All posts by Suzanne Shaffer

college planning, parenting

Providing tools for the successful student

UPDATE: We had a wonderful Twitter party last night. The winner of the Suite was @ChaCha572. The suite will be heading her way soon! Thanks everyone for your enthusiasm and support–especially @TheOnlineMom @TheTechDad and @geekbabe for hosting the party and making me feel welcome.

Here’s your chance to WIN this AMAZING creative tool

Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 Master Collection.

Register for #TheOnlineMom ‘s Twitter chat on her site and join us on#TheOnlineMom ‘s Twitter Chat TONIGHT at 9PM EST where one random person will win a FULL copy of this marvelous student tool.

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Parents are always looking for ways to help our students be successful. In today’s technological age which spurs unbridled creativity in our students finding and providing the proper tools to enhance and

support their creativity can be not only difficult, but expensive. When I find a product or service that can help, I like to pass the information along to my parent readers. Adobe C5.5 Master Collection is one of those products.

You may have a high school student that is planning for college, or a current college student that needs these tools to be productive throughout their college career. As a user of Adobe products for almost 15 years, going back to Adobe Pagemaker, I know how effective these products can be in today’s age of lightning fast media, social sharing, and enhanced technology. Having a copy of this product in your student’s arsenal can give them the edge in creating flash presentations, streaming videos, high-quality graphic presentations, and smoking web content.

Here’s what’s inside:

  • Adobe Photoshop CS5 Extended
  • Adobe Illustrator CS5
  • Adobe InDesign CS5.5
  • Adobe Acrobat X Pro
  • Adobe Flash Catalyst CS5.5
  • Adobe Flash Professional CS 5.5
  • Adobe Flash Builder 4.5 Premium Edition
  • Adobe Dreamweaver CS5.5
  • Adobe Fireworks CS5
  • Adobe Contribute CS5
  • Adobe Premiere Pro CS5
  • Adobe After Effects CS5.5
  • Adobe Audition CS5.5
  • Adobe OnLocation CS5
  • Adobe Encore CS5
  • Adobe Bridge CS5
  • Adobe Device Central CS5.5
  • Adobe Media Encoder CS5.5

As you can see from the list, this is a computer geek’s dream, not to mention any student could benefit from these programs in their creative arsenal.

Once you’ve familiarized yourself with the collection by following the link above, you can purchase it by following this link: Purchase Adobe C5.5 Master Collection

Note: There is a STANDARD edition available as well which includes the basics: Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Acrobat, Bridge, and Device Central.

If you have a college graduate in your household, don’t wait until it is too late! Buy Adobe C5.5 Master Collection while you still can–get it at student pricing until May 31st.


Guest Posts, study abroad

Projects Abroad’s Volunteer Opportunities for Students

 

Now is the time when parents ask their high school and college-aged kids, “What do you plan on doing with your summer?”

Instead of choosing to spend their summers lifeguarding or in an unfulfilling office internship, students are opting to spend their summers making a difference in the global community by volunteering abroad. Projects Abroad, a leading international volunteer placement organization, offers a wide variety of summer internship opportunities and special two-week high school programs in developing countries around the world.

An ideal option for college students – those who have decided on a course of study and those who haven’t – is our summer internship programs. Most projects require no prior background in the field, and offer students a valuable cross-cultural learning experience that will not only leave them with lasting memories, but will also beef up their resumes and attract future employers.

Summer Internships

Projects Abroad offers more than ten types of summer internships in disciplines like medicine, journalism, law and human rights, business and veterinary medicine, in over 20 locations on five continents.

The Medicine and Healthcare internship is a great choice for students interested in pursuing a career in general medicine, physical therapy, midwifery, dentistry, nursing, occupational therapy and speech therapy. Interns work closely with doctors and medical staff in hospitals and clinics, and are considered to be very valuable assets, especially because resources in developing countries can be somewhat inadequate.
Depending on the project they choose, our medical interns typically all have a slightly different experience. Take dentistry internships for example. Our volunteers in India work in clinics in and around the city of Madurai, while interns in Argentina are placed in a large hospital in Villa Allende, and interns in Mexico work in smaller dental practices in Guadalajara. Regardless of the placement though, we welcome interns of all qualification levels – from high school students and medical school students to skilled professionals.

