Getting into college

Nouvelles règles de confidentialité et conditions d'utilisation de Google

2012-01-29T15:07:00.001-08:00

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Cher utilisateur de Google, Nous effectuons actuellement une mise à jour des règles de confidentialité de Google. Nous avons ainsi décidé de faire évoluer près de soixante règles de confidentialité distinctes, et de les remplacer par une nouvelle version unique, à la fois complète, concise et simple à lire. Ces nouvelles règles s'appliquent désormais à de nombreux produits et fonctionnalités afin que nous puissions vous offrir une expérience utilisateur simple et intuitive à travers tous les produits Google. Parce que ces choses-là sont importantes, nous vous invitons à consacrer quelques minutes de votre temps à la lecture de ces nouvelles règles de confidentialité et conditions d'utilisation, accessibles depuis ce lien : http://www.google.com/policies. Ces modifications prendront effet le 1er mars 2012.
Des règles de confidentialité unifiées pour une expérience Google unique

Une navigation simple entre les produits Ces nouvelles règles illustrent notre volonté de vous garantir une expérience homogène, grâce à des produits adaptés et simples à utiliser. Qu'il s'agisse de lire un e-mail pour vous rappeler de planifier une réunion de famille ou de trouver une vidéo pour la partager avec d'autres personnes, nous voulons faciliter votre utilisation quotidienne de Gmail, de Google Agenda, de la recherche Google, de YouTube ou de tout autre produit dont vous pourriez avoir besoin.	Une meilleure personnalisation Si vous êtes connecté à Google, vous pouvez, si vous le souhaitez, obtenir des suggestions de termes de recherche ou la personnalisation de vos résultats de recherche en fonction des centres d'intérêt que vous avez indiqués dans Google+, Gmail et YouTube. Ainsi, nous serons en mesure de mieux comprendre ce vous souhaitez trouver lorsque vous saisissez, par exemple, des termes comme "Téléphone" ou "Jaguar", et vous présentons les résultats plus rapidement que jamais.	Le partage et la collaboration en toute simplicité Lorsque vous créez ou publiez un document en ligne, vous souhaitez peut-être que d'autres personnes le consultent, voire y apportent leur contribution. En s'appuyant sur la liste des personnes avec lesquelles vous avez déjà partagé du contenu (liste que vous pouvez administrer à tout moment), nous vous permettons, en quelques clics, de partager d'autres informations via les autres produits ou services Google, et ce avec un maximum de simplicité et de fiabilité.

La protection de votre vie privée reste inchangée Notre objectif : vous garantir une transparence et une liberté de choix maximales, grâce notamment au Google Dashboard, au Gestionnaire de préférences pour les annonces et à une multitude d'autres outils. Nos principes de confidentialité restent inchangés. Jamais nous ne vendrons ni ne partagerons vos données personnelles sans votre autorisation (sauf dans de rares cas, comme les demandes d'ordre juridique).	Vous avez des questions ? Nous avons les réponses Pour en savoir plus sur ces modifications, consultez notre FAQ à l'adresse suivante : http://www.google.com/policies/faq.

Avis de modification Les nouvelles règles de confidentialité et conditions d'utilisation prendront effet le 1er mars 2012. Si vous continuez à utiliser les produits et services Google après l'entrée en vigueur de ces modifications, votre utilisation sera régie par les nouvelles règles de confidentialité et conditions d'utilisation. Merci de ne pas répondre à ce message. Les mails envoyés à cette adresse e-mail ne pourront être traités. Ne saisissez jamais le mot de passe associé à votre compte Google après avoir cliqué, dans un e-mail ou dans un chat, sur un lien dirigeant vers un site inconnu. Allez toujours directement sur la page du site auquel le mot de passe est associé (mail.google.com ou www.google.com/accounts/, par exemple). Google ne vous demandera jamais votre mot de passe par e-mail, ni aucune autre information sensible ou confidentielle.

Important Information about Google Buzz Class Action Settlement

2010-11-02T12:30:00.000-07:00

Google rarely contacts Gmail users via email, but we are making an
exception to let you know that we've reached a settlement in a lawsuit
regarding Google Buzz (http://buzz.google.com), a service we launched
within Gmail in February of this year.

Shortly after its launch, we heard from a number of people who were
concerned about privacy. In addition, we were sued by a group of Buzz users
and recently reached a settlement in this case.

The settlement acknowledges that we quickly changed the service to address
users' concerns. In addition, Google has committed $8.5 million to an
independent fund, most of which will support organizations promoting
privacy education and policy on the web. We will also do more to educate
people about privacy controls specific to Buzz. The more people know about
privacy online, the better their online experience will be.

Just to be clear, this is not a settlement in which people who use Gmail
can file to receive compensation. Everyone in the U.S. who uses Gmail is
included in the settlement, unless you personally decide to opt out before
December 6, 2010. The Court will consider final approval of the agreement
on January 31, 2011. This email is a summary of the settlement, and more
detailed information and instructions approved by the court, including
instructions about how to opt out, object, or comment, are available at
http://www.BuzzClassAction.com.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
This mandatory announcement was sent to all Gmail users in the United
States as part of a legal settlement and was authorized by the United
States District Court for the Northern District of California.

Google Inc. | 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway | Mountain View, CA 94043

Military Academies

2009-05-20T04:26:00.000-07:00

If the notion of a military academy appeals to you, spend some time at one of our five academies before signing on. They are: U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado; U. S. Military Academy, West Point, New York; U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland; U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, New York; and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, New London, Connecticut.
Just like visiting a college campus, you need to get the “feel” of both the place and the atmosphere. Seek out recent graduates as well as present students to assess their comfort level with school routines and policies.
The application process at all but two of the academies differs significantly from those at nonmilitary schools and requires that you begin in your junior year at high school. Certainly, the price is right (free), although you do pay Uncle Sam back with service after graduation.

Coed versus Single Gender Schools

2009-05-20T04:22:00.000-07:00

Half a century ago about 75 percent of colleges and universities in this country were coeducational. The remainder was split evenly between schools solely for men and solely for women. Today, of the remaining single gender schools, 68 schools accept only women and 15 accept only men.
Research suggests that only 3 percent of high school girls have a serious interest in attending an all-women’s college. However, women’s college graduates constitute more than 20 percent of women in Congress and 30 percent of a BusinessWeek list of rising women in business; yet these women represent only 2 percent of all female college graduates. Schools accepting only men are, mostly, seminaries or rabbinical colleges, although six are secular institutions: Morehouse College, Atlanta, Georgia; Wabash College, Crawfordsville, Indiana; Hampden-Sydney (Virginia) College; Deep Springs College, Inyo County, California; the undergraduate program at St. John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota; and Valley Forge Military College, Wayne, Pennsylvania.

What Part Does Gender Play in My College Choice?
❏ What’s been my experience with a female- or male-only environment? If the answer is “none,” how can I find someone to talk to who has attended a single gender high school or college?
❏ Are there single gender schools that offer areas of concentration or majors of interest to me?
❏ If I’m hesitant to consider a single gender school, can I pinpoint reasons why?
❏ Would I be happy without daily interaction with the opposite sex?

4-Religious Affiliation

2009-05-20T04:18:00.000-07:00

More than 650 schools are affiliated with a religion. Some, such as Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, have only nominal affiliation; others, like Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, are run by the Society of Jesus, a Catholic religious order commonly referred to as the Jesuits.

What Part Does Religion Play in My College Choice?
❏ Is going to a religiously affiliated school important to me? To my parents?
❏ If my parents and I differ about attending a religiously affiliated school, what will it take for us to agree?
❏ Are there religiously affiliated schools offering areas of concentration ormajors that interest me?

3-Cost

2009-05-10T03:48:00.000-07:00

Tuition can range anywhere from about $3,100 a year at Missouri Southern State University in Joplin to more than $30,000 a year at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Factor in also room and board, mandatory fees, books, transportation, and personal costs. College guides and Web sites list such costs, usually stating an average for items such as personal costs.
People automatically think it’s cheaper to attend a state school than a private one. And it may be, if the state school is in the state in which you live. Florida State University in Tallahassee, for example, charges Floridians about $3,000 tuition and non-Floridians about $14,000. If you want to go to a state school outside your home state, find out from the school how to qualify as a resident in that other state before enrolling. However, no matter where your state-of-residence, you’ll need to factor in whether you will need more than four years at a state school to complete your degree requirements.
Many private schools offer more financial aid to lessen and sometimes erase the gap between public and private schools. Your best bet is to not discount a school you think is beyond reach financially until you call the financial aid office at the school and discuss your situation.

2 -Geography

2009-05-10T03:43:00.000-07:00

Columbia University is in New York City, home to more than 8 million residents. Grinnell College is in Grinnell, Iowa, home to about 9,000 residents.
Like school size, locations have advantages and disadvantages. You could probably go to a different movie theater every night of the school year in New York City and still not hit them all. In Grinnell, there’s one theater, but you can bike around town or even out in the countryside when you’re sick of studying. Again, don’t automatically rule out any location at this point.
More Geography: Searching for a Different Way of Life
Ever wonder what the rest of the world is like? Going to school in a different part of the country can yield not only a college degree but also a new perspective on life in general. If you grew up in Montana, for example, you’ll find life at the University of Miami to be an education in itself.
There’s an ocean, for starters, and probably more pizza take-out places in the city than in the whole state of Montana. Same for the Miami student who heads out to Montana State University-Bozeman and finds no traffic jams and a view of seven mountain ranges from a nearby hiking trail.

Going Away Close to Home
For me, it’s a shorter distance to Georgetown than to my high school, also in Washington. Georgetown draws people from all over the country and the world, and I have one of the shortest trips. I can move in and out easily. I can basically drive up and drop stuff off—25 minutes to get down there. And if I forget anything, I can go back and get it. I did take more stuff that would have been harder to take on a plane. I had a desktop computer rather than a laptop.
My first semester I went home a great deal because I had things I was trying to do. I was able to become an Eagle Scout and complete a requirement for my driver’s education certification. If I hadn’t lived nearby, I wouldn’t have been able to do that. So I was coming home a great deal but only as long as I needed to finish something, and then I went back to Georgetown. I never did laundry at home.
I’ve not been forced to go home. And my parents have given me space—they don’t show up on campus much. So even though I’m familiar with the city and Georgetown, it’s a whole different experience. It’s been the best possible situation for me. And in my junior year I will do a semester or a year study abroad to get away. I might even be interested in New Zealand, which is pretty far away.

Aspects to Consider

2009-05-10T03:38:00.000-07:00

You should consider the following 16 parameters when determining
which colleges fit your needs and wants.
School Size
Students at small schools have the opportunity to become better acquainted
with their instructors, professors, and classmates. This is especially true
during the first year, when some lecture classes at many large schools contain
hundreds of students and may be taught by graduate students rather
than professors. On the other hand, larger schools generally offer more
areas of study. Another difference is that the larger the school, the more extracurricular
activities and intramural offerings there are to choose from.
But then, the smaller the school, the more opportunity there is to participate
in the activities and offerings.

❏ If you are in a small high school, what attracts you about attending a
large college? And if you are in a large high school, what’s attractive about
a small college?
❏ Do I usually thrive on change or suffer through it?

Going from a Large High School to a Small College
My high school has 2,200 students and about 450 in my graduating class.
[Harvey Mudd has 680.] I wanted a good college; size was secondary. I
considered Harvard, Stanford, UCLA, Berkeley, and Harvey Mudd and was
accepted at UCLA, Berkeley, and Harvey Mudd.
I’d taken classes at UCLA and everything was anonymous, which I like. But my
mom is going for her second Ph.D. at UCLA and I didn’t want to go there
because of that. She was a teacher at my high school as well, so I’d had
enough of that. I visited Berkeley because I actually wanted a bigger school,
but it was physically dirty and people were, in general, too liberal for my
taste.
Harvey Mudd was stressful at first. They have student mug shots so all the
professors know who you are before you even go to class. I was used to not
having anyone know who I was, and I liked it that way. I always liked to have my
own group of friends and kept a certain degree of separation from people I
wouldn’t normally associate with.
A small school helped me become more accepting. Growing up in L.A. puts you
in a superficial environment, but that’s not the case at a small college. Here,
you know everyone simply by being in the same environment. Now, I like people I
normally wouldn’t associate with—just by getting to know them, talking to
them, and finding commonalities. I saw intellectual similarities and have come
to appreciate and even like other students who, in high school, I would have
considered social undesirables.

