Each week I will be posting a question that parents ask, along with the answer. If you have a question you would like for me to address, please email me or direct message me on Twitter (@SuzanneShaffer) and I’ll be happy to feature it.
Q. Is it ok for my teen to drop a high school course mid year?
A. Even if your college-bound teen comes to you and says that colleges won’t see their grades and it doesn’t matter, don’t cave. Colleges will make the admissions decision before final grades but they will also request an end of the year transcript. If your teen drops a course it will show there and may raise concerns.
Guidance counselors, with good reason, are vehemently against dropping courses. Some schools even require parents and students to sign a letter acknowledging the risk they are taking related to college admission.
According to Lee Bierer, an independent college adviser in Charlotte, North Carolina, “some students try to get creative and suggest substituting an online course instead of the one offered at their high school and this too is not looked upon favorably.” According to Brown University, “The very fact that they want to take it online instead will raise eyebrows. If they are taking it anyway, why don’t they just stay in class? If there is a scheduling conflict with another advanced course and the school endorses the change for that reason, then we’ll accept that, but if they are simply substituting an online option for an in-class option, we will be less understanding.”
Colleges review the final transcript and use it to gauge future performance based on the strength of the courses your teen takes. If colleges find out that they have dropped courses after they were admitted, it could be seen as grounds for revoking an offer of admission. And honestly, it’s not worth the risk.
Encourage your teen to stick it out. It’s a good lesson in perseverance and it will set a pattern for their college courses when they are tempted to drop them as well. And it will save the disappointment of admission being revoked at the last minute!
Everybody like freebies. Taking advantage of all the freebies that are given away on campus to college students is a MUST. Teaching your kids to watch for them is all part of being an effective parent college coach.. Why pay for something when it’s available for FREE?
It’s no urban legend: Free stuff is doled out on college campuses all the time. But it’s up to you to scout out where to find these complementary goods. From pizza to plane tickets to straight-up cash, we show you what you can get and how to score it … so keep reading.
Free Entertainment Get tickets to concerts, sporting events, art exhibits, theater openings, forums and lectures.
How to score: Use your student ID card as an all-access pass. Every campus has a student union building, and if you’re unfamiliar with it, we suggest you become acquainted, since it’s plastered with bulletin boards announcing free upcoming events for students.
Free Food Get free pizza, soda, snacks or breakfast, depending on the time of day.
How to score: Attend club meetings. “If you look in your student building and sign up for all the listservs, you will know when clubs and residence halls are giving away free food,” says New York University sophomore Doreen Naor. “With breakfast, you can basically always get muffins and coffee, and for real meals, most clubs give out pizza.” Join three clubs that meet weekly, and you’re looking at three regularly scheduled meals.
We also like CampusFood.com, where you can play online games that earn coupons for your next restaurant visit. A few clicks at a mindless computer game, and you can have yourself a free meal. Not too shabby!
Free Cash Earn hard cash (typically from $5 to $10 for about an hour of your time — could be up to $100). No taxes taken out, no checks.
How to score: Participate in a focus group or study, which typically requires very little effort, such as filling out an easy survey. Head over to the campus psychology building, where you’ll find volunteer recruitment flyers.
Focus group companies pay more for your input. If your school is in a metropolitan area, check out focus group centers in need of college student participants. Go to FindFocusgroups.com to scope out opportunities near you.
Free Swag Pick up product samples, coupons, gift certificates and other giveaway items, including iTunes cards, DVD players and even airline tickets.
How to score: “All you have to do is open your eyes and pay attention,” says NYU junior Annie Baer. “There are always people giving away free things [on campus].” Marketing companies often hire student reps to hold major promotions that often include giveaways and contests on college campuses. Next time you see a student rep giving out samples, ask if the campaign offers any other giveaways.
Note: You can get updates about sponsored events and contests directly from the source. By becoming a Facebook fan of brands or products you like, you can get automatic updates about big promotions and giveaways, and be the first to know about any contests they might be hosting.