Another popular option for students is our Business internships. They are ideal for anyone looking to acquire hands-on experience and professional skills in an international business setting. We know that our interns come to us in all different stages of their professional careers, which is why we tailor business internships to suit the individual, since skills, prior experience, and personal interests are directly relevant to the placement. The positions in this field vary, but all offer challenging and fulfilling work experience in the business sector. Just as with the medicine internships, each business placement has a unique work setting and requires a certain skill set from volunteers. Volunteers with business internships in Shanghai, Madurai, Chisinau, Ulaanbaatar and Cape Town may work in a high rise building with all of the latest technologies, or be placed in a smaller company that operates without large resources.

Volunteer projects

Though our internships are offered to volunteers of all levels, high school students ages 16-19 may find a two-week summer special to be a more viable option. We created the two-week summer projects especially for this age group that combine full-time project with an enjoyable half-way point weekend excursion. These exciting projects involve students working with their peers in the fields of Archaeology, Care & Community, Diving & Marine Conservation, and more. Many parents are interested to know that select two-week specials may provide escorted flights from New York – JFK with a Projects Abroad staff member.

Our Inca & Archaeology Project in Peru is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Volunteers work outdoors in the beautiful Andes Mountains and help with archaeological activities and community work. On the weekend, they make a special trip to see Machu Picchu and other world-famous sites. Across the world in Nepal at our Care & Community Project, students work in an area rich in ancient temples, culture, and tradition. Students spend two weeks working in an orphanage or school, playing with children and helping to renovate and decorate buildings. Just as exciting as the others, our Diving & Marine Conservation Project in Thailand allows students to observe the stunning coral reef, assess its damage and help conserve the ecosystem. There are over 40 options to choose from in total in 22 destinations.

With the exception of the two-week high school summer specials, all of Projects Abroad’s programs offer volunteers the flexibility of choosing a start and end date. Our staff prides themselves on the quality of service we offer volunteers from the moment they call until the end of their trip and beyond. Our volunteers (and parents of volunteers) can rest assured that each of the countries we work in has at least one Projects Abroad office with full-time employees who are trained in our head office.

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This guest post was contributed by Thomas Pastorius, Jr. Our website offers a ton of great information on all of our projects, costs, safety and more. www.projects-abroad.org.

college planning, Guest Posts, parenting, Uncategorized

How to encourage your high school student to consider an internship

From an early age, my parents always encouraged me to think about the parallels between student life and working full-time. “Just like it’s our job to get up and go to work every day, it’s your job to get up and go to school every day,” I vividly remember my mom telling me as a kindergartner. “And doing your homework when you get home at night is part of that job, too,” she added.

Looking back, it seems like a few trivial statements made by a mother to persuade her daughter to get out of bed for school in the morning. But it wasn’t insignificant. It helped my young, impressionable mind to recognize the importance in being a good student. I wanted to be a good student because it was my job to do so, according to my mother. Indeed, it was forward-thinking at its finest.

With that fundamental seed planted (you must get up every day and perform your job, whatever it is), when a child develops natural interests and skillsets, it’s time to hone in on the “whatever it is”. As teens reach the pivotal point in their lives of determining the career field in which they want to obtain further education and training, parents can have the same effect on their children as my mom did when she made that simple statement to her six-year-old. Little did she know her praise and support of my early passions would ultimately lead to my pursuit of a degree in disaster recovery.

Encourage your college-bound teen to investigate careers

Encouraging teenagers to investigate careers, if done properly, can set them up for success long before recruiters start showing up at their high school. No child ever really wants to grow up, so mandating they start thinking about declaring a profession will likely not yield a positive response. Rather than telling them to start thinking about college or figuring out what they want to do for a living, ask questions relating to a career that will provoke their curiosity and motivate them do initiate their own research.

For example, let’s say your teenage son has great language skills, is on the school newspaper editorial team, enjoys playing baseball, loves punk rock music, and appears to be dependent on his Twitter account. You could ask him if he plans to be on the newspaper staff next year. If he does, then he must enjoy writing. As a parent, you are surely in tune with what he’s writing about. So, if the newspaper has him writing about the school play, encourage him to seek permission to write about sports or music (two of his interests) instead. If the paper won’t allow him to change topics, mention a music or sports blog you stumbled across that you noticed was taking guest posts. Whether it’s with the school newspaper or on a blog, you’ve now guided him towards creative writing about subjects he enjoys.

