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THE POWER OF SUBSIDIZED STAFFORD LOANS!!

Stafford

• The Stafford program
  Staffords are student loans that are basic to the concept of "self help" and appear as part of most aid packages. The Stafford is an entitlement program. No credit check is necessary. Any student who has applied through the FAFSA form, is attending school at least half time, and has at least one full academic year of study remaining in an eligible program, has the right to borrow up to certain limits. Some students will qualify on the basis of calculated financial need for "subsidized" Stafford loans.
  
  If a student qualifies for a subsidized Stafford loan, the federal government pays interest on the Stafford loan while the student is in school at least half time and for six months thereafter. On unsubsidized Stafford Loans, interest accumulates from the time that the money is paid out. The student who borrows an unsubsidized Stafford Loan may choose to pay interest while in school or after she or he leaves school (or attends less than half time). Waiting to pay the interest means that the borrowed amount will be larger, as interest is "capitalized" -- it is continually being added to the original principal amount of the loan. Students who qualify for only a portion of their loan eligibility to be subsidized may combine a subsidized with an unsubsidized loan up to the limit in any enrollment period.
  
  Interest rates are set on July 1 of each year for loans disbursed through June 30 of the following year. For the year that begins July 1, 2008, the interest rate for subsidized Stafford Loans is fixed at 6.0%; the rate for unsubsidized Stafford Loans is fixed at 6.8%. Repayment need not begin until six months after the student completes school or drops below half-time enrollment.
  
  With passage of ECASLA (Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act of 2008) additional unsubsidized Stafford Loans can be borrowed effective July 1, 2008. Generally, dependent college students can borrow an additional $2,000 per year in unsubsidized Stafford Loans. Independent students (and dependent students whose parents are ineligible for a PLUS loan) can borrow an additional $6,000 during their first two years, or $7,000 in later years.

Stafford Maximum 2009-2010 loan limits for Dependent undergraduate students for one full year of study:

Subsidized	plus	Unsubsidized	Total
$3,500		$2,000	$5,500	First Year
$4,500		$2,000	$6,500	Second Year
$5,500		$2,000	$7,500	Third & Remaining Yrs
$31,000	Maximum total debt for a dependent undergraduate (no more than $23,000 of which can be subsidized)

Students may not borrow more than the Cost of Attendance less other financial aid. If your COA for one year is $8,000 and you're awarded $6,000 in other aid, your borrowing limit for that year is $2,000. If parents of a dependent student can't pass a credit check and therefore cannot obtain a PLUS loan, then the dependent student may borrow from the Stafford program up to the same limits as an independent student.

Stafford Maximum 2009-2010 loan limits for Independent undergraduate students AND for dependent undergraduates whose parents are ineligible for a PLUS loan for one full year of study:

Subsidized	plus	Unsubsidized	Total
$3,500		$6,000	$9,500	First Year
$4,500		$6,000	$10,500	Second Year
$5,500		$7,000	$12,500	Third & Remaining Yrs
$57,500	Maximum total debt for an independent undergraduate (no more than $23,000 of which can be subsidized)

As with dependent students, the total amount borrowed cannot be more than the Cost of Attendance less other financial aid.

Stafford Maximum 2009-2010 loan limits for Graduate or Professional students for one full year of study:
Subsidized    plus     Unsubsidized     Total
$8,500                     $12,000             $20,500    per year

$138,500 = maximum total Stafford loan debt from all levels of study for a graduate or professional student (no more than $65,500 of which can be subsidized).

The total amount borrowed cannot be more than the Cost of Attendance less other financial aid. Graduate and professional students are, by definition, independent for purposes of federal aid.

Two out three college sophomores WON'T do this!

Just a quick note to remind you about this week's college funding workshops, which, unfortunately, have become more pressing than ever thanks to recent events in the financial markets.  More parents are uptight and stressed about how on earth they'll come up with the dough needed for college.

No surprise, then, when I came across this statistic about returning college sophomores -hang on, this one might shock you (it blew me away!): 

Two out of three (67%) college sophomores go to a college that's DIFFERENT than the one they attended Freshman Year! 

In other words, only 1 out of 3 college sophomores attended the same college the year before!

Equally un-surprising is the main reason given for this massive transferring - financial concerns.

The biggest crime is that this can all be easily avoided.

There is $137 Billion of financial aid in the federal system. There are 167 tax-strategies that directly apply to college funding that middle class and high income families, even millionaires, can use to cut their college costs by $5,000-$25,000 (actually the number is much bigger but you wouldn't believe me if I told you the average amount we save).

So if you're choking with the idea of paying for one or more kids' college education, you should check out our free workshop, "How to Pay for College Without Going Broke or Raiding What's Left of Your Retirement Savings!". I have 3 of them next week and they're filling up quickly. Bring a friend while we still have seats

We still have varying amounts of seating left for workshops on Wednesday the 22nd  and Saturday the 25th. Nothing is sold or promoted in any way, so you can relax. Promise.

If you have a high school senior, you need to kick your college planning into overdrive - the clock has almost run out. Parents of sophomores and juniors should come now so they avoid being put in the same position as parents of the class of 2009.

Best,

Ryan

Letters of Recommendation - How to Stand Out From the Crowd

Most college applications request two or three recommendation letters from people who know your child in and out of the classroom. While your child should take responsibility for securing these letters, you may want to discuss the recommendation process with him before he gets started.

Below are some guidelines to help you and your child understand this process.

Reading

through them may also help you to understand that the best candidates for your child's recommendation writers might not be the teachers with the most impressive credentials but rather those who know your child's strengths the best.

Whom Should My Child Ask?

English or math teachers usually make good candidates. Other than that, your child should aim for someone who knows her well. It doesn't matter if it's your child's yearbook adviser or her tennis coach, as long as the person knows your child personally and can communicate her strengths.

When Should My Child Ask?

Your child should make sure to give his recommendation writers plenty of time -- at least one month before letters are due -- to complete and send his recommendations. If your child applies under early decision or early action plans, he will need to ask at the start of the school year.

How Can My Child Get the Best Possible Recommendations?

Your child should talk to her recommendation writers. Your child should remind them of her accomplishments and let them in on her future plans. Your child might want to provide a brief resume of her activities and goals. The best letters include specific examples and stories rather than vague praise.

Helpful Tips

§                       Your child shouldn't be shy. Teachers and counselors are usually happy to recommend students to colleges.

§                       Include stamped and addressed envelopes for each school to which your child is applying.

§                       On the application form, your child should waive his right to view recommendation letters.

§                       It's okay for your child to ask a recommendation writer if they can write a positive recommendation for him.

§                       Your child should follow up with his recommendation writers after a few weeks to make sure they're aware of deadlines.

§                       Your child should write thank-you notes to his recommendation writers and, later, tell them where he has decided to go to college.

 

Why Visit Colleges?

Seeing Beyond the Brochure

You hear it from colleges. Come visit! You hear it from your high school counselor. Have you visited any campuses yet? And you hear it from us. But what's the big deal about seeing a college?

You Can't Judge a College by Its Brochure

A campus visit is your opportunity to get a firsthand view of a college. A college catalog, viewbook, or website can only show you so much. To really get a feel for the school, you need to walk around the quad, sit in on a class, and visit the dorms.

Get Answers to Your Questions

A visit also gives you the chance to talk to students, faculty, and financial aid and admission folks. You can get answers to questions, such as:

·        What is the average class size, and the student to faculty ratio? Are most classes taught by professors or by teaching assistants?

·        What is the campus meal plan like? How is the food?

·        What is the make-up of the current freshman class? Is the campus fairly diverse?

·        What's the social scene like? What kinds of activities are planned by the college's Residential Affairs?

·        Is there ample space in dorms or does there seem to be a housing crunch?

·        How many students are commuters/residents?

·        Do I feel at home here? Is this what I pictured college to be?

Get Valuable Information

Pick up any official school material you see, such as brochures and financial aid forms. Don't forget to get business cards, too, so you'll have a real, live contact if you have a question about admission or financial aid.

Student-produced material will give you a sense of what campus life is really like. Look around for newspapers and activity calendars. Check out bulletin boards, too, to see what bands are coming to the campus, parties are advertised, internships are posted, and generally what the day-to-day energy of the place is.

Is This College Right for You?

Ultimately, it's your decision. Listen to your gut. Do you feel comfortable walking around campus? Do you click with the students and faculty? Spending time on a campus allows you to determine if a school is a good match.

When to Visit

How to Schedule Your Campus Visits

Schoolwork, your job, your parents... choosing the right time to go on campus visits may seem like a complicated procedure. But when you're planning your trip, just be sure not to lose sight of the reason you're going: to see if the school is a good fit for you. This means you need to see the college when classes are meeting and day-to-day activities are taking place. In other words, go when the college is in session.

How to Pick a Date

There's more than one right time to make campus visits. The trick to picking the right dates for you is to plan well ahead of time.

During the Week

Monday through Thursday is ideal since campuses are generally in full swing. Since junior and senior years can be busy for you, though, it's important not to let visits interfere with your schoolwork. If possible, try to visit during high school holidays that fall on Mondays, when most colleges are in session.  However, if there is a good reason in which to have to miss a day of school, most schools will understand that visiting various colleges is vital to your preparation.

The Best Seasons

Late summer and early September before senior year are convenient times to visit since many colleges begin their fall semester as early as mid-August. But generally, fall through winter and sometimes early spring are the seasons when seniors should conduct their explorations.  The big thing… preparation; contact the college to find out when their normal classes will be in session.

Spring of Junior Year

Juniors who have researched colleges should consider using spring vacations for college visits. Spring is also a good time of year if you play fall sports or are considering early action or early decision with application deadlines in November of senior year.

After You've Been Accepted

Many colleges invite their accepted candidates to spend a few days on campus before the May 1 reply date to encourage them to enroll. This is a good opportunity to make some in-depth comparisons between the colleges that have accepted you.