What Are Your Priorities?

2009-05-10T03:37:00.000-07:00

The college you select will be “home” for the next four big years of your life. New people, new ideas, new teachers, new friends, new books, new jobs, new . . . Well, you get the idea. All that change doesn’t have to be totally surprising if you do your homework on selecting the right school for you.
You’ll need to consider and chart your priorities for environment, academics, and costs and look at each college to see how it fits you.

Parameters for Choosing Colleges

2009-05-10T03:35:00.000-07:00

Which parameters should I consider when choosing a college? “All of them!” That’s the short and easy answer. Warning: One college won’t offer everything you like. But it should offer everything you need. Ultimately, you’ll need to choose which parameters are more important than others.
Don’t make those decisions right now, though. One academic whiz kid we know immediately tossed out any college that had more females than males. After she graduated from college, she said, “You know, I probably should have looked at women’s colleges when I was deciding. I would have liked that environment better.”

2009-05-10T03:16:00.000-07:00

What are my priorities right now as far as what I want from a college?
Should I choose a college just because my parent or other relative graduated from there? How much influence should my friends have on my choice? What is the difference between a state and private institution? What are the differences in terms of curriculum and class size? Why should I think about these differences?
Are professors equally accessible in state and private schools?
Why should I think about the campus environment? What does a state school offer in terms of environment compared to a private school?
What is a liberal arts college? What is the difference between a college and a university?
Am I aware of costs at any state and private schools I’m interested in?
Do my classes, GPA, test scores, extracurricular activities, and community service commitments fall within the profile range of state schools? Private schools? Highly selective schools?
Do I understand how competitive admissions are at highly selective schools? Do I still think I am a sure bet to get in if I apply to 15 highly selective schools?
Do I have information on small, medium, and large four-year colleges, as well as community colleges?
What kinds of degrees do community colleges grant? Why would I consider going to a community college if I want a bachelor’s degree?
If I am considering a community college as a step toward transferring to a four-year school, have I checked the community college’s accreditation? Will my class credits transfer to the four-year schools in which I’m interested? Is English 101 academically equal to English 101 at the four-year college I might transfer to?
Do I know if the community college has a steady number of students transferring to any particular four-year school?

Why I Chose a Community College

2009-02-20T14:12:00.000-08:00

When I was a senior, I looked at four-year colleges and this community college and thought they were pretty similar except that some of the four-year schools were pretty big. I was a little scared of getting lost in that size school so I thought the community college would be a better fit to start with.
This school also is a lot cheaper, and I’m getting the same general education that anyone would get at a four-year college. The biggest benefits for me are the smaller classes and the personal attention you receive from professors. My biggest class has about 25 students. I have some very caring professors who really do pay attention to their students. My math professor recommended I go to the tutoring center, and that’s really helped.
Some friends looked down on me for going to a community college, but I tell them it’s not any easier than a four-year university. I have met people such as an anesthetist who started at a community college, so I know I will be able to jump-start from here to a career path I want. I’ll get an associate of arts degree and the credits will transfer to any state school and most private schools in Minnesota.
I live in one of two dorm complexes about five minutes from school. We have a kitchen, living room, four private bedrooms, and two private baths. I’m actually in the dorm that’s a little more of a party dorm, but I usually just put on classical music with my headphones so I can study. People pretty much go home every weekend, and so do I. It’s about an hour’s drive. I’m glad I came here and would suggest people don’t rule out going to a community college just because you think people will look down on you. It is a viable option.

Community Colleges

2009-02-20T14:06:00.000-08:00

These can be public community colleges (also called junior and technical colleges), public and private centers, or institutes and specialty schools for art, music, aviation, and other disciplines. They offer two-year associate degrees, diploma programs, and certificates, which are issued upon completion of classes in a specialty area, such as welding. Community colleges traditionally have maintained an open-door policy, meaning admission has been automatic with proof of a high school diploma or equivalent. But that’s changing. Many community colleges are raising their admission standards and academic curriculum, and first-year students tend to do as well academically as freshmen at fouryear schools.
Most community colleges now provide course requirements for students moving into four-year schools, including highly competitive public universities.
These requirements, incorporated into articulation agreements between schools, comply with programs—such as a nursing program— and curricular offerings at those four-year schools. The Illinois Articulation Initiative, for example, considers any graduate with a degree from an accredited Illinois community college to have satisfied all the general education requirements at certain four-year public colleges and universities in the state.
If you’re thinking about a community college, ask what courses transfer, how easy it is to transfer, and how well the transfer students do compared with students already at the four-year schools you’re considering. Additionally, check your state or neighboring states for articulation agreements between community and four-year state colleges.

Fast Facts about Community Colleges

❏ Our 1,100 community colleges have a combined enrollment of 5.6 million students. They represent 45 percent of all undergraduates.
❏ Tuition and fees average $1,904.
❏ 55 percent of all first-year college students begin at a community college.
❏ Tuition and fees at a community college average approximately half of those at public, four-year colleges; they are less than 15 percent of what private, four-year schools charge.
❏ As many students enroll half-time as full-time because they work. Consequently, community colleges offer classes and programs at times and places convenient for working students, including nights and weekends.
❏ Community college students tend to live off campus, often at home to save money. Some campuses have no dormitories.

Why I Chose a Highly Selective School

2009-02-20T13:53:00.001-08:00

I went to Loyola High School in Los Angeles, a private, all-male, Jesuit institution. It’s actually very hard to get into so I’ve been in a competitive environment since before I can remember. If I had not gone there, I wouldn’t even know what Brown is. I began taking a lot of Honors classes when I was a freshman. I hadn’t planned to, but all these kids were taking such hard classes that I didn’t want to be behind. Sophomore year, we took an East Coast college tour and I first saw Brown. I applied early decision to Georgetown, and when I didn’t get in, I applied to other schools, and Brown, but at the last minute. I almost didn’t complete my application because I didn’t think I could get in. I like that there’s no core curriculum; it’s a liberal school. It’s a lot more work. First semester, I had no sit-in exams, but rather take-home final papers for four classes. I ended up writing 50 pages. I was very thankful my high school prepared us.
Being here has already opened doors. Last summer I got two multicultural internships at the Getty [Center] in L.A. I didn’t realize how much of an impact Brown would have. I was going through interviews and people were very impressed. Brown has a need-blind admission policy, so it doesn’t look at an applicant’s family income. That allows for a diverse array of kids from different economic backgrounds. I work in Brown’s admissions office in minority recruitment, including inner-city L.A. schools because most of those kids don’t get the opportunity to know about schools like this. I tell them you don’t know if you can get in until you give it a shot. Tons of kids who apply are straight-A students with good SAT scores, but that’s it. Brown is looking for all-around students who are academically smart but also active in their communities or school activities, athletics, and programs.

Highly Selective Colleges and Universities

2009-02-13T14:24:00.000-08:00

Unlike state schools, private schools, and community colleges, there is no standard definition for a highly selective school. Still, about 30 private colleges and universities, along with a few public institutions, such as University of Michigan, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Virginia, are considered highly selective.
These highly selective schools are, quite frankly, really tough to get into. Some have traditionally had very high admissions standards; others have, of late, become much more selective. In fact, compared to 1992, admissions standards for four-year private institutions were higher in the year 2000— higher tests scores, higher GPA/class rank. Additionally, acceptance rates were lower. The bottom line? More highly qualified applicants are competing for limited space in highly selective private schools. Admissions officers wade through pools of applicants, plucking out the best of the best. But this is no random plucking. They’re attempting to sculpt well-rounded classes, bringing together students who will learn from one another. They want athletes and musicians and thinkers and artists and leaders. And they get very specific. As one private admissions consultant said, “If Harvard is losing a tuba player, then Harvard is conscious of that.” These schools consider just about everything, right down to geography. If you live in an area that tends not to send lots of students to highly selective schools, you may stand a better chance of admittance than students in a private, prep high school—but only if your test scores are way up there. So check criteria for admission in those big books in your school’s counseling office, study the profiles of typical entering students, and be sure to apply to a couple safety schools where you are positive of being accepted.
There are benefits to being one of the chosen few. You’re among students who, for downtime, talk about Chaucer or Jung or AIDS in Africa.
You may make contacts that lead to professions such as investment banking, where starting salaries are close to six figures. You receive instant respect for applications to postgraduate degree programs—and bragging rights for you and your parents, which is important to some.

Private Colleges and Universities

2009-02-13T14:18:00.000-08:00

Private schools vary widely in size, location, academic programs, and institutional missions. For instance:
❏ Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, with more than 26,000 students, is affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
❏ Landmark College in Putney, Vermont, is a two-year school with about 400 students, exclusively serving students with dyslexia, AD/HD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), or specific learning disabilities.
❏ Wilmington College in New Castle, Delaware, is nonresidential, open access, and nonsectarian, with more than 7,500 students. Admissions standards generally vary from open access to highly selective. The schools are financed by tuition, fees, and endowment earnings; gifts from individuals, businesses, and foundations; and some government appropriations.
Fast Facts about Private Schools
❏ There are about 1,600 private two- and four-year colleges and universities in the United States.
❏ Tuition and fees average $19,710.
❏ The average tuition that students pay at private colleges has actually declined over the past decade, once you subtract grant aid and adjust for inflation.
❏ Two-thirds of grants given consider financial need; one-third is based entirely on factors other than need.
❏ The proportion of students from racial and ethnic minorities is almost the same as at four-year state schools.
❏ Students who work full-time, have a high school equivalency diploma, or face other challenges are more likely to graduate from a private school than from a state school.
❏ Students are as likely to earn their degree in four years at a private school as they are in six years at a state school.
Why I Chose a Private School
I thought at first I would have to go to a public school, in-state, because I couldn’t afford a private school. After applying to different places, I found that a private school can be cheaper.
At first I looked at smaller colleges fairly close to where I live [Harrogate, Tennessee].
Then, for the heck of it, I printed out the list of the top 200 liberal arts colleges from U.S. News, did a search on www.collegeboard.com for colleges that fit my criteria, and visited the Web sites of the schools that appeared on both lists. Once I got my list down to 10, I called admissions offices.
Through that search, I ended up here with a full scholarship. I was also offered a half scholarship from Centre College [Danville, Kentucky]. When I went there for the Governor’s Scholars Program, I was with 300 students and got the feel of a small college. Actually, as a Governor’s Scholar, I could have had my way paid at a state school. But at a private school you hardly ever have a class of more than 25, and for the majority of professors, teaching is their focus. They do research as well, but their main focus is students. I’ve been asked out to lunch by every one of my professors. That would not happen in a class with 200 kids. Here, if you need help, you have the professors’ phone numbers. I highly encourage anyone interested in a private college to let people in the admissions office know you really want to attend that school. Call and let them know how things are going.

Why I Chose a State School ?

2009-02-12T04:20:00.000-08:00

Taking entrance exams gave me a realistic idea of where I could be admitted. I applied to the University of Minnesota because my test scores guaranteed admission. I also applied to two liberal arts schools—Carleton and Northwestern. Lots of kids in my high school Honors programs applied to Carleton; I knew my scores were the mean for freshmen. And I applied to Princeton and Harvard. I wanted to get into the best school I could, but had to make sure I got into some school. I got into Carleton and was wait-listed at Northwestern, but chose the U of M.
Private schools don’t offer as many degree programs as public universities, which enabled me to be more open-minded in my degree decision. Colleges within the U of M have Honors programs. So I applied to the Institute of Technology and got into that college’s Honors program. Those were separate procedures, just like applying to a select university because of what you had to do to get in. Also, a liberal arts school costs $30,000 a year, and I’m paying about $8,000. The U is fairly close to where I live, so I commute and save money. And there are more research opportunities because the U of M gets federal and state funds that private schools don’t. Its chemical engineering program is ranked number one in the nation. I took all those factors into consideration.

State Colleges and Universities

2009-02-12T04:18:00.000-08:00

The big news with state colleges and universities is the changing student body. State-of-the-art teaching, combined with tuition price tags that are usually significantly lower than those at private institutions, are resulting in more highly qualified students applying. This is turning some state schools—particularly big research schools, which are in almost every state—into highly competitive admissions clubs. Many schools have developed an Honors program within the university to challenge academic whiz kids. However, because state-funded schools were created to offer a postsecondary educational opportunity to as many as possible, these schools also offer remedial classes. In fact, more students are enrolling in remedial courses at the beginning of their college career.
Another issue is tight budgets. Many states are cutting funds to their state institutions. The impact is being felt by students through increasing tuition and fees, larger classes, and fewer class choices, all of which affect you as a prospective student.

