The Common Application-Demystified

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Last night I sat down for an hour and watched a web presentation at College Week Live about the the Common Application. It was basically a question/answer session where the Director of Outreach for the Common Application gave a brief synopsis of what the Common Application was and then fielded questions that were posted online.

Here are the basic highlights:

  1. The Common Application service is COMPLETELY FREE and has a membership of 391 colleges.
  2. The busiest day of the year for the service is December 31st because students are trying to get in under the wire for the January 1 application deadlines.
  3. There is 24/7 online support, but NO telephone support. The average response time is 47 minutes via email.
  4. Your teachers and counselors can submit their recommendations and forms online if they choose.
  5. There are videos to help you with any questions you might have and an extensive knowledge base of articles.

Some Questions and Answers:

Q. Do colleges prefer their own application over the common application?

No. The common application and the college application are treated as equals. If a college is part of the Common Application membership, they receive it just as they receive their own college application.

Q. When can you start completing the application?

Each year the applications are purged (in the summer) to make room for new applications in the fall. You can get in and play with the applications, practice, familiarize yourself with it, whenever you choose. If you want to look at it as a freshman in high school, it’s perfectly acceptable because it will get purged in the summer. Once you are ready to apply to the colleges, you will want to do begin the process in the fall of the year you apply to prepare for submission.

Q. Why do some colleges add supplements and other do not?

The supplements give colleges the ability to gather information that they might consider unique to their institution. Some colleges need additional information, others find the application itself sufficient.

Q. Do you have to complete the common application AND the college’s application?

A. No. Once you complete the common application and submit it to the colleges you choose, you are finished.

Q. Do colleges prefer the online application or the paper one?

Colleges PREFER online applications over paper because it saves them time inputting data and enables them to share the information easily with others and read online. NOTE: DO NOT complete the online application and send a paper version. Do one or the other. It will complicate the situation and cause all sorts of problems with your application.

If you would like to view the hour long session, you can go to College Week Live, sign in and look for it in archived presentations.

Weighing Your Options and Gaining Your Career

logo_westwoodToday’s guest blog post is from Westwood College, a college that designs its programs around the needs of its unique student population (both online and on campus). If your teen is considering any of the career paths that Westwood offers, you might want to add them to the mix of college possibilities.

When making a final decision on your education, it is important to research your options carefully. Whether you are looking to obtain an online degree or are looking to attend campus classes, every school has something different to offer. Westwood College is one of those schools that truly design their programs for the students rather than making the students bend their educational needs into a one size fits all education models.

Campuses include:

  • Texas- Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston South
  • Illinois- DuPage, Chicago Loop, O’Hare Airport, River Oaks
  • Virginia- Annandale Satelite, Arlington Ballston
  • California- Anaheim, Inland Empire, Los Angeles, South Bay
  • Georgia- Atlanta Midtown, Atlanta Northlake
  • Colorado- Denver North, Denver South

With 17 campuses in six states and top notch online degree and online MBA programs, Westwood College offers the flexibility that students need to succeed. Program availability varies from campus to campus with an on-site or online Bachelor Degree within three years, an on-site or online Associate Degree in just two years or an MBA in one year.

Programs offered are in-depth, engaging, and offer professional instruction and continued support before, during and after graduation. From theadmissions_virtual_tour “Quick Start” program which helps new students transition to a college schedule to the “Westwood Success Team” which matches advisers to students to assist with financial options and answer any questions regarding your enrollment.

Westwood also offers a program that is rare in the college scene today. If eligible, students can return after they have graduated to retrain in their field in order to keep current with the latest training. That in itself is an important resource that few colleges can or will compete with. Offering these types of extended support to students is just one reason Westwood stands above the rest and possesses such a great rate of graduates finding work after their program completion.

Since 1952 Westwood has continued raising the bar for education standards. Several financing options are available for those who qualify and prospective students are encouraged to contact your closest campus to book a tour, meet with faculty, or even sit in on a class to get an idea of the caliber of education offered by Westwood College.

After deciding which educational institution is right for you, your next step is to figure out which program is going to get you to where you want to be in your future career. Follow the link below for a comprehensive list of programs available either online, on-site, or both.

