Online Resources - General/Financial Aid

General/Financial Aid

Mapping Your Future
http://www.mapping-your-future.org/

FAFSA on the Web
http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/

PIN Registration
http://www.pin.ed.gov/

U.S. Department of Education
http://www.students.gov/

The Financial Aid Information Page
http://www.finaid.org/

NCAA Guide for the Student Athlete
http://www.ncaa.org/cbsa

Black Excel: The College Help Network
http://www.blackexcel.org/

Hispanic Scholarship Fund
http://www.hsf.net/

Making the Most of College Part 2

It matters more what you do at college than where you do it. I believe that the student who does each of the following at the College of New Jersey will grow more educationally and personally than a Harvard student who just goes through the motions. And for the reasons described above, his career will not be impeded for the lack of a designer-label diploma.

Extracurriculars

I must admit that I enjoyed the regular ol’ college activities: going to parties, hanging out with friends, and going to the ballgame. But your child will probably grow most by participating in one or more of these activities:

• hosting a show on the campus radio or TV station
• participating in student government, even if just as an unelected committee member
• being active in a club—from kayaking to photography-- or even better, starting a club on a theme your child cares a lot about. (Colleges encourage this.)
• volunteering to be the student representative on a campuswide committee, for example, the faculty senate.
• writing for the college newspaper
• playing on a sports team, even if intramural

Students should first visit the campus career center as a freshman. It will open their eyes to career options they might never have considered or teach them about internships that can be career launchpads. Choosing a tentative career early can assist in choosing a major, term paper topics, fieldwork assignments, and internships.

Also enhancing career prospects, students, as juniors or seniors, should become student members of the college’s alumni association. Most colleges allow this and doing so provides an excellent opportunity to build relationships that can lead to an internship or good job after graduation. Students also grow immensely by occasionally talking about the meaning of life instead of the meaning of the ball game or that guy's glance.

Conclusion

Despite the enormity of the investment, most parents do little to maximize that investment other than to push their child to get into the most difficult-to-get-into college possible, and then find a way to pay for it, even when it seriously impedes the family’s lifestyle or financial security. They then send Junior off to college with little more guidance than “Study hard, don’t drink too much, and wear a condom.” Following this article’s advice will help ensure that your child gets more from your college investment.

Helpful Website for Your College Planning 4 of 5

Planning for college can be overwhelming. Where do you even begin? Here are some helpful websites that should make planning for college a little easier.

NCAAClearingHouse.net

The NCAA Clearinghouse is an organization that clears athletes for initial eligibility in NCAA division I and II athletic programs. If you are a student-athlete who wants to compete at collegiate level, you must complete registration with the NCAA Clearinghouse. Review the eligibility brochure and then visit ncaaclearinghouse.net. Click on the link for prospective student-athletes and follow the directions for registration. This section will list steps that you need to take throughout high school in order to compete in athletics at the collegiate level.

For more information about planning for college, please contact your high school counselor or an expert, like me.

The Campus Visit

The campus visit is a crucial part of the college decision process. It is a time to ask questions, take a tour, sit in on classes, and obtain an overall perspective of the college's atmosphere. Visiting different colleges will give you a better understanding of which college is right for you. Since you may have various questions about the campus visit, the following should help you when you make each trip.

How should you prepare for the visit?

Before you visit a college campus, you should do a little research on the college. Look through brochures and view the college's website to find out basic information. This will give you more time on the tour to find out information that is not found in the printed material. You should also schedule a campus tour at least two weeks before you make the trip.

What should you bring along?

There are several items you should bring with you in order to make the campus visit a success. Be sure to bring comfortable walking shoes since you will actually be taking a tour of the campus. You will also want to bring a journal so you can write down any notes that will help you remember the college. Since you may be seeing a lot of campuses, this journal will come in handy if you forget any details about certain colleges. Pictures will also help you remember particular details about colleges so be sure to pack a camera. This will allow you to look back at pictures that can't be found on the college's website or in the brochures.

Who should you talk to?