I came across an article on WalletPop in their Money College section by a recent college graduate. Pop over there and read her student loan story and make sure you are sitting down when you do:
One student’s losing battle with private student loans
Those student loans are tempting. Here’s the rationalization that sucks in many college students:
All of those statements have some truth in them to some degree. However, it is EXTREMELY important that every college-bound student understand these truths:
Parents–please counsel your teens on the downfalls of having tremendous amounts of student loan debt. Encourage them to be financially responsible and prudent when borrowing money for college. Those loans can shackle them for many years after college graduation.
Our guest blog post today is by Susan Posluszny, the founder of OPTIONS for Career & Life Planning, specializing in unique programs and services to support students with college major and career planning. Susan is a Master Career Counselor with over 25 years of career counseling experience including 18 years as a college career center director. She is the author of In Search of a College Major & Career Direction, an interactive program designed to support teens and young adults with choosing a college major and career path.Her career counseling and coaching practice is located in New Boston, NH. Subscribe to Susan’s e-newsletter, Career Options, at www.collegesandmajors.com
While watching the Food Network channel one day, I happened upon a series called ‘Chefography’. This episode of Chefography featured a biographical account of Wolfgang Puck’s journey to success. I knew little about this renowned chef but I was intrigued since I’d recently been to Disney World and had a great experience at his restaurant, Wolfgang Puck Café, in Downtown Disney. While annual revenue from his cluster of businesses now averages millions of dollars, his father did not approve of his career interest and his early career experiences were quite shaky.
At the tender age of 14, Puck left his home to work as an apprentice in a hotel kitchen. Evidently, young Puck was a bit of a klutz and the chef threw him out and sent him back home to his parents. He was ashamed to face his father with the news of his job loss since his father was against this career choice. Dreading going home, he spent hours on a bridge contemplating suicide while looking over a river that ran through town. Eventually, Puck went back and hid in the hotel’s basement, peeling potatoes for the kitchen workers, until the chef discovered him two weeks later. The chef appreciated Puck’s tenacity and made arrangements for him to apprentice in another hotel’s kitchen. Puck’s career took numerous twists and turns over time as he honed his culinary skills and began his ventures as a restaurant owner.
As I watched this show, I couldn’t help but imagine the emotions that surged through Puck as he contemplated facing his father or committing suicide. It’s natural for children to want to please their parents and fear of parental scorn can weigh heavily on a child. If young Puck had committed suicide, would his father have realized the role his influence played in the choice to end his life? As I reflected further on Puck’s life and career, I couldn’t help but wonder what his father must think of his son’s career decision now that he’s a successful businessman and one of America’s most famous and influential chefs. I expect that he no longer considers his son’s decision to have been a poor one.
Research that I conducted while working as a college career center director revealed that parents are the number one influence in the career and college major choices made by their children. That influence may be subtle, and beyond the conscious awareness of the child, or not so subtle as was the case with young Puck and his father. Now I suppose you could argue that his father’s influence actually helped to lead young Puck to success. You might say that what helped Puck to hang in there, when the going got tough, was wanting to avoid hearing his father say, ‘I told you so’. I don’t know about you, but I can’t help think that there are better ways to influence a child.
As parents, it can be most challenging to support a child’s career decision when it goes against the grain of our own personal values and the future we envision for that child. Yet, we can never know what the future holds and where a chosen path may lead. As children grow, they need to cultivate a sense of self in order to one day make their own way in this world. Along with a growing sense of self, they also need to develop confidence in their ability to take positive action towards their career goals. This includes learning how to identify their career and lifestyle preferences, how to explore career options that match those preferences, and where to go to gain the skills and life experiences that will move them in a direction of their own choosing. Parents can help their children to build self confidence by telling them they believe in their ability to take positive action on their own behalf. Parents can also facilitate a growing sense of self by encouraging their children to engage in activities and experiences that let them explore and reality test their career interests, so that they are making informed choices. Yes, as parents, we are the number one influence in the lives of our children. It’s up to us to decide the form that our influence will take.
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
Here’s some great tips to help parents help their college-bound teens save some money when they go off to college. Take notes and start implementing these strategies into their lives BEFORE they leave for college.