Westwood Degree Programs

img_home_ban_virtualDue to the number of campuses and the online school availability, students have a plethora of professional options to earn their degree. Online colleges are an excellent option for those unable to attend regular classes. Students wishing to attend the Los Angeles College, the Denver College, the college in Dallas, or Virginia colleges have multiple choices for both location and training. Earn your Interior Design degree, a Construction Management Degree, your Computer Network Degree or IT training because your options are near limitless. It’s imperative for today’s youth to carefully consider their educational options as your on-campus or online degree is the best way that you can ensure a lucrative and productive future in a profession that you love.

What are you waiting for?

What the Liberal Arts are NOT

Today’s guest blogger is from Maryville College: Dr. Jeffery Fager, Vice-President and Dean of the College. Maryville College is ideally situated in Maryville, Tenn., between the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Knoxville, the state’s third largest city. Known for its academic rigor and its focus on the liberal arts, Maryville is where students come to stretch their minds, stretch themselves and learn how to make a difference in the world. Dr. Fager offers some interesting insight into a liberal arts education and debunks the myths surrounding liberal arts.

Those of us committed to liberal arts education seem to be fighting an uphill battle in communicating the true nature of the liberal arts. Perhaps the first task is to dispel some common misconceptions.

1 – The Liberal Arts are not related to the Democratic or Republican (or Libertarian) political parties

2 – The liberal Arts are not highly specific fields of knowledge that are limited to only certain areas of life.

3 – The Liberal Arts are not lofty musings disconnected from the “real world” where people must get jobs and live their lives.

Those myths now cast aside, what exactly are the Liberal Arts?

Originally there were seven liberal arts, divided into two sections known by their Latin names, the quadrivium (arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music) and the trivium (logic, grammar, and rhetoric). These areas of inquiry were considered appropriate for a free person (Latin: liber) in contrast to manual skills that were appropriate for slaves.

Obviously, things have changed over the centuries. Other disciplines were added to the list, and some of the traditional ones slipped away or were subsumed in the newer areas. During this century, many referred to the liberal arts as certain disciplines that were considered “traditional” as opposed to those areas that are associated with particular careers. In addition, colleges that referred to themselves as “liberal arts colleges” developed general education programs that consisted of a menu of courses in those traditional disciplines. We are familiar with them: English, History, Philosophy, Economics, Mathematics, Science, etc.

It is interesting to note that at the beginning of the twentieth century Harvard did not recognize Chemistry as a proper discipline for a true university; it was considered a “trade” skill. In recent decades scholars have recognized that to limit “the liberal arts” to a list of specific disciplines would not be adequate. Knowledge was changing too quickly, and disciplines did not separate into neat, mutually exclusive “silos.” Therefore, the language in higher education is shifting from “the liberal arts” to “liberal education.” We no longer speak of a static collection of knowledge to be memorized but a way of approaching the world–or, more accurately, several ways of approaching the world.

Liberal education involves different ways of analyzing questions or problems and developing answers or solutions. Each question or problem may lend itself to a particular method of analysis: scientific (natural and social), humanistic, artistic, empirical, philosophical. We must learn these different methods and gain the ability to discern their appropriate applications. In complex cases, several methods must be applied in order to achieve the best possible solution or answer. The liberally educated individual will have the tools to perform such a complex analysis.

In the case of Maryville College, where I enjoy the role of academic dean, our Maryville Curriculum is intentionally interdisciplinary and developmental, in that students take core courses in every year of their college experience, constantly reinforcing and extending their analytical skills. Even in the discipline-specific courses, while content is important, critical analysis of the content is crucial. All students bring their education to culmination in a senior research project, in which they apply all of these skills in creating a product appropriate to their respective major.

And isn’t that what the world demands today…multiple skill sets, complex analysis, the ability to think critically about an issue or situation and provide an ethical, effective idea or solution? The liberally educated individual—one who has experienced the depth and breadth of a liberal arts education—is able to engage with this world successfully, adapting with the changes and complexities it presents.

Those, my friends, are the Liberal Arts.

