Student Name Date Completed JUNIOR AUTOBIOGRAPHY The responsibility of the College Counseling Office in preparing the Secondary School Report or Senior Profile, as we call it here at Thacher, is to provide an overview of your academic and extra-curricular achievement. We also hope to present some sense of your promise for further personal and intellectual growth. It is not easy to convey the unique qualities that make you who you are; we need your honest estimation of yourself, what you have done, and what you have left to do. Please take the time to think about your personal and academic interests and where you are headed. Don t limit yourself to discussing yourself only in terms of what has happened to you at school; incorporate experiences and activities drawn from any part of your life, and BE SPECIFIC SHARE EXAMPLES! Please use ink, write clearly or type. Feel free to add paper or modify this document to best suit your writing style. I will also forward it to each of you via email. You can work on and email it back to me. I encourage you to make a copy of this document to assist you in preparing your applications and/or essays. EDUCATION 1. Thus far, what are your academic interests? 2. Which courses have you enjoyed the most and why? Was it the material or the teacher? 3. What do you choose to learn when you can learn on your own? Consider interests pursued beyond class assignments: topics chosen for research papers, lab reports, independent projects, independent reading, jobs or volunteer work. 4. List favorite books you have read in the last 12 months (not those assigned in school). Tell me why you have enjoyed them. 5. Describe an instance in which a book, a play, a film, or an article has caused you to change your way of thinking.
6. What has been the most stimulating intellectual or academic experience in recent years? 7. Have you worked to your potential in high school? Is your academic record an accurate measure of your ability and/or potential? If not, what do you consider the best measure of your success in college? 8. Are there any outside circumstances (personal, family, other) in your recent experience or background that have interfered with your academic performance? Use additional pages to answer this question.
9. Write a paragraph explaining a deeply stimulating intellectual experience you have had in high school. This experience could have been a class, an assignment, a book you have read, a discussion you participated in or an artistic experience you witnessed.
PERSONAL ACTIVITIES AND INTERESTS 1. What activities do you most enjoy outside the daily academic routine of school? (don t put napping or sleeping, even if pertinent!) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 2. In what hobbies or fields of interest would you consider yourself particularly knowledgeable? How did you arrive at that expertise? 3. So far, what activity has been among the most important to you, have dedicated the most time to and why? 4. How would you describe your role at Thacher? Is that an accurate depiction of who you really are? 5. Has any summer experience, work, travel, study, whatever, been of significant importance to you? Please describe a compelling summer, work, or travel experience and why it stands out in your life. THE WORLD AROUND YOU
1. What do your parents expect of you? Have they expressed specific plans/ambitions/goals for you? Are you comfortable with those expectations? How have those expectations influenced your own? 2. Who has influenced you most (your beliefs, behavior, attitude) and why? 3. Who do you admire most and why? Does not have to be the person described in the previous question. 4. Given the opportunity and good fortune, what three things do you hope to accomplish in your lifetime?
YOUR PERSONALITY AND RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHERS 1. What do you consider to be your greatest strengths? 2. What do you consider to be your greatest weaknesses? 3. What part of you do you think is least understood (or most often misunderstood)? 4. How would someone who knows you well describe you? Would you agree with their assessment? How have you grown or changed during your high school years? 5. Describe the people you number among your best friends. Please be specific how each person fits within your circle of friends. 6. Is there some quality of personality or style that you secretly hope people will associate with you when they speak of you to others? Explain.
7. Describe a favorite quotation and explain why you like it. Or share a motto that you try to live by. 8. Describe your family and/or neighborhood, noting anything unusual. 9. Have you had to deal with any disciplinary issues while in high school? If so, I prefer to hear about them directly from you. Please explain what happened the decisions and actions you took, the consequences were and how you handled them? What did you learn about yourself, others, life? 10. What one or two things do you want to make sure the college admission people know about you? What would you like them to consider so that you feel that their assessment is sound and fair? 11. What thing nickname, unusual experience, special hobby, family memory, childhood memory, tall tale, a relationship to a pet, odd friendship, embarrassing moment, or particularly proud accomplishment haven t I asked you about that makes you unique. (Example: When Hannah Kent was a year and two months old, she was still not walking. Her parents panicked then all of a sudden. One day, she got up and walked across the room. And she never, ever, fell.) Student name Date Completed DIRECTIONS: Complete this form in its entirety to the best of your ability. Return your completed Brag Sheet on Monday morning April 19th at 9:00 a.m., when we meet for the Case Study Program in the Lamb Auditorium.
***IMPORTANT*** YOUR COMPLETED BRAG SHEET WILL BE OUR RECORD OF YOUR ATTENDANCE BE SURE YOU HAVE FINISHED IT BEFORE YOU WALK INTO THE AUDITORIUM FOR THE CASE STUDY PROGRAM! BRAG SHEET List all of your activities, awards and honors. This should include everything academics, athletics, visual or performing arts, volunteer work, leadership here at Thacher or at home, etc. Include summer experiences. This sheet will provide vital information about you for our office. W e will use it to begin to develop your Student Profile, which is sent to every college to which you apply. Be specific, thorough and accurate! Each listing should include Where the activity took place (Thacher, home, Ojai Humane Society, St. Joe s vs. Acacias). The amount of time you have spent in the activity approximate as best you can. If possible include the name of your supervisor coach, teacher, advisor. If I know this, I can follow up and gather additional information on your behalf. If not obvious, describe what it entailed. Some examples: 1. Trip to Nepal - traveled with 12 Thacher students and Mr. Courter to Nepal. I Trekked 1 million miles; I learned the language, and had an amazing experience with a local doctor when I came down with a terrible flu. 2. Community Service I have visited St. Joe s for two years. Twice a week for one hour. I sit and chat with patients or go with them for a walk. I met an incredible older lady who shared her experiences as a young girl in Germany during the war. 3. Summer Activity I took a summer course on EMT training so that I felt better prepared when camping in remote places. Over the last three years, I have been an avid participant in the camping program at Thacher, taking weekend trips, signing-up for the Trans-Sierra trip with Mr. Coleman. 4. Awards At the end of my Sophomore year I received a Commendation for my work in Arts. I had taken ceramics both semesters, and really loved it. Highlights were learning to use the wheel and learning about different firing techniques. I continued with ceramics in my Junior year with an Independent. Mr. Carter has been both my teacher and Independent Advisor for this Keep in mind that I am trying to get to know you so that I can present you to a group of people who have never met you. So how you use or spend your time is of importance. At the start of your senior year I will ask you for an update.
1. Significant Activities & achievements prior to 9 th grade include summer: 2. The 9 th grade and summer: 3. The 10 th grade and summer: 4. The 11 th grade:
5. Tentative Plans (goals) for 11 th grade summer, 12 th grade: 6. Choose one of the items listed above. Write a paragraph describing the one of the most meaningful experiences you have had during your high school years.