Living on a shoestring budget? Whether your parents float you funds or you’re pulling a part-time paying gig, here’s how to stre——-tch every precious penny.
Broke — it’s a common catch in student jargon. “OMG, I broke my phone at that rager last night” or “I just broke up with my girlfriend ’cause she was cheating on me with my best bud.” But when used as an adjective, the word describes the financial status of most college kids.
Unless Dad is handing over his preferred platinum card or you strike it rich selling those musty ol’ Pokemon cards, you’ll have to get by on meager means. Here are some painless ways to get major bang for your buck … even if it’s your last buck.
Whether you’re craving a change from the monotonous glop of the dining hall, celebrating a friend’s birthday at a nearby bistro or taking a study break to go for a late-night munch, your wallet will take a hit. Cutting back on these extravagances means getting clever.
Life doesn’t have to be a snore just because your pockets are empty. Money buys neither happiness nor a stellar social life. You can get out and about without tossing around a ton of green.
Enter upscale department stores and exclusive boutiques at your own risk, but you don’t have to totally give up the urge to splurge. Just tone it down a few notches.
Ask not what you can do for your school but what your school can do for you. Universities give back to their student patrons in plenty of ways, so take advantage.
A few weeks ago, a disgruntled professor shot and killed several of her colleagues at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Another shooting occurred at Northern Illinois University between students, where two years ago five students were killed and dozens more wounded. And who could forget the tragedy at Virginia Tech where 32 faculty and students lost their lives at the hands of a shooter during classes.
As a parent of a college-bound teen, you want to be assured that your child will be safe when you send them off to college. And while you have no control over random acts of violence, you can know what systems the prospective colleges have in place to deal with these type of unexpected tragedies. According to a former FBI consultant, parents should visit the campus security office and ask this one question:
What systems do you have in place to protect my child in the event of an emergency such as the Virginia Tech shooting?
It’s important to insist on a detailed answer. Shortly after the Virginia Tech shootings, the American Council on Education published a list of questions school leaders should ask themsleves. Parents should expect answers to these questions when discussing this issue with campus security:
Before sending your child off to college, do your homework. Make sure that if something bad does happen, the incident and the students get the attention they deserve. If you know the plan and have assurance that the college has implemented specific procedures to facilitate it, you will worry less and sleep better at night.
Heads up, traditionalists! A radical new idea promotes kissing the four-year academic program buh-bye and saying hello to a three-year system.
As accustomed as we are to its infrastructure, it would take some serious shaking up to rattle the U.S. education system. Yet Robert Zemsky, chairman of the Learning Alliance for Higher Education at the University of Pennsylvania and author of Making Reform Work: The Case for Transforming American Higher Education, is advocating for major changes on university campuses — most notably a three-year college program.
Zemsky argues that given today’s economic, political and technological climate, it’s time for Americans to minimize cost, unnecessary resources and wasted time repeating coursework. His proposed plan would cause a drastic uplifting of the current system, impacting high schools as well. But it is Zemsky’s hope that reform ultimately would spawn a more streamlined institution. While the government might not be ready to back such lofty plans, the real question is: Are you?
How will students benefit from such reform? According to Professor Zemsky, shifting to a more sequenced, regimented three-year program will save students time and money — cutting tuition costs by a whopping 25 percent. This is less moolah out of your pocket, not to mention additional interest that builds up as you work to pay off hefty loans. At the very foundation, students would pay for 90 credits over the typical 120.
In a contemporary society where minimizing time and financial expenditures ranks high on to-do lists, it seems almost given that a new system should be put into place. Right? Not necessarily. For one, the program basically assumes all undergrads will go on for a post-grad or masters degree. “If you want college to help vocationally, you have to go beyond the undergrad,” says Zemsky. Under the new system, college would be a breeding ground whereby students learn the basics of a particular trade. It is then in graduate school that learning would become truly vocational.
So how would high schools be affected by this change? High school seniors are infamously plagued by “senioritis” and finding ways to sidestep mundane assignments. Zemsky proposes doing away with wasteful course schedules during senior year and instead modeling it after the current freshman year of college. He suggests pre-college seniors take some of the basic humanities and sciences normally taken by college freshmen.
