Archive for the ‘College Search’ Category

How to Keep From Waiting to the Last Minute to Apply to College

Thursday, February 16th, 2012

The process of applying for college is enough to make just about anyone’s head truly spin.  If you decide to wait until the last moment, you will likely regret it.  Tasks that would have seemed easy all of a sudden seem complex, hard and puzzling when you have little time.  Further, the less time you have to prepare, the more stress you will feel, and the poorer your decisions may ultimately be.  The question you need to keep in mind is, “How do I keep from waiting until the last moment to apply to college?”

Organization is a big deal in college admissions process.  This is why some people turn to college counseling services and look for college admissions assistance.  Before you worry about how to survive college, first make sure that you get there!  You can reduce your stress level by thinking ahead.  You might even have to take some drastic steps in order to make sure that you begin prepping early to meet your deadlines.

Motivation is important, and one helpful tip for getting motivated isn’t to focus on the work at hand when it comes to applying to different colleges and universities.  Instead focus on the fact that the more colleges and universities that you apply to the more options you will have.  This could lead to far better results.  By applying to many colleges and universities and doing so early, you may have a better time and more fun than you otherwise would have experienced.  Focus on the potential fun that you might have in the future by investing the time to get your applications in.

If you are still unmotivated, realize that not everyone has the opportunity to go to college.  In the United States, only about half of students apply (and of that half less than twenty percent eventually graduate!).  Going to college and graduating is still a significant accomplishment.  Only a few decades ago, the graduation rate for college was less than ten percent!

Now if all of that isn’t enough to get you properly motivated, then you might have to consider other options, such as having your friends or family, yes, bug you.  If your parents know your deadlines and you tell them that they must help you make sure that you meet those deadlines, then odds are you will meet more of your deadlines than you otherwise would have.  Of course, it is important that you realize that you won’t be able to rely on your parents in this fashion forever.

Considering the importance of getting into college and meeting your deadlines, it is in your best interest to work to stay on target.  It is necessary to understand that you will have no choice but to make temporary sacrifices so that you can get all of your college applications in on time.  Don’t let all the hard work you put into the college admissions process be for nothing simply because you forgot something as basic as a deadline.

Is Community College Right For You?

Saturday, February 4th, 2012

If you are like most high school seniors, you’ve spent a good deal of time exploring what it takes to find the right college.  Part of this process has no doubt been learning about private loans for college, college savings programs and financial aid and grants.  Just trying to understand the financial part of the college equation can be a great deal of serious work!

During this research, you may have discovered that you just can’t find a way to pay for a traditional four-year degree at a college or university.  You may also be worried that your grades are not going to be good enough to get you into one of the schools of your choice.  The good news is that if you fall into these categories, there are still good options.

The community college system is diverse, works well and is more popular than ever.  The inexplicable and continued rise in college tuition in the last few years has fed something a renaissance for community colleges.  Also if you are thinking that only large communities and cities have community colleges, then guess again.  The fact is that there are more community colleges than you might imagine, and the odds are good that there is one within driving distance of you.

Community colleges offer a great, if not fantastic, value for the money.  When compared to the increasingly astronomical tuition rates at private and even some state schools, community colleges are nothing short of a bargain, if not a super bargain!

Attending a community college for two years and then transferring to finish your degree can save you a massive amount of money.  Plus, if you don’t have the grades or the SAT scores to get into one of your top picks or any of your local schools, this could be a second chance!

If you consistently pull good grades in a community college, you should be able to transfer to a four-year university or college to complete your degree.  You will also have more time to find the right college and look into financial aid and grants as well.  Thanks to community colleges, thousands of students, of all ages, who could not otherwise attend college, have the opportunity to do so.