On the other hand, if you're planning to visit colleges only after you've received acceptances, you may find yourself in a difficult position. Consider that most colleges don't mail acceptance letters before

April

and that the standard reply date is May 1. This means you may have only a few weeks before the reply date to visit.

You could also be in a tight bind if, after visiting in person you find you're not satisfied with your options. Visit before applications are due so that you're confident you'd be happy at any of the colleges on your list.

 

Surfing College Websites for Academic Info

College websites provide a wealth of academic information -- if you know how to use them. When you land on a college home page, there may be a link designed especially for you, the prospective student. While this link can lead to useful information, it's not the best route to take if you want details about a specific major.

Instead, look for a link called Academics, Degree Programs, Courses of Study, or something similar. Hint: if you don't see any of these links on the home page, try clicking on Current Students.

From there, you should be able to travel in at least two directions. You can browse the catalogue or visit department websites.

Academic Catalogues

If you follow a link to the school's academic catalogue, you will probably be taken to a PDF file requiring Adobe Acrobat. Academic catalogues lay down the law when it comes to earning a degree. They spell out the course requirements for each major and include short course descriptions of required courses as well as frequently offered electives. Although websites are relatively new, catalogues have been around in book form for ages.

Department Websites

In addition to reading the college catalogue, you can visit the Web pages of departments offering academic degree programs of interest to you.  Department websites often include degree requirements as well, but they also offer much more.

Here's the place to read about faculty, their teaching and research interests, and their academic and professional backgrounds. Some departments even give profs their own home pages where they can post everything from course syllabi to pictures of their dogs. If you like what you see, consider sending an email with questions, especially if the professor is also a department head or advisor. Remember, though, that she may not have time to respond quickly

Like academic catalogues, department websites usually list the courses they offer. Their descriptions are often much more detailed, however. Some even post up-to-date syllabi and student projects. A course syllabus outlines course objectives as well as the professor's expectations of her students. You'll also find a schedule of tests, reading assignments, and paper due dates. There's no better way to sneak a peek at your college workload.

The Social Scene

Another browsing bonus: If the department's website is well-done, you'll be able to form a clear picture of the department's culture. Look for a schedule of special events, such as poetry readings, scientific lectures, political debates, and language discussion groups. If the department sponsors a club or honor's society for majors, this group may have its own Web page.

THE MOST COMMON MISTAKES STUDENTS MAKE WHEN SELECTING A SCHOOL

Below you will find some of the most common mistakes high school counselors observe over and over as their students apply to college. If you don’t want to be miserable or receive a stack of rejection letters, pay particular attention to the mistakes, and try to avoid them if at all possible:

 

Student Mistakes

 

Selecting a school based solely on a subjective publication. This would include any magazine, book, newspaper, flyer, or any other written group of words that ranks a school in some way. Do you really want to spend thousands of dollars and years of your life in a school simply because someone else ranked it?

 

Selecting a school because a friend is going to go there. Guess what…bad idea. Your friends will change, even if you don’t think they will. More importantly, you are not your friend, so chances are the school he or she hopes to attend was selected for different reasons than yours.

 

Selecting a school for prestige. While it is true that a degree from Harvard or Yale is impressive, it does NOT guarantee to a job. You might think it does, but is doesn’t…ask any employer. A degree from a top tier school might get you an interview, but the ultimate test of whether or not you will get hired one day in a career that you love will depend upon how well you communicate, what you are capable of contributing, and a host of other attributes that can be honed by colleges that are a fraction of the competitiveness of top tier places.

 

Allowing someone else to select a college for you. A high school counselor is supposed to help you figure out the best college for you, not select it for you. The same goes for anyone else who wants to “help” you through the process…private counselors, parents, relatives, or friends. Advice is a good thing, but ultimately these people are not the ones that are going to be taking the classes every day.

 

Selecting a major for the wrong reason. Trying to get into a college by choosing a “safe” major is a bad strategy. So is choosing a major in which you have no interest simply because you think it will make you a lot of money or because it is the latest craze. College is about discovering who you are and what you hope to become, not selling out.

 

Admission Factors

Selective colleges consider these factors for admission:

Ø      courses taken

Ø      counselor/teacher recommendations

Ø      ethnicity

Ø      grades

Ø      application questions and essays

Ø      geographic location

Ø      grade point average

Ø      personal interview

Ø      alumni relationship

Ø      rank in class

Ø      activities outside the classroom

Ø      major/college applied to

Ø      admission test results

Ø      special talents and skills

There's no general agreement about which of these factors are ranked more important. However, most admission officers place the most weight on your high school record.

How Important Are Extracurricular Activities?

The significance of activities has been exaggerated. While schools do consider them, they're looking to see if you've shown a long-term commitment in one or two areas.

Need-Blind Admission

Most colleges have a need-blind admission policy. This means they decide whether to make an offer of admission without considering your family's financial situation.

Other colleges are need sensitive; they do consider your family's financial situation in the admission process. These colleges know they can't satisfy the financial aid needs of all applicants. Some schools use need-sensitive admission when deciding to accept a borderline student or to pull a student off of the waiting list.

Matching Admission Standards

As part of the college search, you should compare your academic and personal qualifications to those of students typically admitted to schools where you want to apply.

Here’s Ten Steps to Guide You to Planning Your Career

1.                  Develop a career plan.  Think about what you want to do and find out more about the kind of training, education, and skills you will need to achieve your career goal.

 

2.                  Assess your skills and interests.  Think hard about what you enjoy, what you are good at, what kind of personality you are, and the values you hold.

 

3.                  Research occupations.  Find out more about the nature of the jobs that interest you, such as educational requirements, salary, working conditions, future outlook, and anything else that can help you narrow your focus.

 

4.                  Compare your skills and interests with the occupations you’ve selected.  The career that matches your skills, interests, and personality the closest may be the career for you.

 

5.                  Choose your career goal.  Once you’ve decided what occupation matches up best with you, then you can begin developing a plan to reach your career goal.

 

6.                  Select a school that offers a college degree or training program that best meets your career goal and financial needs.

 

7.                  Financial aid should be available to help support you in obtaining your career goal.  If you haven’t already done so, begin saving for college.

 

8.                  Learn about job hunting tips as you prepare to graduate or move into the job market.

 

9.                  Prepare your resume and practice job interviewing techniques.

 

10.             Go to your local library or your high school’s guidance office for additional information and help on career planning.  And, do not overlook the occupational search options offered on Discover.

Career Planning and College Choices

Career Planning and College Choices

 

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”  Adults have been asking you that question all your life.  When you were five, relatives smiled affectionately when you answered “an astronaut” or “a rock star.”  But now that you’re looking at colleges, that familiar question takes on more meaning.

 

The college you attend and what academic major you choose often determine your career path.  On the other hand, few high school students know for sure what career they would like to pursue.  How should career planning influence your college choice?

 

And keep in mind that two out of three college students change fields of study at least once before graduation.  So even if you have a particular major or career in mind now, your interests are likely to change in the next few years.

 

And “undecided” is a perfectly acceptable “major” for an incoming freshman.

 

For the Undecided Student

Despite the probability that you’ll change majors once or twice during your college years, you still have some idea of what types of majors interest or bore you.  For example, if your favorite subjects are math and computers, you probably won’t suddenly want to switch to an English major.  You’ll want to look for colleges that have strong programs in fields that use mathematics (physics, engineering, astronomy, etc.) and technology (computer science).

 

I tell high school students to have three or four areas in mind that they would like to explore at college.  And then look for colleges that have good programs in all of these areas of interest.

 

Plan to spend the first year or two at college exploring these possible career interests.  Don’t limit yourself to taking classes; check out the college’s career center, look into summer jobs or internships in your fields of interest, and try to connect with people who work in the career(s) you’re considering.  In fact, you may want to take some time to explore your career interests while you’re still in high school.  The more experience and knowledge you have about possible careers, the easier it will be to make good decisions.

 

Career planning involves three steps:

 

• Learning about yourself (strengths, weaknesses, values, interests, goals),
• Learning about careers (education required, career ladders, salaries, working conditions), and
• Learning how to make decisions.

 

You can only learn these things over time and not one day before you declare your major at college.

For the Focused Student

Of course, some students have a very clear idea of what career they wish to pursue.  Everyone knows at least a few people who seem destined to be engineers, teachers, forest rangers, etc.  If you already have specific career goals, make sure they are based on knowing about both yourself and your chosen career.

 

How do you know a particular area of study or type of career is right for you?

Students should be good at what they do, enjoy what they do, and feel they are a kindred spirit with others who do that kind of thing.

 

Major Timelines

Some majors require students to decide on them early.  Competitive engineering, architecture, nursing, fine arts, and other programs may be difficult to transfer into later in your college career.  If you’re interested in one of these types of majors, make sure to find out the requirements to get into the specific program (not just the college).

 

The Rest of Your Life

As you think about how your career interests intersect with your college choices, remember that college is about more than career training.  In fact, many adults change careers at least once- and often several times throughout their lifetimes.  College is about preparing yourself for the rest of your life, so choose a college that will help you grow as a person, as well as train you for a career.

How colleges weight each component of your application

In high school, it seems like everyone has an opinion (and a bone to pick) about what it takes to get into a college. Poor test-takers think the SAT's must be the most important thing. Those with lots of extracurricular activities fear that colleges will focus more on "numbers." Those who take difficult courses worry that colleges will only look at grades, and not how they were earned. And so forth.

In the end, the process of getting into college is usually quite fair. With a few minor exceptions, colleges are legitimately looking for the most qualified applicants they can find, and that means sifting through as much information as they have available.

Here are the admissions factors that colleges take into account, along with our estimate about how much weight is given to each one.

Remember that colleges look at these components in different ways; specifically, prestigious and smaller schools tend to spend more time looking at "soft factors" such as essays and recommendations, while larger and less competitive schools often focus more on grades and test scores.

