Category Archives: college guidance

college guidance, college majors, college planning, parenting, Uncategorized

Career planning tips for parents of teens

options-susan-pOur guest blog post today is by Susan Posluszny, the founder of OPTIONS for Career & Life Planning, specializing in unique programs and services to support students with college major and career planning. Susan is a Master Career Counselor with over 25 years of career counseling experience including 18 years as a college career center director. She is the author of In Search of a College Major & Career Direction, an interactive program designed to support teens and young adults with choosing a college major and career path.Her career counseling and coaching practice is located in New Boston, NH. Subscribe to Susan’s e-newsletter, Career Options, at www.collegesandmajors.com

Think Big Picture

It’s common to overly focus on the details:  Which ‘one’ major should I pick?  Which ‘one’ career should I pursue?  Yet, research studies show that it’s common for students (and adults) to shift direction over time as they explore, grow, and change.  What to do?  Get your student to identify their top 2 – 3 academic and career interests and then explore ways to simultaneously prepare for and reality test more than one interest.  Sound impossible?  Not at all.  Careful selection of academic courses and career exploration strategies (job shadowing, internships, career related employment or volunteer experience) will do it.  Be sure to spread these efforts out over time so as not to overload.

Discard Outdated Notions of ‘Job Security’

Job security in the form of long term employment with one employer in exchange for dedication and hard work is long gone.  Instead, shifts in the work world have been moving towards project based work and ways to match individual interests and skills to marketplace needs.  Don’t expect selection of the ‘right school’, the ‘right degree’, or the ‘right career’ to provide guarantees of post graduation employment or career success.  Today’s students will need to take charge of their own career development in order to ensure a sense of ’employment security’ for themselves.

Consider Career Interests Relative to College Loan Debt

According to the College Board, the average debt for a Bachelor’s degree was $23,200 in 2007-2008.  an individual student’s loan debt can vary significantly from this figure but the bottom line is that many students are feeling pressured to pursue academic and career choices that will allow them to pay off their loans…even if these choices don’t particularly interest or excite them.  So, how about your student?  Will college loan debt drive your student’s college major and career decisions?  If so, it’s as if your student is working for the financial institution.  Help your student to identify their top career interests and to explore creative options for pursuing career preferences while owning one’s financial reality.  Do all that you can to help your student avoid limiting future options by taking on too much debt.

Explore Career Preferences Prior to Choosing a College Major

Many students choose a college major first and then determine their career choice based on their chosen major.  This is a no brainer when a major is directly linked to a career field (nursing, education, engineering, etc.) but this approach has its limits.  First, it doesn’t work so well with majors that cover broad interest areas like English or Business Administration.  Second, many students end up pursuing career interests totally unrelated to their majors.  While it can be helpful for students to consider academic subjects that interest them when choosing a college major/career, it’s also valuable to explore your career interests  Once key career interest themes are identified, research to see if these interests have specific college major requirements.  Chances are that there’s quite a bit of flexibility with academic choices relative to career pursuits.

Copyright, Susan B. Posluszny, OPTIONS for Career & Life Planning LLC

If you would like to contact Susan or find out more information about the services she provides, you can contact her at:

Her websites: www.careeroptions4me.com and www.collegesandmajors.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/susanposluszny

Email:  susan@careeroptions4me.com

college guidance, college planning, parenting

Information overload




Here’s a great article for your college-bound teen about STAYING ORGANIZED in college. This is one of my favorite topics for parent college coaches as well. It’s the only way to avoid feeling overwhelmed!

By Corey Bobco for The Real College Guide

Getting to school means … being slapped in the face with a semester’s worth of work. Stacks of syllabi have you overwhelmed? Breathe. We show you how to manage.

overloadYou’ve been on the college scene for a few weeks, having the time of your life and wondering what all the university hype is about. So far, all you’ve had to do for your grades’ sake is skim some course readings and listen to a few professors babble in the lecture hall. But then … BAM! After an enlightening series of classes one fine Monday, you realize you’ve got a biology exam and two 1,000-word essays on Homer and Joyce due — all by the end of the week.