5 Key Ways You Could Benefit from Attending a Community College

  1. Earn credits to transfer to a four-year college or university
  2. Save money
  3. Have additional time to investigate how to pay for college
  4. Have additional time to explore what major you will choose
  5. Gain access to knowledgeable facility, professors and instructors who can help guide your education and career path

These are only some of the ways that you can benefit from attending a community college.  If you think the four-year university or college route is closed to you, then you should consider community college.  In short, community colleges have a great deal to offer.  Community colleges help countless people every year, and they can help you as well.

The Importance of Great Organizing

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

As you look to make the transition from high-school to college, you are probably feeling as though there is a never ending and maybe even growing “checklist” of things you need to worry about or check off your list.  Don’t worry if you feel this way, as it is very normal and quite common.

When it comes to getting into one of your top college picks, you might not think much about your level of organization, but it is actually of paramount importance in the process.  The more organized you are, the greater your chances of getting into one of your top college picks.  The odds are higher for ultimate success in college as well.

If you haven’t been “much for organizing” in the past, now is definitely the time to change that.  Studying for the SAT, meeting deadlines, writing essays, taking practice tests, evaluating your different college options, investigating financial aid for college tuition and direct federal student loans takes a lot of time, and that means a lot of organization is essential.

One of the single largest steps towards great organization is being willing to prioritize what is important and what is not important.  Tackle this step first, and getting organized will become a great deal easier.

Sacrificing things that you enjoy doing in order to do something that you don’t like or find unpleasant is easier said than done.  One trick is to start small with small sacrifices of things that you enjoy.  Instead use that “recovered time” for something that relates to getting into the school of your dreams, or at least one of the schools that you like the idea of attending!

You could tackle this issue on a week by week basis.  Here is an example of how you could structure your college prep organizing.  You don’t have to use this exact model, but instead you can adapt this strategy for whatever works for you!

Week One-Spend more time studying for SAT

Week Two-Research colleges

Week Three-Get College applications

Week Four-Research financial aid related issues

Week Five-Make list of relevant deadlines

Week Six-Think about ways you can become more efficient and effective in how you use your time and make a list!

Each week look for ways that you can set time aside so that you can apply that time towards getting into college.  As a result, you will become far more organized and also far calmer!  Being organized has a benefit that few consider; being organized means less panic and that means better decision-making.

Many students “end up” at universities and colleges that were nowhere near their top picks for no other reason that a failure to get organized in advance.  They had all the tools, the necessary grades, good letters of recommendation and maybe even good SAT scores, but they lacked proper preparation.

Think of getting into college like you would think about starting a business.  You wouldn’t just try to open a business without preparing in some fashion, would you?  You instinctively understand and know that a business, at least one with any chance of success, needs work and planning.  If you invest your time in this fashion, you will be surprised by what you can accomplish.

Two Books With Great Titles About Transitioning From High School to College

Thursday, January 26th, 2012

If you’ve ever been tempted to ask tell someone “Find a college for me, so I don’t have to think about it!” you are not alone.  Millions of high-school student apply to college every year, and the process can be bewildering.  Whether its worrying about finding the best SAT practice test online, how to find scholarships or just how to survive college, transitioning from high-school to college can at times be daunting.  Yet, with a little bit of research, you can take some of the sting out of this process.  Let’s take a look at a couple of books that can help make the process of going from high-school to college a bit easier.

Crazy U: One Dad’s Crash Course in Getting His Kid Into College by Andrew Ferguson

Crazy U was a very clever title.  This title immediately makes you think that this book is going to be all about the crazy fun that people have while at college.  Well, that isn’t exactly what this book is all about.  On the contrary, Crazy U is all about a dad working to get his kid into college.  Here is why this is a good book and a worthwhile investment; author Andrew Ferguson does a good job of reminding parents how intense, stressful and, to be blunt, ridiculous the entire transition from high school to college actually is in the modern academic system.  Having a book that takes you by the hand and helps you through this highly irritating and frustrating process is worth the asking price and the time invested in reading it.

