Category Archives: college planning

college planning, social networks

How to BRAND yourself


It’s never too early to start the “branding” process. Lauren Joffe of The Real College Guide lays out a clear strategy to get the ball rolling. Parents should pass this along to their college-bound teens.

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Just because your GPA has made Dean’s List every semester and your work experience is better than most does not mean you have a slam-dunk when it comes to landing a job or an internship in today’s hypercompetitive market. According to the National Association for Colleges and Employers (NACE), all students need to create their own personal “brand.” This is what sets you apart from your equally qualified peers.

Get the Ball Rolling
So what is a personal brand, anyway? “Personal brand is about the unique strengths and attributes each person has. It’s what makes a person stand out and how people think of him or her,” says Paula Loop, U.S. and global talent leader at professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). “Think about how you want to be known, then you can focus on building skills and doing things that will enhance that image. Students who are able to communicate a strong personal brand — the unique strengths they can bring to an organization — are more attractive to employers.”

Start by introducing potential employers to your unique strengths using your resume and cover letter. Remember, these documents will serve as a company’s first impression of you, so it’s critical that you perfect them. Your resume and cover letter will be the first defining aspects of your brand, so make this introduction count by positioning yourself properly, beginning with presentation. Finance majors will have resumes that look much different — in design elements such as font and layout — from those of graphic designers. This also holds true for what your resume says: Certain industries place a heavy emphasis on internships, while others value research or volunteer experience.

Perfecting Your “Elevator Pitch”
Loop affirms the importance of your “elevator pitch,” essentially a 30-second description of who you are, your background and career aspirations. Imagine being in an elevator with a potential employer and he or she asks you to describe yourself and your personal goals. Would you be able to give an articulate, clear response?

Says Loop: “This should consist of no more than five sentences. The first two highlight one’s background. The third displays interests and recent accomplishments. The concluding sentence should address what an individual is seeking in a job and career. The most effective elevator pitches are short and memorable.”

To help guide your pitch, keep in mind these fundamental questions:

  • Who are you?
  • What are your accomplishments?
  • Where are you going, and what are your ultimate goals?

When fine-tuning your pitch, also keep in mind the following points that will help create an outline:

  • How have your past experiences with internships, volunteer work, etc., prepared you to meet your goal?
  • What are your strongest skills?
  • How do you stand apart from other entry-level applicants? What makes you unique and memorable?

Once you’ve drafted something impressive, practice it! Nothing is worse than stumbling through your elevator pitch with a bunch of “um’s” and “you know’s” popping up in every other sentence. Rehearse in front of your mirror, your parents or anyone who can give you constructive feedback regarding body language, tone and fluidity. Be friendly, make eye contact, and give your interviewer a strong, confident handshake.

Brand Yourself — Online!
Despite the ever-expanding social networking sphere, it’s surprising how many students do not properly brand themselves online. Chances are your potential employers are Googling you, which means you need to take advantage of the online world of networking.

“Ignoring or failing to create a business-appropriate image on social media sites like LinkedIn and Facebook can create issues,” says Loop. “Establishing and maintaining a professional social network profile is vital because potential employers are also online. A LinkedIn profile that displays your accomplishments, experience and goals can highlight your personal brand and enhance your job search.

Here are a few pointers outlined by PwC when it comes to branding yourself on the Internet:

  • Use social media, but use it correctly. Actively participate on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, but ask yourself if your profiles are appropriate to be viewed by an employer. According to a CareerBuilder.com survey, almost 45 percent of employers will look at your social media profiles to get better insight. Post all your contact information and join alumni groups to increase your chances of connecting with a potential employer.
  • Be conscious of every email you send. Whether using your smartphone or typing on your computer, always use proper grammar, spelling, punctuation and etiquette whenever writing an email. During networking and job hunting, you will primarily communicate with people via email, which means sloppy emails equal a sloppy image. Don’t discredit yourself by forgetting to give an editorial eye to every email sent.
  • Add links to your online signature. When sending emails or creating your social media profiles, include a couple of links to websites you enjoy, published work you’ve written, and your LinkedIn or Twitter accounts. Give employers an easy outlet to further understand who you are and where your interests lie.

B-E Aggressive
While formulating your brand is the first step, it’s important to constantly stay in touch with contacts, actively research your industry and develop a relationship with your university’s career services center.

Loop encourages students to do one thing each week that will help advance their career. This ranges from sending “hello” emails to contacts within your networking sphere to reading informative blogs related to your particular field. And since up to 80 percent of jobs are found through networking, it’s important to keep your networking sphere intact and growing.

