By Rachel Ny | U.S.News & World Report LP – Mon, Mar 4, 2013
Just a quick comment concerning the above article by Rachel Ny (which I viewed via Yahoo News) entitled Student Must-Haves for Scholarship Success. I focused on this article because I would suggest that it supports my claim (in earlier posts) that EF or executive function plays a large role in not only school preparedness but also school success.
According to Ny’s article, a group called NerdScholar conducted a survey to determine the ingredients needed for scholarship success. The results of the survey suggest that students will need three things:
Transcripts
Essays
Letters of Reference
Transcripts are self-explanatory.
Now, here’s what the article says about essays:
Often these essays inquire about goals for the future, what students would do with the reward money, general personal statements, or questions on a topic relating to the organization [making the scholarship].
As I have written about in earlier posts, a big piece of EF centers on the future. In other words, we need EF in order to not only imagine the future, but to also make plans based on that future vision. Simply, successful essays will depend on successful EF skills.
Here’s what the article says about letters of reference:
[L]etters of reference are another way of getting to know a student, but through someone else’s eyes. A community leader or teacher vouching for a student means someone of strong standing in the community is willing to put their reputation on the line for this student.
What is being talked about here is another big piece of the EF picture: mind-in-mind. So, not only do scholarship organizations wish to know something about the applicant, they wish to know the applicant through the minds of others. In order for an applicant to request letters of reference that will have the most impact, they must know something about how others look at them or “keep them in mind.” These mentors have a robust model in their minds of the world the applicant wishes to study and, one day, enter. It is these same mentors, using their EF skills, who can comment on whether there is a match between the world the applicant imagines, and the real world that awaits them. I would suggest that these mind-in-mind processes are at the heart of letters of recommendation.
The article goes on to offer up some tips for scholarship applicants. Some of these tips require EF skills. Lets take a look.
Here’s a tip concerning essays:
They require often introspection and citation of real-life examples that reinforce your perspective. If all you’ve done is bury your nose in a book and sit in front of a TV, you won’t have many experiences to build off of. What are you interested? Join a club at school and get involved in extracurricular activities.
Again, introspection is part and parcel of EF skills. But this tip goes a bit further. In essence it says that making a plan of action is one step; carrying it through to action is another. Sure, planning for the future is one big part of EF, but an equally big part is putting that plan into action. Here’s an example of where you need both Gatherer (collect information) and Hunter (act on that information) skills (to use frames by Dr. Hicks talked about in my last post series). So much of EF is about knowing what information to collect so that a reasonable plan can be formulated and accomplished. It’s one thing to plan to join a club; it’s another to actually do it.
Here’s a tip concerning letters of recommendation:
It is not manipulative to target teachers or counselors and build a relationship with them; a letter of recommendation is only a side benefit to how these people can support your growth. These leaders are invaluable to have on your team because they can provide mentorship and opinions as you make critical decisions about your future. This may be a difficult task for the shyer students, but remember your teachers, counselors and community leaders are there to help.
I won’t go into all of the details but this tip points to one of the biggest EF skills of all: Know when and how to tap into the EF skills of others, especially those who have EF skill sets that are more well-developed—like teachers, counselors and community leaders. To use imagery pulled from cognitive science, you need to know when to access the PFC (prefrontal cortex) of others. There is nothing wrong with seeking out surrogate PFCs or surrogate minds if you will. Trust me, seeking out other minds will help with mind-in-mind. I hate to say it but asking Google or Siri a question is not a form of seeking out other minds and developing mind-in-mind. Trust me, it won’t go over big if you submit a letter of reference from Google or Siri (tongue firmly planted in cheek).
Here’s how the article by Ny concludes:
These organizations want to get to know you as an individual. Remember to express what you believe makes you unique, and ask for letters of recommendation from others who know you are unique.
Great advice. And you’ll need EF skills to carry it out. You will need other people who have your mind in mind. Go out and find them. As the saying goes, “Pick their brains.”
COMMENT: Student Must-Haves for Scholarship Success – Yahoo! News
Student Must-Haves for Scholarship Success – Yahoo! News.
By Rachel Ny | U.S.News & World Report LP – Mon, Mar 4, 2013
Just a quick comment concerning the above article by Rachel Ny (which I viewed via Yahoo News) entitled Student Must-Haves for Scholarship Success. I focused on this article because I would suggest that it supports my claim (in earlier posts) that EF or executive function plays a large role in not only school preparedness but also school success.
According to Ny’s article, a group called NerdScholar conducted a survey to determine the ingredients needed for scholarship success. The results of the survey suggest that students will need three things:
Transcripts are self-explanatory.
Now, here’s what the article says about essays:
As I have written about in earlier posts, a big piece of EF centers on the future. In other words, we need EF in order to not only imagine the future, but to also make plans based on that future vision. Simply, successful essays will depend on successful EF skills.
Here’s what the article says about letters of reference:
What is being talked about here is another big piece of the EF picture: mind-in-mind. So, not only do scholarship organizations wish to know something about the applicant, they wish to know the applicant through the minds of others. In order for an applicant to request letters of reference that will have the most impact, they must know something about how others look at them or “keep them in mind.” These mentors have a robust model in their minds of the world the applicant wishes to study and, one day, enter. It is these same mentors, using their EF skills, who can comment on whether there is a match between the world the applicant imagines, and the real world that awaits them. I would suggest that these mind-in-mind processes are at the heart of letters of recommendation.
The article goes on to offer up some tips for scholarship applicants. Some of these tips require EF skills. Lets take a look.
Here’s a tip concerning essays:
Again, introspection is part and parcel of EF skills. But this tip goes a bit further. In essence it says that making a plan of action is one step; carrying it through to action is another. Sure, planning for the future is one big part of EF, but an equally big part is putting that plan into action. Here’s an example of where you need both Gatherer (collect information) and Hunter (act on that information) skills (to use frames by Dr. Hicks talked about in my last post series). So much of EF is about knowing what information to collect so that a reasonable plan can be formulated and accomplished. It’s one thing to plan to join a club; it’s another to actually do it.
Here’s a tip concerning letters of recommendation:
I won’t go into all of the details but this tip points to one of the biggest EF skills of all: Know when and how to tap into the EF skills of others, especially those who have EF skill sets that are more well-developed—like teachers, counselors and community leaders. To use imagery pulled from cognitive science, you need to know when to access the PFC (prefrontal cortex) of others. There is nothing wrong with seeking out surrogate PFCs or surrogate minds if you will. Trust me, seeking out other minds will help with mind-in-mind. I hate to say it but asking Google or Siri a question is not a form of seeking out other minds and developing mind-in-mind. Trust me, it won’t go over big if you submit a letter of reference from Google or Siri (tongue firmly planted in cheek).
Here’s how the article by Ny concludes:
Great advice. And you’ll need EF skills to carry it out. You will need other people who have your mind in mind. Go out and find them. As the saying goes, “Pick their brains.”