What Kind of School Fits Me Best?

2009-02-12T04:16:00.000-08:00

If each person in your family began his or her postsecondary education at your local community college, then finished up at State U, should you follow in those footsteps? If everyone as far back as your great-grandparents studied at the same small school in Southern California, should you forget your dream of going to a big school in Michigan?
Not necessarily. Schools are like shoes: one size doesn’t fit all. Figuring out what appeals to you and what is distasteful, what’s comfortable and what pinches—basically, what you like and don’t like—is the first step in deciding where to apply. Let’s face it, if you absolutely hate snow, Colorado may not be the place for you, no matter how many friends say it’s their number one choice.
To figure out which schools suit you, begin by considering four basic options: state, private, highly selective colleges and universities, and community colleges. Included in that mix are four-year liberal arts colleges, both private and state. Liberal arts colleges offer bachelor’s degrees, are generally smaller than universities, have smaller classes taught by professors, and focus on graduating students in four years. Universities, both private and state, offer bachelor’s, master’s, and, usually, doctorate degrees. Universities are composed of a liberal arts college, professional colleges, and graduate programs. They generally have larger freshman classes that are often taught in lecture format by graduate assistants. Students must plan carefully to be able to complete studies in four years.

All Kinds of Colleges

2009-02-12T04:14:00.000-08:00

Choosing where to go to college is like trying to choose just one of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream flavors on a hot day. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream appeals one time but Cherry Garcia ice cream sounds better another. Colleges will attract you in varying degrees too, as you go through the search and application process.
After all, there are literally thousands of accredited colleges and universities in this country: more than 2,300 four-year schools and more than 1,800 two-year schools. One of the smallest, Sierra Nevada College–Lake Tahoe in Incline Village, Nevada, has fewer than 350 undergraduates. One of the largest, the University of Texas at Austin, has about 39,000 full- and part-time undergraduate students. Big, small, and all the sizes in between—each has advantages and disadvantages. And you get to choose which ones matter to you and your family.

How I Organized My College Search

2009-02-10T11:01:00.000-08:00

My family in general is organized—all the time. My mom was very supportive and had me thinking about and looking at colleges in junior high school. I had folders in our home office for each college, standardized tests, visits, and applications. There were still times we had to search for something, despite our orderliness.
I took the SAT and ACT multiple times starting in junior high, so I received lots of information from colleges. But it can get overwhelming if you have too much information and no system. If you have just garbage bags full of information, take a weekend, go through it, and try to get it down to fewer colleges. Don’t keep information from other state schools if you know you only want to go to one school in your state.
We organized college visits to go to more than one school per trip. The exception was Pittsburgh because there were no other schools close that I was interested in. A big incentive to come to Pittsburgh was the money they offered me, but I wanted to see it and not base my decision solely on the money.
By the time March and April of my senior year rolled around, I knew all the vital information about the schools I’d applied to. There are so many variables to keep straight, so I made a chart of my top three schools to compare the important things about each and why I would want to go here or there. College is an important decision and a big investment, so you must be organized to figure out what is best for you.
Stephanie Smith, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Six Ways to Organize All That Stuff

2009-02-10T10:56:00.000-08:00

1. Keep information you receive in folders labeled “Very Appealing” schools, “Sounds Good Right Now” schools, “Okay” schools, and “I Don’t Think So” schools.
2. Move Web site information and e-mails to similarly labeled files on your computer.
3. Add schools of interest to your favorite Web sites list.
4. As the folders grow (and they will), create a second set of folders and corresponding computer files. These will be for schools that are becoming increasingly interesting to you. Keep all information from School A in one folder or file, School B in a second folder or file, and so on.
5. You can set aside your “I Don’t Think So” schools, and maybe even your “Okay” schools, but DON’T THROW ANYTHING AWAY YET! As you learn more about individual colleges and your own needs and wants, you may change your mind about your priorities. Sometimes, an “I Don’t Think So” school becomes a “Sounds Good Right Now” school or even a “Very Appealing” school.
6. If all that organization is just too much for you, we did hear of one student who piled all the college brochures and papers into three super-size, green trash bags.

You’ve Got Mail! (In the Mailbox)

2009-02-10T10:53:00.000-08:00

Typically, your first contact with a college will be a visit to its Web site; your second will be correspondence or a chat with the admissions officer—the most common entry point for interested high schoolers. Via a toll-free number or e-mail, you can ask the admissions officer to add your name to the school’s database so you begin receiving printed and electronic materials. Often, one stream of information goes to high school sophomores or younger, another to juniors, and still another to seniors. The younger you are, the more general the information. By the time you’re a senior, information may relate to your area of academic interest as well as on-campus sports or activities in which you might want to participate.
The admissions officer also answers your e-mail or telephone questions and connects you with a particular coach, professor, program director, or current students. Generally, admissions officers are assigned to cover a geographic area so they get to know the schools in that area and become acquainted with prospective applicants through multiple contacts. Having someone in the admissions office who knows you can work to your advantage. Your goal right now, though, is to learn as much as you can about every college you’re considering, so read that mail.

The Private Independent Counselor

2009-02-10T10:08:00.000-08:00

About 8 percent of students use private independent counselors in their college search. While the reasons vary, the fact is, a private counselor generally has more time to help with your college search. The flip side is that you—okay, your parents—pay for that help. Fees can start at about $400 and go up quickly, depending on which services you need for the application process.
In the past, independent counselors usually worked with students considering highly selective schools. Today they also have clients looking at state schools nationwide, rather than only in their home state. Acounselor should not pick out the college for you; instead, the counselor should help you and your parents learn to assess what’s important as you go through the search process.
If you decide to hire an independent counselor, check on professional affiliations, years in business, and where most clients have gone to college. Talk to the references listed. And watch out for people who want a cut of any aid you receive.

What You Need to Know about Filling Out Your Online Profile

2009-02-03T15:08:00.001-08:00

❏ If you can’t find a specific major listed in the areas of study, broaden your search. For example, if you want to major in biophysics but no colleges in your profile response offer it, select schools with a strong physics major program. Then visit those college sites listed in your search results, asking what they offer in biophysics.
❏ If you don’t have a clue what your major may be—or how big or small a school should be, or whether you want to study in a small town or a big city, for example—leave related fields blank.
❏ Some highly selective schools have a need-blind policy, which means qualified students won’t be denied admission because of financial need; the schools are prepared to offer full or partial scholarships and grants for demonstrated need. If you fit into that category, fill in the tuition field accordingly so as not to restrict your search.
❏ Search results are limited to colleges that generally accept students with scores from 20 percent below to 5 percent above your combined mathverbal SAT score. If you’re at the top in your class, you may get a short list of possible schools. Try lowering the SAT scores you enter or leave them blank to get a more expansive list.
❏ It’s the same with ACT scores. Colleges that require ACT scores less than three points below or two points above the score you entered won’t show up on your list of schools.

Counseling/Guidance Office: An Information Gold Mine

2009-02-03T15:03:00.000-08:00

Your counselor plays a valuable role helping you navigate all those Web sites and sift through the resulting mountain of facts and figures for what you need to know. Plus, the counseling/guidance office has readily available information about in-state schools, the private schools within your state, and your community college system. Hopefully, the office also has drawer files chock-full of information about out-of-state colleges throughout the country—or, at the very least, the out-of-state colleges that attract your high school’s graduates. Additionally, your counselor knows about college fairs in your area and visits by admissions representatives to your school. Finally, unless your counselor is brand new to the job, he or she has been down this search road often. Don’t underestimate the value of such hands-on experience.
While your counselor is there to help guide you through the collegesearch process, he or she may be responsible for guiding 400 (or more) other students as well. So make good use of your counselor’s classroom presentations, handouts, parent/student meetings, and preplanned oneon-one sessions. If you need additional assistance or have questions, however, ask your counselor for help. Unanswered questions now could mean overlooked schools later.

Questions for My Counselor

❏ What Internet sites will be most helpful?
❏ Which of the big college guide books in the counseling office will be most helpful?
❏ What can I expect to get out of a college fair? Should I attend more than one?
❏ Can you put me in touch with our school’s recent grads who attend colleges that might interest me?
❏ How does my high school compare to others in terms of test scores, AP courses, and overall reputation?
❏ Do you often work with students who want to attend highly selective schools? (If you’re considering such schools but your counselor has little experience in that area, you may want to work with another counselor or a private independent counselor.)

Personal Profile

2009-02-03T14:55:00.000-08:00

Interactive Web sites invite you to complete a basic profile of your preferences, including region, estimated annual cost, freshman class size, surrounding community, and school type. Your responses can range from “doesn’t matter” or “no preference” to being fairly specific—for example, you want to be part of a freshman class of fewer than 1,000. In return, you either receive a college list that matches your profile or you are informed there are no matches. In the latter case, change at least one of your responses and try again.
Some profiles are more detailed, asking for your preference as far as area of study, public/private, religious affiliation, ethnicity, special services, location, city size, student body type, athletics, and disabilities. You may also be asked for personal information such as test scores.
Try more than one site to see differences in the lists you get. Some major college search sites with profiling options include: the Princeton Review site (www.princetonreview.com) indicates your percent of fit with specific colleges based on your information and preferences. The College Board site (www.collegeboard.com) offers four search options: answer questions about your preferences and find schools that match, look at profiles of individual colleges, find colleges that match ones you’re already interested in, and compare up to three schools side by side. CollegesWantYou, a feature on the Web site for Peterson’s, part of the Thomson Corp. (www.petersons.com), allows you to have your completed profile sent to colleges that meet your specifications. The schools may contact you, but if they don’t come knocking on your door, it’s okay to contact them.

How to Compare Colleges

2009-01-30T15:23:00.000-08:00

At www.collegeboard.com, click on “College QuickFinder”; click “side-by-side comparison.” At numeral 1, type in a college name; click “Go”; or select a college from the alphabetical lists. Click “Add” to include a college in your compare list, shown in numeral 2. Repeat the process to add colleges to the compare list. When you have two or three colleges on your compare list, click “Compare” at numeral 3. An easy-to-read chart compares the schools by location, type, campus, and student life (rural/urban setting and enrollment); admissions stats for percentage accepted, GPA of first-year students, application requirements (tests, interview), test scores of middle 50 percent of first-year students; cost and financial aid.
The same site’s LikeFinder option performs a backward search to find schools similar to a college you know fits your size and cost parameters. From the home page click “College Search”; at LikeFinder, type your college preference/Go; on the new screen, click “LikeFind” under the college’s name.

The Internet: A Great Place to Start

2009-01-30T15:20:00.001-08:00

If you have particular schools in mind, visit their Web sites for information— videos, campus tours, admissions requirements, applications, tuition, financial aid, courses, majors, student and professor e-mail addresses, tips for incoming students, institutional history, a campus map . . . whatever you want to know. Use the school’s e-mail address or phone number to request information via USPS or electronically.
Entering the key words “college search” in Google (www.google.com) yields a potpourri of choices—about 45 million within seconds! In fact, key words such as “college scholarships,” “college admissions,” or “college athletics” each yield several million sites to visit. Unless you have a ridiculous amount of time, you won’t be able to visit several million sites. However, Google sites should be listed in order of relevance; the top sites are the ones used most by people like you. Google also has sponsored links that appear in a column along the right side of the page.
In addition, there are plenty of Web sites not connected with promoting any particular college. Rather, they contain a mother lode of information about thousands of colleges. For example, the U.S. News & World Report site (www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/corank.htm) ranks colleges in multiple categories such as Best Undergraduate Business Programs, Best Values: Great Schools at Great Prices, and Comprehensive Colleges— North (or South, West, or Midwest). Other sites may not rank, but do allow you to search by specifics such as name, major, state or region, cost, student life, and more.
You’ll be introduced to admissions officers, students, and faculty and take a virtual tour of campuses. You can pull up very specific listings: historically black colleges, all-women’s or all-men’s colleges, Jesuit schools or Baptist colleges—even party schools! You can click your way through a process that matches your interests, areas of study, financial situation, and regional preferences with a corresponding list of colleges. The goal is to help you come up with the best combination of academics, environment, and affordability for you.