You can follow Maryville College on Twitter @stretchyourmind



University Parent-Your Parent Resource

I asked Sarah Schupp (founder of University Parent) to be a guest blogger and fill us in on the benefits of her Parent Guides from various colleges that you can view online and download. Her site is jam-packed with useful information for parents.

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UniversityParent.com partners with colleges and universities across the U.S. Our mission is to help parents easily find university and visitor information.

To this end, we have developed print and online guides for over 100 schools that provide detailed information on everything from where to stay when visiting your student, to a helpful list of frequently requested phone numbers. The university provides us with school specific information, such as: academic calendar, campus maps, articles about campus resources, managing finances, student life and tips for parents. To find this information, please visit, http://www.universityparent.com/online-guides and select your student’s school. You’ll find links on the left sidebar to the topics mentioned above. If you don’t see your student’s school listed, please email me at sarah@universityparent.com, and I’ll work on signing them up! If you’d like to download a PDF of the print guide, please visit: http://www.universityparent.com/downloads.

We also build a visitor guide with the help of the local convention and visitors bureau and the chamber of commerce. Our intent is to help parents easily navigate their student’s new community. If you’re planning a trip to your student’s campus, or want to send a birthday gift, check out the guide on the right sidebar. You can even book hotels right through our site!

We are working on building a community of college parents through our Facebook Fan Page, http://www.facebook.com/collegeparents and through our Twitter account, http://www.twitter.com/4collegeparents. Parent participation in the community helps us determine the types of issues parents are concerned about – and we try to address these on UniversityParent.com.

We hope these resources help nurture your connection and involvement in your student’s college experience!

About UniversityParent.com:

When the time came for my parents to visit me as a student at the University of Colorado, their anxieties heightened. They wanted to know where to stay, dine, and shop for last minute items they felt I couldn’t live without. They also wanted to know what activities they could do, or places they could visit while my orientation schedule kept me busy.

Although my campus offered a wide variety of useful information for visiting parents, we quickly learned that it was not compiled into one all-inclusive resource for easy and convenient use. My parents’ personal experience of a void of comprehensive information is what sparked this venture. The idea of producing a University Parent Guide began as my senior project through the Leeds School of Business Entrepreneurship Program at the University of Colorado, Boulder. After graduating in 2004, I pursued University Parent Media full-time. The University Parent Guide is now available at over 100 campuses nation-wide. This guide may not have been available when my parents needed it, but it is now! We hope you find it useful.

Scholarship Alert: Thanksgiving Creative Geniuses Scholarship

Zinch.com is holding a Thanksgiving Scholarship to award THREE $1000 Scholarships. The winners will be chosen by the following criteria:

– 1 will be a high school genius
– 1 will be a college/grad school genius
– And the 3rd winner will be whomever has the most “likes” to their post when the judging occurs.

According to the rules:

You can post either an image or video that displays how creative you are. This could be a film you made, a piece of your artwork, some of your photography, etc., or it could be a photograph of something that you made, did, or otherwise. Or you can just make a video telling us why you are a creative genius.

You can pretty much do whatever you want as long as it is in video or picture format and reflects your creative genius.

The deadline is Monday, November 30th.

You can get all the details by clicking below:
Thanksgiving Creative Geniuses Scholarship sponsored by Zinch.com

Is the Ivy League price really worth it?

When my son was a young boy, he talked often about going to Harvard. Where he got that notion in his head, I will never know. It was so ingrained, that he wanted a Harvard sweatshirt. Funny thing…my daughter still has that sweatshirt today and has grown quite fond of it.

Did my son attend Harvard? No. He opted to join the Marines and attend college later on the GI Bill. Perhaps a wiser and more logical choice in the grand scheme of things. But…I’ve often wondered whether or not the cost of those Ivy League colleges is worth the education you receive.

A recent article from Unigo/WSJ on Campus explored that question in depth. It explored the current economic climate, the state of colleges and universities, and the overall thought process in making those college decisions. The article begins by stating:

Old dreams of adult children earning degrees from elite, door-opening colleges or “legacy” schools attended by relatives are falling away in some families, in favor of a new pragmatism. Other parents and students are doing a tougher cost-benefit analysis of the true value of a pricey undergraduate degree. As parents wrestle privately with such emotional issues, many say they wish they’d begun years earlier to assess their values and priorities, long before their children’s college-decision deadline was upon them.