Don’t Stalk the Admissions Officer: How to Survive the College Admissions Process Without Losing Your Mind by Risa Lewak

Don’t Stalk the Admissions Officer: How to Survive the College Admissions Process Without Losing Your Mind by Risa Lewak is a good book and it also has a very amusing title.  However, this offering it doesn’t measure up in terms of information or value to Crazy U by Andrew Ferguson.  Both are good books, but Crazy U is better.  Now with that stated, that doesn’t mean that you couldn’t benefit from reading both.

Don’t Stalk the Admissions Officer does a very good job of attempting to dissect the college admissions process.  It should also be stated that this book is more geared towards than Crazy U as well.  Lewak understands the process of getting into college as she was involved in the process “from the other side.”  As a result, she has a wealth of insight and tips in the process.

Overall, there are an abundance of insightful tips and you will definitely feel as though you have a better handle on what to do and expect where applying for college is concerned.  Parents and students looking to understand the process better will like that this book is easy to read, clearly laid out and gives many straightforward answer instead of stating repeatedly, “it depend,” which is so common in books in this genre.

Are Only High Paying Majors Worth The Time?

Tuesday, January 24th, 2012

You’ve probably heard a good deal about the wildly increasing price tag of a university or college degree.  This is not to state that there are still not great deals in education to be found, but there is no doubt that these deals are far harder to find and require much more research than in days past.

All of this has left people wondering not just how to survive college or college dorm life, but whether or not they should attend college in the first place.  Additionally, many students are also wondering if they should only attend college if they are going to major in a career with a “big pay day.”  Increasingly, people are beginning to question whether or not college makes sense for everyone.

While there is no denying that the job market is far tougher than in the past, some other facts are also undeniable.  College graduates still earn far more than those with just a high school degree.  Those who go on and get professional degrees earn even more than those who earn college degrees.  Or stated another way, college still does pay.

Yet, the world is full of people with graduate degrees working minimum wage jobs.  This is a fact of life and a reflection of the current economic situation which is, unfortunately, likely to continue for some years to come.  So what is a student considering college to do?

No matter what kind of college degree you get, you will be more employable than those without a college degree.  This is just a fact. While you might be thinking twice about a degree without a big payoff, you’re still better off with a degree of some kind.

Not all high-paying degrees are right for everyone.  After all, a job that makes you truly miserable is one that you will not do forever.  Many people don’t actually stay with the careers that they are trained to do.  The reason for this is that once they enter the workforce and enter their chosen career, they hate it.  The money looks great on paper, but they discover after they begin the job that it’s not for them.  This is definitely a factor for every student to consider and here is why.  College degrees can be expensive, and professional degrees can be doubly so.  The last thing you want is to be stuck with a massive college bill without a career path to pay for it.

So on one hand you are better off with a college degree, but you also have to consider how much your degree will allow you to earn when you graduate and how much your college debt will be.  All of this underscores how important it is to have good advice and a knowledgeable mentor or two.  Also investigating all of your options is essential.

You can find the right college for your needs and one that will help you plot out your future career.  Just remember to plan well in advance, and weigh all of the choices before making a decision.

How Do You Handle College Advice When You Don’t Agree?

Saturday, January 14th, 2012

When it comes to your college career and your career goals, more than likely there are many people wanting to give you advice and lots of it.  Quite often people will put pressure on you to follow their advice, whether its friends or family.  If they can’t recognize that their advice is useless or even downright bad, what are you do to in such a situation?  What do you do when college advice goes beyond financial aid and grants or how to find scholarships and instead dives deeper into your decision making process?

Dealing with a pushy relative who wants to give you college advice can be quite tricky.  Few of us actually state, “Hi there, find a college for me,” but the fact is that family members will try to tell you what to do and even pick out your college for you.  If you have someone trying to make this decision for you, here are a few tips for handling the situation.