Know the College Semester Jargon

2009-01-30T15:18:00.000-08:00

Semester plan: A fall semester, usually late August to mid-December, and a spring semester, usually mid-January to early May. The majority of institutions follow this plan, with individual variations. Students can expect to take five courses or about 15 credit hours per semester to graduate in four years. 4-1-4 plan: A fall and spring semester with a January term for focus on one course that encourages independent inquiry, innovation, or exploration of an area outside the student’s usual purview. Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana, and Hawaii Pacific University in Honolulu follow this calendar.
Trimester plan: A fall semester, usually September to mid-December; a winter semester, usually January to mid-March; and a spring semester, usually late March to mid-June. Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, is one school that follows this plan.
12-12-6 plan: Three terms consisting of two 12-week semesters—called fall and winter terms—and one 6-week term—called spring term. Students take 12 to 14 credits during the longer terms and 3 to 6 credits in the spring term. At Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, the spring term consists of internships, brief study-abroad opportunities, fieldwork in the sciences, or focused foreign language conversations. Winter study: Usually the month of January, this is an on- or off-campus class in an unusual topic or skill for credit or no credit. One-course-at-a-time, also called the block plan: One course studied indepth for 31⁄2 weeks, with a few days’ break in between each course. Generally, the class runs from 9 a.m. to noon, leaving afternoons for labs, studying, or researching. Students take eight or nine blocks from September to May, resulting in the same number of courses as students on the traditional semester system. Three U.S. colleges offer this plan: Cornell College, Mount Vernon, Iowa; Colorado College, Colorado Springs; and Tusculum College in Greenville, Tennessee.

College Information—It’s Everywhere!

2009-01-28T07:21:00.000-08:00

In a world of uncertainty about college choices, this much is certain: you will receive a LOT of information about a LOT of colleges. The information will come from Internet searches, your high school counseling office, college admissions offices, little pieces of paper you filled out at college fairs, camps you attended, on-campus experiences in which you participated, good-to-great test scores you achieved, attention garnered for your ability as, perhaps, an athlete or a musician, and maybe a telemarketing list or two. You’ll hear from colleges close to home, schools you’ve contacted, schools you’ve thought about, and schools you’ve never heard of. In the beginning, all this attention is pretty exciting. But as the piles of materials grow, you may start feeling overwhelmed by how much information these colleges think you need. You can’t read everything, but you don’t want to toss anything that may be valuable as you move further into the selection process. If you limit your search only to schools you know about, you risk cutting yourself off from new experiences and opportunities down the road.
You’ll learn, for example, that all colleges did not emerge from the same mold. In fact, some are truly unique. Simon’s Rock College of Bard in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, is the nation’s only four-year residential college of the liberal arts and sciences designed exclusively for students who have completed the 10th or 11th grade. They may earn an associate of arts degree in two years or a bachelor of arts degree after four years, and graduate two years ahead of their peers. Students at Reed College in Portland, Oregon, must take P.E. as well as read Herodotus and Virgil. On campus, students help staff a nuclear research reactor; off campus, they participate in mentor programs with local schools. Each student at War-ren Wilson College in Asheville, North Carolina, volunteers 100 hours to community service, receives room and board credit for a campus job, and carries a regular curricular load.
In the end, your first choice may be a school you had never heard of in the beginning. That means slowly sifting through computer printouts, glossy brochures, generic and personal letters. The real issue isn’t whether you have enough information so much as whether you have the right information to reach your goal. And what is that goal? Finding a great match, which happens when College ABC is right for you and you are right for College ABC.

How Good Time Management Helps Balance a Potentially Stressful Load at School

2009-01-28T07:18:00.000-08:00

My first three years [in high school], I carried full schedules with one study hall every other day. Senior year, I took 5.5 classes for credit—including three AP courses—and an ELP (Extended Learning Program) class worth half a credit. I never had many activities at the beginning of the school year, so I could get used to the class load. By December, I got hit and was busy the rest of the year. Still, my four or five serious activities didn’t overlap, so except during tennis season, I didn’t have something every night.
Our school gave us planners but I always forgot to write in mine. Then, my folks gave me a Palm Pilot, but I couldn’t remember to write in it after every class either. I ended up selling it on eBay for more than it was worth. What worked was an expandable file of clear plastic subject folders. I’d go through the folders at night and get all my homework done in one or two hours. Losing that folder would have been like wearing no pants to school. Plus, my mom kept track of my activities—tennis practice and matches and doctor’s appointments—on a big kitchen calendar. If your parent is willing to do that, take advantage.
I also learned to utilize little bunches of time. Like nobody does anything until after dinner on Fridays, so I got in several hours of homework after school. I took homework to tennis meets. Once you’ve watched one tennis meet, you’ve
watched them all. It amazes me what I could do in 20 minutes.
Ashlee Minton, Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska

Seeking Help

2009-01-26T11:01:00.000-08:00

You need to recognize the symptoms of stress and deal with the issues that are causing it. Sounds simple, but sometimes it’s actually impossible. There may be times when you do everything in your power and still can’t get things under control. Then you may need to seek professional help.
Perhaps the idea comes in the form of a suggestion from a teacher, your counselor, the family doctor, a friend, or a parent. Some people—not just teenagers—balk at the idea of getting professional help for stress. But look at it this way: If you fall off the sofa and break your arm, you’d go to the doctor, right? If you get a toothache that won’t quit, you’d go to the dentist, right? So if you can’t handle the stress in your life, why would you not go to someone trained in that area?

How Do I Handle Stress?

❏ Am I able to identify the source or sources of my stress so I know where to direct my efforts?
❏ What about relaxation exercises such as abdominal breathing and muscle relaxation techniques?
❏ Do I feel less stressed when I do a good job of organizing my time? Effective personal organization helps manage stress.
❏ Is there a network of friends who can help me cope in a positive way? What about a teacher, coach, family member, or religious advisor?
❏ Do I eat well, get enough sleep, and exercise regularly? Do I avoid excess caffeine, which can increase feelings of anxiety and agitation?
❏ Do I take a break from stressful situations—like studying for a final—and just listen to music, talk to a friend, draw, write, or walk the dog?
❏ While alcohol, tobacco, and drugs may seem to provide relief, am I willing to acknowledge that they actually increase stress levels and don’t relieve the problem on a long-term basis?
❏ Do I beat myself up when I make a mistake? Do I have negative thoughts about myself and the direction my life is taking? Continually berating yourself increases the stress level.
❏ Am I a perfectionist? It’s healthier to feel good about a “good enough” job.
❏ If I can’t solve the big problems now, can I at least do something about the little ones?
❏ Stress causes fatigue and depression. Do I give myself time to get over them?
❏ Do I believe enough in myself and in my ability to take charge of my own life?

Signs That You May Need to Seek Help

❏ Withdrawing from friends and family, or alienating them
❏ Being sad, feeling empty or irritable almost all the time
❏ Finding little or no joy or pleasure in activities you’ve always enjoyed
❏ Blaming others
❏ Being unable to concentrate
❏ Having trouble sleeping, or sleeping all the time
❏ Always feeling guilty, helpless, or just plain worthless
❏ Having a significant weight loss or gain
❏ Feeling fatigued all the time
❏ Having recurring thoughts of death or suicide Do not ignore the warning signs. If down moods persist for two weeks or more, seek professional help. You may be experiencing depression; effective treatments are available.

Resources to Tap

❏ Talk to a trusted adult, one who will respect your confidentiality.
❏ Visit with your school guidance counselor. If the counselor can’t provide sufficient assistance, you may be referred to an outside professional.
❏ You can also be referred to a professional by a friend, your family doctor, a religious advisor, your local hospital or mental health center.
❏ Professionals include social workers, counselors, psychologists, and psychiatrists.
❏ Crisis hotlines allow you to call anonymously for information and advice.
❏ Contact the National Mental Health Association at www.nmha.org or 1-800-969-NMHA; or the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill at www.nami.org or 1-800-950-NAMI.

Stress Relievers

2009-01-26T10:58:00.001-08:00

While your body tolerates some stress, realize that stress builds if left unaddressed. In fact, continual exposure will lower your ability to cope effectively. Left unchecked long enough, you can become physically ill and enter into a serious depression. That’s why knowing how to recognize and manage your stress is so important.

What Causes Stress?

❏ Change and adjusting to change
❏ Decisions that are tough to make
❏ School, including classes, grades, classmates, extracurricular activities, and sports
❏ Homework and tests
❏ Relationships with friends, and with a girlfriend or boyfriend
❏ Searching for, applying to, and getting accepted into college
❏ Moving or changing schools
❏ Family problems such as separation or divorce of your parents, abuse, chronic illness, the death of a loved one, financial difficulties
❏ Living in an unsafe home or neighborhood or world
❏ Physical changes in your body, especially as they relate to developing a new self-image
❏ Unrealistically high expectations
❏ Concerns about safe sex, unplanned pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases
❏ Violence, drinking, drugs

What Is Stress?

2009-01-26T10:55:00.000-08:00

All those things going on in your life aren’t stress. They are the situations that cause stress. Actual stress is your body’s response to any demand made on it. Common physical symptoms of stress include muscular tension, colds as well as medically unexplained aches and pains, fatigue, and headaches. Common emotional symptoms include irritability, anger, agitation, and feeling overwhelmed. Common cognitive symptoms include inability to make decisions, forgetfulness, and difficulty concentrating.
When your heart starts racing as Coach announces your basketball team’s starting line-up, or when you’re awake all night thinking about that half-done term paper, or when you start pacing the floor because your ride to school is late, your body is responding to demands being made upon it.
Surprisingly, there’s positive stress as well as negative stress. The latter used to be called “distress,” but today stress and distress are synonymous. And most people see it all as negative. Not so. Some stress is simply a part of everyday life. Positive stress, for example, motivates, improves performance, and sharpens the mind. That’s the kind of stress you experience if you win the United States Academic Decathlon, for example, or learn you’ve been admitted to the college you wanted to go to more than anything else in the whole world. Positive stress events may be so powerful that the high is followed by a period of letdown and fatigue—which you also feel after messing up on a final exam because you didn’t study. And that, of course, is negative stress.
Tension in a high schooler’s life has been blamed for everything from cheating on tests to binge drinking and the ultimate negative effect—suicide. Schedules crammed with unwieldy amounts of academic classes and extracurricular activities can take a toll on your physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
At Lynbrook High School in San Jose, California, teachers are encouraged to give meaningful homework rather than busywork, provide clear expectations, and indicate how long assignments should take. They are discouraged from giving homework over weekends or holiday periods.
Tutorial periods twice a week also enable students to meet during the day with teachers for help, work on projects with other students, and use the library or computer lab—something many can’t do after school because of extracurricular activities or sports. Additionally, the students put on an annual stress-free week that includes jumping on a trampoline!

I Am So Stressed Out!

2009-01-26T10:52:00.000-08:00

Ever heard people say they were stressed out? Ever said that yourself?
Most high schoolers would have to answer yes. (Wouldn’t we all!) As a high school student you’re continually reminded that your future depends upon how well you perform academically. Plus, maybe you’re one of those students who takes AP and Honors classes, is involved in at least one sport, has at least one extracurricular activity—perhaps through your school or community—holds down a part-time job, all while trying to get along with the family as well as your friends and the latest love of your life.
Or you might be a student whose grades are average, has chosen not to participate in activities, is quiet, isn’t convinced of being college material, and hasn’t connected with teachers beyond the classroom. Or maybe you’re somewhere in between.
No matter. Like everyone else your age, the competition for peer approval and your growing independence from parents induce self-doubt. Plus, high school counselors keep talking about how much time and effort any college search process will take. That is a lot to handle, which is why you announce to no one and everyone, “I AM SO STRESSED OUT!”

How Much Will I Spend at College?

2009-01-24T10:05:00.000-08:00

❏ How much do my clothes and personal items for one year cost?
❏ Do I prefer to cook for myself or subscribe to a dining hall plan?
❏ How often do I eat pizza with my friends now? Go to movies or other entertainment?
❏ Will I have formal events to attend, fraternity or sorority fees, or other social expenses?
❏ Have I checked out a college bookstore to see how much new and used textbooks cost?
❏ Will I have a vehicle at college? What are fees for insurance and parking? How often have I had to get the vehicle repaired, and is that pattern likely to continue? Will I need snow tires if I’m from Georgia and going to college in the Northeast?
❏ Will I be able to hitch a ride home with someone or will I have to purchase bus, train, or plane tickets? How much are those fares during the holidays when I’ll want to get home?
❏ If I break an arm playing intramurals and go to the emergency room, does my health insurance (either through family or the college) cover that expense?