Uh-huh. This scenario is all too common, even among seasoned students.
Sure, you can survive it, even if it means pulling a few all-nighters. But if you always let everything pile up until crunch time, your grades will eventually suffer. And so will you.

So how can you avoid epic battles with tests and deadlines so you don’t become a scholastic casualty? Stop stressing. Now. You can tackle time management and stay organized so your course work doesn’t get the better of you. Here’s how:

•    Stay on top of things! May sound like a no-brainer, but no kidding: If you don’t want schoolwork to pile up, you need to actively be aware of when it’s due. Pick up a portable planner — or if you’re computer-oriented, try an app like Google Calendar, which also conveniently syncs with your Gmail account — and copy the entire semester’s worth of assignments, exams and due dates into it from each class’s syllabus. And while we’re on the subject, be sure to carefully read all your syllabi. You may find sneaky stuff hidden in there, like “one full letter-grade drop for every unexcused absence” (true story). It’s better to know sooner rather than later.

•    Got notes? When you’re trying to figure out what’s crucial to know for a test or how to arrange course content into a viable essay, having good notes can be a real lifesaver, so pick up a few loose-leaf notebooks for jotting down info. We don’t recommend taking notes on your laptop — you risk getting distracted by the Internet and missing most of what’s said. Besides, paper provides a much more harmless way of keeping you entertained during idle moments (i.e., doodling).

•    Beating writer’s block When it comes to writing essays, getting those first couple of sentences down — or even just making an outline — can be a challenge, especially if it’s your first assignment. David Uskovich, a writing consultant at the University of Texas-Austin’s writing center stresses the importance of research: “It can put you in conversation with the material you’re trying to cover, which will help you make some connections so you’ll have something to start from when you actually sit down to write the paper.”

Freelance writer Lauren Brown, whose first young-adult novel is due out in the fall of 2010, offers this useful tip: “When I was in college at University of South Florida and had a paper due, there was nothing worse than staring at a blank computer screen and feeling like I had no thoughts in my head. The secret is to slowly condition your brain to start flowing by simply taking a few minutes to write via stream of consciousness. Just write down anything that comes to mind, even if you literally keep writing over and over, ‘Nothing is coming to mind.’ Eventually, your brain will warm up and more fluid sentences will emerge. After maybe 15 minutes or so of doing this, try again to start your paper. You’ll notice that you feel a bit more focused, way more relaxed, a little more creative and a lot less overwhelmed. Anytime you get stuck, just take a break and repeat this exercise.”

•    Outwit exams College tests come in many shapes and sizes, but as a general rule, liberal arts classes usually stick to short-answer and essay-oriented exams, while math and sciences often lean toward a multiple-choice format. For essay exams, it helps to find out beforehand from your professor or T.A. what the test will cover. It never hurts to ask them point-blank a couple of days before the test.

Third-year UT-Austin biology major Ben Cox points out that you can sometimes find many multiple-choice test questions from homework of previous years: “Math and science professors often take the basic idea of homework questions, even optional homework, and tweak only a few figures, leaving the concepts tested by the question intact.”

If you can get your hands on exams from previous semesters, these can also be helpful. Just ask around to find out who’s taken the class before you, or find out if your professor posts old exams on the course Web site. (Note: As long as you’re not memorizing answers, we don’t count this as cheating, but check out your school’s policy to avoid things like, duh, expulsion.)

“While the questions and even content might vary some from year to year, knowing the way your professors format their tests will do wonders for your preparedness,” says Cox.

So there you have it. Just by being organized and putting forth the effort to adequately prep for tests and assignments, you’ll be able to get more z’s … and more A’s — which is sure to put you on good terms with the parentals. And that always comes in handy, of course, whenever you want an “extra something.”

college guidance, college planning, parenting, scholarships

Scholarships for Homeschoolers

 

homeschoolMore than 2 million students per year are home schooled in the United States and the numbers increase every year. While there’s a lot of sacrifice going into providing that first rate education one thing homeschoolers don’t have to sacrifice is a college education.