Try to meet with various members of the campus community. You will definitely want to meet with an admissions officer to discuss the school's requirements, deadlines, and financial aid programs. If possible, try talking to some professors to get a feel of what they expect out of a student. All professors are different so try to talk to as many as you can; you may even want to sit in on some of their classes to obtain a good perspective. Don't be afraid to go up to current students and start a conversation. Find out what they think about the college as a whole. Ask if they are happy with the college choice that they made. Since students are not employed by the college, they will not give you biased answers.

What questions should you ask?

Now that you know who to talk to, you may be wondering what questions you should ask these people. You will want to ask a variety of questions so you will go home with enough information to help you make a decision on where you want to go. Use the following questions as a guideline, and if you think of anymore, be sure to ask.

Academic Aspects
• What academic factors are considered during the admissions process?
• What is the average class size?
• Are professors accessible outside of class?
• What is the typical way to get in touch with a professor? Email? Phone call?
• Do you usually get in all the classes that you need to register for?
• On average, do professors or graduate students teach freshmen level classes?
• Are there academic scholarships available through the school?
• Are there tutoring services available on campus?
• What are the college's most popular academic programs?
• What is the grading system like at this college?
• What is the attendance policy?

Financial Aspects
• What is the cost of attendance?
• If you have financial need, will you be able to get a financial aid package that meets all of your demonstrated need?
• What percentage of students receive financial aid?
• Are there work-study jobs available on campus? Off campus?
• If you don't qualify for work-study, what other jobs are available near campus that you could apply for?

Housing/Food Aspects
• Are you required to live on campus your first year?
• What percentage of students live on campus all four years? Are the dorms single sex or coed?
• Are there community baths in the dorms?
• What are the rules for students living in dorms?
• Do the dorms have laundry facilities?
• Do the dorms have computer labs?
• What types of meal plans are available?
• What hours may students access food services?
• How many restaurants/cafes are on campus?

Social Aspects
• How do students spend their free time?
• What are the most popular extra curricular activities?
• What do most students do on the weekends? Stay on campus? Go home?
• Are there sororities and fraternities on campus?
• How many students participate in Greek life?
• Are parties allowed on campus?

Community/Transportation Aspects
• Do you like the surrounding city or town?
• Is the city or town big enough for your taste? Does it have a variety of restaurants, museums, nightclubs, parks, and movie theatres?
• Is the city or town small enough for your taste? Is it rural and peaceful?
• Will you have to have a car to live on campus? Can you walk to most restaurants, nightclubs, etc.?
• What is the city's public transportation system like?

Athletic Aspects
• Is the college considered an athletic school?
• Are there athletic scholarships available?
• What sports are played at the school?
• Do athletes have to miss a lot of classes in order to participate in games?
• Do athletes have their own dorms?

Safety Aspects
• How safe is the campus? How often are crimes reported?
• How are safety issues addressed?
• Is the campus well lit?
• Are there emergency phones on campus?
• Is there a pick-up service for students walking at night?
• What if you can't visit?

There are always circumstances in which a student cannot visit a college campus in person. If you are unable to make a campus visit but are still interested in finding out about the college, you have several options. You can call the school's admissions office to ask any questions you may have. If they do not have an answer, they will direct you to someone who does. You can also talk to your high school guidance counselor. He/she may have information about the college that you are interested in. If your guidance counselor knows someone who goes to that college, he/she may be able to get you in touch with that student so the two of you can discuss what the college is like. Finally, if you can't visit a campus in person, you can always take a virtual tour of the school.

Balance and Prioritize

Part of going to school is to make sure you learn how to balance your school activities and your club or athletic activities. Knowing how to manage your time will make it easier for you to handle other areas of your life as well, especially when you finally enter the “real world.” Here are simple tips to help get your life organized:

Decide early on, even before the start of the school year, which activities you would be involved in – such as clubs, varsity teams, or if you want to work part time somewhere. This will help you prioritize activities – but remember, the most import thing should always be your studies.

Try not to have too much on your plate. Be realistic about what you can and what you can’t do with your time. Sure, you would like to do all the stuff you want, but there is such a thing as spreading the butter too thin. You might end up not giving 100 percent of your abilities, or you might compromise one activity because you have to do another. There might be some stuff that you can postpone for another year. Again, the key here is to learn how to prioritize. Do stuff that would benefit you long-term.