Managing Debt

2009-01-24T10:03:00.000-08:00

It’s so easy to get in over your head with debts in college. One way to manage debt is to pay interest as it accrues in college on unsubsidized federal and private loans. For example, for a loan of $15,000 at 8.25 percent interest, if you pay the interest while in college, you will pay approximately $17 less per month after college as you repay the loan. That’s about $1,987 less over the lifetime of the loan, which will go far toward a cool sound system. A growing problem is students’ credit card debt. Students are bombarded with credit card offers the moment they step on campus, if not before.
Those companies know that students spend a lot of dollars and have good potential earning power.Credit cards are so convenient to use that people forget they are high interest loans rather than real money. You add to the loan each time you use the card—for dinner out, concert tickets, gas, spring break plane tickets, books, clothes, CDs—and pretty soon you’ve amassed a bigger bill than you can pay. So you pay the minimum amount required and figure to pay it down monthly, which can take years. For example, for a bill of $1,500, if you pay the minimum $22 each month, you’ll finish paying that particular bill in 17-plus years. You’ll have paid $3,124 in interest and, altogether, $4,624 for that original $1,500 bill.
Credit cards can be useful if you use them judiciously. Shop around for the best deal; compare terms and fees before you open the account; keep copies of sales slips to compare with your monthly bill; and don’t choose a credit card to get a free T-shirt. One more tip: note how long you have to pay the bill. Many cards have shortened the time to 20 days from the billing date, not from when you receive the bill. That means you need to pay promptly so it can be credited to your account within the 20 days. Some companies take five to seven days to credit a payment. So you can incur late fees and interest payments quickly if you put off settling your account.

Opening Your Bank Account

2009-01-24T10:01:00.000-08:00

You may open a bank account in your new college town during orientation. Financial institutions will have representatives and information available and are used to dealing with new students. Alternatively, you may access your hometown checking account through ATM machines.
That might make it easy for Mom or Dad to replenish your account. But compare fees for items such as checks and ATM use. Will you need to pay $1 or more every time you do an ATM withdrawal or deposit? Also, balance that checking account monthly to make sure you still have enough money in your account to cover your costs and to note where the money has gone. If most of the entries are for miscellaneous ATM withdrawals, it’s time to compare spending with your budget projections.

Create Your Budget

2009-01-24T10:00:00.000-08:00

Making a budget to guide spending is never at the top of anyone’s funthings-to-do list. But it’s still the best way to figure out how much money you need to live on and if you are spending your money as you want to. To make a budget, track your current spending, evaluate that spending to set spending guidelines, and, finally, track your spending to ensure that you stay within those guidelines. Ask your parents for current costs for basic needs and wants.

Attention Parents: 10 Ways to Help Your Student Win Scholarships

2009-01-24T09:58:00.001-08:00

1. Avoid the urge to take over, even when you know best.
2. Ask your student how you can be most helpful in the process. Maybe it’s just addressing envelopes or taking the application to the post office.
3. Ask your student what the deadlines are and then mark them on your calendar too. When they come close, you can offhandedly ask if any deadlines are coming up.
4. When push comes to shove (and it will), lighten up on your student’s household responsibilities till everything is in the mail.
5. If you are asked to read the essay, suggest changes tactfully by asking questions leading to clarification or reorganization of ideas.
6. Never, ever, do the applications for your student. It’s okay to fill in some routine information blanks, but not sections that require sentences. And certainly not the essay.
7. Discuss the idea of rejection up front. Competition is stiff and rejection isn’t personal, but that’s hard to believe after your student’s hard work. Pursue enough scholarships and it’s likely that your student will get some free money.
8. Discuss family finances to help your youngster understand how free money may impact the choice of schools. If some schools must be ruled out—no matter how much scholarship money is possible—discuss that early in the process.
9. Get online yourself to become knowledgeable about scholarship opportunities. The more you know, the better you can work with your student.
10. Be patient, listen, and offer suggestions when asked.

Personal Money Management 101

2009-01-24T09:55:00.000-08:00

How you manage your money in college will make a big difference in how well you live after college. If you indulge nearly all your “wants” in college and pile up loans and credit card debts, you’ll need to land an investment banker’s high-flying salary immediately or live frugally when you join the real world and pay off your debts, which could take years.
Even if you have done well managing your allowance or after-school job earnings with your own bank account and credit card, money seems to fly out the window at college. Parent Joyce Pope’s daughter worked all summer to save $1,000 for her college spending money for concerts, university sweatshirts, and more. With three weeks remaining in her spring semester, the first-year student called home for funds to replenish her depleted bank account. Pope says, “I sent her the only two things I thought she really needed: Tampax and toothpaste.” Next time her daughter called home, she had a waitress job while studying for finals, and the young woman had solved the problem herself, as her mother wanted her to do. The basics for managing your college money are fairly simple. Open a bank account, write a budget for what you think costs will be, and avoid credit card debt.

FTC Warning: Watch Out for These Lines

2009-01-24T09:53:00.000-08:00

❏ “This scholarship is guaranteed or your money back.”
❏ “You can’t get this information anywhere else.”
❏ “I just need your credit card or bank account number to hold this scholarship.”
❏ “We’ll do all the work.”
❏ “This scholarship will cost some money.”
❏ “You’ve been selected by a national foundation to receive a scholarship.” Or, “You’re a finalist” in a contest you did not enter.

Scholarship Scams

2009-01-24T09:44:00.000-08:00

You do not need to pay anyone to find scholarships for you. That’s because you have the same access as any business to the databases. Even so, people do pay because they don’t have time to search or the confidence that they will be thorough. And sometimes people get taken in by fraudulent companies involved in scams.
When you get scammed, you lose your hard-earned bucks for college and get little or nothing in return. Recognizing that fraud occurs regularly, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and U.S. Department of Education have increased consumer education. Parents and students can heed these red flags: guarantees of scholarships in return for advance fees, a money-back guarantee but with conditions that make it impossible to get the refund, and notification you are a “finalist” for awards that require an up-front fee. Sometimes these companies request the student’s checking account number to confirm eligibility and then debit the account without the student’s consent. Or, companies quote a small weekly or monthly fee and request that you allow them to debit your account for an unlimited time. Beware of unsolicited offers by phone, email, or regular mail.
Still, the FTC says there are legitimate companies that say they can get a list of scholarships for an advance fee. The difference between legitimate and scam companies is that the legitimate companies never promise or guarantee you will be awarded the scholarships or grants they show you as available.
If you suspect you are enmeshed in a scam, file a complaint at www.ftc.gov or call toll-free 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY (telecommunications device for the deaf): 1-866-653-4261.

Seven Ways to Maximize Your Chances for Free College Money

2009-01-17T02:53:00.000-08:00

1. Apply for local scholarships. They will probably be considerably less than big-deal national scholarships, but fewer people will be applying.
2. Your best bet for big money will come from the college you choose to attend because that scholarship is most likely renewable each year.
3. The more scholarships you apply for, the more you’re likely to receive.
4. If an essay is required, there’ll be fewer applicants paddling around in the scholarship pool.
5. Search out scholarships that reward a good student who hasn’t already won other scholarships.
6. Be flexible in considering your choice of colleges because one might offer you a better deal than the next. Even so, don’t compromise your opportunity for an excellent education.
7. Skip long applications that yield little money.

Where Should I Look?

2009-01-17T02:51:00.000-08:00

❏ Start locally. Ask your high school guidance counselor and chamber of commerce for lists of local scholarship offers.
❏ Ask professional, religious, or social organizations to which you, your parents, or a relative belong.
❏ Have your parents ask at work. Some employers offer scholarships to employees’ children or tuition reimbursement programs. Unions may offer scholarships to members and their children.
❏ Check with college financial aid offices. They have access to computer databases and often have a list of scholarship and grant options. Also check with the department in your major area of study and college Web sites.
❏ Use library computers to search databases and find books on how to find free money for college.
❏ Do Internet searches in each database by modifying your personal characteristics or profile.
❏ Check state and federal grant programs. To begin, ask your counselor for application materials and procedures.

Searching for Scholarships

2009-01-17T02:45:00.000-08:00

The Web site www.fastweb.com is widely used and recommended. After 20 minutes of answering questions and clicking “No” to offers for other commercial information, a list of 62 scholarships matched our test profile. Many matches were national essay writing contests and dot-com sponsored awards or contests; others included labor union, regional, and state awards. You might find a great opportunity, but don’t use just one list as your sole search for free money.

Scholarships and Managing Money

2009-01-17T02:39:00.000-08:00

Scholarships and grants are free money—you don’t have to pay back the organization or college that gave you the award. Scholarships are generally from organizations and companies; grants are usually issued by governments and colleges. The awards may be need- or merit-based. There’s one catch: you have to earn these awards by being a good citizen, taking challenging high school classes, developing your interests and strengths, researching available scholarships, and, finally, applying for them.

Eight Ways to Save Dollars

2009-01-16T09:14:00.000-08:00

1. Try to earn course credit through AP classes and exams in high school or CLEP tests.
2. Take core classes at a community college that has agreements with fouryear colleges to accept the credits.
3. Take heavier course loads than the 12-hour minimum for full-time students.
4. Keep track of your finances and watch the discretionary expenses.
5. Limit your credit card debt.
6. Work while you are in college.
7. Buy used books. Sell those you won’t need again.
8. Consider serving in the National Guard or ROTC for financial aid in return for service commitment.

Other Costs

2009-01-13T11:27:00.000-08:00

Books
Believe it—some books cost $90! And some paperback novels for English literature cost $15. Figure four or five classes and at least one book per class. Check online for used books. Get to the campus bookstore early for used books, but skip the ones that have highlighted text, since that will prove distracting when you study. Some schools offer loans of used textbooks for students on financial aid.
Personal
Colleges will suggest a figure, often based on an average from student surveys. Only you know how much you might spend on items such as laundry or room decor (wastebasket, lamp, curtains, bedspread, rug, maybe a loft bed, bath towel, sheets, and so the dollars dribble away).
Travel
Transportation between college and home can be simple if you are two hours away. If you are halfway across the country, though, you’re looking at more significant costs for train or plane fares or for your vehicle cost and maintenance. Check with transportation companies for special deals for students, and make sure they can be used during the holidays. Also, check your final exam schedule early in the semester so you can purchase tickets early at less cost.
Study Abroad
At some schools one-third of the students spend part or all of their junior year studying and exploring the culture of a foreign country. Costs may be about the same as being on campus, but that’s not a given. Check for other programs that might be less expensive than your school’s; see whether your financial aid applies to study abroad; and find out if you will still have enough credits to graduate in four years. One student found a program allowing him to study in Freiberg, Germany, paying the same cost as German students—about $600 instead of the $18,000 annual tuition at his private college. His parents missed him but wished they could send him for his senior year too!
Summer Classes
If classes get closed out for the school year, you may have to take summer classes to graduate on time. Tuition does not include summer school. And it may be hard to work while you are in class and studying. Conversely, you may be able to take enough summer classes to finish a semester or two early and bring in a livable salary, making the extra summer school costs worthwhile.
Insurance
You may need insurance for your laptop, desktop computer, stereo equipment, and other possessions. Also, ask your family insurance agent about how much insurance will cost if you plan to have a car at school. Some insurers offer discounts with proof of good grades.
Health Insurance
College students are notorious for keeping funny hours, not eating right, and generally getting stressed out. So, when you’re sick, does the family insurance pay fees for the health center, doctor, or, if necessary, the hospital emergency room? Is the college’s health insurance plan better than the family’s? Does the college offer insurance so that if you are too ill to continue, you receive credit or a refund of the semester’s tuition? Does your family insurance even cover a student away from home? One Florida family found their son was not covered when he went to college in a different Florida county.
Spring Break
No kidding. Trips to sunny climes eat into college funds, and financial aid definitely doesn’t apply.
Technology
Most schools recommend that students have a computer. Your school may have a deal with one manufacturer so you can get a discount if you purchase that brand. Many students also have a cell phone, so find the best deals for minutes and to avoid roaming charges.
Food
Despite signing up for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you’re not going to make every meal. Then you have to pay extra at the dining hall, buy groceries, eat out, or order pizza delivery. Or hope your parents send you that overdue care package or show up to take you and your friends out for dinner.