High School Record (35-50% of admissions decision)

Your high school record, which includes which courses you took and how well you did in those courses, is the most important aspect of getting into a college. And it should be. This is the best indicator for colleges of how well you'll perform when given a rigorous college workload. Colleges will look not only at your overall grades, but whether you chose difficult courses, whether your grades improved during high school, and even whether you've let your senior year grades slide.

Test Scores (25-40% of admissions decision)

Like it or not, colleges think test scores are important and will continue to use them to evaluate applicants. SATs, ACTs, and other tests show colleges your mastery of problem-solving, reading, and other basic skills. They also give colleges a way to compare applicants from different schools and backgrounds. You need to prep for the SAT, either by taking an SAT prep course or by finding the right SAT prep guide from among the many options.

Activities and Other Accomplishments (0-20% of admissions decision)

Colleges want to know what you've been doing, and how successful you've been while doing it. If you've been involved in the community or taken a leadership role in an activity, it's likely that you'll be similarly active while in college and beyond. That reflects well upon the school and enriches the college experience for everyone else. Come up with an extracurricular strategy as early as possible, and stick to it. Make sure you've considered all of your options and discovered the activities that are best suited for you.

Essays and Recommendations (0-20% of admissions decision)

These qualitative factors fill in the empty spaces of your application. What's important to you? What type of personality do you have? Are you likable? What are you greatest strengths and weaknesses?

When colleges read your essays and recommendations, they're looking to view you as a human being. If they like what they see, your application will become marginally stronger.

Other Factors (usually 0%, but as much as 30%)

Occasionally, issues beyond those mentioned above will play a role in your ability to get into a college. For example, being a member of an underrepresented minority group will give you an edge, as will having a parent or grandparent who attended the school.

Q. Should I Retake the SAT and/or ACT?

A. For many students, it makes sense to retake the SAT (or its counterpart, the ACT). After all, most colleges explicitly say that they'll look at your best score--in some cases, they'll even take your best score in each section.

If you've already taken the SAT or ACT and are trying to decide whether to retake the test, here are some questions to ask yourself.

• How many times have you taken the test already? SAT scores all get reported to colleges, and three times is generally recognized as the limit before admissions officers might start asking questions. On the ACT, you can report only the scores you want.
• What will be different this time? If you're planning to take the test for just the second time, odds are decent that you'll do better. After that, you need to ask yourself why you think you'll get a higher score after several attempts.
• Have you conquered a problem of anxiety or nerves? Have you been studying or getting tutored?
• Do you have time to prepare? Test scores are important, but so are grades. The last couple of years of high school are also very stressful. If you're going to sacrifice school work to prepare for the SAT or ACT, you should be confident that you're going to improve your score.
• What do your target colleges want? If you've already got the score you need, you can stop taking the test. If you don't, you should probably try again. But be mindful of application deadlines, and that at schools with rolling admissions you want to have your application (including test scores) complete as early as possible.

Top 9 Admissions Resume Tips - Ways to Build an Impressive Admissions Resume

Colleges aren't just looking for students with good grades and test scores. Especially at more competitive schools, to get accepted you'll need to show admissions officers that you've been productive and taken the initiative during high school. That's where an admissions resume comes in.

1) Sports

You don't have to be a future professional athlete to get involved in high school sports. In some instances, the junior varsity can be rewarding as well. In addition to keeping you in shape and allowing you to meet new people, involvement in sports shows colleges that you have discipline, initiative, and experience working with a team.

2) Student Government

While only one person can be school president, there are usually a number of slots for homeroom representatives, treasurers, etc. Sometimes, getting a spot on the student government is as simple as volunteering. And getting started early--while you're a freshman or a sophomore--gives you a better chance of moving into a more impressive role down the road.

3) School Clubs and Service Organizations

To join most clubs and groups, all you need to do is show up. So try a few--why not? You can learn something and meet people while you build your admissions resume.

Joining the Spanish club or math team won't get you into college, but doing so will show that you're involved. And joining is the first step towards doing something more impressive. Spanish club might lead to work with immigrants, which would look good. The math team might later compete for honors or awards.

4) Academic Honors

If you're very good at a subject, try to do more than just get good grades. Find out from your teachers if there are other ways to get involved. If you're great at physics, look for science fairs. If you're a writer, try submitting your essays or poems to competitions.

5) Community Service

There are always lots of community service opportunities out there to give you good experience and help boost your admissions resume. Some popular choices are Habitat for Humanity, working for a homeless shelter, and doing service projects at your church or religious institution. While any contribution you make is good, you'll get more mileage during application season if you can show you were substantially devoted to an activity--they'll actually ask how many hours per week you spent there!

6) Debate and Speech

At schools with forensics, debate, or speech teams, it's usually easy to find a specific area of focus (anything from policy debate to poetry reading) and quickly enter competitions.

7) Jobs

Having a job shows colleges that you have discipline and a work ethic. While any job is OK, you'll probably get more mileage for employment that seems related to an academic interest or career possibility. For example, if you hope to be a doctor someday, try to find a job or volunteer position in a hospital.

8) Music

Pursue your musical interests, even if it doesn't lead to any type of formal recognition. A passion for music is definitely something you can write about on your applications.

9) Hobbies

While you obviously won't get admissions "credit" for everything you do outside of school, activities that you're passionate about will frequently spill out into accomplishments or interests that you can somehow get onto your applications. If you like working with cars, that may lead to an interesting admissions essay or application blurb. Fixing computers may eventually lead to a job or other opportunity. Remember: anything is better than watching TV!

Ten Hottest Careers for College Graduates

Ten Hottest Careers for College Graduates

Experts Predict Where the Jobs Will Be in 2014

Wondering where the jobs will be in the future? Government economists estimate which occupations will grow fastest between 2004 and 2014. They also predict which occupations will have the most new jobs.

Check out the following top 10 lists (the numbers are in thousands of jobs):

Download 10Hottest.pdf

What to do after you've submitted your financial aid application

I had a student call me the other day, wondering how we might be able to assist her in finding a student loan to pay for her current tuition bill. This student attends a local private university, and fortunately for her she’s in her last year in college. Her EFC is under $2,000, and her FAFSA was filed way back in March.

The school had asked for Verification of her financial aid application. All this means is that the Financial Aid Office wants to actually see your tax returns for the Base Income Year (the year prior to high school graduation), as well as confirm your family information. She delayed in providing this info to the school by at least several weeks, and now, with her first tuition payment due within 30 days, the school’s financial aid office is saying that they are still processing her application and will notify her “soon” of her final award. Meanwhile, if she doesn’t pay her bill on time she will face a late penalty.

A few lessons from this situation:

1. If your EFC is below $4,000 you should fully expect that the school will ask for Verification. According to Sallie Mae, 30% of all FAFSA applications are randomly verified, but the rate for submissions with EFCs below $4,000 is dramatically higher. If you wish to receive any federal financial aid (i.e. grants, free money and even federal loans), verification must first be completed. Ignore the financial aid office’s requests at your own peril. This student should be eligible for a Pell Grant of as much as $4,000 per year or more. That’s money left on the table because she delayed in providing the verification forms to the school. And Pell Grant money is First In, First Out, so any delay endangers her likelihood for an award.

2. Financial aid goes to the student/family who continues to follow up on the application. Once the application is submitted, the family must contact the financial aid office to make sure they have everything they need. Financial Aid Officers deal with a ton of paperwork; you don’t want your file buried at the bottom of the pile.

3. Private student lenders continue to ditch the market, making it harder to find a student loan from a bank. Loans are still available from companies like Chase and Wells Fargo, but even these banks require more stringent credit ratings to get the best rates (5%), along with a co-sign.

By ignoring the Verification request from the financial aid office, this student has taken the process down to the wire, and as a result she may forfeit her Pell Grant. Her eventual financial aid package will likely include a loan, but it may not be processed in time to avoid the late penalty.

So make sure you submit your financial aid application early (FAFSA for 2009-10 opens on January 2) to qualify for maximum aid, be prepared for Verification because it might happen, and be sure to Bird-Dog your application once it has been submitted.

The Surprising Reason High Income Earners Receive Thousands in College Financial Aid!

You will not believe this email, but bear with me.

I constantly talk about howeven millionaires should apply for college financial aid, even if they think they won't qualify.

Before I get to the story I read today, let me give you a little background on college admissions. Background that you'll never hear anywhere else.

Are you familiar with US News and World Report? This magazine is at the top of the heap when it comes to ranking colleges and universities.

Many admissions heads obsess over their rankings, particularly the colleges in the fourth, third andeven second tiers, trying to figure out how to move up in rankings. Better rankings equals more applicants, more enrolled and the ability tocharge higher tuition and fees.

Like it or not, that's the way it is.

Many ambitious, upwardly-mobile colleges will do all sorts of things to improve their standing with US News. Some offer "bribes" to good students by way of merit scholarships to pry them away from Ivy League or other highly competive schools. This funding is doled out withoutregard to the family's financial picture. And it's heaped upon students with grades and scores that are not"Ivy-caliber", too!

Now check out what Baylor University did. Apparently,the SAT's of last year's incoming freshman classwas worse than that of the previous year. This would look bad in US News.

So Baylor did something creative to counter their impending drop in the rankings. They bribed their accepted, incomingfreshmen to re-take the SAT!

Yes, you read that right! Baylor offered a $300 book credit to any freshman who sat for the SAT again. And, if the student increased his or her score by 50 points, therewas another grand in it for them. About 177 qualified for even more scholarship funding.

Of course, Baylor denies that they created their SAT contest because of the US News rankings.

My point is the college financial aid game works in ways that non-insiders can't possibly understand. Even parents who make "deep" six figure, or higher, incomes can save thousands off college costs, if they know the rules ofthe game.

So take away two points from this post - do your research about what schools over this kind of aid (and what their standards are) and do NOT blow off applying for financial aid if you think you earn too much money, because you never know!