While most scholarships don’t specifically exclude homeschoolers from applying, more and more are specifically including and even encouraging homeschoolers to apply. This may have something to do with the widely publicized studies revealing that homeschoolers have consistently scored higher on college entrance exams than their public school counterparts for the last eight years.

Homeschoolers should follow the same guidelines as other students when preparing for college. This means taking the SAT/ACT in your junior year as well as being active in your community. Many scholarship selection criteria lists extracurricular activities and/or community service as part of the decision process when awarding scholarships. That’s because scholarship committees recognize that while homeschoolers may not have the opportunity to be active in school-sponsored events, anyone can be involved in their community.

Every community has volunteer opportunities available for high school and college age young men and women that would not only benefit your community but would look great on a scholarship and/or college admissions application. Homeschoolers really have an advantage when it comes to preparing for college because of the flexibility to plan community and volunteer activities.

Don’t be put off by scholarships that require a specific GPA either because there are many such scholarships awarded to homeschoolers each year. True, you’re going to need high test scores to compete but the fact is anyone applying for scholarships needs to have high test scores and this is exactly what homeschoolers have become famous for. Some colleges and universities even openly recruit homeschoolers and set aside a homeschool day for just this purpose.

Here are just a few examples:

State Scholarships-Wyoming

Check out all scholarships pertaining to your state of residence. Chances are, state scholarships won’t be specific to homeschoolers but will either specifically include homeschoolers or won’t exclude them. This is just one example of a state scholarship that gives specific instructions for homeschoolers.

Hathaway Scholarship awards need and merit based scholarships to eligible students. Although GPA is a selection criterion for non-homeschooled students, students who are homeschooled can bypass this requirement and submit a list of classes completed and ACT or WorkKeys score. Homeschoolers must meet all other eligibility criteria and apply for admission to a post-secondary institution before the age of 21.

Applicants must meet the Hathaway scholarship specific requirements as set forth by the four different scholarships: Hathaway Career, Opportunity, Performance or Honor. Hathaway scholarships are for study at accredited Wyoming community colleges as well as the University of Wyoming.

For more information about the Wyoming Hathaway Scholarship and to view scholarship specific eligibility requirements, visit the Hathaway Scholarship Portal at the Wyoming Department of Education website.

Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) – Patrick Henry College – Purcellville, VA

PHC Scholarship awards scholarships to eligible HSLDA members ranging from $1,000 to $1,500. This is a Christian college appealing primarily to Christian homeschoolers. Applicants must have financial need, outstanding academic achievement and be involved in community service. Applicant must be PHC Freshman who was homeschooled through high school and applicant’s family must have been member of HSLDA for 4 years.

Applicant must also submit two letters of recommendation and a personal testimony. For precise requirements and to access online application, read this pdf document.

Oral Roberts University – Homeschool Grant

Award amount is $2000. Applicant must have been homeschooled for 4 years and graduated from a homeschool. Must have already been accepted to ORU to apply. For more information and/or to apply for this scholarship, go here.

Michigan State University

Like many other colleges and universities across the United States, MSU not only welcomes homeschoolers but they also welcome scholarship applications from homeschoolers and require the same information from homeschoolers as they do traditional students, although it is understood that homeschool transcripts may be slightly different than those from traditional high schools.

Arizona Homeschool Scholarship Fund

In the summer of 2000, Arizona Families for Home Education (AFHE) formed the Arizona Homeschool Scholarship Committee (AHSC). Comprised of Valley business professionals, the AHSC established criteria and an administrative process to operate the Fund. Under the oversight of the AFHE Board of Directors, the AHSC reviews applications and recommends scholarship awards for qualified students.

From 2001 to 2009 the AHSC has awarded more than $50,000 to 39 outstanding homeschool applicants. To further expand the program AHSC has now added designated scholarships. The designated scholarship program allows donations in the name of an individual, family, business, or other entity. This approach allows donors to personalize the scholarships by specifying such things as amount, conditions, title, and purpose.

Those applying for scholarships should review the Arizona Homeschool Scholarship Fund Application Information and all designated offered scholarships before filling out the Scholarship Fund Application. These can be found on this Scholarship Opportunities link.