Tip One-Show Why Your College Pick is Better

The first option is to prove that your college selection is better than what they have in mind.  For example, you can demonstrate that your preferred school is higher ranked in a particular program than the one your relative is suggesting.  Keep in mind that stating, “But my school is a better party school,” isn’t likely to work very well. Don’t try that one!

Tip Two-Apply to Many Different Colleges

Whatever you do, never apply to just one or two schools, as this can leave you without a school altogether.  Further, by applying to several universities and colleges, you will give yourself some wiggle room as you will be able to state, “But I did get into…”

You Can Always Ignore the Advice

Ignoring a relative’s advice on college is a lot easier if he or she is not paying for attendance.  If your parents are paying for your college and they are expecting you to attend a given school but you hate their idea, you are in a tough situation.  However, there is still hope.  After the first year, you can explain to them in more detail why the school isn’t right for you.  At that time, you can transfer to another program.

Remember that People Want to Help

You have to be the one who lives your life, and that means you need to make your own decisions about where you will go to college and what you will major in at college.  With that stated, however, try and remember that the people who are giving you advice about college only want the best for you.

In the end, take in the advice and listen carefully to the logic behind it, as this is very important.  If the logic is sound and based on facts, then it is worthwhile.  However if the college advice you receive is really just someone’s opinion then that is a different story.  Ultimately, you want to be happy with your college experience.  Finding that happiness might just mean ignoring the advice that you’ve been given.

Learn How to Survive College, It Can Be Done!

Tuesday, January 10th, 2012

Are you worried about surviving college?  You shouldn’t lose sleep feeling that you are somehow unusual for feeling this way.  Most people are worried about making the transition to college, especially if they are going away to school.  No matter what your relationship is with your family or what you think your relationship may be, the fact is that you know what to expect from your home life.  College, on the other hand, marks the transition into the unknown.

You can learn how to survive college, and the first step in the process is to realize that your college life experience will be different from high school.  This is true whether you go away to school or continue to live at home.

Your first survival tip is to realize that you are on your own. This means that no one will force you to study.  Many colleges and universities, particularly state schools, have high flunk out rates.  Now you can’t exactly learn how to survive college if you flunk out, can you?

Getting good grades is, of course, all about studying, but it is also about realizing that as a freshman in college you have to show that you have the discipline to get your work done on your own.  In short, one of the single biggest hurdles for learning how to survive college is to realize that you have to study and that it is up to you to make sure that it happens.

Surviving College Dorm Life

College dorm life can be complicated as well.  You should be open and ready to make new friends.  Yet, you have to realize that there is nothing magical about your college dorm life.  Regardless of what you’ve seen in the media, college dorm life is just like the real world.  There are good people, bad people, indifferent people and everything in between.  This means that the same logic and caution that you’ve used in the real world to date still applies in college.

You shouldn’t show up to college and think, “Wow, I am in college now I can trust everyone.”  That is a recipe for disaster.  You might get lucky, but you will be tempting fate.  A big part of learning how to survive college is keeping your brain turned on and making good decisions.  It is possible to still have a great time!

Financial Aid for College Tuition

Worrying about grades may seem like a full-time job, but you may also have no choice but to worry about other things.  One of the factors that you shouldn’t lose sight of is financial aid for college tuition.  If you can’t pay for college, then you certainly won’t be “surviving” college, as you won’t be there.  This means that you will have to keep an eye on tuition related issues.  College tuition is going up, and it is going up very rapidly.  A good part of surviving college is finding a way to keep your student loans under control so that you are not repaying these loans when you are 75 years old.

8 Reasons to Consider Out-of-State Colleges and Universities

Saturday, December 31st, 2011

While parents may prefer that their High School graduate consider in-state colleges and universities, it is not unusual for students to push for an out-of-state experience. High-schoolers considering colleges often find out-of-state options alluring, to be able to spread their wings, especially if their college of choice holds the lure of prestige. Before restricting your sights on in-state schools, consider these possible benefits of an out-of-state college experience.

