College Tidbits Blog

Yesterday I opened up my web browser and logged on to www.google.com and I typed the phrase “college planning” into the Google search box just to see what would happen.

According to Google.com, there are 15,900,000 web pages in its index that have this phrase in it. Of the almost 16 million web pages, some are commercially run, created by huge for profit conglomerates and some are personal sites created individuals who just have a passion to help often providing information at no charge.

But which is better?The huge for profit sites or the mom-n-pop sites that have built on love altruism. I don’t know, but what I do know is that I have seen some commercially run sites that I thought were fantastic. However, I have also spent time on some much smaller websites that were as equally good.

Listed below are Ten (10) College Planning Websites you’ve probably Never Heard of. The information contained on these sites and the services they provide are invaluable:

1. AIE – Adventures In Education (www.aie.org)
Adventures In Education (AIE™) is a public-service program developed by TG, a nonprofit corporation, that helps students plan and complete their journey through higher education. By providing a Web site and other free resources to students, parents, counselors, and educators, AIE encourages individuals to discover and pursue educational opportunities.

2. College Basics (www.collegebasics.com)
Offers college admissions tips and insider secrets about planning for college, applying for college, financial aid, admissions essays, college interviews, and much more.

3. College Prep 101 (www.collegeprep101.com)
CollegePrep-101 is an award-winning web site and formerly a college credit course that generated over 1,000 college credit hours. Originally created in 1996, by Lance Millis, who has over 20 years of experience in higher education, CollegePrep-101 has helped thousands of high school students, their parents, and those who work with them, get ready for and go to college.

4. College Tidbits (www.collegetidbits.com)
Started in 2007 by two parents assisting their daughter to prepare for college, they decided to create a website and share their research with others. College Tidbits provides advice on planning, preparing and paying for college. The sites goal is to serve as a college planning resource for college and high school students.

5. College Tips (collegetips.com)
Is a central online location for college students to share college tips. The objective of CollegeTips.com is to inform current and future college students about information that is not provided on college websites or in college welcome packets. They strive to provide a way for students to discuss issues that others avoid, and provide information from real college students.

6. The EducationQuest Foundation (www.educationquest.org)
Headquartered in Lincoln and with locations in Lincoln, Kearney and Omaha, Nebraska, the EducationQuest Foundation is a nonprofit organization with a mission to improve access to higher education in Nebraska – and proud sponsor of the KnowHow2GONebraska campaign. Their mission is to provide free college planning services, outreach services, need-based scholarship programs, and college access grants.

7. InLikeMe (www.inlikeme.com)
InLikeMe is dedicated to helping high school students (and their parents) define, pursue and realize their college admissions goals. InLikeMe is centered at the intersection of college planning, selection, admissions testing and financial aid with a focus on helping you find your “right fit” schools and develop a strategy to get admitted.  They are a hub for the college-bound with a site packed full of information, commentary and advice along with direct links to hundreds of resources and tools.

8. Pathways to College Network (www.pathwaystocollege.net)
The Pathways to College Network is an alliance of national organizations that advances college opportunity for under-served students by raising public awareness, supporting innovative research, and promoting evidence-based policies and practices across the K-12 and higher education sectors.

9. The Admission Game (www.theadmissiongame.com)
Peter Van Buskirk teaches participants how to think about college planning so they can make choices that serve them well in finding and getting into the colleges that fit them best. By challenging assumptions and providing a contextual basis for understanding the college admission process, he gives students and their parents the insights and practical tools needed to get from where they are to where they want to be. His programs inform, inspire and motivate students as they prepare to compete for admission to college.

10. VIC (VOCATIONAL INFORMATION CENTER) Career and College Planning Resources (www.khake.com/page51.html)
This is one of my all time favorites, it is basically a collection of links to some great planning articles and tools. This page provides links for students and guidance counselors including resources to self assessments, career planning, career development and college planning.

If you know of other sites that you feel should be on the list, reply back with the URL in your responses.

Introduction

Making the decision to go to college is an extremely important one. Your decision to do so has placed you on the biggest journey of your young life. It involves a lot of planning, anticipation and changes that are not easy to deal with but can be very exciting. During your senior year, you will spend time reviewing/completing numerous admission forms, writing essays and working to get lots of papers work together.

Preparing for college is quite a strenuous process, especially when you apply to multiple institutions you will want to make sure you have as much help as you can get with all your paperwork and make sure things are in order.

To help you stay on track, it is a good idea to have a college planning calendar in place to make sure that you get things right and do not miss out on anything along your journey.

Listed below by each individual month of your senior year are a few tips and reminders. Please note that this is not meant to be an exhaustive list, but is meant to serve as a guideline while you are planning and going through your senior year.

Feel free to omit anything that does not apply and add anything that we did not include but is important for you.