 

Community college students finding fewer loan possibilities

04:43 PM PDT on Sunday, June 29, 2008

By ELAINE REGUS
The Press-Enterprise

Community college students are bearing the brunt of ongoing uncertainty in the student loan market.

Some of the nation's leading lenders, including Citibank and Wells Fargo, have stopped giving new loans to students at two-year colleges and smaller private universities where loan amounts tend to be smaller and unprofitable.

Nationwide, more than 100 lenders have dropped out of all or part of the federally guaranteed student loan program and 27 have stopped issuing private student loans, according to FinAid, a comprehensive online site for student financial aid information.

READ THE REST OF THE STORY

http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_S_loans30.3078b35.html?npc

SAT & Collegeboard change scoring parameters for the better

Good news for everyone (except current High School Seniors) The College Board announced yesterday that starting in March 2009, SCORE choice will be back! This means that from that point on, anyone who is NOT a senior will be able to pick and choose exactly which SAT I and II tests (subject tests) to send to colleges-- this is incredible for our purpose as there will not be a penalty to take a test for "practice" as no one will see it!

The new score reporting policy will launch in early February 2009. Any student who registers for the SAT after this time will be able to take advantage of this new policy. The new policy allows students to choose which SAT scores are included on score reports. This choice can be applied to tests taken prior to the launch of this new policy.

Special Note for Students who completed a test prior to the launch of this new feature; these students will be able to choose SAT scores from past tests for future score reports once the feature is launched.

PITFALLS OF THE ADMISSIONS AND FINANCIAL PLANNING

There are not too many more important things a parent can do for their children then to send them to college. This however creates a balancing act between the children’s happiness and their pocket book.

We offer families an unbiased, professional approach to their planning process that has proven results.

Lack of Perspective: 

• Many parents make decisions on where their child will go to college based on emotion, either love or guilt, not their head.
• Parents own educational background, family expectation, and peer or societal pressures can effect decision
• Many parents have hope of their child getting some form of scholarship money. According to the Wall Street Journal 87% of parents over estimate the scholarship their children will receive.

Lack of Knowledge: 

• Most parents don’t know all the right questions to ask
• The lack of uniformity from one college to another can be confusing & frustrating
• Many parents put too much credence in the advice of friends and acquaintances

Lack of Time: 

• There is never enough of it!
• Planning for college should not be fast, furious, or improvising
• Leaving planning to the last minute limits options

Lack of Expertise: 

• Unfamiliar terms, complicated and confusing forms can leave parents overwhelmed
• Many parents inform themselves into procrastination
• For many parents this is the first adult decision they will make with their child, and this may be unfamiliar territory for some.

Young Women in Public Affairs Award

Congratulations to College Planning Consultant Student Hallory S. on her Award and scholarship! 

 

The ZONTA club of Phoenix awards our very own Hallory S. with the "Young Woman in Public Affairs Award" and $500 scholarship award check!

SAT & ACT 2008-2009 Schedules, Tips and Tricks

Good Afternoon!

Ok, here are the updated SAT and ACT test dates for the upcoming 2008-2009 school year. 

08-09 ACT Test Dates and Test Information

08-09 Test Dates and General SAT Information

Remember for all you incoming Seniors the CLOCK IS TICKING! 

Just to remind you; you have less than 120 days until your college applications should be in! (If you're reading this and don't know why, you MUST get to one of my free community workshops right away)

**FOR ALL MY STUDENTS**

If you have any questions about your personal action plan and/or timelines; schools, testing, dates or your college resume get ahold of Angela ASAP and schedule some time to see me! 

REMEMBER!!  Deadlines begin THIS OCTOBER!! 

SAT'S/ACT'S Done by DECEMBER!

Need us? We're here for you! 

COMMONLY EXPRESSED MISCONCEPTIONS

Misconceptions are common when sending a child to college, most anyone who has sent a child to college is willing to offer an antidotal or an opinion based on their personal perspective which may be quite different then your own. By using our years of experience we clarify these misunderstandings as we help you design a customized plan for your family.

SOME MISCONCEPTIONS:

1. “My child will get some type of scholarship”
   
   Reality: According to a survey by The Wall Street Journal, 92% of Financial Aid Counselors say that parents over estimate how much scholarship money their child will receive. According to the College Board only 1% of college students receive merit scholarship money based on their SAT and transcripts; 995 comes from completing the financial aid forms.

2. “My child will borrow the amount needed through low interest government loan”
   
   Reality: The Federal Government caps an undergraduate borrower at $22,000 over four years. The current interest rate for school year 2007-2008 is 6.75% for the Stafford Loan.

3. My home equity is not an asset for financial aid eligibility.
   
   Reality: Yes and no, publicly funded universities using the FAFSA financial aid form do not include home equity in determining financial aid eligibility. Private Colleges using the CSS profile financial aid form or their own financial aid form does include home equity as an asset. Some schools cap the value based on income.

4. “We will get no Financial Aid!”
   
   Reality: 65% of parents incorrectly assume they will not receive financial aid, thus compromising the financial aid application.

5. “We will first exhaust our savings to pay for our children’s college!”
   
   Reality: You can borrow for college but not retirement.

6. “We will pay the tuition bill one year at a time!”
   
   Reality: For tuition bills in excess of $20,000 per year, and with multiple children to educate, this plan may put some parents on an “unplanned bankruptcy path”.

7. “If we send our children to an out of state public college we will have him or her become a resident of that state to qualify for in state tuition.
   
   Reality: Each state has the individual requirement; some such as NH restricts any change of residence by an undergraduate. Florida on the other hand will allow it after one year if the student meets their 11 point qualifying standard.

8. “We will have our children apply for financial aid as an independent student.
   
   Reality: The Federal Government regulations state undergraduate needs to be 24 years old to file as an independent student.

18 Questions to Ask Your Counselor

Your counselor is one of your best resources as you plan for college. She or he has information about admission tests, college preparation, and your education and career options. Here are some basic questions to help get your conversation started:

1.               What are the required and recommended courses -- for graduation and for college prep?

2.               How should I plan my schedule so I'll complete them?

3.               Which elective courses do you recommend?

4.               Which AP® courses are available?

5.               When is the PSAT/NMSQT® going to be given here?

6.               Is this school a testing center for the SAT®, or will I need to go      somewhere nearby?

7.               Do you have any after-school or evening sessions available for college planning, or the SAT?

8.               Do you have college handbooks or other guides that I can browse or borrow? Do you have a copy of the free Taking the SAT booklet, which has a practice test in it?

9.               What activities can I do at home and over the summer to get ready for college?

10.           What kinds of grades do different colleges require?

11.           Are there any college fairs at this school, or nearby?

12.           Where do other kids from this school attend college?

13.           What are the requirements or standards for the honor society?

14.           Can you put me in touch with recent grads that are going to the colleges on my wish list?

15.           Do you have any information to help me start exploring my interests and related careers?

16.           If my colleges need a recommendation from you, how can I help you know me better, so it can be more personal?

17.           Can I see my transcript as it stands now, to see if everything is as I think it should be?

18.           How does our school compare to others, in terms of test scores and reputation?

Reality Check

Your guidance counselor may be the most wonderful and accessible person on the planet, or she or he 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.

Congratulations to all our Horizon H.S Graduates!!!

Jordan Weltman

College Planning Consultants Student & Student Body President of Horizon High School addresses the Class of '08

Great Speech Jordan! We are all very, very proud of you!

Enjoy your summer off and then onto “the next step!”

Ryan & Your College Planning Family

How To Plan For College

How To Plan For College

‘So……..what are you going to do for college?’

If you’re a high school student, how many times have your friends and family asked you that question? Or, it’s counter-part, ‘what do you want to do when you grow up?’ It may get annoying to you, but really, all they want to know is what your interests are, what you are thinking about studying, and if you know what type of work you might like to do in the future.

As early as your freshman year in high school, there are several things that you should consider to help you get pointed in the right direction. Here are a handful of them:

College Prep Curriculum

Your high school guidance counselor can recommend courses that provide a good preparation for college. They may not know everything related to every career or even what the financial aid options are that you have, but they can help here. Each college specifies how many English, math, social studies, foreign language, and science classes applicants should take to qualify for entrance, but there are similarities among colleges. So, make sure you are taking the right courses and enough of them.

Advanced Placement Courses and Exams (AP)

AP classes give you a chance to complete college work while still in high school and are offered in many subjects. They enable you to study an area in greater depth and challenge yourself to do college-level work. They can be rewarding because you gain new skills and study habits. If you pass the AP exam at the end of term, you can receive college credit. If you do well, your chance of getting into the college of your choice improves because you have demonstrated that you can succeed in college-level courses. The AP courses you complete in high school can often be skipped in college, saving you time and your parents money. Just be careful not to overload yourself with too many of these….we don’t want to see your grades suffer!

College Visits

As early as your freshman year, but definitely by your junior year at the latest, plan to visit several colleges you think you might like to attend. If you’re unsure about where you want to go, then pick a range of schools that are close by. Be sure to visit some state schools, as well as some private schools as well. And always be sure to go while school is in session. That part is critical, so you can see what the students look like, not just the buildings. This will also allow you to see if the students look like the kind of people you want to be hanging around with for four years of your life. And, when it comes time to apply, I’ve found that you are best suited if you apply to 8 universities, give or take a couple.

The transition from high school to college is one of the defining moments in your life, and you want to have the best shot of success possible. So, be sure to use your time and energy in high school wisely by getting good grades, challenging yourself, and using the time to explore your interests.

Congratulations!!! University of Arizona College of Medicine Class of 2008

And a special congrats to our very own Vanessa K.!!!  I am so proud to be a part of your success!!

Playing the College Admissions Game to Win; 10 Tips for College-Bound Students

Fact number one is that the student who gets admitted to the greatest number of colleges is not necessarily the winner of this "game". Fact number two is that neither is the student who is admitted to the most prestigious college or the student offered the greatest number of scholarships. Fact number three is that everyone can win this game. Everyone.