Tuition and Room and Board

2009-01-13T11:25:00.000-08:00

Tuition (including fees) varies from about $1,000 to more than $30,000. Then you add room and board, which rings up about $10,000 at some private schools. Private Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, charges about $28,400 for tuition and another $9,400 for room and board. These costs are usually much less at state institutions. For example, the University of Tennessee in Knoxville charges about $4,400 for tuition and room and board for Tennessee residents and about $13,500 for out-of-state students. Southwest Tennessee Community College in Memphis charges about $1,000 in-state tuition and $3,800 for out-of-state students. As a nonresidential school, Southwest Tennessee has no room and board charges, but students who do not commute will have their own living expenses.
One more cost fact: Southwest Tennessee has an agreement (called an articulation agreement) with Southern Illinois University-Carbondale that the community college credits earned for the associate’s degree will transfer to SIUC toward a bachelor’s degree. In-state tuition at SIUC is about $5,500 and out-of state $9,800. Taking core courses for two years at Southwest Tennessee can be a significant savings. (SIU’s Web page, www.registrar.siu.edu/eval/articpg.htm, lists all the schools, with links to the specific courses SIU accepts.)

Primer on College Costs

2009-01-13T11:22:00.000-08:00

There’s one given for college costs: They’ve been skyrocketing and are expected to continue to go up, up, up. Nevertheless, even if you just realized that college costs a hunk of money, and you don’t have a money tree or rich aunt, you and your family still have many financial options to help you become a college graduate.
Once you get past the initial shock and consider the lifelong investment the education represents, you can figure a strategy to pay for college. Enlist help from your high school guidance counselor, college financial aid officers at each school in which you are interested (financial aid is a different department from admissions), federal and state government financial aid representatives, and your family tax advisor or financial planner.
In addition, Internet sites ranging from government to not-for-profit to commercial are packed full of information. Basic costs are tuition and room and board. Additionally, you have books, personal items, transportation home, and other costs that are difficult to predict precisely but are there.

Balancing Work and School

2009-01-04T15:28:00.000-08:00

If you combine a positive work environment with continuing success at school, a part-time job can be beneficial, not stressful. That means realistic work hours, an orderly workplace, clear work assignments, mature supervision, and the opportunity to learn valuable lessons. It also means achieving grade expectations, selecting challenging courses, and having time for extracurricular activities, a social life, and, perhaps, volunteer opportunities.
Is This Job Worth It?
❏ Will I be able to accomplish my long-term financial goals with this job?
❏ Can I earn a sufficient income to justify expenses incurred by merely having
the job?
❏ Am I learning job skills and people skills?
❏ Do I look forward to or dread going to work?
❏ Am I maintaining good grades? Participating in extracurricular activities?
Do I still have a social life?
❏ Does my boss or supervisor make adjustments for my school schedule?
❏ Would I be better off looking for another job or not working?
❏ Has working helped me learn the difference between my needs and my wants?

School as a Job

2009-01-04T15:27:00.001-08:00

Some parents say that school is their student’s job—at least during the school year. Jim Adams’s three children only worked in the summer. “We nixed working during the school year, even though the kids didn’t have as many things as their friends,” he says. “We felt they’d spend most of their earnings on stuff they didn’t need to be happy. Their real job was school—tough classes and activities. Some days they’d be at school at 6 a.m. and not back home until 7 p.m. Then, they had homework. It took more commitment than a full-time job. Our children were learning social and leadership skills. And they were so busy and tired, they didn’t even need a curfew.”

Con: Don’t Get a Job

2009-01-04T15:25:00.000-08:00

Not everyone is anxious to see you trot off to work after the school day ends. Research indicates the more hours a student works, the fewer hours the student studies. Students who work 15 or more hours a week show a decline in grades and perform less well on standardized tests. They’re less likely to take more demanding courses, particularly in higher-level math and science.
In fact, when a high percentage of students in a school hold part-time jobs, teachers begin to lower their expectations for performance and, in turn, students learn less. Besides impinging on academics, time at work means time away from building friendships and exploring new interests.

Not Having a Job during the School Year

2009-01-04T15:24:00.000-08:00

My parents never wanted me to work during the school year; they wanted me to do school work. I played lacrosse freshman and sophomore years, but after I stopped playing sports, there was more and more homework. Classes got harder, and I started taking higher-level classes. Applying to college was a really long, tedious process, so I had very little time to do anything. As a senior, I was president of our school’s Shaker Heights Project Support Club, a social club that worked with students [in the regular curriculum] and students who were developmentally handicapped. We did something once a month. On weekends, I wanted to relax with friends.
None of my close friends had like real jobs during the school year. Most of us babysat. I used that for spending money, and my parents would pay for most of my stuff.
My parents encouraged me to work during the summer; they didn’t want me just sitting around doing nothing. And you go out so much more during the summer and spend so much more. For the first three years, I worked for a month as a counselor at a summer overnight camp. I was responsible for a cabin of little girls and was a lifeguard and did arts and crafts. The summer after graduation, I babysat full-time.
I’m not working in college. I have less time here than in high school. The decision to work during high school often depends upon your financial situation. If you need to have that extra money and you feel like you can balance a job and academics, go for it. If you don’t need a job and aren’t good at time management, stay clear of it. But work in the summers so you’ll have money to go out to dinner and things. Otherwise, you’ll get bored.

Having a Job during the School Year

2009-01-04T15:22:00.000-08:00

I started working as a freshman. My first jobs were grocery store bagger, concession stand guy at the movie theater, then a restaurant host. From the summer before my senior year until I went to college, I worked at a retail store in sales and customer service. The other summers, I was mostly with relatives in Alaska. I didn’t do many extracurricular activities as a freshman and sophomore, but played tennis junior and senior years, and took lessons outside of school. I was also Math Club president, but that wasn’t very demanding. I was always involved in rock climbing and started a club at school.
My mom wanted me to have my own spending money. I’d save for a few months, then blow it on something; I don’t even remember what now. Senior year, I saved some money for college books and stuff. But mostly I just spent it on rock climbing equipment, climbing trips, gas, movies, and fast food. I never made more than $8 an hour, which was decent.
At my first jobs, I would only work until 7 p.m. two or maybe three days a week and a bunch on Saturday and Sunday. It never interfered with homework or things I wanted to do. I didn’t like working Friday nights. I worked at the restaurant until 9 p.m. so I stayed up later doing homework or got it done before work. Most of my jobs were never too late, which was the main factor for me. My parents watched my grades when I was working. If one grade slipped a lot, I’d start working in that class.
When you’re 14 and 15, you kind of get stuck with jobs you don’t like that much. If you can find something you somewhat enjoy, that’s more beneficial to keeping that job. My retail job was in a climbing store. I got discounts and liked being around people with similar interests. I didn’t keep any other job more than six months; it was torturous to be there.

Pro: Get a Job

2009-01-03T10:28:00.000-08:00

Ever notice how adults can come up with a bucketful of reasons why you should work? Some even go beyond the standard “It’s good for you” or “I had a job when I was your age.” Reasons that may make sense to you include:
❏ You have to help meet family expenses.
❏ College admissions representatives will look at your grades, test scores, extracurricular activities, community service, and hobbies, as well as your work experience.
❏ Having a good employee track record speaks to dependability, reliability, character, and an understanding of the importance of work. (If you have no work experiences listed on your college applications, the admissions rep may wonder why; if you believe your reasons are good, share them with the rep.)
❏ Work introduces you to the adult world and puts a realistic spin on some lessons learned in the classroom.
❏ Part-time jobs for high school students who are college bound often become a social leveler by providing experiences in the world of the working class.
❏ If you’re a senior who will do anything to get out of the house, work’s a viable alternative. While a school year or summer job won’t be the highlight of your career, working in a field you find interesting may provide valuable insight into professions for later on. Day care, babysitting, or work as a nanny may lead to a career in education, child psychology, or pediatrics. Retail positions might spark an interest in marketing, advertising, sales, or even design. Outdoor work—tending flower beds, mowing, basic landscape chores—can take you into horticulture.
Even if your job is on the bottom rung of the career ladder, the experience should teach money management and time management skills, as well as help you develop the ability to work with people.

Work and School

2009-01-03T10:25:00.000-08:00

The United States is one of the few industrialized nations where teenagers commonly work and go to high school. Elsewhere, students your age go to high school. Period. In this country, approximately 80 percent of students from 16 to 18 years old work during the school year or summer. Some take part-time jobs to help support their family; some work so they can salt away paychecks for college expenses; some work so they can just buy stuff.
Betsy Downey of Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Nebraska explains, “Older teens are in the process of shifting their spending habits from childhood patterns—when they could spend any money on immediate wants—to adult patterns—when they will need to reserve some money for future expenses and emergencies. This takes time to plan and the skill of thinking into the future. For example, if your car needs repairs or you need a new prom dress, where is the money you need to spend coming from? If you spend it all as you get it, you lose the power of making choices in the future.”
Most teens who work during the school year also work during the summer.
But about 8 percent of students have jobs during the summer only, and that percentage is decreasing. Instead of spending three months as a lifeguard, fast-food server, or whatever, some students are opting for classes, camps, or travel. Families who can afford it often encourage their students to take additional courses, hoping these learning experiences will enhance their chances of getting into a highly selective school or receiving scholarships.
What’s best for you? As with most of the decisions you’ll be making en route to college, the answer is as individual as you are. Although you may want to work when you’re 14 or 15 years old, the government attaches a few strings to your work plans. When school is in session (Labor Day through May 31, according to the federal government), you may work no more than three hours per school day (Monday through Friday), no more than 18 hours per week, and never before 7 a.m. or after 7 p.m. When school is out-of-session (officially June 1 to Labor Day), you may work no more than eight hours per day and no more than 40 hours per week—and never before 7 a.m. or after 9 p.m. Once you turn 16, there are no federal government restrictions about how long or what time you may work.

10 Ways to Find Fun Community Service Opportunities

2008-12-31T03:27:00.000-08:00

❏ Hospitals are delighted to put you to work in the gift shop or library, delivering flowers or assisting patients in simple matters, such as bringing them drinking water.
❏ Any day high schoolers show up at veterans’ homes, nursing homes, or hospice facilities is a good day for residents. Reading, playing games, or just talking is a gift to them. Your friendliness lingers long after the visit.
❏ Your local animal shelter always needs dog walkers and fur brushers. Maybe you’d rather train a shelter dog in the ways of good manners— making Fido or Fifi more adoptable.
❏ Places of worship love having teenagers as religious education or Sunday school teachers or assistants. If you’d prefer babysitting, the director can probably match you up with a roomful of toddlers somewhat removed from the worship area.
❏ Stuff envelopes, make phone calls, go door-to-door handing out flyers for political candidates—from your hometown mayor to U.S. senator. The experience can lead to a major in political science.
❏ Most high schools have service-oriented clubs whose members conduct food drives, become best buddies with Special Ed students, or help conduct drug prevention rallies at middle and elementary schools. And that’s just for starters.
❏ Help stir up supper at a shelter. Don’t like to cook? Maybe you can babysit once a week so parents can job search, hunt for an apartment, or attend a meeting.
❏ Even if you’re already a big brother or big sister in real life, plenty of boys and girls clubs would like you to consider becoming a big sibling to one of the children their organization serves. If the time commitment sounds daunting, help out with after-school activities once a week.
❏ There are volunteer abroad programs, if you can’t find one single opportunity in this whole country that appeals to you. Those opportunities may come with a hefty price tag for travel, however.
❏ If you’re simply stumped, there’s no shortage of Internet sites listing volunteer opportunities.

Helping Yourself through Helping Others

2008-12-31T03:25:00.000-08:00

Some high schools mandate participation in community service as a graduation requirement, integrating service into the curriculum as a learning experience. Students are graded on the service plus the connected academic exercises. Other schools require you take a class researching volunteer opportunities in your community. Still others offer community service as an extracurricular activity, often with guidance provided by a sponsorteacher or community member. While approaches differ, the goals are all pretty much the same: they expose students to the benefits of giving time and talent in service to others for no pay.
A government report says community service appears to be associated with more confidence in your ability to speak at public meetings and a stronger understanding of politics. But educators probably just hope you’ll get hooked on the experience and remain an active volunteer and good citizen for about the next 100 years.