Encourage them to take the next step

If it goes well and he likes it, as you praise him for the great work he’s been doing, casually mention what bigger and better things it could lead to- a music correspondent for an alternative arts publication, a field reporter for a local radio station, or video blogging for a local news station. Be persistent, but not annoyingly persistent, that these are real possibilities. Point out that those types of organizations need interns and that, if it’s something he could see himself doing for a career, that he could test the waters with an internship.

The point is that gentle nudging that provokes curiosity will, in the end, be much more effective than forcing internships if the student discovers on his own that his passion can become his career. Take an active interest in his activities and hobbies and encourage further development of those that could lead to internships and occupations. Drop hints and make suggestions. And most importantly- be supportive of their final decisions!

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This was a guest post contributed by Danielle Luna, a resident of Indianapolis, who blogs for Professional Intern (http://www.professionalintern.com), a website devoted to reading, literature, writing, and education.

parenting, test prep

Texting to Teach–Seriously?

If you asked most educators and parents to suggest possible new ways to help teenagers significantly improve SAT, ACT and AP test scores as well as overall GPA’s, “texting” is probably not one of the first (or second or third) things that would come to mind.

After watching my teenage daughter on a car trip texting faster than I could think, it dawned on me that I needed to find a way to make text messaging (SMS) productive and not just social. And as most parents can relate, it would also be nice for text messaging to be anything other than a dinnertime distraction!

Consequently, the concept of eTextPrep came to life when I realized that the cell phone was the prefect way to help teens be more successful in school. I also knew that by utilizing the method of communication that teens know and love, text messaging, we could capture any student’s attention long enough to explore some great new learning opportunities.

Recent statistics show that the average teenager spends 88% of their time on their cell phone texting, not talking, and that number is on the rise. So to have an educational tool that fits into the teen “LOL, OMG, JK” lingo of brevity above all else is a great step! Studies indicate that the majority of teens not only have a cell phone but as most parents know, it is never far from their side!

The educational benefit behind eTextPrep is really very simple. Critical vocabulary words and terms applicable to the SAT, ACT and AP tests are sent directly to the student’s cell phone two specific times each day. With studies showing 98% of text messages are opened and read within four minutes of receipt, I knew the educational texts could not be ignored.

Remaining cognizant of the busy schedule of most teens, eTextPrep is designed so that the student simply has to open the text message, read the word, the part or speech or origin and finally, the definition. There is nothing for them to initiate or remember to do, just open the message and learn! eTextPrep is a great example of the growing acceptance in the education community that with today’s technology, learning can in fact be “anywhere and anytime.”

As the mother of four teenagers, I knew that in addition to really engaging students in learning, in today’s challenging economy, eTextPrep needed to stay affordable. eTextPrep is both – a very effective learning tool for the student and at only $7.99 per month is affordable to the subscriber.

At eTextPrep we are raising test scores and GPAs – one text at a time – every day.

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Today’s guest post was contributed by Lynne Anderson, President and CEO of ETextPrep. The educational content for eTextPrep has been designed by highly experienced and nationally recognized educators. Veteran teachers who instruct, test, tutor and grade the courses have authored material that is challenging, highly specific and adheres to rigorous course standards and requirements. eTextPrep AP Learning Programs include words and concepts students will see again on AP test day!

eTextPrep utilizes the mobile medium students know and love – their cell phone – and puts the power of learning in the palm of their hand.To learn more about the concept of Texting to Teach visit our website at www.etextprep.com, email info@etextprep.com or call 888-553-8398 to learn more.


college planning, extracurricular activities

Summer Activities to Prepare for College

Nowadays, grades are not enough to impress colleges. Universities seek well rounded students who have the potential to contribute positively to their school and society. Students preparing for college should engage in different activities that will set themselves apart from the crowd. As students are always busy with papers and exams during the school year, summer is a great time for them to participate in activities that will impress colleges.

Volunteer Work

Caring for the Community

Volunteer service is a great way for high school students to show colleges they care about their communities and want to make a positive impact on society. Volunteering is also indicative of a student’s interests and personality traits. For example, tutoring elementary school kids, working in hospitals, and cleaning public parks suggests a student is compassionate and dedicated.