That's because winning means winding up at a college or university in which you'll be both happy and successful. And, it's not that hard. Below are ten tips to help. If you follow them all (especially #8 and # 10), you can be free of the anxiety so many students experience in the college selection process. In fact, you may find the college search process interesting and even a bit of fun.

1. Be sure to take the most challenging high school courses you can handle. Don’t take the easy way out (as many students do, especially in their senior year). Strong academic preparation makes you a better candidate for admission and greatly improves your chances for success in college.
    
2. Take either the ACT or SAT as a high school sophomore, if possible, if only to practice, get on some college mailing lists, and determine your relative strengths and weaknesses as compared with students throughout the country, students against whom you may be competing for college admission. Take both the ACT and SAT, after preparing diligently for them, in your junior and senior years.
    
3. Before making a list of colleges to consider, spend some time putting together a list of the criteria most important to you (location, size, academic programs, campus environment, co-curricular activities, etc.). If you are thoughtful and thorough in this phase of the process, it will be much easier for you to create your “colleges to explore” list, the next step in your college.
    
4. When you begin putting together your “colleges to explore” list, consider both your college choice criteria and the academic profiles of students most likely to be admitted to each. Keep in mind that you do not have to be at the top of all the listed ranges in the admitted student profiles…that’s the good news. The bad news is that even being at the top of every range is no guarantee of admission, particularly at the very most selective institutions. Hey, who said this would be easy?
   
   On the other hand, don’t panic. Most colleges (80% +) admit more students than they deny, and there really is a college or university for (almost) everybody.
    
5. Do not eliminate colleges from your “colleges to explore” list because of their “sticker price”, as financial aid (available in many forms) may greatly reduce your actual cost of attendance. More on this later.
    
6. Do not count on activities to get you into college. They may be a “tip” factor in your favor, but unless you have exceptional talent in athletics, music, etc., they will not “save the day” for you. Strength of preparation (coursework), grades, and standardized (ACT or SAT) scores carry far more weight. And, understand that colleges are generally more impressed by real commitment to a few co-curricular activities than limited participation in many.
    
7. Do not rule out colleges whose names you do not recognize. Attend college fairs, meet with college representatives visiting your school, read the literature you receive in the mail, talk to your counselor, and use the many great resources available online. Explore lots of options and seek information aggressively. If you snooze, you lose.
    
8. When you make your “colleges to apply to” list, don’t be afraid to include a few “reach” schools, but be realistic about your chances. And, include at least two very carefully chosen “safety” schools. “Safety” or “fall back” schools are colleges you are confident will admit you, institutions you will be able to afford without hardship, and (most of all) colleges you would be happy to attend. Take great care to choose your safety schools well, because if you do you’ll be you'll be “bulletproof”.
    
9. Visit as many colleges as possible, ask lots of questions, spend as much time as possible at each institution, and, if possible, have your family accompany you. Your family knows you better than anyone else, thus their observations and opinions may prove very helpful to you (even if you agree on nothing else)
    
10. Never attend a college or university you have not visited. In fact, experienced educators often say this is rule #1. Rule #2, by the way, is that there are no exceptions to rule #1. There are countless stories about students whose visits saved them from bad decisions. Conversely, there are just as many stories about folks who made bad decisions after choosing to attend colleges and universities they failed to visit.

Our office will be closed Friday May 16th for U of A Graduation

Just a quick reminder, the office will be closed tomorrow.  We're taking a day off to enjoy some time in Tucson! 

Congratulations to all our graduating students and their families!  See your tomorrow!!!!

Have a great weekend!  Talk to you next week!

7 Ways to Spot a Scholarship Scam

As the cost of college tuition continues to increase, so has the demand for scholarship money. Now scam artists are preying on college students, and their parents, with phony scholarship offers that promise money, but only deliver debt.

Last year students lost more than $100 million to scholarship scams. The Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Education have teamed up to fight this growing type of fraud. In 2003, the FTC received 670 complaints of scholarship fraud. In 2004, that number shot up to 4,486.

Ryan Blomster of College Planning Consultants of Arizona offers tips to viewers on how to avoid getting becoming the victim of a scholarship scam.

Here are seven ways to protect yourself:

1. Beware of identity theft. Scammers will attempt to confirm your identity by trying to get your social security number, credit card number, or bank account information, and then, of course, charge like crazy or clean out your bank account.

2. Don't be fooled by fees. A legitimate scholarship agency will not charge a processing fee. Many scammers charge from $10 to $249. Some are just lotteries. They get thousands of parents to each send in, say, $100, and then they award one token scholarship, and pocket the rest.

3. High Pressure. Be very careful about high pressure situations, since most scholarships are very competitive, a legitimate agency doesn't have to pressure anybody. It's more common for scholarship agencies to fight students off.

4. Beware of "winning" a scholarship that you didn't apply for. Or being a finalist in a contest that you didn't enter. It's almost always a scam.

5. Beware of any company that 'guarantees' you to win a scholarship. Many will just take the money and run. No one can guarantee the scholarship except the organization that is giving it out.

6. Watch out for them telling you "We'll do all the work for you." Getting scholarships is a ton of work, and though a good service can weed out what not to waste time with, the student still has to do the work.

7. Many scammers will go out of their way to use official sounding names, like: "federal," "national," "education," or "foundation" to fool parents.

If you think you're the victim of a scholarship scam you should contact the following agencies:

1. Federal Trade Commission. They have a special scholarship scam section and will respond quickly.

2. National Fraud Information Center. They will also follow up with the FTC and the State's attorney's office.

3. The State's attorney's office.

4. The Better Business Bureau.

For more information, contact College Planning Consultants at 480-588-1966 or Maria@EmailCPC.com

STUDENT’S MAY DISCOVER TIP:

The DISCOVER program can assist you in ensuring that your choice of a major is a good fit for you.  When looking up majors, click on “Courses” and it will provide you with a list of course studies that you will have to study while in college in order to obtain a degree in that particular major.  It will also tell you what courses you should be taking while in high school as preparation.

The other important step/feature that it offers is a list of related occupations that you would be qualified for, based on the major that you have pulled up (i.e. what can I do as an occupation with a degree in business management?) with one click of a button, it will come out with an actual list of which occupations meet the qualifications. If you conduct a school search by characteristics and include all particulars, it will comprise a list of schools for you.

Remember, a computer program is NOT going to part the clouds for you and shine rays of sunshine upon you with all of the answers, it WILL however, assist you with putting the initial steps of needed research in regards to majors, colleges, and occupations.

http:www.act.org/discover/login

Send your kid to college, save their life!

Or prolong it, at least. Believe it or not, a recent survey showed that Americans with a college education can expect to live 7 years longer than those who only finish high school. Of course, the study was done by Harvard University, so there may be some bias there. On the other hand, Harvard doesn’t exactly hurt for people wanting to go there, so who knows?

Anyway, the life expectancy for those with a higher education is 82 years old, versus 75 years old for those with 12 or fewer years of schooling. The researchers said that a major cause of disparity is tobacco use (which is funny, ‘cause I always thought those crazy college kids would smoke anything. Just kidding, moms and dads!) Less-educated Americans are far more likely to smoke, so they’re more likely to die from related diseases like lung cancer and emphysema, the study showed.

If you’re sending your student to college anyway (or if you’ve now decided to do it so they won’t smoke), be sure to check out my workshop on ‘How to pay for college without going broke.’

May Client Newsletter

The May issue of our Client Newsletter is ready for download, enjoy!

Download may_2008_client_newsletter.pdf

Parent Liability: Will You Have To Pay For Your Child's Mistakes?

If your child injures someone or damages property, will you have to pay the bills? Will the court order it to be debited out of your checking or savings account?

                 Or maybe it will happen as it did in the case of a boy who thought he was an artist and spray painted the sides of office buildings. His parents were ordered by the court to work with him to repaint the walls. And they had to buy the paint. 

                 Parental liability laws have been passed in 29 states and the District of Columbia. In California, parents can be fined or jailed for allowing children to participate in gangs. Wisconsin requires parents to pay child support when their under-age kids have babies. In Florida, parents can serve jail time if their child hurts another with a gun. More states are expected to pass such laws. And, even if they don’t pass specific laws, many courts attach liability to parents for their kid’s mistakes or crimes.

Parental liability laws have been passed to reduce juvenile crime and to compensate victims. Take steps to keep your family out of trouble.

* Let kids know that if they harm a person or his property, not only will their allowance cease, but you might have to pay a lot of money to the people they hurt. The American Bar Association's public education division has age-appropriate material about how laws work. Visit abanet.org/publicized.

* Take your kids to visit the court so they can see what happens to young adults guilty of injury, property damage, or drunk driving.

* Supervise. Courts are stern with parents for not knowing what their son or daughter is doing. In Arkansas, Kentucky, and Ohio, parents of chronic school skippers can be fined or jailed.

What to do if it happens: If it's very serious, call a lawyer. If not, try to negotiate with the injured party. If the injury or damage was accidental, it could be covered by homeowner's insurance.

What to Do if You're Waitlisted or Rejected

Well, this time of year is always an emotional rollercoaster for me.

On the one hand, for the majority of the families I work with, everything goes according to plan...they get in where they're supposed to, they get the aid they're supposed to, and everything is great.

But, I also spend a LOT of time dealing with the handful of families where things do NOT go like they're supposed to...whether they don't get the right amount of financial aid, or they get waitlisted or rejected altogether. In fact, often the phone calls come back to back in rapid succession, so by the end of the day, I'm completely exhausted emotionally.

So, today, let's talk about what to do if you're rejected or deferred (waitlisted).

First off, if you're rejected, for the most part, that's going to be a tough one to overcome. But it's not totally impossible. For instance, just today, we had a student who was flat out rejected from her first choice get admitted. I'll talk about exactly how to do it in a second. However, the important thing to understand is that she had been rejected from a small, private school that SHOULD have accepted her in the first place.