Specialized Programs
An out-of-state school may be a good thing to consider if the school specializes in a degree program not offered at a college near home. Some degrees – for example Zoology, Nuclear Physics, Veterinary Medicine, Contemporary Music, Nutritional Science, or Women’s Studies – are less commonly offered across the board.

Lower Tuition Costs
The cost for attending some out-of-state colleges may actually be less than an in-state college. For example, a California resident attending the University of California at Santa Barbara costs around $30,000. That same student may attend the University of Arkansas for around $26,000, Purdue University in Indiana for around $28,000, or the University of Kansas for around $23,000.

Greater Independence
Attending a school that is too far away to visit home regularly will require you to develop greater independence, life skills, and self-reliance. If you’re solely responsible for remembering schedules, making and keeping appointments, shopping, healthy eating, laundry, budgeting and bill paying, this gives you an excellent crash course toward confident adulthood.

Out-of-State Scholarships
In these very tight financial times some colleges are having difficulty keeping enrollment up and they may be offering more scholarship opportunities to out-of-state students. Some examples of this are Portland State in Portland, Oregon which offers scholarships to students from several of the western states entering degree programs that are not available to them in their home state. Michigan State offers scholarships to out-of-state pre-med students. Some colleges have scholarships for which all out-of-state incoming freshmen are considered. If money is an issue for you, this is definitely worth considering.

Finding The Right Campus Vibe
In some cases, the college environment may be a good reason for considering an out-of-state college. If a student has grown up in a town of 20,000 persons, enrolling them in a college with a student body of 30,000 may be too overwhelming (or it might be just what you want for a total change of lifestyle!). See what options suit your preferences in your home state and compare them with colleges in other states that offer the environment and opportunities that you want.

New Cultural Experiences
An out-of-state college may offer the student a new cultural experience. There are marked differences in the lifestyles of people from Southern California and Fayetteville, Arkansas, or people from New York City and Phoenix Arizona. A different area of the country will afford you the opportunity to experience new foods, different geography, and perhaps a climate change. Seeing snow for the first time is just as exciting for a Hawaiian student in Massachusetts as going to the beach in February for a New Englander studying in Florida.

Career Prospects
Your career choice may play a role in the decision to consider an out-of-state college, if you already know what path you want to take. With some occupations, the college where the degree was earned can be extremely important. Institutions like Harvard Law, John Hopkins Medical, or MIT for math and sciences may significantly impact job opportunity, but it’s also important to remember it’s what you do with your experience, regardless of where you study.

Employment While In College
If you will need to hold a part-time job, and that is increasingly an issue, consider the employment opportunities in the area near the college. Some states have been more heavily impacted by the down-turn in the economy, so part-time job opportunities may be more plentiful in another state.

College is a big step for the High School graduate and for mom and dad. Choosing the right college is a significant undertaking, with many things to be considered, but ultimately you want to find a place where you’ll feel happy, be able to pursue the academic and extracurricular activities that you’re interested in, and feel comfortable. When doing your college search, don’t ignore out-of-state options. Even if you pick one as your wildcard choice to apply, you never know, it might end up being your favorite!

Author Bio: Tal Baron writes for Smart Meetings, a corporate events guide for planning Boston conferences.

3 Things to Consider During Your Campus Visit

Thursday, December 22nd, 2011

Picking a college can be complicated, and there are many steps to the process.  Find the right college and your college experience will be far more rewarding.  All the work that you invested in researching financial aid for college tuition, pre college summer programs, college counseling services and all the rest will seem like time well spent if you find the right college.  A major part of selecting the right college should be a campus visit.

Your concepts and notions about what a college may be like could differ greatly from the reality of the situation.  Selecting a college without first visiting the campus could be a decision that you might regret.  A college might look great on paper, but when you visit in person you may find that aspects of college environment, such as college dorm life, may vary too dramatically from what you want out of your overall experience.  It is difficult to perform well when you are not happy.  This is why selecting the right college is so important to your eventual success both in college and in life.