Work Experience

Community service is also a way to explore career options and potential majors. Volunteering allows students to obtain hands on experience in a professional field and develop work skills, such as discipline and teamwork.

 

Paid Work

Exploring Career Options

Like volunteer work, a summer job or an internship is a great way to explore different careers and develop traits that colleges look favorably upon. There are many internships available for high school students in research firms and major businesses. These are opportunities to network and see what the work field is like. A summer job is also a great way to develop work and financial responsibility. Whether it is at a major company or at a grocery store, a summer job will teach high students how to talk and act around employers and customers. This shows colleges that a student is a hard worker, dedicated, and willing to learn.

Saving up for School

A summer job can also help pay for school expenses, such as tuition, textbooks, and rent. While financial aid is available in the form of loans, scholarships, and grants, every penny counts.

Test Preparation and College Visits

Although it is summer, high school students should not forget about their academics. Summer is a prime time to enroll in test preparation courses for the SAT and/or ACT. This is also the time for students to research universities and see which schools would be a good fit for them. Colleges also host campus visits during the summer for potential students. This is the best way to learn about different campuses, talk with admissions staff, and explore what kind of programs are offered at a certain school. Universities also take note of high school students who attend their college visits and contact their staff; such dedication and curiosity always looks great on a college application.

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Today’s guest post is by Louise Baker. Louise blogs about getting an online degree at Zen College Life. Her most recent post looked at the best medical coding and billing schools.

 

college planning, college visits

YourCampus360-College Visits in the 21st century

As your parent advocate (and source of all things related to the college admissions process), it’s my goal to pass along the BEST college-related information to parents. College visits are crucial in the selection process and for those of us with limited travel capabilities, virtual sites enable you and your family to get a bird’s-eye view of potential campuses.

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Greetings, Parents! There are new tools for your family’s college search and if you haven’t noticed them yet…you are excused! Here’s the lowdown: virtual campus tours are not yet available for every college university, but most colleges and universities have either discovered or are in the process of exploring this option.  The term “virtual” is no longer tethered to images of early nineties cyber nerds with giant goggles. Virtual tours are now an indispensable tool for many real estate and travel companies, and naturally, in the Higher Ed space, where getting familiar with campus life is a key component of a student’s and their parents’ decision.

The virtual college campus tour is ever-evolving. The tool, which evolved out of static videos and photos of campuses, used to be available only via a school’s .EDU website. Now companies like YourCampus360 have made the same tours, which simulate a campus walking tour and include 360-degree panoramas, available via colleges’ Facebook pages and also via mobile app (for iPhones/iPads and Android phones.) This enables busy students and parents to preview and review college campuses – pre and post-live visit – and to interact directly with the school throughout the admissions process.

Many colleges and universities in the U.S. have, or are in the process of developing virtual campus tours, and this trend has taken hold across the globe, as institutions worldwide compete for higher international student populations.

Be on the lookout for these virtual tours on your college search, and if you don’t see one on a school’s homepage, simply dig a little deeper – many times they can be found on a school’s Admissions and Visit pages.  Happy searching and good luck!

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YourCampus360 is a team of New York City-based higher education marketing technology experts. The company leads the industry in creating virtual experiences that connect schools with prospective students across all of the most popular platforms: EDU websites, mobile devices, Facebook, YouTube, and more.

 

 

Uncategorized

5 lessons the college-bound can learn from the news about Osama Bin Laden

You had to have your head buried in the sand the last 12 hours if you didn’t hear the news about Osama Bin Laden. Even though it’s been over 10 years, the news of his demise brings nothing but extreme pride to our country. I began thinking this morning about all that it took to make this come to fruition and the lessons we can all learn from this drama that has unfolded the last 10 years; especially as it applies to the college-bound teen.

  1. There are consequences to all of your actions

    2. Every action in our lives has a consequence–good or bad. If you sow anger, evil, negativity and violence, you reap the same. If you sow honor and dignity while treating others with respect, you will be rewarded. It’s as simple, and complicated, as that. Bin Laden sowed hatred for America and its people. Today we know that Bin Laden has suffered the consequences of his actions.