One of your best resources as a college student is your university’s career services center, which can provide you with exclusive job offerings, resume critiques and mock interviews. Take advantage of these opportunities while you can to fully maximize your hiring eligibility.

“There are many important facets to personal branding, but networking is critical,” says Loop. “Start with friends, family and alumni from your school. Those are the people who know you best and will want to help.”

And for those interested in seeking further assistance in crafting your personal brand, PwC is launching Personal Brand Week 2.0 in February, so check out PwC.com for more information, helpful worksheets and career tips.

college planning, extracurricular activities, Uncategorized

bragTAG – Students, Parents and Guidance Counselors Unite!

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One evening at our kitchen table, we were thinking, “Wouldn’t it be great if there were a way to share all our childrens’ great high school moments with colleges in the hope of getting them accepted?”  And so bragTAG was born.  A simple and effective tool to bring your high school child’s college application to life!

We decided to develop bragTAG on the Facebook platform, because that is where the high school children are.  You know how much time they spend there – why not coax them into doing something GOOD while they’re there!  Read on for an exclusive discount code for Parent’s Countdown to College Coach blog readers…

Using bragTAG, students/parents create multi-media representations of individual high school achievements – we call these bragTAGs.  For example, that tremendous touchdown or perfect ballet performance can now be shown to college admissions counselors using videos, photos and journal (text) entries.

Throughout the high school career, bragTAG is absolutely free to use!  When the student/parent is ready to apply to colleges, “bragTAGs” are then compiled into customized one page, multi-media resumes and forwarded to college admissions counselors (we suggest users have a relationship established prior to sending).

Individual bragTAG detail example with comment

Because our own very first question in the development process was, “How do we keep this secure?”, we decided to make sure bragSHEETs weren’t published in any way on Facebook.  You can share individual bragTAGs on Facebook if you elect to, but bragSHEETs can only be forwarded to others.  That bragSHEET is assembled on the fly, using our own secure cloud-based servers – and only assembled when viewed.  In other words, bragSHEETS do not exist until college admissions/guidance counselors/teachers/coaches click on the link you’ve sent.  Our servers then assemble the requested bragSHEET for viewing.

Complete bragSHEET (Resume) with multi-media photos, pop up videos and journal entries

Only persons with the link can see the personal info, and those that are viewing your bragSHEET do not have to be logged onto Facebook, or even have a Facebook account.  Colleges will not see your child’s private Facebook profile! (You didn’t really want them to see those high school dance and party pictures, did you?).

There are several ways to use the bragTAG application.  Send a copy of a bragSHEET to high school teachers whom you are asking to write your letters of recommendation – so they know more about you, and write a fantastic well-informed letter.  You can send a bragSHEET to your school counselor, who can then recommend colleges based on your interests – or even help you edit bragSHEETs for the colleges you’re applying to.  You may want to create customized bragSHEETs for each college you apply to, based on your research (or your independent coach’s research) into what a particular college is looking for!

So – students, parents and counselors unite – and work toward getting accepted at the college of your choice!

As an added bonus, we’ve created a discount code for Parents Countdown to College Coach readers!  The first five readers to comment below will receive a code from bragTAG for UNLIMITED bragSHEET submissions (a $24.99 value). We’ll email the code to you as soon as we receive your contact info!

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Thanks to bragTAG for providing us with this guest post about their product. Find out more on the bragTAG Facebook Fan Page, or the bragTAG College Bound Blog and good luck in your college admissions search!

college costs, college planning, test prep

Saving time and money with CLEP Tests

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Every college student will spend their first two years of college studying information that they’ve already covered at some point during their four years of high school. Algebra, Biology, U.S. History, Government, and English Composition are all classes the students are already familiar with.

Even if your student wasn’t a straight “A” high school student they are still smart enough to test out of classes that they have already covered. Nothing changes in U.S. History from high school to college. The north still defeats the south in the civil war. George Washington is still the first president.

We send students off to college so they can learn what they need to succeed in the vocation they pursue. But we spend the first half of their studies covering information that they already know.

The answer to this problem is CLEP testing. CLEP stands for (College Level Examination Program). They are 50-120 question tests given by the CollegeBoard which is the same company that issues the SAT. If a student passes a CLEP they are granted college credit as if they had taken the actual class.

There are CLEP tests for 33 subjects and they give students the ability to test out of 30-60 credit hours before even stepping foot in a classroom. Students can study for these tests alongside their current classes or during their summer break. These tests can also be taken while students are in high school.

There are plenty of clep practice tests and questions available to students which give them a great idea of what information would be covered on a CLEP if they took it.

SpeedyPrep also offers a free CLEP eBook which gives numerous tips and tricks of the trade for how to maximize CLEP for your college student.

