can be matched up with the job’s requirements.  Rehearse with a mock interview.

Interview Day

• Dress appropriately.  Choose conservative clothing and keep jewelry and accessories to a minimum. 
• Be punctual.  Arrive a little early to allow yourself time to relax and focus.
• Bring along extra copies of your resume and a pad of paper and pen.  Take notes on any interesting points or questions.  Your notes will come in handy when preparing for a second interview or writing a follow-up letter.
• Be sure to listen carefully throughout the interview.  It is easy to spend all your time planning your answers, but remember this is a conversation.  Listening carefully helps you to respond appropriately.  Make eye contact with the interviewer.
• Avoid generalities. Give concrete examples when describing your work/school experience.  Always be positive.  Don’t be critical of previous co-workers or bosses.  The way you talk about your former or current boss may be seen as an indication of how you will talk about your future boss.
• Demonstrate that you have thought seriously about this career path and this company by asking intelligent questions about the position.  Draw upon your research about the company or ask about the working conditions, the chances for advancement and major projects your prospective job would entail.
• Ask your interviewers for their business card(s) to ensure that you have the proper contact information when you follow-up. 
• Emphasize you are interested in taking the process to the next step and why you are the ideal candidate.

Be yourself (sense of humor and all) and you will be on your way to being hired!

The purpose of a resume is:

• To introduce you to an employer
• To serve as an example of how you think and express yourself
• To catalogue skills, experience, training and achievements

Remember your main objective is to include:

• Name, address, city, state, zip, phone number with area code, e-mail address, fax number
• Honors, awards, fellowships and scholarships
• Licenses and certificates
• Memberships and activities, including leadership positions
• Special skills, such as computer knowledge and foreign languages
• Job history listed with most recent job first
• Previous job experience to include: title of position, name and address of employer, beginning and ending dates, job description and responsibilities
• Education with most recent or current school first, including degree, name of high school or college, address, major and graduation date

Presenting the information

• Create a scannable resume using white paper, standard fonts, and dark type
• Put most important information at the top of the page
• Be creative and professional
• Use active verbs like initiated, designed, supervised and developed
• Use past tense to describe former jobs and present tense to describe current jobs
• Spell everything out.  Do not use abbreviations or acronyms.
• Present candidates credentials in a positive manner
• Tailor the resume to the kind of job you are looking for
• Have someone proofread your resume

Qualities of a good resume

• Easy to read, concise
• Professional.  Use a typewriter or computer to print your resume, making sure copies are neat and clean.  Mail your resume in good condition preferably in a large envelope.
• Emphasize key points or expressions by using bold type or underline

Mistakes to avoid

• Too short, too long (preferred length is one page)
• Misspellings, typographical errors, poor grammar
• Irrelevant information-height, weight, gender, marital status
• Disorganization, too wordy and vague; important qualifications should stand out
• Italics, underline, shadow or reverse type, vertical and horizontal lines, graphics or boxes

DO:

• Review applications and directions carefully before you begin.
• Follow all instructions.  Be neat, clear and accurate.
• Be active and inclusive of all of your skills.
• Be truthful and don’t exaggerate your accomplishments.
• Make copies of the application before filling it out and practice filling in the information before completing the original.
• Make sure that everything that is supposed to be included on the application.
• Fill out your own application. Type the information yourself to avoid crucial mistakes.  Then, ask someone to proofread it for you.
• Research the college or company.
• Keep a copy and be thorough.

DON’T:

• Use correction fluid.  If you type your application, use a correctable typewriter or the liftoff strips to correct mistakes.
• Write in script. If you do not have access to a typewriter or computer, print neatly.
• Leave blank spaces. Missing information may cause your application to be discarded.
• Be unclear. If the question calls for a specific answer, don’t try to dodge it by being vague.

Before you step through the door for an interview, you should practice answering these common interview questions:

• Tell me a little bit about yourself?
• What qualifications do you have?
• Why do you want to work for us?
• Tell me about your current job?
• Why are you leaving that job?
• What did you like most about that job?
• What would you change about that job?
• Do you enjoy school? Why or why not?
• Do you plan to continue your education?
• What do you plan to do for work five years from today?
• What is your major strength?
• What is your greatest weakness?
• What motivates you to do a good job?
• Are you at your best when working alone or in a group?
• What are your goals?
• Do you have any questions?  (Try to have at least one question ready).