Making Choices about Your Hobbies

2008-12-31T03:24:00.000-08:00

Some students shove their hobbies aside because they get so busy with studies, extracurricular activities, and sports. Other high school students turn childhood hobbies into passions. The student who used to pick away on the guitar might either slip the instrument into its case and join the basketball team or end up in a garage band. The high schooler who spent half a childhood making sandcastles at the beach might gobble up every cre-ative art class the school offers or abandon that sculpting talent and go work on the yearbook.
It all comes down to making choices, which is generally hard to do— and even harder when parents, teachers, coaches, or sponsors have vocal opinions. They may have your best interests in mind—or they may want you to pursue something they didn’t have the opportunity to go after. A gentle reminder that it’s your life is sometimes in order.

How I Balanced Academics with Sports

2008-12-31T03:21:00.000-08:00

I played club soccer through high school. We practiced four times a week and the commitment was almost year-round. As we got older, some tournaments would be 2,000 miles away.
Academically, I took full loads that weren’t light. I had one study hall each semester. I took three AP courses and was involved in activities too. And I graduated with good grades.
Actually, I think the full load and soccer forced me to have time management, which I probably wouldn’t have had otherwise. I used a planner and stayed up late, but what was most helpful was getting homework done before soccer— either practice or a game. You’re tired afterward. I’d do homework after school, and if I got restless, I’d practice with the soccer ball awhile, then come back inside to do homework. On road trips, I studied on the way to the game; I knew I wouldn’t on the way back. Having a job during the school year would have been too much. And my parents backed off with household chores when I was really busy.
One big motivator was that I knew I wanted to play in college. When you’re a freshman or sophomore in high school, you don’t really know that. But if you have a sport, keep with it because it may help in the end. The University of Chicago is a highly competitive school, and I think one reason I got in was because of soccer.

What Are My Responsibilities?

2008-12-23T02:36:00.001-08:00

❏ To commit at least as much effort to academics as to sports.
❏ To be a good sport, both in practices and competitions.
❏ To attend every practice and game possible and notify Coach when I can’t.
❏ To try to improve my performance from the beginning of the season to the end and from one year to the next.
❏ To listen and learn as best I can.
❏ To treat all coaches, teammates, and the opposing team, coaches, and fans with respect.
❏ To have fun, and to tell Coach and my parents if participation stops being fun.

How Sports Make Me Stand Out

2008-12-23T02:35:00.000-08:00

❏ Sports teach me respect, teamwork, good sportsmanship.
❏ Knowing how to win and lose with dignity transfers to areas beyond athletics.
❏ Being able to work hard and with self-discipline makes me valuable as an employee.
❏ I’m building self-confidence and developing skills to handle competitive situations.

Getting Overextended with Activities in High School

2008-12-23T02:34:00.000-08:00

There were 45 students in my high school graduating class. If your class is small, and not a lot of people like to be involved, then someone like me, who likes to be involved, says, “I’ll do it. I’ll do it.” Pretty soon you’re in charge of everything. I’m a natural leader and take charge, even if I’m not supposed to be in charge. I think in high school, there’s pressure to be involved because of college applications and scholarships.
I was an officer in FCA, National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, cheerleading captain, on student council, played basketball until senior year. At first, it wasn’t that bad, but the more involved you get, the more demanding [it is].
High school was pretty much a breeze for me academically. But academics don’t come naturally in college; you have to put in effort. If you make the commitments in college you did in high school, you’re bogged down. I started signing up, still as involved as ever. Finally, I said, “Phyllis, you know you can’t do that so tell them no so they can find somebody else.” But I still have a hard time telling people no.
You need to prioritize. Time management is key. I write down everything on a calendar. I have an overview of the month and every day. It sounds like my whole life is planned, but it has to be to get everything done.
Now there’s pressure to be involved because I’m going on to a four-year college. People say, “You can use this on your résumé. You can use this on your application.” You feel pressured to put your activities on that piece of paper, but there’s more to life than that. There’s more than being able to say, “I was a member of 15 clubs and got my picture in the yearbook.”

Coach Has Responsibilities Too

2008-12-23T02:32:00.000-08:00

Coach should, first of all, be an educator, just like your classroom teachers. Your school’s athletic programs—as well as its extracurricular offerings— are designed to enhance academic achievement and should never interfere with opportunities for academic success. So what should Coach be teaching? Not only the competitive aspects of your sport, but also the play aspects. After all, one reason high schoolers go out for sports is because it’s fun. Additionally, if you hope to play sports at a Division I or II college, beginning sophomore year Coach should talk with you about the NCAA Initial Eligibility Clearinghouse Registration requirements. (Requirements for Division III differ because eligibility for financial aid, practice, and competition is governed by institutional, conference, and other NCAA regulations.) And realize that even if you take enough NCAA approved core courses in high school, get an 18 on the ACT or an 820 on the SAT, you still have to meet the admission requirements of each NCAA member school to which you apply.
Good coaches also should make judgments based on what’s best for everyone on the team, offer sincere praise, positive reinforcement, and constructive criticism, and mete out discipline without humiliation or embarrassment. Finally, Coach should provide emotional support and guidance when needed.

Time Management Tips

2008-12-23T02:30:00.000-08:00

❏ Create a “to do” list each night before bedtime. Block out realistic amounts of time for homework, academic projects, club meetings, and commitments to extracurricular projects. Put the list with your daily planner, calendar, or school schedule.
❏ Be flexible. You’ll have interruptions in your schedule every single day.
❏ If you’re a perfectionist, try really hard to modify some aspects while still aiming to do the best you can. Striving for perfection usually means paying attention to unnecessary details.
❏ Sometimes, a big project on your list is easier to put off than to take on. But no matter how hard you try, it won’t go away. Break the project into smaller parts and tackle them individually. (It works!)
❏ If you implement these suggestions and you’re still harried, you may have bitten off more than you can chew. Consider dropping the least interesting activity that causes you the most stress. Dropping out of an activity may be better than participating halfheartedly.
❏ Remember that managing time effectively takes practice and effort.

Sports

2008-12-20T09:34:00.000-08:00

There are plenty of good (and realistic) reasons to pursue sports in high school; wanting to be a college or professional athlete someday probably shouldn’t be one of them. Consider that only 5.6 percent of high school football players go on to play at NCAA member colleges and universities. And only 2 percent of those college players ever play professionally. Likewise, only 3.1 percent of girls who play high school basketball go on to play at NCAA member colleges, and only 1 percent of those college players become professional players.
If you play a high school sport, you’re more likely than nonsports participants to eat more healthfully and less likely to smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, use illicit drugs, engage in sexual activity, and engage in violent activities. Your grades will be higher, your attendance better; you’ll be more likely to attend college and less likely to drop out of high school than nonathletes. Those are some compelling reasons to go run around a track, throw a ball, hit a ball, or jump in the pool.

How Activities Make Me Stand Out

2008-12-20T09:32:00.002-08:00

❏ Employers like well-rounded employees—even high school part-timers—who get along with others. Club memberships help you develop the social skills to accomplish that trait.
❏ Excelling at a particular activity can garner attention within the community beyond school. Just ask someone who had the lead in the school play or performed with the local symphony orchestra.
❏ A college letter of recommendation from your activity’s sponsor trumpets the “you” outside of the classroom.
❏ Some scholarship opportunities are available only for students who pursue a specific interest, usually through a club or activity.

Seven Steps to Choosing Activities

2008-12-20T09:32:00.001-08:00

1. Set three goals for the school year—goals you can meet by participating in extracurricular activities.
2. Create a list of extracurricular activities that sound interesting; include ones that play on your strengths and ones that would help you correct your weaknesses.
3. Match each extracurricular activity listed with the goal (or goals) that activity would help you achieve.
4. Prioritize your activity-goal list.
5. Now consider other commitments you already have: family, academics, sports, volunteering, or a part-time job.
6. Decide how many of the activities at the top of that prioritized list you can reasonably join. If you can’t decide what’s reasonable, talk to a parent, activity sponsor, or your counselor, because you don’t want to overcommit.
7. Go sign up.

Extracurricular Activities

2008-12-20T09:30:00.000-08:00

The reason high schools offer extracurricular activities is because educators like to turn out well-rounded graduates. Students like you participate in activities or join clubs because they’re fun or interesting or, better yet, both. The experience helps build character, plus you may walk away with new friends. Extracurricular activities also broaden your focus and slice off some of the stress that comes with studying.
Realize, though, that some classes you take for credit are like extracurricular activities because you spend so much time outside class. For example, marching band may garner you one academic credit toward graduation, but that teensy credit does not really represent the 6 a.m. practices before school even starts in the fall, performances at parades, football games, and competitions, and your practice time for private music lessons. If band takes all your extra time, do not feel compelled to add other activities to pad your résumé. Instead, consider how you can show on your application your commitment and its effect on your life or decisions about college.

Quality versus Quantity

2008-12-16T16:15:00.000-08:00

Counselors see two problems with high school students’ involvement in community service and school activities beyond the classroom. One problem is students who don’t get involved in anything. During his 30 years as a high school guidance counselor, Jay Cookman of West Des Moines, Iowa, told incoming freshmen (and their parents), “Get involved in something. I don’t care whether it’s sports or a foreign language club or announcing on the school radio station. You can’t only identify with your school through academics. The kids who go to classes then leave right after the last bell rings, usually find other things to do that aren’t always good. They’re often the ones who end up in trouble. School becomes a bore, and in extreme cases, they drop out.”
If not getting involved in anything is one problem, getting involved in everything is the other. Some students have never met a sign-up sheet they didn’t like. True, you get quantity out of joining this and that. But because there are only 24 hours in your day, you may not get quality. Belonging to an organization is one thing; going to the meetings, participating in the events, or taking on a leadership position is quite another. Usually, you’ll derive few benefits from in-name-only affiliation.

Five Ways to Get More Out of a Book

2008-12-11T03:08:00.000-08:00

1. Before you dive into Chapter 1 of a nonfiction book, read the preface, foreword, chapter titles, and anything about the author. Also, check the topics the Library of Congress deemed important regarding the book, which are on the copyright page in newer books. Similar material is available in fiction books from the Library of Congress or Sears subject headings on the copyright page.
2. With nonfiction, the introduction and chapter summaries the author may have provided should indicate what that author wants you to know. As you read sections in a textbook, pay attention to the size, style, and color of the type. Words in the same style, size, and color indicate the same level of importance. For instance, the chapter title might be all capital letters and red; the section titles, large type and blue; the subtitles, purple and smaller. These clues can be used to create an outline or a web of notes.
3. If you are a visual learner, transform a fiction book into a movie in your head to better understand what’s going on. If the book has already been made into a movie, see that first. Then, as you read, you can add onto the mental pictures already there.
4. In fiction books, italics or other typeface changes indicate a flashback or shift in time or point of view. Another change, not as common, is when double spacing replaces regular spacing to indicate a shift in place.
5. If reading is somewhat challenging, learn to read between the lines. For example, you can tell how old a person is by a description of his or her responsibilities (the editor of a school paper is likely to be a senior and 17 or 18), the person’s language (a character who says, “Land o’ Goshen,” is probably grandmotherly), and by actions (the driver of the car could barely reach the gas pedal means he or she is probably less than 16).

Reading Almost Anything versus Watching TV

2008-12-11T03:07:00.000-08:00

Watching television is a passive experience. You slump in a chair or sprawl out on the floor and stare at a screen. Watching the tube doesn’t require you to think or imagine. It doesn’t help further develop your skills in word recognition, decoding, vocabulary, spelling, or higher-level thinking.
The only thing required of you is that you keep your eyes on the screen. Reading, on the other hand, stimulates your brain and causes your creative juices to kick in. You think, interact, and keep on developing the skills that make you a good reader, a good writer, an articulate speaker, and a keen thinker.

Four Key Points to Look For on Campuses

2008-12-11T03:03:00.000-08:00

1. Buildings should be attractive and well kept, no matter how old. In fact, some of the most beautiful campuses in this country have the oldest buildings.
2. Walkways should be broad, well lit, and bordered by nice landscaping. True, you’re not going to pick a school because of its flowerbeds, but a pleasant, homey environment doesn’t hurt.
3. The people you meet should be friendly and welcoming. In fact, it may not be surprising if a faculty member stops to introduce him- or herself.
4. The neighborhood surrounding the campus may be old because many American colleges and universities were built more than a century ago, close to the downtown areas. It is not unusual for the neighborhood bordering the campus to be somewhat run-down

Read, Read, Read

2008-12-11T03:01:00.002-08:00

If you’re like most teenagers, you loved reading when you were younger. Trips to the library or the bookstore were treats; escaping with a good book was a great way to spend a few weekend hours; and postponing bedtime by five minutes so you could finish the chapter just made sense. Then along came high school and, hey, what happened? Reading anything beyond what’s assigned seems to have gone by the wayside.
Actually, high school is when you should be reading more, not less. Reading helps you continue building your vocabulary and grammar skills. Reading and writing (they go hand in hand) are key to every subject you’re taking—even math. Plus, because of the information explosion brought on by the Internet, it’s more important than at any other time in history for people to understand where to find information and to be able to verify its reliability. That requires not only being a good reader, but also a savvy one. Besides, if you are used to devouring books in high school, you’ll have a leg up in college. Right now your teachers probably assign one chapter each night, but some of your professors may assign 100 pages per class meeting.

