A few weeks ago I attended a virtual college event at CollegeWeekLive. I was impressed with the simplicity of the information and wanted to pass it along to all my readers who might not have had the opportunity to attend. This particular session was conducted by Kim Clark, staff writer for U.S. News and World Reports. She outlined some simple steps to raise $15,000 for college:
The bottom line: $15,000 or MORE! Here’s how it all adds up:
By piecing together all these separate components, there is no limit on how much you can raise for college costs. At the very least you can raise $15,000, at the very most, the sky is the limit!
You can check out U.S. News and World Reports education section: Paying For College for more information and tips.
While attending one of my son’s hockey games last weekend, I was approached by a fellow hockey parent who knew of my career counseling work with college bound teens. She gave me that “you will not believe this one” look and told me about her teenage daughter’s most recent career interest, cryptozoology. As I learned, cryptozoology deals with the study of creatures whose existence has not been substantiated (think Big Foot and Loch Ness Monster). It also focuses on known animals that exist in places where they were not expected to occur as well as the persistence of animals presumed to be extinct. This parent envisioned, with great angst, paying large sums of money for her daughter to go to college and pursue a career field that offered no job security and little if any income.
Now with 25 years of work in career counseling (including 18 years as a college career center director), you can bet that I’ve listened to students speak about all kinds of career dreams and aspirations. Some might immediately dismiss more ‘non-traditional’ or less popular career interests referring to them as unrealistic and impractical. I never dismiss a client’s career interests. From my perspective, enthusiasm for a career interest is a great thing since it serves as a motivator to get a student into the career exploration process (which is most challenging if not impossible when motivation is lacking!). So I can work with a client around an interest and help them gain increased career exploration skills in the process. In addition, I like to play detective around the interests expressed by my teen (and adult) clients…you can learn quite a bit through this type of probing. For example, is this student attracted to cryptozoology due to an interest in science and biology or is antropology an underlying passion. Then again, maybe it’s the adventure and mystery that gets her pumped up without any interest whatsoever in the science element. I’d also want to know more about this student’s other career interests. In my work with teen clients, I give them multiple assessments to help them build a broad list of interests that they then prioritize. There are usually themes or patterns that keep popping up over and over again when we look at their most favorite top 10 or 20 career interests. These themes can offer a sense of career direction that goes beyond one interest (after all, career exploration is a process of experimentation and reality testing so it’s likely that this student will realize that this career area is not what she had envisioned it to be).
So…if your student expresses an interest in a career area, try saying, ‘Tell me more about this interest of yours and let’s see if we can work together to help you understand what it involves”. My hockey friend’s daughter may end up ruling out cryptozoology as a career interest once she learns about the realities associated with this work or she might decide to go off on a related and yet different tangent…like marine biology. Then again she might realize she’s still pumped up about this interest but that it won’t support her preferred lifestyle…so it will just serve as a fun hobby.
Want to learn more about cryptozoology from someone who works full-time as a cryptozoologist (Yes, he’s a full-time cryptozoologist…I wonder what his parents thought of his interest before this career took off!)? I did some research and found a website that was quite fascinating…but then I love learning about careers!
If you would like to contact Susan or find out more information about the services she provides, you can contact her at:
Her websites: www.careeroptions4me.com and www.collegesandmajors.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/susanposluszny
Email: susan@careeroptions4me.com
Visiting a college campus allows you and your prospective student to get an insider’s perspective of what it’s like to attend that particular school. What are the students like? Do they like the dorms? Where’s the best coffee shop in town?
If the colleges your child is considering are far away, a college visit is even more important. You’ll likely only visit a college once before making the decision about whether to apply.
It’s important to plan for a college visit long before you first step foot on campus. That way you’ll both be able to make an informed decision about where to apply. University Language Services has compiled a list of three most important things to do:
1. Do Your Research
Before getting in that airplane or car, do plenty of research about the college you’re going to visit. You want to be as prepared as possible when arriving on campus so that you and your child can get the most of your experience there.
What academic departments is he or she interested in? Where are they located on campus? What are some places in the neighborhood that you want to check out? Are there walking tours on campus? If so, find out when they are and how to join.
Make a list of things you’d like to accomplish with your child. For example:
* Sit down to talk with an admissions officer.
* Get financial aid forms.
* Encourage your child to sit in on a class.
* Pick up a copy of the student newspaper.
* Eat in the cafeteria.
* Ask students what they love and hate about the college.
* Walk or drive around the area surrounding the college.
2. Plan in Advance
If there are several colleges you and your child would like to visit, it’s important to schedule your visits in advance. Set a date (or even a weekend!) in advance and rest assured knowing you’ve got plenty of time to decide.
If the college is in a major city, don’t limit yourself to the campus. Spend some time exploring! Are there Broadway shows you can go to? Landmarks you’d like to see? In addition to getting to know your child’s (possible!) future school, you’ll get to spend some quality time together.
3. Pack Smart
When visiting a college, make sure you come prepared!
Get a map of the campus and the surrounding area, pack a camera and bring a notebook. Although the experience might seem unforgettable right now, the details might get a little foggy after seeing a few more schools.
A college visit is essential for your child to decide whether or not he or she will be happy attending a particular school. And since you’re probably just as concerned about where your child will be sleeping, eating and studying for the next four years, you’ll want to be a part of that experience.