  2. Never give up

    3. In spite all the rumors of his death, America never stopped looking for either the man, or the proof of his death. Ten years are a long time to keep up the fight. What can you learn from this? All throughout your educational career, you will have ups and downs. Your grades may falter. You may feel like there are so many others more talented than you. You may feel overwhelmed and outgunned. But never give up.

  3. Be proud of who you are

    4. On September 11, 2001, every person in this country came together and was proud to be an American. The same is true today. One of our enemies has been defeated and our country has struck a blow for freedom. Be proud of who you are, embrace your goals, and proceed with fortitude and conviction.

  4. Don’t forget the sacrifice of others

    5. Many American lives were lost in the pursuit of this outcome. Many families paid the ultimate sacrifice in this fight against terrorists. This is a victory for them today as well. Your parents and families will sacrifice much for you during your pursuit of higher education. Don’t forget their sacrifice and always be grateful that they put great value in your education.

  5. Perseverance always pays off

    6. The American military never gave up. They believed their purpose was worthy of their sacrifice. They persevered amidst all the negative attacks from our enemies and achieved a positive outcome. If you persevere through the college admissions process, do your best, and work toward your goals, success will be your ultimate victory.

Today is a day to reflect and remember, but it’s also a day to rejoice that justice has been served and one of our greatest enemies can no longer attack our freedom. Take this time to use the lessons outlined, apply them to your life, and remember that success comes when you move toward your goals.

financial aid, scholarships

A Review-How to Win College Scholarships

7 Comments

 

Being a College Prep Expert at CollegeExpertPanel.com has put me in contact with some other experts in the field of college admissions. This contact has given me the opportunity to once again, give you the BEST information from the BEST sources, helping you to help your student apply to college and get accepted.

When I find a product that can save you thousands of dollars on tuition, I get so excited because I know that you, as a parent, are in need of some financial relief. Let’s face it, even if you have saved and planned, who can’t afford to avail themselves of every opportunity to save money? On the other end of the spectrum, if you haven’t been able to gather a small fortune for college, tools that allow you to finance the education without parent loans are a godsend.

Monica Matthews’ “How to Win College Scholarships: A Guide for Parents in 10 Easy Steps” is one of those godsends. I have read this short, concise book and I can tell you she makes it EASY to hit the ground running, get organized, and help your student find those scholarships. She falls into a class that I like to call “parent advocates”. We are the ones who have done the leg work, succeeded, and want to pass on our parent related expertise to other parents. Monica has done the leg work in the scholarship search process. She found herself in that awkward place with her son–a promising student aspiring to college, and parents who wanted to support that decision financially.

Instead of taking out loans, or going back to work full-time, Monica opted to spend her time helping her son search, find and apply for scholarships. In 10 easy steps, she outlines the process she took, gives you bottom line tips along the way, and provides you with some “out-of-box” tools to help your student stand out with the scholarship committees. She addresses all the aspects of scholarship applications from essays, to recommendation letters, to transcripts, to the application completion and delivery.

The best part about Monica’s e-book is that it’s simple and easy to understand. If you follow her easy 10 step program, the scholarship process becomes doable for any parent and their student. You can sit back and hope that your student does all the work, or you can offer help and support by grabbing a copy of Monica’s book, reading it, and rolling up your sleeves.

Who wins? Your student will win by graduating without debt. You will win by helping your student find and win those scholarships for their undergraduate and online MBA degrees. Once those winning letters begin to flood your mailbox, you’ll be glad you took my advice and added Monica’s e-book to your college admissions library.

 

Grab yourself a copy TODAY–>How to Win College Scholarships: A Guide for Parents in 10 Easy Steps

 

 

college guidance, college planning, Uncategorized

Why subscribe to The College Prep Formula?

If you’ve visited my site lately, you’ll notice the banner at the top about the College Prep Formula. Since I take our relationship (parent-to-parent) seriously and I ALWAYS support ANY product I promote here, I want to tell you a little bit about Paul Hemphill, the guy behind the College Prep Formula.

I first came in contact with Paul on Twitter. I started reading his blog and watching some of his videos. I realized that he and I were cut from the same cloth–1)he lives in Boston (my favorite city) and loves Texas (my favorite state) and 2)we are both approaching this college admissions game from the parent’s perspective. We like to call ourselves Parent Advocates! We’ve done a few webinars together and the more I learn about him, the more I respect him. Paul is the kind of guy that doesn’t mince words and comes right to the point–you are the customer; buyer BEWARE!