If she had been rejected from UCLA, which had over 55,000 applications this year for 3,900 freshman slots, we would have told her not to bother.

Waitlisted is a little easier. For some schools, it's just that….a waiting list until they figure out their 'yield', which is a fancy word for 'how many students are actually coming here in the fall and will we have any room left over'. For other schools, they don't really mean it, but it sounds politer than a 'no'.

So, here's what to do if you're rejected or waitlisted from your top school.

First, figure out which school you're most interested in of the schools that HAVE accepted you, so we have a plan B. You might even send in a housing deposit if it's close to the May 1st deadline, but figure out what you're going to do if this doesn't work first.

A word from me: if this doesn't work, let me tell you what I've learned over the years of doing this. You are much better off accepting an offer at your second choice, working your tail off, and transferring in a couple of years than you are attempting to take a year off, even if you do something really cool...like live in Europe or work on a cruise ship. That will not help your chances of getting in the next fall, so you'll be back at square one. So, if you really want to go to college, go to college. On the other hand, since I tend to contradict myself even in my own thinking, I'll have a great article for you in a few days about some students who have very successfully taken a year off, and been much better for it.

Anyway, let's get down to the business of getting you in to your top choice:

Next, you need to make a list of all your accomplishments that have happened since you originally turned in your application to them. What awards have you won? What killer grades have you gotten? What community service projects have you been involved in? What internship have you set up for the summer?

In other words, why should they pick you versus all the other talented students that are applying there? This is NOT the time to be shy! You need to be polite, but frankly, it's your job to convince them that they should want you. And remember, be as specific as you can….don't tell them you've improved your grades…tell them exactly how much you've improved them and exactly what you've been up to since you applied.

After that, make a list of all the reasons why you want to attend there. And use the same formula: be as specific as possible about why they are your number one choice. For instance, I just helped a client with a letter like this, and we referenced the fact that an alumnus of theirs had just won his fourth academy award and that, given the chance, we would make them as proud of us (well, the student) as they were of him. It showed we were paying attention.

So, to recap so far, what we've basically created is a letter that addresses two subjects: why you are perfect for them, and why they are perfect for you.

Now, once you've made an interesting and specific letter that is persuasive about why they should pick you, we've got to look up who to address it to. It should be addressed to the Dean of Admissions BY NAME. Meaning, don't put 'Dean of Admissions'. That's as bad as putting 'To Whom It May Concern'. Go to the trouble of looking up his or her NAME, so it's addressed to Dr. Jane Doe, Dean of Admissions.

Then, be sure to CC anybody at the college who had helped you or would be interested in seeing you get in the school, like a coach, admissions representative, music teacher, friend of the family that works there, or anybody else you can think of.

OK, are you ready for the best suggestion of all? I swear to you, nobody else knows this.

Send the package via Fed-Ex.

Yep. Not Priority Mail, DHL, UPS or anything else. Fed-Ex ONLY.

Here's why: the first battle is getting this all seen by somebody, so we've got to make sure that it gets to the right people. And NOTHING does that better than a Fed-Ex package. Don't ask me why, and NO, I don't own stock in them. But, you can write the best letter ever, but if nobody sees it, it won't do you a damn darn bit of good.

Fed-Ex ONLY.

Last point: I often get asked whether you should include a picture of yourself or not. I feel that you should. Here's why: it personalizes the package. You don't have to have model looks, either. It just helps them to identify with who you are. And, if you're going to include a photo, make it of you with your family, your dog, or doing something interesting. Do NOT make it of you with your boyfriend/girlfriend or wearing a sweatshirt from their college. It just doesn't help your case.

OK, one more point before I sign off: don't worry if the letter is not perfect. You're taking a step that most people won't, so you've already set yourself apart. Like John Francis Tighe said 'In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.'

Or like Woody Allen said '50% of success is just showing up.'

Or like Ganhdi said...just kidding, but I think you get the point.

You do NOT need to attempt to use every SAT vocabulary word that you've ever learned, or to write prose like Hemingway…you just need to list some honest reasons why they should pick you.

Now, like Larry the Cable Guy says 'Go get 'er done'.

Stanford records lowest acceptance rate in school history

A lot of top schools these days like Harvard, Princeton and Yale have reported new financial aid rules designed to maximize student aid for students that attend there to presumably make it more affordable for anyone to attend there. By the way, I discuss the truth about this in my financial aid workshops, so if you’ve never been or haven’t been in the last year, you need to make plans immediately to attend.

However, none of this does you ANY good whatsoever if you can’t get in in the first place. And all of these schools had their lowest acceptance rates ever. For instance, Stanford offered spots to 2,400 prospective freshmen out of 25,298 that applied. Richard Shaw, dean of admissions and financial aid, said that this record number of applicants means that just 9.5% of those who applied would be admitted come fall.

This situation has gotten so out of hand that I am considering doing my first ever public workshop on ‘What your guidance counselor isn’t telling you: how to get your student in to college in today’s competitive environment.’ This is information that I have previously reserved only for my paying clients, but with as bad as things are now, I’m thinking of releasing this information to the general public. Let me know if you’d be interested.

STUDENT PEACE ALLIANCE FUNDRAISER TONIGHT !!

Please support our very own Hallory S. and Arizona's first chapter of the Student Peace Alliance tonight from 4:30 - 7:30 pm at McDonalds (West of Mervyn's; across from PV Mall)

SOME NEWS THEY WON’T SHOW YOU IN PRIME TIME…

Here’s the deal. We are living in economic times that have little resemblance of past scenarios.

We don’t mean to say that other periods in the recent past were exactly like other periods long ago.

But…at least in the last 30-40 years or so, the economic world held at least enough similarities to the past that you might be able to glean some insight that would prove to be useful.

We always used to look at how our economy was doing, view the surrounding circumstances…and then look to past times when there were similar events. Knowing how history played out, can sometimes allow you to know what’s likely to happen in the present.

Like seeing what happened in 1973 to cause an oil crisis, or to look at 1979-80 to see how the hell interest rates on mortgages got to be 16%, and lines of credit got to be 21%, and CD’s in the bank were paying 14%...then seeing if those times hold any possible answers for our time.

Remember the famous saying, “Those who ignore the past are doomed to repeat it.”? Does this really apply now-a-days? Is there a past to study for clues to the present?

Why are we saying things are so weird now, that we’re not able to get a read the way we wish we could, or the way we used to?

Well, because quite honestly, these times are so bizarre there just isn’t any precedent to gauge or guide us!

What do we mean? OK, let’s look at some of the truly staggering things going on now:

· Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, says he will do whatever is necessary to oppose deflation and recession. This includes inflating the supply of dollars to whatever it takes to make sure deflation is defeated. Inside the US, officials do not care about inflation or the collapse of the dollar, as long as we hold off a recession or even a deflation.

· Outside the US, other governments are near panicking about the collapse of the dollar.

· Since August 2007, federal agencies have provided nearly ONE TRILLION dollars in direct and indirect support of to US financial institutions.

· Nobel Economist, Joseph Stigliz, says the cost of the wars we’re enmeshed in will hit 3 TRILLION dollars!

· Interest rates on floating loans like inter bank loans, home equity loans, business lines of credit, etc., have dropped 300 basis points (3%) in just the last 8 months.

· Oil has hit $108 a barrel, gold pushed past $1000 an ounce.

· The Cold War is creeping back. Putin and his hand picked puppet, Medvedev, have done things like slash the natural supplies to the Ukraine, assisted the Serbs in taking control of vital railroads, Russian bombers have been flying near US airspace, causing US fighters to scramble more frequently than at any time since the end of the original Cold War.

· On March 5th, 2008, the Wall Street Journal ran an article entitled, “It’s The Dollar Stupid”.

· We are entangled in two wars that according to General Petraeus’ testimony in Congress on April 8th, 2008 said he really doesn’t know how many troops we need, nor how long it will take to “succeed”. He’s instituting a 45 day “freeze” on troop withdrawals so he can access what’s going on, but thinks we need at least 130,000 troops to remain in Iraq, maybe lots more.

· Foreclosures and delinquent mortgages are hitting the staggering figure of 1.5 million, and no one really knows for sure where it will end up. The Congress is pushing for as much as 300 billion dollars in federally insured fixed rate loans, forcing banks to write off their hundreds of billions in losses.

And much, much more.

All these seemingly unrelated events, may be very related…and make up our new world.

We don’t envy whomever ends up winning the President’s office. He or she will have to contend with an array of factors that we have never seen before occurring at one time.

We’re telling you that we do look at history to find similar combinations of variables…and there ain’t none.

With all that said, we still believe with all our hearts that your best, your only weapon is to do careful, methodical and frequent planning.

Our clients who are doing the best…are the ones who are the most aggressive with their planning. The clients who we see doing the worst are the ones who hardly ever, in many cases never sit down to review and update their planning.

Do you see any correlation? We do!

With everything that’s going on now, I our opinion, IT’S NOT OPTIONAL. YOU MUST sit down and take a look at ALL your finances…and make decisions on what to do based on this very, very confusing economy!

So, we need to talk NOW. Do your 2008 planning NOW! PROCRASTINATING WILL PROBABLY BE A HUGE MISTAKE!

Congratulations Dr.Klee!!!!

Congratulations Vanessa!!!

We wish you all the best with your residency!  See you at Graduation!

Ryan & Your College Planning Family

Could Your Internship Lead To A $2.2 Million a Year Salary?

This month, I’d like to highlight a real life success story from someone who followed the exact same steps that I encourage all of my students to follow, and it will give him a $2,200,000 a year salary for the next five years.

For those you not from

San Diego

, or who aren’t NFL fans, the Chargers General Manager A.J. Smith just recently signed a 5 year contract worth $11 million dollars. But what’s interesting about this isn’t the salary, since pro-football pays its’ players, coaches and managers very well; it’s how A.J. ended up in the NFL in the first place that’s fascinating.