Homeschoolers should conduct their scholarship search just like other students. Most scholarships listed online provide an email address or a phone number of someone who is available to answer any questions about the scholarship or the application process.

You can also find scholarships by following this link:

http://www.homeschool.com/homeschool_contests_and_scholorships/default.asp

college costs, college guidance, college news, college planning, financial aid

In the News: College Week Live's Spring Fair

collegeweekliveThis week, parents and college-bound teens can attend College Week Live’s FREE virtual college fair online. On March 24-25 from 10AM-10PM you can:

  • Meet hundreds of colleges live & pick the perfect university
  • Get admissions questions answered in real time
  • Hear expert advice on test prep and application essays
  • Discover new ways to pay for college
  • Video Chat With Students on 75+ College Campuses

If your schedule doesn’t permit you to attend, you can still log on and view the archived videos at your convenience. Make sure you and your student sign up and mark your calendars for two days of comprehensive college information gathering virtual events.

college guidance, college planning, parenting

Top 5 College Visit Sites

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With the widespread use of online videos, previewing college campuses has become a “must do” for parents and their college-bound teens. I like to call it “test driving” before you actually set foot on your narrowed down choices.

Here are my TOP 5 picks for those “test driving” sites.

smartcollegevisit

1. Smart College Visit-The educated way to visit a college campus and your one-stop site to find everything you need to know before the visit. With parent-to-parent stories, Smart-See-Smart-Do campus evaluations, travel tips and a place to search for the perfect hotel accommodations, Smart College Visit is committed to providing you with all the information you need to prepare for that all-important college visit.

youniversity

2. YoUniversityTV–Make a stop here to preview campuses, get a campus map, and view user submitted videos of campus life. The videos are more than campus tours; giving you a picture of life in and around the college.

universityparentnew
3. University Parent–Connect with the college campuses and download a college specific brochure with information about the surrounding area: hotels, off-campus housing, and storage facilities. Read what Sarah Schupp, the founder, said about her site:

University Parent-Your Parent Resource

collegeweeklive

4. College Week Live–This site is actually a “virtual” college fair site which is great for chatting with students, admissions officers and faculty. You can also direct-link to college websites through the college fair hall. Their spring college fair is coming up on March 24-25 and campus reps will be in attendance to answer your questions.

collegiate-choice-dvd-240w

5. Collegiate Choice–These DVD tours are videotaped college tours. Each tour is over an hour long and gives you an excellent idea of what a campus tour is like. Use this resource to narrow down your college tour choices. They are especially helpful when you are looking at campuses that require travel and enable you to see all types of campuses throughout the country. This is what Cliff Kamron had to say in a recent guest blog post:

10 Things we learned from videotaping 1200 college tours

admissions, college guidance, college planning

In the News: Transferring from community college

In today’s economy, many students are opting to take the community college route after graduation. This choice means getting the basic courses out of the way at community college and transferring after two years to a four year institution. Since community college hours are less expensive, the decision can often save families thousands of dollars in tuition.

But, once the decision to transfer is made, it’s often difficult to find the right college and it’s been hard for the colleges to find and recruit those students. Many colleges are now seeing the value of these transfer students and are going after them, much as they do with high school students. As more and more students decide to take this college route, more colleges will recognize this pool of students and begin recruiting them.

collegefishlogo

A new site, CollegeFish.org (now doing beta testing)  is available free for all community college students. It collects information provided by users, including “co-curricular interests, size of institution desired to attend, housing needs, financial need, GPA, anticipated course load, ability to relocate geographically, etc.” This information is then used in an algorithm designed to “rank [five] colleges which provide the best fit for the student.”

If your teen is considering the community college route, bookmark this site and take advantage of the matching services it offers to students. The transfer process can be a bit daunting and complicated, but this will offer a tool for students to help simplify the process.

admissions, college guidance, college planning, parenting

Friday Q&A-Dropping a high school course

question-and-answer1Each week I will be posting a question that parents ask, along with the answer. If you have a question you would like for me to address, please email me or direct message me on Twitter (@SuzanneShaffer) and I’ll be happy to feature it.