As you can imagine, it’s not a very popular opinion in the college admissions arena; but it’s one that I completely agree with and one that speaks the truth. Paul and I exchanged products (my toolkit and his videos) and I realized that we were on the same wave length. Why? Because we were both clueless about the college process and made some of the very same mistakes with our kids. Because of the mistakes we made, we are EXTREMELY committed to helping parents reduce the college stress and arm themselves with the tools they need to make it through this process on top!

The College Prep Formula will give every parent of college-bound teens (and that means even middle school students) the ability to enter the college admissions process as informed consumers. This is a MAJOR purchase and you need to approach it as such. Imagine if you will, (in Rod Serling’s Twilight zone voice) being able to save thousands, even hundreds of thousands of dollars on college. It’s possible, if you follow Paul’s formula.

Trust me…you don’t want to miss out on this GREAT parent resource. I’ve seen the videos and they are going to help you stress less AND save money. And as Paul likes to say…they will knock your socks off!

SUBSCRIBE NOW—>The College Prep Formula

college guidance, college planning, Uncategorized

Narrowing down the final college choice

May 1st is quickly approaching and high school seniors are faced with the looming decision–which college will I attend? Following is a guest post from freelance writer Mariana Ashley about using specific factors to make that final decision.

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Hopefully all of your hard work paid off and you were fortunate enough to be accepted into every college that you applied for. While this act alone is cause for celebration, this is where the hard part comes in: you can only commit to one university.  But narrowing your choice to the final one can be both difficult and stressful, especially because you want a school that will be able to meet both your educational, financial and social needs/wants in the best way possible. To help you make one of the hardest decisions you will have to make in your early life-time, consider these factors listed below.

College Tour

One of the easiest ways to select a school is to physically go to the campus and look around. Granted not all students have the time or the means to visit each school, especially those that are located on other sides of the country, but physically looking at a school is much better than viewing it through a pamphlet. If you can’t make the physical trip, utilize sites that offer college visit videos and connect with students on those sites.

Location and Size

You also need to factor in the location of the school. Do you want to be a short 2-to 3-hour drive so that you can come home a few weekends, or do you want to attend a school that is in another state so that you can live in a new surrounding? Also, do you want to attend a school that is located in the city or a small rural college town?  Do you want to attend a big school or a small intimate school?

Programs

By far one of the most important factors that should influence your decision is looking into the programs offered at the school.  Is the school known for offering an exceptional program in the field you are pursuing? Are there any notable graduates? What about the professors? What are their exact credentials? Even if you are unaware of what you would like to major in knowing that the school has a lot of options and great professors is beneficial.

You may also want to consider graduation and retention rates, as well as whether internship programs and career services are offered.

Social

While social interaction shouldn’t play the biggest role when selecting a school, it still matters. With that said, do a little research and see what sort of extracurricular activities and clubs are offered at each university. For instance, if you already know that you want to join a particular fraternity or sorority, does a chapter exist on that particular campus? Or, if you know that you want to attend medical school later on, are there tons of great health related organizations that will help you get in? Some also consider sporting teams because they want to attend a school that is filled with champions—but please don’t let this sway your decision too much.

You might also want to look into the demographics of the school. Do you want to attend a school that offers a lot of diversity or would you rather go to a school that has one group of people? Do you want to go to a school that has a reputation of being liberal or conservative? Demographics can play a huge role in regards to making friends. But whatever you do, don’t make a decision based on the fact that all of your high school buddies are going to a particular school. You need to attend the school that is best suited for you.  Be assured that if you are separated from your high school friends, you will be able to keep in contact with them while making other new, last-long friendships in college.

Costs

By now you should at least have your top two choices. This is where financial costs will help you select your top choice. So, which school can you actually afford to attend without going into years worth of financial debt and which school has offered you a more appealing financial aid award package (if you qualify)? Make sure to investigate additional charges and fees and whether commuting will burn a whole in your pocket. Also find estimates for housing options and see which school would be more cost-effective.

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This guest post was written by Mariana Ashley, a freelance writer, who particularly enjoys writing about online colleges. She loves receiving reader feedback, which can be directed to mariana.ashley031@gmail.com