A.J. Smith was a health and physical education teacher in

Rhode Island

twenty two years ago when he left to join pro football full time with the Chargers. When he first decided to get started in the NFL, though, he had no pro football experience. It didn’t matter to him, though.

Here’s what he did: he wrote letters to a number of NFL teams asking for one thing only: the opportunity to work for free. Most ignored him, but one team said yes, and that’s all it took. Jim Trimble, the late personnel director of the New York Giants was intrigued enough to contact him back and see what he had to say. Here’s what Smith explained, ‘What I’d like to do is come work for nothing. I’m not asking for pay, I’m asking for experience; so that the following year, if I’m any good, then at least I could have a letter of recommendation.’

He spent a year with the Giants as a volunteer scout, then moved on to

New England

(at Trimble’s recommendation) as a part time film-grader…for $3 an hour. He barely made any money, and it apparently cost him money to do the job by the time he had paid his car’s gas, but he got his foot in the door. His wife Sue was quoted in the San Diego Union Tribune recently as saying “We never got into this business for him to be a general manager. He was getting into this business to be in something he loved. He would have taken being a janitor. He would have taken any position to get his foot in the door.”

And now, he’s being paid millions to do something he loves.

So, what’s the lesson for you? First, he did exactly what I’ve been encouraging my students to do for years: take the initiative to contact people in the business or field that you are interested in and offer to work for free, requesting only a letter or recommendation if you perform well just like for A.J. Smith did. Many employers will ignore you or say no...but you only need one to say yes. Then, when you get your opportunity, treat it like you were getting paid. It was reported that Smith clocked in and out on time like a factory worker, even when he was volunteering. If you find that you hate something after a little while, that’s great. Now you don’t have to waste any more time on that field or career, and you can move on to the next item on the list.

On the other hand, if you find it’s something you love, you never know what that first job might turn into. In Smith’s case, it was his first ‘boss’—the guy he worked for free for---that set up the second job for him; only this time, he was getting paid. And, it led to him becoming the Charger’s general manager in 2003 when Bill Butler (the GM before him) died.

Also, I’d say to not begrudge being a rookie. Everybody has to start at the bottom of the totem pole and wage scale. So, don’t feel like you’re being taken advantage of by working for free. You’re not because you’re gaining something very valuable to you…experience.

Finally, since you’re going to work for decades anyways, you might as well find something that you’re passionate about. It’s often been quoted that you should ‘find something you love to do, and you’ll never work a day in your life’; well, this is partially true, you should find work you enjoy, but you have to find something that pays decently as well. Who knows, maybe like A.J. Smith of the Chargers, you’ll find something that will ultimately pay you millions for what you would do for free.

29 Tips for “Aceing” the SAT

Well, the great AP class debate rages on, and I've been slightly overwhelmed of late trying to sort through all the mail; so, while I've been buried sorting comments, opinions and experiences that families have had with their AP classes...I just looked up and realized that a whole bunch of you are going to be taking the SAT this Saturday.

I realize that it's last minute, but I thought I'd give you some of my tips and suggestions for acing the SAT. Yeah, I know that some of them are obvious, but I've got to include them all in case they're NOT obvious to other people. Oh, I included one VERY important fact at the end, so be sure to read all the way through.

So, in the best order I could think of to put them in, here they are:

The day before the test (Friday):

Be sure you've got everything together the night before that you're going to need in the morning, like ID, pencils, directions to the test center if you're not familiar with where it's at, and some stuff to eat.

Try to relax by watching a movie or getting some exercise. Get to bed early, and be sure you set TWO alarms….one in another room so you can't keep hitting the snooze button...and get up in plenty of time to get to your test center. You don't want to be locked out because you were a couple of minutes late (yes, it's happened before)

On Saturday, before the actual test:

Eat breakfast. I know, you've been told this a million times, but studies show that it DOES make a difference. Also, don't forget to bring the stuff you brought to eat so you can have something to keep you going. You can eat it on the breaks.

Breathe deeply and try to relax.

OK, once you begin the test, here are some tips for you about the test in general:

The questions are generally arranged from easiest to hardest. There are two schools of thought on this. Some people feel you should work backwards, so you hit the hardest problems first, when you are the freshest. It's not a bad strategy, but my main concern is that you'll make a mistake in filling out the answer form, in which case you're royally screwed. So, if you think you can handle it, you might try it, otherwise, work from front to back, buuuuuuttttt:

Pay attention to the time: limit your time spent on any one question so you don't have one problem hijack your entire test. Remember, each question is worth the same number of points so if one problem stumps you, just skip it and move on to the next one. If you have time, come back to it later.

Skip anything you really can't answer or don't have a clue on. However...

Make an educated guess if you can weed out one or two answers. Look, here's the way they put the test together: they first create a question with a correct answer. Then, they put together an answer that SOUNDS correct, but isn't. Then, they fill the remaining three answers with something related, but not close.

Sooooo...if you can eliminate quickly the three more obvious wrong answers, you've now got a 50/50 shot of being right. Pick one, quickly move on to the next question, and then come back and review later if you have time.

Do NOT waste time, even if you finish early, by laying your head on your desk or flirting with the girl or guy next to you…there will be time for both later, but for now, you've got to stay focused on the task at hand! Instead, go back and recheck your answers one more time, or work on any problems that you had to skip previously.

Also, be sure to read each question completely, and re-read if you're not comprehending. For reading stuff, the answer will ALWAYS be contained within the passage. And, if you're not sure of the meaning of a word, try to use the context to figure out what they're talking about.

Also, when you're reading a passage, don't skip from one to another. Answer ALL the questions related to that passage before you move on to the next one.

Answer the sentence completion questions first…they'll take you less time than the passage-based questions.

Math Section:

On the math section, be sure to read the directions first. Also, keep in mind that you do NOT have to memorize formulas...they'll provide them for you. You just need to figure out which one is the correct one to use in that situation. Further, all figures will be drawn to scale, unless they tell you otherwise.

HOT STRATEGY

Now, if they give you some question like:

If Tom is twice as old as Linda, and Linda is 4 years younger than Karen, and Karen is one-third as old as Brian who will be twice as old as Tom next year, how old is Tom now?

(A) 26

(B) 22

(C) 18

(D) 14

(E) 10

Many students will rip their hair out trying to put together different equations to solve for this. (In fact, you probably wrote down T = 2L and L = K + 4 as you were reading the question, but then started to get lost with all of the letters.)

To solve this algebraically would be ridiculously complicated. Instead, understand what the question is asking, and then reason your way to the answer. The question asks us, "How old is Tom now?" You need to realize that Tom's age has to be one of the five answer choices, so let's just pick one of them and work backwards. We'll start with Choice C, 18, because it's in the middle.

Now re-read the problem assuming that Choice C is correct. If Tom is 18 and he is "twice as old as Linda", that means that Linda is 9. Now we learn that

"Linda is four years younger than Karen", that means that Karen is four years older or 13. Next, we find that "Karen is one-third as old as Brian".

Well, this might appear to be a bit confusing, but let's think about it logically - If Karen is one-third of Brian's age, that means that Brian is 3 times as old as she is. We might need a calculator for 13 × 3 to get to 39.

Finally, "Brian will be twice as old as Tom next year". Next year Brian will be 40 (he is 39 now) and Tom will be 19 (he is 18 from the beginning of the problem). So, is 40 twice as much as 19? No, so we'll need to try another number.

The second time around this goes much quicker. Let's choose Choice B, 22. If Tom is 22, Linda is 11. If Linda is 11, then Karen is 15. If Karen is 15, then Brian is 45. Next year Brian will be 46 and Tom will be 23. Is 46 twice as much as 23? Yes - there's our answer.

CORRECT ANSWER: B AND YOU SAVED A TON OF TIME

"4 Little-Known Reasons Why You Should Start Planning For Your Child's College Education NOW - Even If You Have No Idea What Schools They Want To Apply To..."

Most families (and people in general) wait until the absolute last minute to do everything.

That's why very few people end up financially prepared to pay for weddings, homes, retirement, and college educations for their children.

Well, since we only have a limited amount of space and considering the focus of this book is college funding - we're going to discuss 4 little-known reasons why you should start planning for your child's college education BEFORE their JUNIOR year of high school (if not earlier).

Reason #1: Money Saved In The Wrong Places Could Cost You A Fortune In Lost Financial Aid.

Did you know that money saved in the wrong places could count as much as 7 times more heavily than money saved in the right places?

It is important that you determine which assets you have accumulated in the "wrong" places so you can either gift, transfer or reposition them before you have to apply for financial aid.

If you wait until the last minute to do this (your child's senior year), it will be too late to change your financial picture, and you will end up losing thousands of dollars in financial aid that you would have been eligible for.

Reason #2: You Must Know How Much Your Family Will Be Expected To Contribute Towards College Costs.

No matter which schools your child ends up applying to, the government will expect you to pay your fair share towards the cost of college. They call this your "Expected Family Contribution" and this is the minimum amount of money any school will expect you to pay towards your child's education.

The sooner you know what this number is, the sooner you can start saving to accumulate at least enough to cover this minimum amount.

If you wait until your child's senior year of high school to find out what your family contribution is, you will have no time to do any saving - and this means borrowing more money to cover the costs of your child's college education!

Reason #3: You Want Your Child To Pick Schools Based On The Schools Ability To Give You Money.

Most students and parents pick schools whimsically without giving any consideration to which schools have the best ability to meet their financial needs.

What happens is that most students start picking schools towards the end of their junior year, visit them during the summer, and then start applying to them in their senior year of high school.

The entire process is very costly between travel and application expenses, and most students and parents are stunned at the end of their senior year when they find out there is no way they can afford most of the schools they applied to!

This scenario can easily be avoided by finding out which schools have the best histories of giving good financial aid packages - more FREE money, less loans!