Zemsky tells us in a phone interview, “High schools would need to make assessments at a ninth-grade level as to whether a student is making progress to be ‘college-ready.’ Remediation would take place at this time rather than at the first year of college. The 10th and 11th grade levels would look the same, and the 12th grade would become equivalent to the first year of college. There would be an alignment so that senior year of high school sets students up for freshman year of college.”
What is the downside of a three-year college program? Some students feel it’s unreasonable to be expected to choose a major and commit at age 18. And indeed, the pressure is really on if the typical college career were condensed. “I don’t know what I plan on majoring in,” says U Penn freshman Brett Levine. “In a three-year program, undecided people have less time to explore new subject areas.
“Even with people who know what they want to study, a three-year program would surely be more demanding if requirements for majors or graduate schools admissions stay the same. A lot of pre-meds and engineering students have difficulty satisfying graduation requirements as is. For undecided students like myself, the variety of course options is incredible. It allows me to explore new subject areas unavailable in high school.”
Says Zemsky: “Students are given endless choices, but it’s expensive. It confuses lots of people, and it takes longer to graduate because they get lost. Redesign the curriculum so it is not a smorgasbord of options.” Say goodbye to elective courses too, because in this system, there’s no room for classes that do not directly relate to your plan of study.
How would such lofty goals be implemented? Zemsky doesn’t kid himself into thinking this would be a minor undertaking: “To really kick off reform, it would take an invitation from the president. I can’t imagine this happening without presidential leadership.” And, yes, he’s referring to the president of the United States.
In a recent Newsweek article, Zemsky argues his position by stating, “Everything around us — technology, medicine, politics — has changed … and [higher education] will too have to rethink what we are about.”
Still, Levine questions the practicality of Zemsky’s proposal. “A three-year program would essentially make college an even more stressful period. It would probably restrict options for traveling abroad, which many students value. It has many potential benefits for some students. People who know they want to major in economics, political science, Spanish or other relatively less intense majors may only need three years. However, others need four to prepare for graduate school or their desired career.”
And furthermore, Levine adds, “Socially, it obviously restricts the amount of time commonly dubbed ‘the best years of your life.’”
What do you think? Do you think our kids are growing up too fast? Do you think a 3-year degree is a wise educational choice?
By Lauren Joffe for The Real College Guide
Math is your thing? Cha-ching! Turns out the 15 bachelor’s degrees with the highest starting salaries have a common denominator: They’re all math-related.
Turns out that seventh-grade algebra could come in handy after all — in fact, you can bank on it. Why? Well, recent research shows that math-related fields are highly lucrative. And if you have a solid mathematical foundation from which to build, turns out it’s not all that difficult for undergrads to prepare. Here we check out why majors that require heavy-duty math skills, like engineering and computer science, have recent and soon-to-be grads reaping some serious rewards. …
Hot-ticket Degrees Of the 15 highest-earning diplomas, a full-on 12 are engineering majors. That’s a hefty number tipping the scale — the findings of a recent National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) survey. Petroleum engineering tops the list with an average starting annual salary of around $83,000. Non-engineering high-earning majors include computer science and actuarial science followed by construction management, which ends the list at a roughly $53,000 starting salary.
While the average post-grad job offer rounds out at $48,500, a chemical or mining engineer (the second and third top-earning degrees, according to the NACE survey) is offered a whopping $64,000 to start. Big diff. Here’s the complete list of the 15 highest earning majors:
Simply Supply and Demand Not sure how this adds up? The basics of any economics class revolve around the principle of supply and demand, and engineering majors are making bank because of this very principle. According to NACE executive director Marilyn Mackes, “Many of the engineering disciplines benefit from an imbalance in the supply-demand ratio. Even in a tight job market, there are simply more opportunities requiring an engineering degree than graduates available to fill those positions. That drives up salary.”
