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Academic Counseling with
Mr. Poizner
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Who is Mr. Poizner?
 Mike Poizner Graduated from College in 1968 with a major in Psychology.  He then attended Cal State Los Angeles where he earned a 2 year Master of Science degree in Counseling.  He started teaching Special Education and Counseling in 1970 and has been Counseling High School students in the Whittier Union High School District since 1986.  He enjoys helping students with their personal problems as well as their educational, college, and career options.
 
If you would like to ask Mr. Poizner a question,click on the link below and post your question on the blog. Your question and Mr.Poizner's response will be posted on this page.
 
Question asked by Tracy 3/13/08:
I am struggling in my Spanish 2 class right now but want to get into a UC. They recommend 3 years of the same foreign language. What do you suggest I  do? Just go for another year of Spanish... take 2 years of a different language... or just leave it at 2 years of Spanish?
 
Question asked by Rachel 3/18/08:
Do colleges really take in to account a students grades in his or her freshman or sophomore year?
 
Question asked by Amber 3/10/08:
What do I need to do to get a good scholarship?
 
Question asked by Tracy  3/9/08:
I am looking to get into a good UC. Do you think it looks better on your transcripts to get an A in a CP class or a B in an AP class?
 
Mr. Poizner's response:
I take these answer right out of the Rabbits Hat.

Here is what the Rabbit told me this time!

   She said that Colleges are very interested in the rigor or difficulty of classes students take.  They would much rather see a student get a B in an Honors class or an A.P. class then an A+ in a college prep class.  When you say you want to get into a good U.C. University that convinces the rabbit and myself that you need to take as many Honors and A.P. classes as you can handle and do well in.

   As long as you can earn at least a B in an Honors or A.P. class you want to stay in that program because you getting an excellent educational experience that hopefully is challenging you to be your best.  The UC schools are definitely looking to see that you challenge yourself as much as possible.  UC schools look right away to see if a student has taken English 3 A.P. and English 4 A.P. and you usually get into those classes by taking English 1 Honors and English 2 Honors in the 9th and 10th grades.  They also like to see the 4th year of college math which is Probability and Statistics A.P. or Math Analysis and they give you a big plus for taking Calculus A.P.

   The rabbit has more to say but she is busy eating right now!

Question asked by Sofia 1/28/98:
Do kids who go to a private high school have a better chance into getting into a top university than kids in a public high school?
 
Mr. Poizner's response:

 

      The admissions committees at top Universities are looking for specific FACTORS to decide which students they will give accept.

 

      What are these IMPORTANT FACTORS?  

  1. Overall Grade Point Average EARNED in College prep, Honors, or Advanced Placement Classes.

 

      2.   Strength of Schedule:  How demanding was your schedule in High School at La Serna compared  

            with the possible challenging classes that we offer.

 For instance in English we offer.  9th grade Honors, 10th grade Honors, English 3 A.P.

English 4 A.P.

                              In Math we offer     Geometry Honors, Algebra 2 Honors, Math Analysis Honors,

                                                            Probability and Statistics A.P. and Calculus A.P.

                                                  (Even taking college prep Math Analysis is very important if you do

   NOT take Honors Math Analysis)  They love to see the 4th year

   of College Math

                                In Science:             Minimally they want Biology and Chemistry but they  like to see                 

                                                              a third year of Science  ( like Physics).  If you takes Honors

                                                              Science classes and A.P. Science Classes you are taking the most

                                                              demanding classes that the Science department offers and this is

       what is necessary to get into some competitive colleges like

      U.C.L.A. ,   Stanford,   etc.

                        In Foreign Language:   They recommend you take at least 3 years of the same language

                                                             and of course you get extra points for taking a fourth year which

                                                             sometimes is an A.P. class.

 

                        Social Studies:               If you take Ancient Civilization Honors in the 9th grade they see

                                                              that on your transcript even though you wont get an extra point

                                                              but improve your overall strength of schedule which is

                                                              important. We have European History A.P. in the 10th grade

                                                              and/or World Civilization Honors, U.S. History A.P. in the 11th,

                                                              and government A.P. and Economic Honors in the 12th grade.

                                                             (we have social science electives also)  Sociology and Psychology

                                                             Philosophy but they are not Honors classes.

 

                       Fine Arts:                        At least one college prep fine arts class is required and advanced

                                                              fine arts classes count a lot if you are strong in this area.  A

                                                              student taking Art 2, and/or Art 3 or Choir or Advanced

                                                              Ceramics get extra points and of course Art, Ceramic, or Theatre

                                                              Workshop or other advanced classes count extra.

 

**You can also take classes at community colleges or 4 year colleges while you are a student in high school and this too improves your strength of schedule.

 

  1. SAT 1 and SAT 2 Scores  (You must take the SAT 2 test for possible admission to   University of California Colleges) Some students take The ACT test in place of the SAT 1 or take both.

 

  1. Extra-curricular Activities  Sports, Choir, Theatre, School newspaper or Annual, Student government, clubs, Link Crew or academic Mentoring, and outside of school community service etc. is helpful.

