Category Archives: college guidance

college guidance, college planning, Guest Posts

5 Tips for choosing college courses

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It’s always great to hear college students regarding advice about the college process. Today’s guest post is from Katheryn Rivas, who is an English major at The University of Texas.

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One of the first decisions that your college-bound child will be faced with upon matriculation is creating a class schedule. In my own experience, the process becomes less complicated as semesters progress, but this, I think, is largely because of trial-and-error, learning from mistakes that I made in previous academic years. Here are a few tips that I would give to first year students who are selecting classes for the first time.

1. Understand that a huge percentage of undergraduates change their majors at some point, so make your class selection diverse.

Many bright-eyed entering freshmen think that they know precisely what they want to major in and what their career trajectory will be like from the first day of class onwards. However, reality works a little differently than do our plans for the future. If you are pretty sure what you want to major in before you enter college, that’s great! However, leave open the possibility of changing your major by not taking too many classes in your prospective discipline when you first start out. Of course, do take some, but keep things balanced and diverse to get a taste for what different fields of study are like.

2.  Figure out what your peak periods of productivity are when choosing class times.

Dates and times should also play an important part in your course scheduling. Are you the type who would rather have a ton of classes on two or three days and have absolutely no classes on some days? Or would you rather have a reasonable amount of classes spread out throughout the week? Personally, I preferred exhausting myself on Tuesdays and Thursdays so that I could have leisurely class days on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. This schedule enabled me to wake up late and hit the books hard preparing for tests on the days that weren’t so packed. However, this setup doesn’t work for everyone, so figure out how you study and work to determine your schedule.

3.  Place a heavier emphasis on general degree requirements your first year.

Many first-year students will make the mistake of taking only those classes which interest them. They figure that they can complete general requirements later in the college career. But what will end up happening is you may put off these requirements for so long that you will suddenly realize, sometimes as late as senior year, that you have a bunch of general courses left to graduate. Don’t end up in this position (like I did) in which you run the risk of taking an extra semester to graduate just because you put of something silly like a phys ed course.

4. Do your course research online to gauge what professors are like in class.

One of the most important factors in doing well in any given class is having a professor that is engaging and accessible. One of the best ways to get classes with the best professors is to visit sites like RateYourProfessor.Com to see which instructors are the best teachers. Reviews will also help you steer clear of professors who are too immersed in their research to care about their class. At the same time however, do take some student reviews with a grain of salt. Some students are simply incensed that they got poor grades, and may take it out on the professor. I’d say believe the reviews that are consistently complaining about the same thing. Don’t base your conclusions on just one or two comments.

5. Take advantage of the “course shopping” period.

Although many universities are different, most institutions encourage “course shopping” during the first two weeks of classes. That is to say, students are free to attend several classes that they aren’t officially signed up for, or drop classes they don’t particularly like, to sign up for others. If your institution does have this flexibility, be sure to take advantage of it. Don’t get stuck in a class that you already know from the beginning you are going to hate.

These are just a few things to keep in mind when creating your course schedule. Be sure to talk to other students who have taken classes you are interested in, and also consult with academic advisors so that you are on track to graduate within a certain period of time. Above all, enjoy the flexibility in the decision-making process of picking your own classes for the first time!

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This guest contribution was submitted by Katheryn Rivas who particularly enjoys writing about online universities.  Questions and comments can be sent to: katherynrivas87@gmail.com.

college guidance, college planning

New Blog for pre-college students

PRINCETON REVIEW LAUNCHES NEW BLOG FOR PRE-COLLEGE STUDENTS:

“IN – YOUR GUIDE TO COLLEGE ADMISSIONS”

NEW YORK – March 9, 2011 – The Princeton Review, which has been helping high school students take admission tests for, apply to and get in to colleges for nearly 30 years, has created an informative new resource for today’s college-bound teens:  a lively, content-rich blog titled “IN—Your Guide to College Admissions.”

Accessible at http://in.princetonreview.com/, the “IN” blog is updated multiple times daily and reports on dozens of issues central to a high school student’s college research, application and admission experiences.    From insider feedback on SAT/ACT tests to tips for getting the best financial aid to up-to-the-minute news in higher education, the posts served up on “IN” are designed to keep high school students continually informed about the admission process and the college scene.   Above all, “IN” aims to help teens be savvy college shoppers and successful applicants.   College counselors, advisors and parents of applicants will also find the posts on “IN” useful.

Primarily focused on current news and practical advice, “IN” also serves as a “look it up” resource.  Posts are archived two ways: by month and in categories.  Among them: Careers, College Info, College Life, Cost of College, Financial Aid, and Starting College in High School.   Posts with basic information useful year-long (e.g. “Getting In: Your Junior Year Plan”) are tagged as “resources” and featured in links in a sidebar.