Q. Is it ok for my teen to drop a high school course mid year?

A. Even if your college-bound teen comes to you and says that colleges won’t see their grades and it doesn’t matter, don’t cave. Colleges will make the admissions decision before final grades but they will also request an end of the year transcript. If your teen drops a course it will show there and may raise concerns.

Guidance counselors, with good reason, are vehemently against dropping courses. Some schools even require parents and students to sign a letter acknowledging the risk they are taking related to college admission.

According to Lee Bierer, an independent college adviser in Charlotte, North Carolina, “some students try to get creative and suggest substituting an online course instead of the one offered at their high school and this too is not looked upon favorably.” According to Brown University, “The very fact that they want to take it online instead will raise eyebrows. If they are taking it anyway, why don’t they just stay in class? If there is a scheduling conflict with another advanced course and the school endorses the change for that reason, then we’ll accept that, but if they are simply substituting an online option for an in-class option, we will be less understanding.”

Colleges review the final transcript and use it to gauge future performance based on the strength of the courses your teen takes. If colleges find out that they have dropped courses after they were admitted, it could be seen as grounds for revoking an offer of admission. And honestly, it’s not worth the risk.

Encourage your teen to stick it out. It’s a good lesson in perseverance and it will set a pattern for their college courses when they are tempted to drop them as well. And it will save the disappointment of admission being revoked at the last minute!

admissions, college guidance, college planning, social networks, Uncategorized

Top 30 College Info Twitterers to follow

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twitterIt’s no surprise. Twitter is a GREAT social media site to find out the latest college news and information. Set yourself up a “college info” list on Twitter and add these to that list. As you follow them, notice who they are communicating with and who they follow–add some more to that list. Soon you will have a comprehensive Twitter list that will keep you abreast of the latest college news.

  1. @SuzanneShaffer-The definitive Parent College Coach (helping parents help their college-bound teen navigate the college maze).
  2. @4CollegeParents–University Parent’s twitter account. Great information for parents of college-bound teens.
  3. @CollegeVisit–Everything you need to know about college visits from parents, students and experts.
  4. @CollegeBlogs–Awesome advice about everything you need to know about college admissions.
  5. @SaveCollegeCost–The BEST financial advice around for parents and college-bound teens.
  6. @SheldonWordNerd–SAT help (hook your teen up with this guy!)
  7. @SusanPosluszny–A career counselor with some GREAT career advice for college-bound teens.
  8. @MyCollegeGuide–As always, great information about college and all things related to college.
  9. @USATodayCollege–College news from an excellent news source.
  10. @VideoCoach–Offering videos with all sorts of college advice and help.
  11. @FastWebdotcom–A scholarship site that posts scholarship opportunities.
  12. @TheCollegeGuide–Great blogs about college life and topics related to college issues.
  13. @CollegeWeekLive–An online virtual college fair offering live events and chats.
  14. @Scholarshipscom–A scholarship site that posts scholarship opportunities.
  15. @Cappexcom–A college matching, search, and scholarship site for college-bound teens.
  16. @NYTimesCollege–A college news blog offering up-to-the-minute news and Q&A.
  17. @MoneyMgmt101–Helping college-bound teens and their parents make wise money choices.
  18. @CampusCommons–Offering an informative and fun blog for college students.
  19. @IHEAdmissions–Information related to higher education (great articles and news reports).
  20. @CheapScholar–Helping students and their parents find college funding and bargains.
  21. @EntrepreneurEDU–Tweeting about entrepreneurial opportunities in higher education.
  22. @gilrogers–An admissions officer that tweets information about admissions applications and the students who apply.
  23. @zinch–Tweets about scholarships and finding the “perfect fit” college.
  24. @TheCampusBuzz–Tons of articles related to college.
  25. @CollegeCalendar–Tips for college-bound teens about staying organized and preparing for admissions.
  26. @CollegeSurfing–Great tweets about college news, college admissions and college information.
  27. @MyUsearch–Follow this twitterer for the latest college information and news.
  28. @Unigo–Articles about college and higher education.
  29. @CollegeBlender—Making it easier to connect to college student, faculty, and alumni blogs.
  30. @MindFish—A smarter and more fun way to take on standardized tests. (pass this one on to your kiddos!)
college guidance, college majors, college planning, parenting