Informal College Visits

2008-12-11T03:01:00.001-08:00

You can begin looking at colleges on an informal basis as a freshman and sophomore. If your family takes summer vacations or periodic road trips, include a drive through college campuses along the way. Walk around campus and stop by the student center for something to drink. Why? Because every college is different, and while you may never, ever consider one of these schools when it’s time to get serious, brief excursions will begin to give you a sense of what life might be like after high school graduation.
Go to college sports events—from a Saturday afternoon football game to a weekend of field and track events. Attend a concert or play on campus. Enroll in one of the school’s summer programs for people your age.

Special Interest Camps and Classes

2008-12-11T02:58:00.000-08:00

When you were a little kid, camp usually consisted of hiking down a well-worn trail next to your buddy, then rewarding yourself back at the campsite with s’mores. Now, as a high schooler, going to camp is a bit more serious, although you still might get s’mores at the end of the day.
Special interest camps are almost certainly residential (sleepaway), last anywhere from a week to six or even eight weeks, and can cost thousands of dollars. Often, the commitment and hard work required from the camper is equal to—or probably greater than—the effort you put into your regular school classes. Because special interest camps take a lot of (most likely) your parents’ money as well as your time and effort, think carefully before signing up.
There’s good reason why the camps can lead you to eke out so much hard work. Students choose a camp based on something they love. For example, Hampshire College Summer Studies in Mathematics in Amherst, Massachusetts, attracts mathematically talented high school students. Blue-Chip Basketball Camps in Georgetown, Kentucky, keep kids on the court for a week at a time. Summer Music Camps at Florida State University in Tallahassee offer everything from jazz to opera to music theatre. U.S. Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama, can shoot you off in all sorts of directions later on—from physicist to astronaut.
Summer classes, on the other hand, generally are offered by your high school, community college, or nearby four-year institution. These classes can get you up-to-speed on a difficult subject, introduce you to a topic you wouldn’t have time to explore during the regular school year, or take you beyond what your school curriculum offers.

Hanging with the Going-to-College Crowd

2008-12-11T02:55:00.000-08:00

One of the best ways to handle peer pressure—as far as academics is concerned— is to hang around with kids who plan to go to college too. You all understand why class choices should be based on what’s best for each person’s future. You all realize that studying is part of daily life. And you respect one another’s intellect. That doesn’t always happen in high school, where sometimes it seems one of the worst things that can be said about a student is that he or she is smart.

Powerful Peers

2008-12-08T10:46:00.002-08:00

You’ve probably been hearing about the good, the bad, and the ugly aspects of peer pressure forever. About how peer pressure goes hand in hand with being a teenager. How it can motivate someone to aim for the National Debate Tournament or see how many beers will go down in 30 minutes. If peers can influence what you wear, whom you run around with, and whom you date—and they can—certainly peers can influence what classes you take, how hard you work in school, and even what colleges you consider.
By basing class choices, your willingness to work hard—or not—and your college decision on what everyone else is doing, you might do yourself a disservice. It would be a shame, for example, if you gave up a lifelong dream of being a marine biologist just because everybody in your group decided you should all go to State U, which has no marine biology degree.

College Entrance Requirements

2008-12-08T10:46:00.001-08:00

Generally speaking, most colleges expect you to have:
❏ Two to four years of a foreign language
❏ Four years of English, which can include advanced composition, speech, journalism, and media literacy
❏ Three to four years of math, which can include algebra, geometry, trigonometry, calculus, advanced algebra, analysis, and statistics
❏ Three to four years of science, which can include biology, earth science, chemistry, and physics, including lab work
❏ Three to four years of social studies, which can include geography, U.S. history, U.S. government, world history, anthropology, economics, psychology, and sociology
❏ One to three years of electives such as fine arts, performing arts, computer science, computers, or technology Actual requirements vary from one school to another—even among state universities in the same state! So check the entrance requirements for each college in which you’re interested. And remember to work closely with your counselor.

Taking Distance Learning College Courses in High School

2008-12-08T10:44:00.000-08:00

i’ve taken distance learning courses through Blue Mountain Community Collegeand Eastern Oregon University. I took my first course on campus the summer I was 14. I was a little intimidated. I was the only one at that site. So far, I’ve taken computer and Internet classes, psychology, advanced biology, and Pre-AP English. I took a weekend class on peer mentorship. I was already mentoring an autistic boy—my neighbor—through the mental health clinic. I found a similar program through BMCC so we got all the materials from the program and I got credit. I’ve never had a computer malfunction or any difficulty communicating with my teachers or class members.
I earn dual credits for most of my classes. That means I get high school and college credit. The high school teacher has to have the credentials to teach at the college level, and the courses have to match what the college teaches. The high school teacher is my actual instructor and the one who signs off that you can do the tasks. Since my high school didn’t offer most of my distance learning classes, my high school advisor also had to sign forms so I could get credit.
I pay $10 per credit hour per class and automatically get college credit if I have a B or better. I’ve never taken an online test, although more EOU classes are offering that now. Most of my work was graded on papers, assignments, and projects.
When I enter college, I’ll have between 57 and 60 credits and so will be halfway through my sophomore year. I think the cost is probably one-tenth of taking the courses in college, and the credits will transfer to the schools I’m looking at. I hope it shows the initiative I want people to see when I apply for jobs and scholarships.
Distance learning classes aren’t easy, but if you think you have a chance of succeeding, do it.

Is Distance Learning Right for Me?

2008-12-08T10:43:00.000-08:00

❏ How hard do I push myself? Is my normal pace going to get the job done?
❏ How well do I work on my own? Am I good at figuring out directions on my own?
❏ Do I have a high degree of comfort with and knowledge of technology?
❏ How do I feel about not being in the same room with the instructor? About not being in the same room with all the other students? What about being the only student?
❏ How helpful is classroom discussion for me?

The Cons of Distance Learning

2008-12-08T10:42:00.000-08:00

❏ Distance learning tends not to work if you aren’t disciplined enough to work independently.
❏ You’ll be isolated physically, unless technology and class assignments encourage interaction.
❏ It can take longer for class rapport to build, since you, the teacher, and other students may have little background in common.
❏ If you aren’t comfortable with the technology, you may hesitate to participate in class discussion.
❏ The motivation that arises from contact with and competition with others in the classroom isn’t present.

The Pros of Distance Learning

2008-12-08T10:39:00.000-08:00

❏You may be able to graduate early.
❏ You can fit more classes into a semester.
❏ You can take classes not offered at your school.
❏ You’ll be able to do coursework when it’s convenient.
❏ The teacher, other students, and resources are only a click away.
❏ You’ll be able to interact with people throughout your state, country, or even the world.
❏ If you got a poor or failing grade in a class at school, you may retake it to improve your grade. You’ll still need to ask your counselor about what grade (or grades) will show up on your transcript, however.

Distance Learning: Virtual High Schools and College Classes

2008-12-08T10:34:00.000-08:00

Lucky you! You’re part of one of the biggest overhauls of the teaching/learning process since the concept of a university became reality in medieval Europe. And that was at least 500 years ago! The newest overhaul is distance learning, which began at the college level but is now a realtime factor from kindergarten through twelfth grade. Christa McAuliffe Academy, for example, is a virtual, accredited, private K-12 school headquartered in Yakima, Washington. Not only can you earn your high school diploma through the academy from wherever you live in the United States, but you also can be part of the Student Congress or go to the prom—which is during graduation week, so there’s only one trip to Yakima at the end of senior year.
More common are online classes that enable you to receive high school and/or college credit in one of several ways. Interactive telecourses use live video to broadcast the course to your school and perhaps other sites as well. The instructor is on a video screen; students are in classrooms at desks fitted with microphones so they can talk with the instructor and students at other locations. There are also video courses that may be streamed via the Internet, and Web courses that require an active Internet account and a personal computer. The Web classes are presented on the Internet.
Finally, combinations of these are becoming common.

If you begin with www.google.com, type in distance learning classes for high
school students. You’ll find offerings from high schools, colleges, and universities
and for-profit companies. Don’t sign up for anything, though, until you
ask your counselor about your school’s requirements and procedures to follow.
Neither high school nor college credit is automatic, no matter what your
final grade

Playing It Safe versus Taking Risks

2008-12-06T10:46:00.000-08:00

Playing it safe means taking courses you know will result in top grades. Taking risks means signing up for courses where you’ll be challenged, learn, and grow, but maybe not get a top grade. Today’s college admissions reps prefer that you consider the riskier route—challenge yourself and get a B instead of going for the easy A. That’s why admissions reps give extra weight to Honors and AP classes. They see those courses as good predictors of whether you’ll succeed academically in college.
As a matter of fact, if you score high enough on an AP test in high school, the college you go to may give you credit for the equivalent college course and/or bump you to a higher-level class. The downside of taking AP exams is that no matter how well you score, some colleges won’t accept high school AP coursework in place of their courses. In addition, if you get a C or lower in an AP or Honors class, or if you drop the class to improve your GPA, you may hurt your chances for consideration by a selective school.
The only way to know for sure about AP credits and grades is to ask each college representative, who may refer you to the specific department within the college.

Class Selection

2008-12-06T10:44:00.000-08:00

Some states require that every high schooler take a specific number of courses in core subjects to graduate. Other states offer guidelines only, and the individual districts set requirements. Besides required courses, you’ll need to deal with course sequence—taking the prerequisites before you can get into Honors or AP (Advanced Placement) classes. There may be scheduling conflicts, such as when the course you want to take in the second semester is only offered in the first semester. Plus, don’t forget about physical education, and electives like business education, band, and driver education. You will need to check the admissions requirements for each college in which you’re interested, preferably before your senior year.
It’s a complicated process, and making a mistake can impact graduation or college admission. So work with your counselor on class selection. However, because your counselor is helping plenty of other students as well, take advantage of his or her group presentations and handouts, and use any one-on-one counselor time wisely.

Six Surefire Ways to Turn Key People into Advocates

2008-12-06T10:43:00.000-08:00

1. Take your college search seriously. When others realize your attitude and sense your maturity, they’ll be anxious to help.
2. Don’t wait for or expect these key people to do for you what you can do yourself.
3. If you need one-on-one time to discuss specific issues, ask when the key person is available. Then be punctual, whether the discussion is over the phone or in person.
4. Write down all your questions or issues ahead of time.
5. Be a good listener, but if you don’t understand something, say so. This process you’re involved in is not simple, and there are no dumb questions.
6. If you disagree with advice, speak up. Expressing yourself in a respectful manner may move both of you forward and result in a better decision for you.

Counselors and Teachers: What They Can Do for You ?

2008-12-06T10:37:00.000-08:00

From the get-go, your high school guidance counselor and certain teachers will play a prominent role in your college search and prep process.
After all, your counselor’s job is to assist you in navigating the high school maze so you come out on the college doorstep. Good counselors help find answers to such strategic questions as: How much high school math do I have to take? How do I begin figuring out which colleges to even think about? What about entrance exams? When is the next college fair? How is my family ever going to pay for all this education? Additionally, some colleges may ask for a letter of recommendation from your counselor, so establishing a good working relationship with him or her makes sense.
All your teachers have the same job—to help you succeed in school. But some will also play a role in your college search. They become your advocates, sounding boards, and support system. You’ll come to depend upon them for academic assistance, friendly advice, and maybe even a letter of recommendation later on.
Aside from your parents, counselor, and some teachers, other key people will emerge. You might find support from a school or recreational league coach, an extracurricular activity advisor, your principal, a relative, family friend, mentor, employer, or perhaps someone affiliated with your place of worship.
These people won’t show up with “I’m here to help” tattooed on their foreheads, though. Rather, the relationship will evolve as you show respect, interest, and commitment to whatever you are doing and the key person takes a special interest in you. Then you’ll find yourself turning to that person in search of advice.