At “IN” readers can find:

  • Test-prep tips and strategies used in Princeton Review courses
  • Updates and analyses of recent SAT and ACT exams
  • Exclusive interviews with college experts: admission officers, counselors and financial aid advisors
  • Suggestions of “best-fit” colleges for various interests/majors
  • College application reminders: admission timelines and deadline reminders
  • Links to news articles about college and admission issues as they happen
  • Feedback from teens about their application experiences
  • “College of the Week” profiles
  • Application stress-reducers: fun facts, humor and college trivia

Users can subscribe to the “IN” via an RSS feed and catch “IN” post headlines via The Princeton Review’s Facebook account (http://www.facebook.com/ThePrincetonReview?v=app_10467688569) and Twitter account (http://twitter.com/theprincetonrev).  Users can email their comments, ideas, suggestions or feedback to INblog@review.com.

Said Andrew Brody, Princeton Review’s Vice President, Content Development, “For years, students have looked to The Princeton Review to be their trusted guide when it comes to higher education.  With our “IN” blog we’re able to share our expertise in admissions and test prep and our college knowledge in a format that offers dynamic flexibility and interactivity.”

Brody noted that the Princeton Review “IN” writers and editors draw on a constantly growing library of information and input the Company gathers each day. The Princeton Review annually collects data on more than 1,500 colleges for its guidebook and website profiles and continually gets feedback from teens taking its classroom and online courses.”

Said Michael Palumbo, “IN”‘s lead editor, “Beyond our rich supplies of college-related data, we have the unique opportunity to draw on fascinating findings from our on-going surveys of college applicants, parents of applicants, college students and college administrators.  There is no end to the repository of topical and timely information we plan to share with our readers on ‘IN.'”

college guidance, college planning, parenting

Parents–Advise, but don’t invade!

Most parents would like to be involved in their child’s college selection process.  Sometimes it’s hard to know how much is enough, though.  From my perspective as a student, it’s best to monitor and advise, but not to invade.

I am the youngest of three children, so my parents were pros when it came to college admissions.  If you are experiencing your first child going off to college, that’s a whole other ball game which may require more planning and research.  No matter what, keep in mind that this decision affects your child more than it affects you, so let them make the final decision.

My parents had a tactful strategy. They had several early conversations with me about what I found important in a potential school.  These aspects generally included a strong marketing program (my major), plentiful extracurricular opportunities, and a comfortable campus with an active & social student body.  My parents would share their concerns, which included campus safety, finances, distance from home, etc.

Once they knew that I had listened to their point of view, I was free to research any schools I wanted. I came up with a list of around fifteen schools and eventually narrowed that down to the six that I would apply to.  As soon as I had my finalists, my parents went into hyperdrive.  They made lists, spreadsheets and poster board-sized charts about the benefits and drawbacks of attending these schools.  They helped me rank my schools into ‘reach schools,’ ‘safety schools’ and the ones that fell somewhere in the middle.  Finally, my dad accompanied me on a trip to the east coast to visit a couple of them.

Ultimately, I decided to attend Syracuse University, a choice that my parents and I were equally comfortable with.  My mom swears that after all the time she spent looking into other schools, she “always knew I would go to Syracuse.”

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Adam Britten is a senior at Syracuse University majoring in Marketing Management.  Follow him on Twitter @AdamBritten.  Read his previous post on this blog, “The most important questions to ask a campus tour guide.”

admissions, college guidance, college planning, Uncategorized

FREE Webinar: Admissions

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How to

STAND OUT

in a College Admissions Office

Author and speaker, Paul Hemphill, will conduct this long-awaited webinar on how a student can get accepted to his or her first-choice college.

Here are topics he will cover:

  • The exact extracurricular activities a student should be engaged in
  • When a student should apply Early Action vs Early Decision
  • Why a student should NOT double-major
  • when visiting a campus, the exact footage you should walk behind your student
  • How many times should your student take the SAT/ACT
  • The only two questions a student needs to ask when visiting a college
  • Why Ivy League colleges can be ignored without guilt
  • What essay topics to avoid and why the college essay will be the easiest to write
  • …and more

Webinar Replay

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_98GI9WQJjU

This will be available for 7 Days ONLY!

college guidance, college planning, parenting, Uncategorized

Parenting college-bound teens without pushing

 

It’s hard. I know. I’ve been there. You want your kids to have the BEST education available. You want them to want it as much as you do. You see them making some choices that you know they will regret. As hard as you try, you find yourself pressuring them to make the right choice and the battle lines are drawn. They dig their heels in. You dig your heels in. And the tug of war begins.

What’s a parent to do when they feel their college-bound teens are making the wrong choices related to college? Take a deep breath and read these examples (along with my suggestions)–

Your college-bound teen tells you he doesn’t want to go to the college that is hard to get into and is opting for what you consider to be sub par.