That’s ALWAYS been my philosophy: START EARLY. Do your research and learn about the college’s financial aid footprint.  Do a benefit-cost analysis and weigh ALL of your options before you make that final decision.

The overall tone of the article is that parents and college-bound teens are opting for the more logical college choices that keep them close to home and ensure they graduate without debt.

But, I would have to add an additional comment: find that “perfect fit” college. It’s not about the rank, or the prestige, or even completely about the cost. It’s about finding a place where your teen feels at home and is valued. And discounting Harvard, or any Ivy League college because of the pricetag might not be the BEST advice. An admissions consultant offers this advice:

Depending on the financial aid package offered, the out-of-pocket cost of attending a private college can often be lower than that of a public university. In a simplistic example, a $25,000 bill at a state college would be reduced to $20,000 with $5,000 of financial aid, but a private liberal arts college with a sticker price of $50,000 would cost $15,000 if the financial aid package totaled $35,000, making it cheaper than the state college. Of course, financial aid is more complicated than this, but private colleges with strong endowments often offer generous merit and need-based scholarships. In the end, award offers must be weighed against each other carefully, taking into account whether the award is made up of loans (which must be paid back) or grants/scholarships (which do not get paid back). The bottom line? Research the possibility of financial aid before eliminating a college from your list just because it sounds too expensive.

Finding the perfect "fit" (for college)

collegeThis week, I’ve been spending time at College Week Live’s virtual college fair. I’ve been gathering information and gleaning some excellent tips about the college admissions process. What makes this advice unique? It’s  straight from the horses mouth: admissions officers.  You can’t get any more “hands on” than that and it’s the best place I know to get caught up on the latest admissions information.

Yesterday, I watched a “live” video interview with Peter Van Buskirk, the author of ” Winning the College Admission Game” and a former admissions officer. He spoke about that “perfect fit” and how important it was to find it. When asked by a student, “how do you determine if a college is the right fit?”, Peter first said to overlook all the emotional motives:

  • Your friends are going there
  • Your parents went there
  • You like the football team
  • Your boyfriend/girlfriend has chosen it

He said once you remove those emotional motives, you can concentrate on five criteria that will help you determine whether or not the college is a “perfect fit”:

  1. A place that provides the academic program that meets your needs.
  2. A place that provides the style of instruction that best fits your learning style.
  3. A place that provides a level of rigor and challenge equal to your ability.
  4. A place that feels like home.
  5. A place that values you for what you do well.

According to Peter (and I completely agree) you should encourage your teen to “chew” on each of these and think about what it is they want to get out of a college education. College is more than bricks and mortar and a place to get a diploma. It’s a place where the mind is challenged, social interaction abounds, friendships are formed and a place your college-bound teen will call home for at least four years of their life. That “perfect fit” will assure your teen is comfortable, challenged and ready to learn.

If you would like to hear all of the interview, visit College Week Live and go to the presentations tab. There are numerous presentations available to watch, along with additional information to help you help your college-bound teen find that “perfect fit”.

Also, check out Peter’s website, The Admission Game, on the events tab to see if he’ll be speaking at a school near you.

In honor of Halloween: Weird and Wacky Scholarships

Although these scholarships have been deemed “weird and wacky”, any scholarship that garners you FREE money for college is anything but that. Did you know that you can type in “wacky scholarships” in Google and come up with some of these scholarship gems? Here are just a few of them.

Is your teen a leftie?

Juniata College located in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania offers two 1,000 scholarhips to left handed students each year. One of the qualifications is – yes – left handedness.

Does your teen know how to knit?

The National Make It Yourself with Wool (NMIYWW) organization awards 2 scholarships for knitting wool garments. Make a killer wool garment and submit it to this organization and they will judge it based garment style and design, contestant’s presentation, and creativity. Winners receive either a $2,000 or a $1,000 scholarship.