1. Do You Feel Safe?

During your college visit, you need to take many different factors into consideration.  The first consideration is whether or not the environment is a safe one.  In this regard, it is important to look at the environment around the school and try and gather some insight into how safe the campus is and how well it is policed.  A sad reality is that many college campuses are seen by criminal elements as target areas.  Your physical safety needs to be at the top of your list.

2. Do You Like the Overall Feel of the School?

Another important factor is how comfortable you feel at a given university or college.  If you visit five colleges and one has a “weird vibe” to it, then don’t ignore that feeling.  The simple fact is that if you don’t feel comfortable, you should pick a different institution.

3. Are the People Friendly?

Whether or not people are friendly is an important issue for many students.  Every university or college comes with a different vibe, and this will radiate out through the student body as well.  So when you visit a college campus, simply sit back and try to evaluate how happy your fellow students seem.  If everyone seems miserable, you have a key piece of information.

Don’t hesitate to ask around.  You should ask a variety of students about how they feel about the college or university in general.  If most people have positive feelings, that is a great sign!

Perhaps most importantly, you should not base your entire decision on what university officials or tour guides have to tell you.  Their job is to only paint the university or college in the best possible light.  Making the best decision for you means taking in a variety of information before selecting your college of choice.

4 Ways To Reduce Stress When Applying to College

Tuesday, November 1st, 2011

There are many important steps to applying for college.  Getting into the college or university of your choice can be a complex process.  This is especially true when you are applying to numerous schools.  As a result, you may at times feel overwhelmed and stressed by the process as a whole.  This is why it is extremely important to keep your focus.

When you get stressed out, you stop thinking clearly.  The end result could be that you begin making mistakes.  Whether its studying for your SAT, trying to ace as many classes as possible, or filling out your college applications, you need to keep your stress levels at a minimum.  Let’s take a look at a few of the ways that you can keep your stress levels low and increase your chances of getting into the college of your choice in the process.

#1 Realize that the World Will Not End

One basic step that you can take to keep your stress levels low is to realize that it is not the end of the world if you don’t get into your “top pick.”  Lots of pressure can be put on your shoulders, as older people just assume that you can “take it.”  Yet, if you feel totally stressed out it may impact your performance.  Now this isn’t an excuse to fail or not try, but you should keep in mind that life will go on even if you get into your fifth choice instead of your first college of choice.  No matter how others may act the world will not end, and you will not be destined to a future of poverty and failure.

#2 Walk Away and Take a Break

If all you do is study and deal with SAT preparation, you may actually be increasing your odds of failure both in the short term and in the long term.  Some students may ace the SAT, but they end up so exhausted and overwhelmed that they avoid studying all freshmen year.  This route isn’t a good plan for long term success!

#3 Short Breaks, Meditation and Stress Reduction

Stress can actually kill you.  Prolonged exposure to stress hormones, such as cortisol, can result in a decrease in the strength of your immune system.  If your immune system is weakened, your odds of getting sick, of course, go up.  If you’re sick, you won’t be studying for your classes or the SAT.  Part of staying healthy is keeping your immune system strong.

Meditation is a relaxation technique that serves to reduce stress hormone levels.  Recent medical studies have actually shown that meditation has a variety of medical benefits including the reduction of stress.  So if you are feeling upset and anxious, meditation stands as a great way to deal with this stress.

#4 Find a College Admissions Counselor

Believe it or not, utilizing a College Admissions Counselor can take a real load off your mind. Why run around worried about what you’re forgetting, or what opportunities you are missing? Start smart with a college admissions counselor who can sit down with you and your family to figure out your wants and needs and outline a plan for you to follow. Why go it alone, when you can have a partner?

Remember that any edge you can give yourself is one you should take.  However, at the same time, you should never allow yourself to become so stressed out and worried about what colleges you get into that you become miserable.