Don’t panic or overreact. It’s possible he is scared. Try and ascertain the reasoning behind the decision. Don’t do this by badgering him or constantly asking him why. The best way to figure out what is wrong is to LISTEN. Listen to him talk about his day, about college, about how he feels. If fear is not the reason, perhaps he feels the other college would be a better fit. If that’s the case, do yourself a favor and back off. The worst thing you can do with a teenager is force him into a decision he feels is wrong. Sometimes the best lessons we learn are the ones that come from making our own decisions (right or wrong).

Your college-bound teen tells you that he simply MUST go to Private College A, even though she knows it comes with a high price tag.

Don’t let her bully you into sending her to a college you can’t afford AND one that will require a tremendous amount of student loan debt. Sit her down and explain to her the dangers of graduating in debt. Use the college repayment calculators if you have to. If she truly wants to go to Private College A, she needs to do the work (good grades, good SAT/ACT scores, great essay) to be awarded scholarship/grant money from that college. If not, there are always other options and choices.

Your college-bound teen is not interested in college, deadlines, studying for the SAT or any other path that leads him toward higher education.

If there is one thing I learned with both of my kids (and clients), if they aren’t invested in the college process they won’t be invested in college. Save yourself some time, money and heartache and wait until they are. If not, they can learn from the college of hard knocks–minimum wage jobs are the BEST motivator!

Your college-bound teen misses deadlines, panics and comes running to you at the last minute to fix it.

The simplest way I know to avoid missing deadlines, is to get yourself a huge wall calendar and a fat red marker. Put it in a place that they have to pass by every single day. In addition, with all the smartphones and calendar apps available today, missing a deadline should be a thing of the past. At some point (hopefully when they go to college), they will have to fix their own problems. Let them do it now, while they live at home, and it will be easier for them once they are gone. Rescuing your kids all time only makes them into dependent adults and colleges aren’t impressed with those type of students or the parents that come with them.

Your college-bound teen suddenly announces she is not ready for college and wants to take a year off.

First of all, wait. Don’t react. Just listen. Odds are the mood will change with the wind and once all her friends are making college plans, that desire that she once had will kick back in. If not, let her know that it won’t be a “free-ride” year. She will be expected to work and save the money she makes for college.

If you have any questions or personal experiences you would like to share, please leave a comment here and share it with other parents. We learn from each other and from our mistakes and successes!

Disclaimer: These are my “suggestions”. I don’t claim to be a parenting expert, just a parent who has faced these same problems and learned from them. Take my wisdom as you will and realize that every family dynamic is different.

college guidance, college planning, parenting, Uncategorized

Tips for Helping Your College-Bound Teen Reduce Stress

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Is your college-bound teenager feeling stressed about going to college? Let your teen know he or she is not alone; it happens to a lot of college-bound teenagers. Teens feel stressed when they perceive a situation to be difficult, dangerous, or painful. Those going off to college often worry about finding new friends, fitting in with the college crowd, being away from home, getting good grades, and a number of other issues. What can parents do to help? Here are some tips to help your teenagers get rid of stress:

  • Listen: Ask what’s bothering them. Listen and don’t be judgmental. Allow your teenagers to express their opinions.
  • Provide emotional support: By showing your teenagers you care about their feelings, they will feel more connected to you. Don’t criticize or trivialize their stressful feelings. They may seem to be overstressed about about going to college, but remember that teens don’t have the same perspective as adults. Provide reinforcement by giving compliments.
  • Realistic expectations: If part of the stress is due to expectations of grades, be realistic with them about your own expectations of their grades.
  • Support: Encourage teenagers to spend time with friends and relatives who provide positive reinforcement. Friends can help keep your teenager happy and motivated. College students or recent college graduates can be helpful. They can put things in proper perspective and talk about the good times they had while attending college.
  • Be positive: Remind your teenager that these anxious feelings will go away. Encourage your teen to look at the fun aspects of attending college.
  • Teens expressing themselves: Creative activities such as painting, drawing, dancing, and singing reduce tension.
  • Exercise: Exercise releases hormones in the body which lower stress levels. Yoga and meditation relieve stress. Some experts believe sunlight relieves stress. Sunlight is important for the body’s regulation of chemicals, so exercising outdoors is a good option. Also, stressed teens should avoid caffeine drinks.
  • Sleep: Make sure your teen goes to bed early enough to get a good night sleep.
  • Volunteering: Helping other people can help your teen stop worrying about himself.
  • Relaxation: Breathing and muscle relaxation techniques can help your teenager relax.

Stress is a common problem for college-bound teenagers. By addressing the problem and taking action you can help your teenager get rid of stress.