Is your teen a Trekkie?

The Kor Memorial Scholarship is awarded by the Klingon Language Institute to recognize and encourage scholarship in the field of language study. You don’t have to be fluent in Klingon, but creativity is preferred.

And…

Starfleet Academy Scholarship. If you are a member of the “Starfleet Academy,” an organization modeled after the fictitious Star Trek academy you may qualify for awards such as the Gene Roddenberry Memorial Scholarship for Aspiring Writers or the DeForest Kelley/Dr. Leonard McCoy Medical Scholarship.

Is your teen enjoying “the air up there”?

The Kae Sumner Einfeldt Scholarship, sponsored by Tall Clubs International offers tall students a $1000.00 scholarship. To qualify, girls must be at least 5-foot-10, and guys must measure at least 6-foot-2.

Is your teen fascinated with ghosts?

The New York-based Parapsychology Foundation offers young ghost hunters and those with interest in the paranormal several scholarships.

Does your teen have expertise in duck calling?

The Chick and Sophie Major Memorial Duck Calling Contest awards a $1,500 scholarship to the winner of their duck calling contest. First runner-up gets $500, second runner-up gets $300, and third runner-up gets $200.

If these have peeked your interest, here’s a few other links offering many other possibilities. With the scholarship names, you can go to a scholarship search site like FastWeb and find out all the details.

http://scholarship.lifetips.com/cat/61637/wacky-scholarships/index.html

http://www.wacky-scholarships.com/

Happy Halloween!

A Virtual College Fair: CollegeWeekLive

Times they are a’changin! When my kids were making those college decisions, we had to get in the car, head out to a college fair held at our local convention center, and fight our way through the crowds, hoping to snag some one on one time with the busy college representatives.

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Today, you have another option. CollegeWeekLive.com offers a virtual college fair from November 4-7. It’s a GREAT opportunity to get the “inside scoop” from admissions professionals and even CHAT with college representatives and students. According to their website:

CollegeWeekLive attendees can watch admissions experts speak on topics such as how to prepare for the SAT, how to write a winning application essay or how to pay for college and have questions answered via live chat. Attendees can also video chat with college students and learn what campus life is really like. The event features scholarships and special promotions available only to those who attend.

And..here’s the BEST part. It’s ABSOLUTELY FREE. Click here to sign up and add events to your Outlook Calendar. What could be easier? I know I will be attending. And…if you’re a parent of a college-bound teen, you don’t want to miss it. It’s your opportunity to gain some knowledge and ask those questions you’ve been saving for the experts.

Mark your calendars and don’t miss a single session. This is an invaluable resource for parents and college-bound teens.

College Admissions Essays

 

According to a recent article in the NY Times–The Choice, the college essay should be looked at like “a first date”. Chad Hemmelgarn, an English teacher at Bexley High School, in Columbus Ohio, said, “It’s kind of like a first date. You’re telling us the stuff that makes you special.” He was speaking as part of a panel at an annual forum in New York sponsored by The College Board.

When you think about it, that’s a great analogy. The essay is a way for you to let the admissions committee get to know you and an opportunity for you to focus on your strengths. Here are some tips that Mr. Hemmelgarn recommends that your teen can use when approaching the essay:

  1. Write some sample essays using actual questions from college applications–Look at the actual college applications for those questions and topics.
  2. Divide the essays into two categories: Why you? and Why us?–Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you (Why you?); Why are you considering our University (Why us?).
  3. Write as many essays as you can for practice–Have them evaluated by a teacher, your parents, and/or your counselor.
  4. Do your research if necessary and always answer the question–The college is looking to find something out about you and ascertain how you will be a good fit for their community of students.
  5. Don’t let your parents write the essay–Admissions counselors can spot those immediately and it’s a good way to have your application put in the “rejection” stack.

As a parent college coach, it’s your responsibility to guide your teen throughout the application process. Offer encouragement and feedback on their essay content. Help them brainstorm about a topic to use. Encourage them to spend some time thinking about what they want colleges to know about them.

And remember: Preparation Prevents Panic!

Helping parents navigate the college maze