 

  1. Some Colleges or Universities like U.S.C.  Chapman, Stanford, Yale, Harvard will want recommendations from your teachers and counselors and will ask for them when you apply in the 12th grade.  They will want to know if your teachers and counselors think you are in the top 5% of their students, Top 10% or one of the best students they have encountered.

These Colleges and Universities absolutely will ask your teachers/counselors to differentiate

 you from other students.   They are looking for students who are very self-disciplined, take intitative, demonstrate leadership potential, have integrity, care about other students, handle setbacks well.

 

 Most importantly they will ask your teachers/counselors to recommend those students who stand out amongst their students when it comes to:

 

              Curiosity, academic achievement (more then just getting an A+ in their class), papers that demonstrate  deep thinking and analysis.  The Top Universities have many students who apply with high G.P.A.s and difficult schedules.  Now they must choose from among these students and they are looking for the best of the best

         

Remember that there are many fine colleges and universities other than the ones you are most familiar with like Stanford, Yale, and Harvard. 

 

Even though La Serna is a public school we have alumni who went straight on to Universities such as: Stanford, U.C.L.A. Brown, Princeton, Yale, Harvard, Cal Tech and so it is very possible to attend any of the top Universities in America if you do an outstanding job while at La Serna.

 

There are about 77 Private colleges in California and many good public 4 year colleges.  When you look nationwide there are hundreds of very good colleges just waiting for talented students.

 

If we offer 11 A.P. Classes at La Serna and Sunny Hills offer 16 A.P. and two students from both schools take all these A.P. Classes the admissions office at these schools tell us they both have an equal chance of getting in their schools all OTHER FACTORS being equal.

 

    You need to get on the Internet and look up schools like Notre Dame, Redlands, Duke,

      North Carolina and see what classes, grades, SAT scores, etc they are looking for.

 
Question asked by Faustin 1/28/98:
Are we able to get into a descent college even if we are not straight A students?
If so, HOW
 
Mr. Poizner's response:
 

Thank goodness the answer is YES!

 

 UCLA received 50,000 applications this year and accepted only 10,000.  I think that means that for every 5 applications they rejected 4.  The average student that applied to UCLA had well over a 4.00 Weighted Grade Point Average and had taken approximately 21 A thru G classes including advanced classes.  Did you know that 50% of the students that applied to UCLA earned ALL As and this begins to tell you how difficult it is to get into SOME of our more competitive colleges such as:  UCLA, Berkeley, University of San Diego, Stanford, Harvard, Yale, M.I.T. Princeton, Notre Dame, Duke,

Etc.

 

    Of course you would have to define or tell me what you think a decent college is but I feel there are many good Colleges and Universities that accept students with a variety of grade point averages.

 

    In the category of Private Colleges and Universities you have many good choices such as:

 

Azusa Pacific University, Biola, Chapman, Loyola Marymount, Loma Linda, Occidental, Pepperdine, Santa Clara, La Verne, Redlands, University of San Diego (different than U.C. San Diego), University of the Pacific, Whittier Collage.  There are many colleges that have a fine arts emphasis or religious perspective.  

 

Some Fine arts colleges:  Art Center of College of Design,

California Institute of the Arts, Otis College of Art and Design, San Francisco Conservatory of Music.  

 

In addition to Azusa Pacific      and Biola, there are many colleges that have a religious orientations such as:  the American Jewish University, California Babtist University, Concordia, Point Loma Nazarene, Saint Marys College of California, Vanguard University.  These schools are found

up and down the state of California and of course there are many more across the nation.

 

 When it comes to public colleges and universities I think of:  Cal State San Luis Obispo and many other state colleges and universities.  We have 23 of them in California and about 450,000 students attend these schools and get a very good education and tuition is very reasonable.  Many of these students are able to transfer to the top universities for graduate school.

 

You can learn a lot by exploring the internet and you can visit our college corner and talk to Mrs. Lantz and we have many college representatives that come to our school that are happy to discuss their colleges with you.  Listen to the bulletin.  There are also district college fairs every year where you can talk to 50 or more representatives in one evening.
 
We also have about 110 Community Colleges which are very inexpensive and you can take the necessary coursework in your Freshmen and Sophomore years that will be equivalent to what students are taking at 4 year colleges and then you can transfer to just about any college you want if your grades are good and you take the proper classes.

 There are a lot more opening at the 4 year colleges and universities at the Junior and Senior level and so many QUALIFIED STUDENTS THAT CANNOT BE ADMITTED TO THEIR TOP CHOICES can be accommodated as a Junior.  You can even take Honors classes at a community college and get a very good education at remarkably low tuitions.  Remember some of your top colleges like Stanford and USC cost upwards of $40,000 a year unless you get a scholarship.  Many students have to get huge loads that they later have to repay after college.  There are many advantages to going to a community college for 2 years and or a 4 year state college for 2 to 4 years.  Tuition is relatively low and many of these colleges have really good teachers