Oct
2
Driving to the beach. Visiting the park for an enjoyable picnic. Seeing a baseball game. Calling on the local fishing hole. These are great summertime activities. Other pursuits include painting, cutting the grass and washing
and waxing the car. We look forward to all of them with great anticipation. When the weather gets warm (no doubt about it), thoughts and actions turn to outdoor events.
One activity that gets forgotten by many college-bound students and their families is the inside expedition of hunting for college scholarships, searching for huge scholarship dollars, initiating the quest for money that will significantly reduce or eliminate college debt. This happens for four reasons. First, it is easy to forget because summer is now and scholarships are in the future, the distant future. Second, my child is not smart enough to win a scholarship. So, why bother thinking about it now or ever. A third possibility: our student has no desire to go
to college. Fourth, our family income is too high.
These are all relevant ideas. But, they are all bogus. Here’s why. Summer is the best time to begin scholarship activities because there is no rush to get the job done. One can take time to do everything leisurely and thoroughly. Rushing
creates anxiety and anxiety creates mistakes. The old maxim slow and sure wins the race also applies to going after scholarships.
Sep
24
College Admission Chances
Filed Under College | Leave a Comment
Once you’ve handed in your college applications, you are probably pretty nervous about getting into college. Although you’ve finished your college application, included your high school transcripts, your SAT and ACT scores and your college essay, you are now probably wondering how does the admissions committee choose a college applicant to actually be an admitted student? How do they wade through all this information and come to a decision regarding your college admissions? What matters most and what gets glossed over? We are going to give you more of an inside look into the admissions decision process so that you know what will allow you to find the right college for you.
Transcripts: Your high school transcript is often the most important component of your college application. Your class work load and grades reveal what type of student you are and offer a glimpse into how you would work at their university. However, admissions officers are trained to know the discrepancies among different schools and class schedules. For example, at some schools, it’s easier to land an A than others. They also look at what types of courses you fulfilled. If you took honors classes, advanced placement or international baccalaureate classes, admissions officers will take this workload into account when reviewing your GPA.
Test Scores: SAT and ACTs are being de-emphasized in many colleges, but these standardized tests do help the admissions officers compare students from different high schools across the nation. Most schools have a range that the majority of students fall under when determining acceptance, but a low test score generally won’t break all chances of getting into college.
Sep
17
Need Admissions and Financial Aid Help? Here’s How To Hire a Private College Counselor
Filed Under College | Leave a Comment
In a recent college admission industry journal a brave admissions Vice President commented that “Sadly, in the last 20 years we have lost our way in admissions. Colleges are no longer centered on counseling students; we are focused more on recruiting and competing for them. The students are just a way of keeping score. Furthermore, we charge different prices to students whom we value more or less because of our internal institutional priorities…Private counselors who strike a balance between helping students find the right match for their abilities, interests, and personality and assisting families in locating affordable choices are valuable.”
We couldn’t agree more. So who is looking out for your student in the admissions and financial aid process? Not the colleges anymore. Independent counselors, however, have no agenda other than what is best for their students. College is big business, first and foremost. You may not need a CPA to do your basic taxes and you may not need legal help for routine matters. But if you’re facing an IRS audit or having to go to court you want a professional in your corner. The same can be said of college admission and financial aid. The stakes are high, to say the least. Given that a bachelors degree from a public institution will cost $50,000 to $75,000 and a degree from a private institution can cost upwards of $175,000 or more the dollars alone beg for a professional’s expertise. Consider also that the difference in average lifetime earnings between a high school graduate and a college graduate is $1.2 million and climbing.
Sep
10
Life is about opportunities and options. The more opportunities you create for yourself in life, the more options you’ll have at any given point in time. Gaining control of your options and opportunities is the key to personal and professional success. Simply put, if you want to become master of your own destiny, then you need to go to college.
Here are the top five Reasons why should choose to go to college:
1. The undergraduate degree is the new high school diploma
There was once a time when college was entirely optional. Even today, smart, hard working people can develop excellent careers and stable lives without the aid of a university education. College is by no means mandatory, but when you’re ready to start building a career for yourself, you will increasingly discover that a college degree is a prerequisite for many entry-level employment opportunities.