Get a PDF version of this college planning calendar for your website

July

• Spend some time during your summer vacation (prior to returning as a senior) visiting some college websites. This is also a great time to attend any open houses and arrange college visits to any schools you may be interested in attending.

• Many high schools will have college planning meetings scheduled for returning seniors. Now would be a good time to check with your Parents to see is they have been notified by mail to arrange an appointment. If they have not received a notification, you or your parent should contact your prospective guidance counselor at the high school to determine the status of the meeting.

August

• Starting from August, you should have a step by step college plan in place. An important part of your college planning calendar should be to organize your funds for college. Consider getting a complete evaluation of all the money you have put away and saved for college. Discuss with your parents on this if they are open to it and also look at what financial aid you might be eligible for.

• Scholarship qualification is not only about academic excellence alone, you may qualify for a number of different reasons so be sure to check out what you may be eligible for.

• Did you take the SAT exam as a junior? That’s fine if you did, however, I would encourage you to take the SAT again during your senior year. According to www.CollegeBoard.com, if you plan on taking the SAT again, the beginning of your senior year is the best time. This is because their research shows that students who take the SAT a second time usually improve their score.Register for your SATs and make sure you are setting aside proper time to give it your best. Test dates and registration deadlines for next school year should be available during the summer in the student services Office of your high school. You can also get this information online at www.CollegeBoard.com.

September

• During September work on the next step, which is to pick out the top colleges of your choice. Compare costs of the colleges you have chosen and make it a point to continue to visit some more campuses so you can figure out which one could be the right one for you.

• Also consider your subjects very carefully and analyze your career choice. Many kids are confused about what career path to choose. Right now, you may be getting pressured by parents or your peers to go in one career direction or another. While it is okay to listen, in the end, only you can make the best decision for you. So make sure that you are listening to that quite voice inside of your head that knows you better than anyone else.

• Make sure you have your calendar filled in with the important dates during your admission process. The registration, admission, fees deadlines, scholarship deadlines and so on should be carefully marked so you do not miss out any of them. If you find that two colleges have overlapping dates check if you can do an on-line application rather than run between two campuses.

• If you intend to participate in Division I or II athletics as a freshman in college, you must register and be certified by the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse. It is strongly suggested that you register in September of your senior year in high school. If you are planning to play college athletics you need to file with the NCAA Eligibility Center, go on-line to http://eligibilitycenter.org/ECWR2/NCAA_EMS/NCAA.html

October

• For a senior student, college preparations include a long process and one that requires a lot of planning and efforts. You can never be too prepared for your college admissions so the more you organize your activities and the more time you manage carefully, the better it is. Once you are into October, you have to get down to getting the feel of it as much as you can.

• Attending some college fairs is also a good idea to get a better idea of what is required and what you should be focusing on.

• Make sure that you talk to teachers, counselors and employers about your letters of recommendation well in advance. The information on the each letter should be accurate as colleges receive tons of applications and will be able to spot a fake easily or will grill you during the academic interview.

• Work on application essays. Colleges use essays to learn more about your reasons for applying to their specific school. Your essay gives them some insight into your character, meaning it helps them get a sense of who you are. The essay also demonstrates your writing skills as well as your ability to organize your thoughts logically. This is also an opportunity for you to express how you differ from other students are also applying.

November

• By the time you are beginning November, you will need to have finished with your deadlines for application. Request forms for financial aid if you are planning to look for a scholarship or government aid. Apply for private scholarships for which you are eligible.

• Complete early decision and early action applications. If you haven’t done so, bring in your application packets to your guidance counselor(s) for review and processing.

• Follow up on the letters of recommendation if there is any pending. A good letter of recommendation can make or break your college application. While College admissions reviewers are interested in what you have to say about yourself (in your essays) they also interested in what others have to say about you. Most college applications request 1-3 recommendation letters from people who know you in and out of the classroom. Think of and then approach some adults, such as teachers or people in your community to write a recommendation letter on your behalf. Make sure you give them enough time to write the letter.

December

• December to June will be hectic as this will be the time you have to finalize on which school you will be attending and also notify the schools you are not planning to attend.

• Plan your transport, check out suitable accommodation and check that all your paperwork for health insurance, financial needs and more are all done. With a proper college planning calendar, you will be all set to begin the best part of your life!

• Continue to complete and submit college applications. Check Deadline dates! As you finish and send your applications, be sure to keep copies.

January

• Begin working on the FAFSA with your parents. Your FAFSA Form should be submitted as close to January 1st as possible. You can pick up a copy in your guidance counselor’s office. Parents may mail a FAFSA (Free application for Federal Student Aid), available in the Student Services Office, or on-line, after January 1. However, completing the on-line FAFSA form has become the recommended standard. Go on-line to www.fafsa.ed.gov to get it processed faster.