Once you’ve decided what you will be doing for the rest of the year, make a schedule of your schoolwork and your extracurricular activities as you get them. To help with this, it is always best to keep a calendar, or a daily planner. You can even utilize a corkboard or a white board in your room. Write down important deadlines and dates. Remember to check these every day.

Why So Interested in Summer?

You may have noticed that I’ve been going on about summer school for the past few days…

The historical and traditional perspective of a summer school program is one that sparks emotions of fear, despair, and boredom. Normally we think of summer school as something a student would be required to do because he or she needs a class in order to move to the next grade. This is not always the case…

Many advanced students will enroll in a summer program to get a class out of the way so they can do more the next tear or take a class that would conflict with whatever course they took in the summer. Some students will take basics or prerequisite courses during the summer in order to enroll in AP classes during the year.

There are also many summer “schools” that are not necessarily school at all. Many universities have summer programs for students to come and visit (in hopes that they will eventually enroll at the university) and see what college is like. Other community programs such as museums, parks, and community centers offer classes in extracurricular subjects like dance, art, space exploration, mountaineering, etc.

These programs often compete with the typical summer camps that most youth have experiences in before high school. There are camps for music, sports, scouts, and a variety of other interests. Not all are for middle school age children only. Many summer camp programs include high schoolers as participants as well as counselors or student leaders or managers.

But what is the point of the summer program anyway? I mean, students spend more time in school now than they have in years, especially those that want to go to college…
But is it all necessary? I’m afraid the best answer I can give is maybe. Some students will need summer classes to get through school (whether for bad grades or to move into advanced classes). Some students will want those camps or summer programs because that is the only time they have to devote to extracurriculars. But some won’t.

Admissions Counselors will have your grades, SAT/ACT scores, course lists, extracurriculars, essays and maybe even letters of recommendation. Students are in school in most areas for 9 or 10 months out of the year. Based on transcripts and score they will know if you can handle school and how well you are expected to do in classes at a college. Those who are college bound need only be worried about one thing: Balance. They want to admit students who have achieved a successful balance between school, family, fun, work, and life in general. They want students who will add to their community.

What does that mean for you? Take a look at all you do. Don’t spread yourself too thin, but be involved and active in something. It looks better to an admissions counselor that you have good grades and are involved in one or two things consistently and seriously that it does to see someone with good grades that is all over the place when it comes to extracurricular activities. Joining 10 clubs and participating in 3 sports doesn’t work for most people. Don’t be fooled that numbers matter when it comes to showing involvement. You have an essay and maybe letters of recommendation to help you show how balanced and well rounded you are, to show how you can contribute to the campus community of the college of your choice.

Remember, it doesn’t matter if the only thing you do is volunteer or participate in a church youth group. But you should be able to show how that activity has made you into a better, more capable/responsible/reasonable/etc [insert your adjective of choice here] person.

Questions to Ask Your School Counselor – Part 2 of 2

More questions to ask your counselor:

14. What clubs and sports are available for students here?
15. What kinds of grades do different colleges require?
16. Are there any college fairs at this school, or nearby?
17. Where do other students from this school attend college?
18. What are the requirements or standards for the honor society?
19. Can you put me in touch with recent grads who are going to the colleges on my wish list?
20. Do you have any information to help me start exploring my interests and related careers?
21. If my colleges need a recommendation from you, how can I help you know me better, so it can be more personal?
22. Are there any special scholarships or awards that I should know about now, so I can work toward them?
23. Can I see my transcript as it stands now, to see if everything is as I think it should be?
24. Do you have any forms I need to apply for financial aid?
25. How does our school compare to others, in terms of test scores and reputation?

Reality Check

Your school counselor (or even a private counselor) may be the most wonderful and accessible person on the planet, or may be juggling a thousand students and barely know your name. So remember that the person who has the biggest stake in your academics is you. It’s up to you to stay on top of opportunities and deadlines, to take control of your future.