Companies and organizations want to hire employees who illustrate commitment and perseverance. A college degree will show your future employer that you’re dedicated to achieving your goals in life. Whether it’s justified or not, a job applicant with a degree is going to be more valuable to an organization than an applicant who chose to forgo college. If you want to possess marketable job skills, higher wages and the stigma of being smart and qualified, then choosing college is the way to go.
2. College will satisfy and expand your curiosity
Sep
3
Useful Information and Advice College Financing Programs Recommend for you
Filed Under College | Leave a Comment
College education is one necessity in life anyone desires to have. It is for sure that the higher you get with college education the better the job you will get in future, the higher you get paid and the more comfy your life becomes. But nothing good comes easily! College Education is becoming so expensive and many are on the look out for extra finances just to meet this need.Did you know that this can easily be solved by getting enough information and advice on College Financing Programs? Well let me just make it clear for you. College Financing Programs give you, as college student, clear and detailed information on financing your college education. Do not go blindly into any kind of college financing without a clear mind on what it entails. You need to know that this information is available for you and there are so many government and private college financial institutions that offer the information.
You need a good plan for this so that even before going to the college of your choice you will smartly decide who should be your college financier basing on the requirements of that college. Your school advisor this time round is a key person you should consider talking to about college financing. He should explain in details on how college financing will help you go through the college life and just how it can affect you and your family while in college and after you are done with it.
Sep
2
Education is becoming more and more expensive as time unfolds. For this reason, a number of students are applying for scholarships to supplement their financial needs in school.
One good thing is that there are already various scholarships which are made available today to assist these students. There are the government, individuals, non-profit organizations, private organizations, who augment in granting scholarships.
However, not all are familiar on the ways to access information in applying for these scholarships. Basically, the following are the possible resources you can use in finding the process for scholarship application:
First, you can use the search engines in college scholarships.
Try to visit the free sites that link to scholarships research websites and databases. This tool is convenient for most as compared to the others sources since this can save both time and money.
You can just simply match your profile to numbers of scholarships where you think you qualify. Another advantage in using the college scholarship search engines is that it is always updated. Hence, this can have access to the most recent grants and financial aids made free on the Internet.
You can also link to the other sources. You can inquire through the local community and civic organizations, as well as in police departments and local fire department in your area; they might be offering college scholarships.
Aug
28
Online Education College Degree: The Top 3 Advantages
Filed Under Online Education | Leave a Comment
An online education college degree is the non-traditional, trendy way to get the 21st century benefits of a higher education.
From early on, our parents have drummed into our heads how important it is to have a college degree.
For the 99% of us (minus the 1% who are the Bill Gates and Michael Dell’s of the world, and those that inherit millions) having a college degree is an advantage even basic requirement for our careers.
However, studying full-time at a university may not work out for many people for various reasons. Luckily there are good options and that’s where an online education college degree shines.
This so-called new trend really takes the best of the old way of learning and combines with the latest technologies. The courses and curriculum are really just the same.
What’s missing from the mix is lengthy commute, schedule rearrangements and to some extent expensive textbooks. Most universities offer accredited degrees in all manner of majors and degree levels.
This method of education works well for many people who missed out on college education earlier due to financial circumstances, lack of accessibility to a college.
Therefore, the online education students are not your usual type. The typical he or she is someone who already has a career and a family and find these programs helpful to advance their career.
Aug
27
College Admissions Meets The Social Networking Age
Welcome to the social networking age. Now, Facebook and Myspace are as much a part of a person’s social circle as friends at school and around the neighborhood. Social networking provides a way for people to connect with classmates, work associates, family members and friends as well as exchange news and ideas, post work, meet people, blog, post photos and videos and do just about anything. As far as education is concerned, this provides a new, wonderful way for a scholarship committee to get to know the people that are the prospective winners of college scholarships a little better.
Recently, univeristies began using some of the different social networking tools and the Internet for college promotion and recruiting. Students are already able to do a university and college search on the internet to get more information about schools and read through their web pages. College admissions requirements and recruiting information is posted online on school sites and others as well. A number of universities and colleges now offer and ask that admissions applications and test scores be submitted on the internet to simplify the process of applying. Social networking is also easing the process for college admissions screening and recruiting through electronic submittal.