Over the next few weeks I will have employment application procedures.  The gateway model is taken from The Real Game Facilitator’s Guide.  The Real Game™ can be found at http://realgame.com .

The simple answer is that if you take difficult classes, do all of your homework, and get good grades in high school, you will be ready.

GRADES MATTER 
Your high school grade point average is a great predictor of whether or not you will earn a college degree.  Take a look at the chart (below).  Less than 14 percent of students with C average or lower in high school earned a two or four year college degree.  Even worse, 52 percent of college students who had a C average (or lower) in high school didn’t earn even one college credit!  What are they doing while they are “in college”?  They are spending time and money on remedial classes that repeat high school work and earn no college credit.

The following represents a percentage of 12th grade students who say they are going to college who have actually earned a two or four-year degree 10 years after high school:
• 63.9% of students with an A average in high school get an A.A. degree or higher
• 37.1% of students with a B average in high school get an A.A. degree or higher
• 13.9% of students with a C average in high school get an A.A. degree or higher

HOMEWORK MATTERS
Homework might seem like a waste of time, but it teaches you content, time-management, and discipline- all of which you’ll need in college.  Forty-four percent of high school seniors do less than three hours of homework in a week; only 14 percent of seniors do more than 10 hours.  Interestingly enough, homework time strongly predicts college success.  Over half the students who do more than 10 hours of homework a week will get a four-year college degree; only about 16 percent of those doing less than three hours of homework a week will earn a bachelor’s degree.

MATH COURSES MATTER
The further you go in math in high school, the better your chances of earning a college degree. Completing Algebra II (or a higher course) is a huge help in earning a college degree.  And if you really want a bachelor’s degree, you better go as high as you can in math while you’re still in high school.

Even if you don’t go to college, your high school grade point average is still important because it predicts future income.  High-school grades do not predict income right after high school, but they do strongly predict long-term income.  If you don’t go to college, an increase of one letter grade (from C to B) in your high school grade-point average typically predicts an increase in income by 13 percent by age 28!  So even if you don’t go to college, improving your high school grades from Cs to Bs improves the chances that you will be able to support a family.

Sources: James Rosenbaum (2001) Beyond College for All; Clifford Adelman (1999) Answers in the Toolbox

Cumulative GPA _____
Credits to Date _____
Credits Needed _____

To graduate, a student must earn a minimum of 220 credits in grades 9-12.  A minimum of 25 credits must be earned during the semester (eighteen weeks) preceding graduation in order for students to participate in the graduation ceremony.

Graduation Requirements
The Elk Grove Unified School District has some of the toughest graduation requirements in the state: 

4 years of English
4 years of math (including algebra) and 2 years of science, OR 3 years of math (including algebra) and 3 years of science
3.5 years of social science
2 years of science
2 years of physical education
2 years of foreign language, OR 1 year of foreign language and 1 year of fine arts
1 semester of health
Proficiency in current technology
Proficiency in speech
State of California Graduation Requirement
All students are required to pass the California High School Exit Exam in order to graduate. Students with disabilities may be exempt from this requirement pending legislation. To obtain more information, please visit the state web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/hs/index.asp.

Location
How far away from home would you like to go to school?  10 miles or 2,000 miles

Size of College
Would you prefer to attend a school with a large enrollment, (30,000 or more students) a small one, (1,500 students) or something in the middle?  How large would you like the physical size of the campus to be?

Environment
Would you rather attend a community college or other: 2-year institution, 4-year university, urban, suburban, or a rural school?  Is the location and size of the nearest city important to you?  Do you prefer a co-ed or single-gender school?  Does the school’s religious affiliation make a difference to you?

Academics
Which schools offer the major(s) that you are considering?  What kind of student-faculty ratio and typical class size are you looking for, and which schools offer them?

College Expenses/Financial Aid
Does your college choice match your financial aid package?  How expensive a school can you afford to attend?  Consider tuition, room and board, and other expenses including the application fee, deposits, etc.  Will your financial aid, scholarships and family contributions make it possible for you to attend your first choice college?

Housing/Facilities
Would you rather live on campus, in a dorm, or commute to school from home?  What type of academic, medical and recreational facilities should your college have?

Activities
What kind of clubs and organizations (including fraternities and sororities) do you want college to offer?  What type of athletic activities (including intramural teams) should be offered by the school you choose to attend?

Special Programs
Do you need a school with services or programs for the learning disabled?  Would you like to study abroad?  Do you plan to continue your ESL studies in college?  Are you looking for an honors program?