When a parent disapproves of a child's career choice

options-susan-pOur guest blog post today is by Susan Posluszny, the founder of OPTIONS for Career & Life Planning, specializing in unique programs and services to support students with college major and career planning. Susan is a Master Career Counselor with over 25 years of career counseling experience including 18 years as a college career center director. She is the author of In Search of a College Major & Career Direction, an interactive program designed to support teens and young adults with choosing a college major and career path.Her career counseling and coaching practice is located in New Boston, NH. Subscribe to Susan’s e-newsletter, Career Options, at www.collegesandmajors.com

While watching the Food Network channel one day, I happened upon a series called ‘Chefography’.  This episode of Chefography featured a biographical account of Wolfgang Puck’s journey to success.  I knew little about this renowned chef but I was intrigued since I’d recently been to Disney World and had a great experience at his restaurant, Wolfgang Puck Café, in Downtown Disney.  While annual revenue from his cluster of businesses now averages millions of dollars, his father did not approve of his career interest and his early career experiences were quite shaky.

wolfgang-puckAt the tender age of 14, Puck left his home to work as an apprentice in a hotel kitchen.  Evidently, young Puck was a bit of a klutz and the chef threw him out and sent him back home to his parents.  He was ashamed to face his father with the news of his job loss since his father was against this career choice.  Dreading going home, he spent hours on a bridge contemplating suicide while looking over a river that ran through town. Eventually, Puck went back and hid in the hotel’s basement, peeling potatoes for the kitchen workers, until the chef discovered him two weeks later.  The chef appreciated Puck’s tenacity and made arrangements for him to apprentice in another hotel’s kitchen.  Puck’s career took numerous twists and turns over time as he honed his culinary skills and began his ventures as a restaurant owner.

As I watched this show, I couldn’t help but imagine the emotions that surged through Puck as he contemplated facing his father or committing suicide.  It’s natural for children to want to please their parents and fear of parental scorn can weigh heavily on a child.  If young Puck had committed suicide, would his father have realized the role his influence played in the choice to end his life?  As I reflected further on Puck’s life and career, I couldn’t help but wonder what his father must think of his son’s career decision now that he’s a successful businessman and one of America’s most famous and influential chefs.  I expect that he no longer considers his son’s decision to have been a poor one.

Research that I conducted while working as a college career center director revealed that parents are the number one influence in the career and college major choices made by their children.  That influence may be subtle, and beyond the conscious awareness of the child, or not so subtle as was the case with young Puck and his father.  Now I suppose you could argue that his father’s influence actually helped to lead young Puck to success.  You might say that what helped Puck to hang in there, when the going got tough, was wanting to avoid hearing his father say, ‘I told you so’.  I don’t know about you, but I can’t help think that there are better ways to influence a child.

As parents, it can be most challenging to support a child’s career decision when it goes against the grain of our own personal values and the future we envision for that child.  Yet, we can never know what the future holds and where a chosen path may lead.  As children grow, they need to cultivate a sense of self in order to one day make their own way in this world.  Along with a growing sense of self, they also need to develop confidence in their ability to take positive action towards their career goals.  This includes learning how to identify their career and lifestyle preferences, how to explore career options that match those preferences, and where to go to gain the skills and life experiences that will move them in a direction of their own choosing.  Parents can help their children to build self confidence by telling them they believe in their ability to take positive action on their own behalf.  Parents can also facilitate a growing sense of self by encouraging their children to engage in activities and experiences that let them explore and reality test their career interests, so that they are making informed choices.  Yes, as parents, we are the number one influence in the lives of our children.  It’s up to us to decide the form that our influence will take.

If you would like to contact Susan or find out more information about the services she provides, you can contact her at:

Her websites: www.careeroptions4me.com and www.collegesandmajors.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/susanposluszny

Email:  susan@careeroptions4me.com

admissions, college guidance, college planning, parenting

The 3-year college degree

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By Lauren Joffe for The Real College Guide

Heads up, traditionalists! A radical new idea promotes kissing the four-year academic program buh-bye and saying hello to a three-year system.