For a list of colleges that accept CLEP tests as college credit, visit: http://apps.collegeboard.com/cbsearch_clep/searchCLEPColleges.jsp

For information about CLEP testing centers, visit: http://apps.collegeboard.com/cbsearch_clep/searchCLEPTestCenter.jsp

It’s always best to check with the colleges before you take the tests regarding their CLEP test policy.

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This guest post is by Luke Macias of SpeedyPrep, an online, question-based study system focused on equipping students with all they need to know to prepare for and pass CLEP exams in a variety of subjects.

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 costs, college planning, financial aid

Last Night's FREE Webinar

FOR THOSE WHO ATTENDED (OR MISSED) THE WEBINAR LAST NIGHT

The recording of last night’s webinar is up. This webinar will remain up until February 1st for viewing.

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Tonight is the night that Paul Hemphill, college cost saving guru and parent advocate, teaches you How to Pay Less for College. As a parent advocate myself I appreciate Paul’s keen insight into the parent’s dilemma–Help! How can I send my kid to college and protect my retirement, assets and not go broke in the process?

A sidenote: You know I wouldn’t steer you wrong. The webinar is FREE. You will learn how to look at financial aid differently and learn how to take charge of the process. PLUS, Paul (just for me) is throwing in an amazing FREE bonus at the end of the webinar that you absolutely don’t want to miss out on.

It’s a win-win for you and an hour of your time that will be well-spent.

To go along with tonight’s webinar, I’ve also posted an article (just to wet your appetite): 10 Tips to Cut College Costs

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 planning, financial aid

The Key to Financial Aid Success: Preparation!

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In just under a month, it will be time to file your Free Application For Student Aid (FAFSA) for the 2011-12 school year. The FAFSA is the key to accessing your Federal Student Aid – including grants, work-study and Federal loans – and other valuable financial assistance. Whether or not you think your family will qualify, you should always apply for aid; you might be surprised at the results!

To help you make sure that you do everything necessary to get your college aid, below is a list of tips for preparing the FAFSA for submission. These are just the basics – there’s a much more detailed checklist at the bottom of this post.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reply in the comments and we will do our best to help you out!

Where to File

Starting January 1, 2011, the 2011-2012 FAFSA can filed online or downloaded at http://www.fafsa.gov. Some high schools may also have printed FAFSA forms available.

1. Determine Who Will File: You or Your Student?

The FAFSA is filed in the name of the student – the one who will be receiving the financial aid. You may submit the FAFSA on behalf of your student.

Regardless of who does the actual filing of the FAFSA, the student’s signature is always required, and if the student is considered a dependent, at least one parent must also sign.

2. Determine Dependency Status Ahead of Time

Every student who applies for financial aid with the FAFSA will either be considered a dependent or an independent student. There is a special worksheet created to determine dependency status.

To access the worksheet on the FAFSA website, click here.

NOTE: The current version is for the 2010-11 school year, but there are not likely to be major changes for 2011-12.

3. File Your Tax Returns Early

In order to complete the FAFSA fully, parents of dependent students and students who worked during the past year need to have their 2010 tax return information ready.

4. Gather Documents Before Starting

Filing the FAFSA will be much easier if you have everything together before starting. For the 2011-2012 school year, you’ll need the following documents:

  • Social security and driver’s license numbers
  • Student’s 2010 W-2s and tax returns
  • Parent’s 2010 W-2s and tax returns (if student is Dependent)
  • Bank statements
  • Business financial statements (if student or parents own a business)
  • Citizenship records – alien registration or permanent resident card (if you are not a U.S. Citizen)

5. Use the FAFSA on the Web Worksheet

The FAFSA on the Web Worksheet is a convenient way to organize all of the required information you’ll need to fill out the FAFSA. To access a PDF version of this worksheet, click here. (Note that the 2011-2012 worksheet isn’t available yet)

6. Apply for FAFSA PIN Now

In order to file your FAFSA form electronically online, you will need to sign it. This can be done electronically with a PIN, or you can print, sign, and mail in the signature page which will be provided to you when you complete the FAFSA. Both students and parents need to sign the FAFSA.

See the Department of Education’s FAFSA PIN website for more information.

Questions?

If you start preparing now, filling out your FAFSA on January 1st will be a breeze! If you have any questions or need additional guidance, feel free to reply in the comments below. We look forward to helping you!

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This guest post is contributed by Jeff Sheely, who blogs about financial aid and education financing at Overture Student Loan Marketplace, where students and parents can get information or compare private student loans to make more informed decisions about how to pay for college.

He’s happy to answer your questions in the comments, or you can connect with him on Twitter or Facebook.