Online Resources

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Brian Jenkins has been writing about a variety topics helpful to college students for BrainTrack since 2008. For more information about BrainTrack, visit our Facebook page.

college guidance, college planning, Uncategorized

Finding a New Home

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As a student who is rapidly approaching college graduation, the process of getting in feels like a distant memory now.  While I can now look back and laugh, I took the process seriously and put a lot of time, effort and emotion into it.  I think that with college admissions the old saying is true: you get out of it what you put into it. I have loved every element of my college experience, and that is because from the beginning I knew I picked the right school.  The best advice I have is to think about it from all angles.  Remember that you will be living there for four very important years.

I started looking for the right university when I was in middle school.  I know that seems a little early, but I had two older brothers.  When I was young, I was already exploring college campuses and trying to picture myself there.  My oldest brother attended Syracuse University, so the first time I actually visited the school I was 13 years old.  It wasn’t until a few years later that I actually started looking for my own school.

One thing I knew was that I wanted to attend a school with an excellent undergraduate business program. Going to a school that has strong departments in what you want to learn is crucial.  When you visit campuses, the number one question you will hear is “why are you interested in attending this school?” My answer to this question was that I liked the subjects of the specific classes they offered.  Many faculty members and admissions officers I spoke to said that this was a rare answer, which shocked me.  Research the curriculum!  Ask current students, email professors, do what ever you need to do ensure that you will be excited for classes instead of sleeping through them. (That habit can get you into some awkward situations.)

Ultimately, I decided to go to Syracuse because it exceeded all of my requirements.  Set goals for what you want to accomplish in college.  If a certain school doesn’t give you opportunity to achieve those goals, cross that school off your list. Once you finally visit a campus you are meant to attend, you will  feel at home.

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Today’s post was written by Adam Britten, a marketing management major at Syracuse University.  Follow him on Twitter @AdamBritten.  Read about his experiences as a volunteer teacher in South Africa for USA Today’s College Blog.

college guidance, college planning

Hottest Careers for College Graduates

The College Board has posted a list of the occupations with the most job openings between 2008-2018. They get these figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: new jobs being created and openings created by retiring workers or those leaving the fields.

I’m skeptical when it comes to any job statistics these days, but it’s worth your time to glance over the list and have your college-bound teen do the same. If they are interested in teaching, it looks like they are headed in the right direction. Also notable are the jobs predicted to be available in computer related fields. At the top of the list, however, are jobs in the field of nursing–now that’s job security!

There is a book coming out this month, Closing America’s Job Gap, that might interest you as well. You can check out an article I wrote related to the findings in this book about the Top 10 Job Sectors for future careers. It’s always helpful to consider the job market when spending thousands of dollars on an education!

college guidance, test prep

College Helper #3-Akil Bello

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In his own words…Akil is “father, husband, GMAT-SAT-ACT-LSAT guru, aspiring abecedary, neophyte preceptor, inchoate pedagogue”. For those of you who are not linguists–that is a bunch of synonyms for “teacher”! Akil, along with his father and brother, started Bell Curves–a completely minority owned test prep company.

What sets Akil apart from the others (other than the fact that he looks snappy in that elf suit?)–is his absolute commitment to help your college-bound teen be prepared for those standardized tests. Not only does he believe that the test is more than a test–it’s a teaching and learning tool. But Akil is snappy with the wit, the words and with the expert advice on test prep.

Akil has a word for the wise to parents: “Use a test prep organization for the same reason you hire a plumber and with the same caution.”

Follow Akil on Twitter if you want to ROFL (and learn a few things in the process) and follow his company Bell Curves for the latest in test prep advice and counseling. The information you gather will be invaluable to you and to your college-bound teen!

Thanks Akil for always making me laugh, adding words to my vocabulary, AND helping kids prepare for standardized tests!

admissions, college guidance

College Helper #2-Video College Coach

Paul Hemphill, owner and founder of PreCollege Prep, is always on my NICE list. This guy puts the KNOW into “know-it-all” when it comes to helping parents get more bang for their buck from colleges. (I especially like how he sports those candy striped tights!)

His sure proof plan to not spend a dime of your hard-earned money (that’s right!) and send your kid to college is sheer genius. If you haven’t seen his videos yet, you’ve got to check them out. His straight-forward way of getting to the heart of the subject with simple solutions and hard-hitting facts makes every one of his tips a winner in my book!

He’s so good, that his videos have been endorsed and marketed by College Parenting Magazine. You can check out some of them for FREE (yes FREE!) on his website–just look on the right hand side of the homepage.

You can follow Paul on his Facebook page for all the latest tips on how to save money on college costs. You will be amazed at the wealth of information you can gain by watching this guy!

Thanks Paul for helping parents save money on college AND protecting our retirement accounts!