As accustomed as we are to its infrastructure, it would take some serious shaking up to rattle the U.S. education system. Yet Robert Zemsky, chairman of the Learning Alliance for Higher Education at the University of Pennsylvania and author of Making Reform Work: The Case for Transforming American Higher Education, is advocating for major changes on university campuses — most notably a three-year college program.

Zemsky argues that given today’s economic, political and technological climate, it’s time for Americans to minimize cost, unnecessary resources and wasted time repeating coursework. His proposed plan would cause a drastic uplifting of the current system, impacting high schools as well. But it is Zemsky’s hope that reform ultimately would spawn a more streamlined institution. While the government might not be ready to back such lofty plans, the real question is: Are you?

How will students benefit from such reform?
According to Professor Zemsky, shifting to a more sequenced, regimented three-year program will save students time and money — cutting tuition costs by a whopping 25 percent. This is less moolah out of your pocket, not to mention additional interest that builds up as you work to pay off hefty loans. At the very foundation, students would pay for 90 credits over the typical 120.

In a contemporary society where minimizing time and financial expenditures ranks high on to-do lists, it seems almost given that a new system should be put into place. Right? Not necessarily. For one, the program basically assumes all undergrads will go on for a post-grad or m3-year-degreeasters degree. “If you want college to help vocationally, you have to go beyond the undergrad,” says Zemsky. Under the new system, college would be a breeding ground whereby students learn the basics of a particular trade. It is then in graduate school that learning would become truly vocational.

So how would high schools be affected by this change?
High school seniors are infamously plagued by “senioritis” and finding ways to sidestep mundane assignments. Zemsky proposes doing away with wasteful course schedules during senior year and instead modeling it after the current freshman year of college. He suggests pre-college seniors take some of the basic humanities and sciences normally taken by college freshmen.

Zemsky tells us in a phone interview, “High schools would need to make assessments at a ninth-grade level as to whether a student is making progress to be ‘college-ready.’ Remediation would take place at this time rather than at the first year of college. The 10th and 11th grade levels would look the same, and the 12th grade would become equivalent to the first year of college. There would be an alignment so that senior year of high school sets students up for freshman year of college.”

What is the downside of a three-year college program?
Some students feel it’s unreasonable to be expected to choose a major and commit at age 18. And indeed, the pressure is really on if the typical college career were condensed. “I don’t know what I plan on majoring in,” says U Penn freshman Brett Levine. “In a three-year program, undecided people have less time to explore new subject areas.

“Even with people who know what they want to study, a three-year program would surely be more demanding if requirements for majors or graduate schools admissions stay the same. A lot of pre-meds and engineering students have difficulty satisfying graduation requirements as is. For undecided students like myself, the variety of course options is incredible. It allows me to explore new subject areas unavailable in high school.”

Says Zemsky: “Students are given endless choices, but it’s expensive. It confuses lots of people, and it takes longer to graduate because they get lost. Redesign the curriculum so it is not a smorgasbord of options.” Say goodbye to elective courses too, because in this system, there’s no room for classes that do not directly relate to your plan of study.

How would such lofty goals be implemented?
Zemsky doesn’t kid himself into thinking this would be a minor undertaking: “To really kick off reform, it would take an invitation from the president. I can’t imagine this happening without presidential leadership.” And, yes, he’s referring to the president of the United States.

In a recent Newsweek article, Zemsky argues his position by stating, “Everything around us — technology, medicine, politics — has changed … and [higher education] will too have to rethink what we are about.”

Still, Levine questions the practicality of Zemsky’s proposal. “A three-year program would essentially make college an even more stressful period. It would probably restrict options for traveling abroad, which many students value. It has many potential benefits for some students. People who know they want to major in economics, political science, Spanish or other relatively less intense majors may only need three years. However, others need four to prepare for graduate school or their desired career.”

And furthermore, Levine adds, “Socially, it obviously restricts the amount of time commonly dubbed ‘the best years of your life.’”

What do you think? Do you think our kids are growing up too fast? Do you think a 3-year degree is a wise educational choice?