“The ability to handle quantitative information makes anyone more valuable in today’s workforce,” agrees NACE director of research Edwin Koc. “Much of the decision-making in any business is based on the analysis of data — numbers. Having that skill not only means you are likely to receive a higher starting salary, but that you are more valuable after you are actually employed.”
Still, Koc doesn’t believe offering higher salaries draws more students into these fields: “While the number of graduates overall increased substantially between 1997 and 2007, those in majors such as engineering and computer science did not increase very much even though these were the majors with the highest starting salaries for bachelor’s degrees.”
Easy as One, Two, Three? It’s not tough to understand why more students aren’t jumping on the math-based bandwagon. Students probably migrate away from such degrees because they are infamously rigorous. For example, a major such as computer engineering requires its students to take calculus I, II and III; linear algebra; and differential equations along with a slew of other engineering, programming and technical courses. Intimidated yet?
For many students, the thought of spending an entire undergraduate career doing math is more than intimidating — it is downright frightening. But why are so many of us scared of something that really is rather elementary? To get some specifics about obtaining an average engineering degree at a reputable four-year institution, we consulted Fred Greenleaf, New York University’s director of undergraduate studies. Greenleaf professes, “Most people are actually stymied by third- to 9th-grade math experience.”
Not too surprising when a survey conducted this time last year by Wakefield Research found that of 400 kids ages 9 to 14, more than one-third said math was their most difficult subject. Eighteen percent of kids surveyed called math “boring,” while 13 percent actually referred to it as “torture.” And that’s not all: The parents of the kids were surveyed, as well, and a full 86 percent of those parents admitted math is important to their careers — even though half said they thought they’d never need the math they learned in school.
It’s Never Too Late “If you enter college with a weak foundation where basic skills are not there, when you get to college, it is a great jolt,” says Greenleaf. But keep in mind that Greenleaf does not believe this means a student who is behind the proverbial eight ball is unable to do math. “In the K through sixth levels, if you don’t learn to think in terms of algebra, numbers, fractions, etc., it just becomes more difficult. It is like learning a language: As you get older, it gets harder.”
While math is a skill that can be obtained by studying often, there are still students who struggle no matter how much they try. Sound familiar? At the foundation of this problem lies a simple inability to think analytically. “It’s not that they are incapable; they just are of temperamental thinking,” says Greenleaf. “Reading math is analytical, whereas writing math is more irrational … it comes from intuition. All problem-solving is coupled with rational skills to exploit any intuition you might have.”
But if students work hard at building foundational skills, Greenleaf asserts that they can overcome any difficulties. Many colleges offer remedial courses in calculus and algebra to students who feel shaky with their math skills. Greenleaf helped write the remedial course at NYU nearly 10 years ago: “Many times I hear, ‘This is the first time a math class ever made sense to me.’ These students at the lower [skill] level are the ones we need to focus on to make sure they develop the capability. Learning to think for themselves is a huge adjustment.”
How to Get in the Game Before you go changing your major, it’s important to understand how to jump aboard and what exactly will be required of you. Because every university varies slightly in terms of requirements, check out your school’s Web site. Go through the list of required courses and descriptions to see if they are of interest to you. Don’t expect to escape calculus, statistics and algebra, as these foundational classes are necessary regardless of your institution. Still uncertain? Make an appointment with your advisor or someone in the math department. A personal meeting will help you discover if a math-related career is right for you.
Also, understand the specifics that will be expected of you once you graduate and join the workforce. According to those already in the field, much of their time is spent doing actual mathematical calculations, while the remainder is dedicated to writing reports on the conclusions. Moreover, you might be responsible for testing prototypes, redesigning products, and researching and developing solutions.
Regardless of compensation, entering a field that you think is a snore will make for an exceptionally unrewarding college and post-graduate career. But if obtaining a math degree is your calling, don’t hesitate! You’re about to enter a field that not only promises to be desirable to employers but also provides financial security and job stability. Koc affirms, “The current prospects for the near future as outlined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics suggests that the math-related majors, particularly in computer science, have among the best growth prospects.”
Each Wednesday I’ll be posting guest articles from The Real College Guide: great information for college-bound teens and their parents.
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.
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!