You can contact us any number of ways:
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/campuscommons
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/universitylanguage
Our blog: http://www.universitylanguage/com/blog/
Today is CollegeWeekLive’s FREE online event that will answer many of your questions about paying for college. They have taken the time to gather all the experts and bring the information to you in the comfort of your own home. Sit down with a cup of coffee and watch, listen and chat while they give your their tips on financial aid, scholarships and financing.
Straight from College Week Live’s email:
Would you like to talk live with representatives of the US Dept of Education, Office of Federal Student Aid office about the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form and federal financial aid options? Want to speak with an expert from US News & World Report about tracking down cash for college? Would you like to find scholarships or get advice from college financial aid officers?
Get all this and more at CollegeWeekLive PAYING FOR COLLEGE on January 14th from 3:00 – 10:00 PM Eastern. Register for free and login this Thursday to speak live with this all-star cast of financial aid and scholarship experts!
Visit the Scholarships.com booth on the Financial Aid floor for more scholarship information and live chat!
Don’t forget about the CollegeWeekLive scholarships: Click here for more information!
You don’t want to miss this FREE resource. Set your alarms, your watches, your smartphones and your Outlook calendars. See you in cyberspace!
Today’s guest post is by Elizabeth King, author of “Outsmarting the SAT”. She has successfully led students to score gains of well over 100 points on every section of the SAT. She takes the test every year herself and knocks it out of the ballpark.
The test prep companies would like you to believe that you can’t prepare for their tests, or that you’re already prepared just by having gone to high school. This sounds great: test prep companies don’t have to endorse folks who can help you prepare and it seems like you, the student, is off the hook.
However, I come bearing great news: yes, it’s entirely possible to drastically change your score on both the SAT and ACT. I know, the companies that produce them tell you that they each test “what you’ve already learned in high school” in varying ways. In a perfect world, that would be true, but it’s far more likely that you either never learned some of the material or you don’t remember it when you see it. Both the SAT and ACT test skills you started learning around the age of ten. You’ll want to brush up.
I’m also going to let you in on a little secret: your friends (the people against whom you’ll be competing for college admission) may be preparing and just not admitting it. Yes, seriously. Let’s face it: acting like you care about standardized tests is not traditionally considered cool. However, I can’t tell you how many students I have that are friends that say “don’t tell so-and-so we’re coming to you” or the number of kids that are tucked away by themselves at the bookstore cafe on Saturday morning perusing a prep book. Not only that, I would say that it’s extremely common for someone to tell me his SAT score (happens all the time) and quickly tack on a lame excuse, like, but I was out partying the night before or but it’s not like I studied for it.
But let’s face it. College admissions officers don’t care how cool you are and are given no indication of how much you may or may not have studied for exams. They simply see a number and assess you accordingly. Moreover, while you may think you’ll get away with an hour or two of looking over a sample test the night before, in some areas or schools it’s completely normal to spend six months to a year preparing for the test. Right now, somewhere in the world, a student against whom you’ll be competing for college entry is preparing for the SAT or ACT.
Now, look: just because I’m asking you to prepare doesn’t mean I’m condemning you to taking one of those 8 week 4 hours every Saturday morning courses with a huge prep company. In fact, the National Association of College Admissions Counselors released a study in 2009 that said your score will likely only go up around 30 points if you do so. I don’t know about you, but if I’m going to invest 32 hours of my life preparing for something, I want to make some serious progress.
Here are some first steps to get you on the road to a score that represents you well:
–Pick your battle. Take a practice ACT and SAT test (available on the web). Think about which test is more comfortable for you. The math on the ACT covers more topics, but it generally feels more straightforward. The reading comprehension on the SAT is more conceptual; you’ll also want to consider the breadth of your vocabulary and how quickly you can learn new words. Vocab is pivotal on the SAT. The pace of the ACT is a little faster; the SAT is slower but longer.
–Prepare. Get a copy of The Official SAT Study Guide or The Real ACT Prep Guide and thoughtfully go through the material. For every mistake you make you’ll want write a note, and every mistake will fall under one of two categories: a rule/fact/equation you didn’t know (e.g. a particular geometry rule) or a question style (e.g. you know a particular geometry rule but you didn’t realize you needed to use it because of a confusing element in the question). Write all this down and review it!
–Ask for help. Rather than looking for guessing strategies on those questions with which you struggle, take the time to actually learn the material. Find a tutor or get a prep book that thoroughly teaches concepts rather than guessing rules. Remember that it’s possible to learn everything tested on the SAT and ACT, and I guarantee you’ll walk into the test more confident and away from the test center with a higher score and a better shot at entering the college of your dreams if you’ve taken the time to learn the material.
–Plan ahead. Know test dates ahead of time and don’t wait till the last minute. Remember, the competition is out there. Arm yourself and earn a score you can be proud of.
Contact Elizabeth at: Elizabeth King Coaching, Inc. http://elizabethonline.com On Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/elizabethonline
Intuit is giving away several grants each month to local businesses. The businesses they find most deserving and “loved” will be chosen to receive $5000 and up to $35,000 for the grand prize winner.
So…in the true spirit of entrepreneurship and “self-promotion” I’m asking my loyal readers to vote for me. It’s simple and won’t take five minutes of your time, but it will help me expand my business if I win and help more parents and college-bound teens in the process.
Below is a screenshot of what the nomination site looks like. Just click here and type in my business name and zip code. Once my business pops up, just type in why you love my business and your email address. It’s that simple. Thank you in advance!