• If you have not done so, complete and submit any scholarship and grant applications. Continue to search for scholarship opportunities. Parents should attend a financial aid workshop.

• Note: Have you ensured that all of the colleges you have applied to received a copy of your transcript. If you cannot be sure now is the time to confirm this.

• Follow up with counselor and teachers that letters of recommendation and transcripts have been sent.

February

• Avoiding “Senioritis” — Many would consider this the down hill point of the senior year and may begin to allow their grades to slip. Accepting colleges do look at second semester grades, now is not the time to start goofing off, this is the time to finish strong.

• Review Student Aid Report (SAR) from the FAFSA you completed.

March

• If you have applied to more than one college, begin to prioritize your choices, ranking them by whatever characteristics you feel are necessary. Some tips: rank them by field of study, geographic location and cost.

• Continue to complete scholarship applications. Acceptance to colleges will soon arrive.

April

• Start looking for acceptance letters in the mail during this month. During this period you will start to receive financial aid and scholarship letters. Do not let these letters sit on your desk or dresser. Share them with your parents and high school counselors.

• By this time, most admission decisions have arrived. Carefully review all your acceptances and perhaps revisit your top choices.

• Review financial aid packages and talk with college financial aid officers if necessary.

• Note the date when the college you have chosen requires a deposit to confirm you spot in their Freshmen Class. (Most colleges require a deposit by May 1st)

• Inform Student Services (high school guidance counselors) where you have been accepted and what scholarships you have received.

May

• Rejected Colleges — Begin to notify colleges that have accepted you of your intentions not to attend. While this may appear to be pointless, it is the courteous thing to do. This also allows them to make provisions to offer the slot that was set aside for you to someone else.

• Have you been wait-listed by a college? If you are planning to still enroll if accepted, inform the admissions department of your intentions. Also, ask them how you might further strengthen your application.

• One more thing to consider — Will you need financial aid? If the answer is yes, ask admissions whether funds will be available if you’re accepted. Ask them if they can assign someone that you can work with to resolve any admissions or financial aid problems.

June

• If you have not already done so, decide which college you will be attending. Next, ask your high school to send a final transcript of your grades to the college you have chosen.

• Make sure that you accept the financial aid award from the college you decided to attend. This is normally done in writing but more and more is being done on-line on the college’s website.

Congratulations on graduating from high school! Now relax and have some fun over the summer, but not too much fun.

GOOD LUCK with Your College Career!

Get a PDF version of this college planning calendar for your website

You finally selected a career or at least a career area to pursue, but which specific education program should you pursue?

The selection could have a major impact on obtaining a desirable job.

Below is a list of tips that can make selecting the appropriate program easier:

1. Internships: Programs that provide internships are worthy of your attention. Internships provide valuable experience and networking opportunities that may lead to a job. Also, companies often hire interns who perform well. Is an internship a requirement of the program? Does the program provide a variety of internships?
2. Alumni: Find out the success rate of graduates from your specific program in obtaining employment in their field of study. Compare the rates of the programs you’re considering. Find out what types of jobs the program’s alumni obtained. Each school’s career placement office representatives should be able to provide you the information. Also, online alumni forums typically provide valuable information about specific programs.
3. Instructors: Do some of the program’s instructors have national reputations? Also, do the instructors have connections with local employers? Instructors may reward their top students with a job interview.
4. Curriculum: Does the program allow you to specialize in your area of interest? If applicable, does the program includes a substantial amount of hands-on training? Depending on the major, a career-focused program may be the best choice. Some programs focus on theory and don’t provide enough specialized education for a career.
5. Program ranking: Look for programs that are nationally ranked. This type of information is available on the Internet and in magazines. You should also consider programs provided by schools that have strong name recognition; an influencing factor with many employers. US News and World Report, the Princeton Review and other organizations publish rankings of schools for particular programs.
6. Accreditation: It’s important that the school is accredited by a recognized accrediting agency. However, many professional associations provide accreditation or their approval to specific programs which adds assurance that it’s a quality program. Program accreditation or approval enhances a resume.
7. Online programs: Online programs are becoming increasingly popular. However, choosing an online program from a highly reputable school is vital. Many high ranking brick and mortar schools offer online programs. Employers are concerned about hiring someone who graduated from a diploma mill. Also, not all, but some employers are concerned that online courses are not as rigorous as on-campus courses. Programs which employers may presume to include plenty of hands-on training, especially if laboratory work is involved, should be taken on-campus.
8. Employers’ preference: For some occupations, it’s not always obvious which is the best specific type of program to enroll in. There may be several programs that qualify graduates for the position, but there may be one specific program that the majority of employers prefer. It’s important to ask employers for their preference.

Briang Jenkins writes about Career Education for Braintrack.com.