By finding out this information in your child's JUNIOR year of high school, you can avoid spending time and money traveling and applying to schools that will never be able to give you the money you need.

Reason #4: You Must Start, At Least, One Year In Advance If You Want To Apply For Private Scholarships.

Although private scholarships only make up 1-2% of all the money that exists for college funding, it still can be worth looking for some of these funding sources.

Private Scholarships are sources of FREE money that never have to be re-paid.

Private foundations and organizations offer them to students based on their ethnic background, religious affiliation, talents, hobbies, skills, interests, athletic abilities, etc.

You can only get these sources of funding if you apply for them, and you can only locate and apply for them if you start looking BEFORE your child's JUNIOR year of high school.

* * *

These 4 little-known reasons could mean the difference between you getting thousands of dollars in college funding or not being able to afford to send your child to the college or university of his/her choice.

7 tips to make the most of your college visits

If you are even thinking about going to college in the next few years, visiting your potential colleges is one of the most important steps that you can take. Just like you wouldn’t buy a car without going for a test drive, you would be amazed at what you can learn about a school in just a few hours. So, to help you get started, here are some tips to make the most of your visits:

-Start by visiting one type of each college you are considering. For instance, if you are not sure whether you would like a smaller or larger college, visit a couple of schools that are close by that represent each type, like a large public school and then a smaller private school. At least now, you’ll have something to compare.

-Do your homework before you go, and narrow your choices by using a good school selection program. You can find some good ones online or contact my office at the address below for our suggestions. Also, make sure that the schools you are considering actually have the major you are interested in. I know it sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised at how often people skip this step.

-Schedule your visit when school is in session. I can’t stress this one enough, but it is very important to see not only what the campus looks like, but what the students and faculty are like as well. We want to make sure that you will feel like you ‘belong’ once you are there, so we want you to see the student body and not just a bunch of buildings.

-Make an appointment to take a tour. Schools will have certain times of the day or week set aside to give new people tours. This is always a great place to start. However, don’t be afraid to go with your instincts. If you pull up to the school and realize you just don’t like it, there’s no point sticking around. Also, staying overnight in a dorm, if the school offers it, is a great way to get to really get the college experience.

-Ditch the tour guide. Once you’ve learned some of the main features of the school, the best way to see the campus is by wandering around on your own for awhile. This will give you a chance to see what everything is really like. Be sure to sit in on a class or two, or at least poke your head in the door.

-Get a soda or coffee in one of the student lounges. While you’re at it, get something to eat as well. You might as well find out now what the food is like now. Some schools are known for having 5 star cuisine, while others have food that is barely edible. You’re going to be there for four to five years, so this is an important step. We don’t want you to starve!

-Check out the library, computer lab, gym, and laundry. Even though this isn’t directly related to what you’ll be studying and your major, you’ll be spending plenty of time at all of these areas, so be sure to take a look at them as well.

While this list isn’t comprehensive, hopefully it will give you a real good feel for what each campus is like. You will do much better at a school that you are happy at and enjoy attending, so don’t assume that all schools are the same and that this step isn’t necessary. Or, worse, don’t make the mistake of waiting until you hear if you’re in or not before arranging a visit. We want to make sure the schools that you apply to are schools that you actually want to attend. Most of all, be sure to have fun.

Horizon High School Student Peace Alliance

A BIG Thank you!!! to everyone who came out and supported the Horizon High School Student Peace Alliance Fundraiser at Qdoba restaurant...to benefit the AZ Dept. of Peace Campaign and the AZ Make-A-wish Foundation.

Susan
:>)

Warning: Students, What You Post On Facebook Could Haunt You!

It happened again. In January, 2008, almost 100 students (!!!!) from one high school in Minnesota were suspended or kicked off of sports teams for photos that were posted on online websites like MySpace and Facebook that showed them drinking and partying. So, if you´ve been working hard to get into college-- have busted your rear getting good grades, studied late at night for the SAT, polished and perfected your essay, and prepared for campus interviews—you´re not done just yet. Let´s talk about how NOT to let a stupid photo or two ruin your chances of getting in….or worse.

First, let´s talk about the dilemma: currently, it´s reported that up to 85 % of the students at any given school or college post to at least one of the major social websites, whether it´s MySpace, Facebook, Xanga, LiveJournal, or Friendster. And while some students believe that what they post there should be private, or should be to allow them to ´express themselves´ and it shouldn´t matter to anyone else, the reality is that what you post online is public, and in some cases, permanent. And it does matter.

Think back to how many current celebrities like Vanessa Williams, Cameron Diaz, and untold American Idol contestants have had embarrassing photos resurface once they became famous.

Well, your college may be searching online for you, and there is nothing you can do to stop it.

Charles Samuelson, the Executive Director for the ACLU, was quoted as saying, "Anyone who thinks that something posted on a social website is private is an idiot. A student´s civil liberties are NOT being violated if a school or college uses such information to discipline a student or to make admission decisions."

The good news is this: most colleges are not surfing the web for your profile. Admissions officers from both Stanford and MIT recently claimed that they were among those schools that did not look up students online. However, many schools do; and many potential employers will as well. According to a 2005 study by ExecuNet, 75% of head-hunters and recruiters use web research as part of their screening process. And more than one employee has been fired for what their employers found online.

Penn State even recently used a Facebook group called "I rushed the field after the OSU game (and lived!)" to charge two students with criminal trespassing. And the police busted an underage drinking party at

George Washington University after they found the invitations online.

Further, even if you remove a page or post, it never really goes away. It can be saved on anyone´s computer, or on websites like Google and WayBackMachine which archive pages more or less forever.

So, let´s discuss some ground rules for posting on social websites, so nothing comes back to haunt you later. First, for safety´s sake, never post personal information like your address, your schedule, phone numbers or anything like that. Next, make your profile private so strangers can´t look you up, and be careful about allowing new ´friends´ that you don´t know personally to access your website. Even if you are cautious, though, remember what I said above about nothing really being private.

Here is a great tip from Nicole Verardi about what you actually do post. She calls it the ´Grandma Test´, which basically is if you wouldn´t want your grandmother to see it, then you don´t want other adults to see it either. Your grandma may not know how to use a computer, but more and more seniors are taking classes to help them learn; and you do NOT want to be responsible for giving your granny a heart attack, now, do you?

Also, be careful about what your friends post about you on their sites as well. If there is anything damaging, ask them to remove it ASAP. Lastly, be careful about the email address you use to communicate with a college or potential employer. Giving them an address like drunkenmonkey@aol.com or partygirl17@yahoo.com is not going to impress anyone.

So, I´m not trying to ruin your fun. I´m merely suggesting that you review your online websites and blogs for anything questionable or damaging before your submit a college application or resume. I don´t want to see all your hard work go to waste because of a few photos of you getting, well...wasted.

YOUR SAT ESSAY OUTLINE

The essay portion of the new SAT is a welcome change in the eyes of colleges, but a scary uncertainty in the eyes of students and parents. Students are doubly nervous because this essay can also be viewed by admissions officers during the application review.

SAT takers have 25 minutes to read a prompt, formulate an opinion, create an outline and write a coherent, astute three- to five-paragraph essay. Graders (most of them are high school English teachers) will have only two to three minutes to evaluate and score each essay.

College reps like the essay because it allows them to see how quickly students can think on their feet and write persuasive drafts, similar to what they could be asked to do in a college classroom.

Prompts for the essays will be vague statements, such as, “There has always been a great passion to bring about change,” or “Freedom is never free.” Because graders have only a few minutes per essay, you need to immediately impress the reader in a style that is almost as formulaic as the Pythagorean theorem.

Because literature and history are so important to this essay and the topics are vague, remember four classic books and four wars/moments in history to use. If you are presented with either of the aforementioned prompts, discussing the Revolutionary War, the Civil War or Martin Luther King Jr. would garner high marks. Literary works such as The Catcher in the Rye, 1984, Fahrenheit 451 and To Kill a Mockingbird would suffice to support your stance and impress a reader.

The essay is scored on a scale of one to six by two readers and accounts for almost 40 percent of the total writing score. If you want to score a four or higher, plan on citing sources to validate your position. Students who don’t know these guidelines will spend time discussing their personal beliefs—good for an assignment in English class, but it will cost you on the SAT.

Follow these tips to secure a good score on the new SAT writing section. 

Paragraph one
You should immediately take a definitive stand, either agreeing or disagreeing with the prompt. (Your personal feeling about the prompt is irrelevant. Instead, decide which side of the argument could produce a better essay.) To score well, you must cite literature and history to back up your stance. This is the single most important part of writing the essay. You should briefly describe two examples that support your position, and be ready to discuss them in the next paragraph.

Paragraph two

In the second paragraph, discuss in great detail the literary work that backs up your point of view. Address the title, author, main character and how the plot relates to the prompt.

.

Paragraph three

In this paragraph, describe the historical event that supports your position. Be as descriptive as possible and include names, dates and how the event proves the prompt correct or incorrect.

Paragraph four
Your conclusion should be a short paragraph (one to two sentences) that restates your opinion.

Top Ten Rules for Selecting a College or University

1. Never make your final college selection without visiting at least your top two or three choices. No matter how well you think you know a college or university, you can learn a lot (good or bad) by spending a few hours on campus, including whether or not the college feels like a good "fit" for you. Having family members accompany you on college visits is a great idea because it gives you extra "eyes and ears" and people with whom you can discuss your impressions.
   
2. There are no exceptions to rule #1.
   
3. A college is not necessarily right for you because its name is familiar. That might seem pretty obvious, but you wouldn't believe how many students equate educational quality with name recognition.
   
4. Investigate at least three or four colleges you know little or nothing about but offer the field(s) of study of interest to you, are appropriately selective for a students with your grades and SAT or ACT scores, and are located in geographic areas attractive to you. You have nothing to lose and you might make a great discovery. A little research and an open mind can greatly increase the odds that you make a good college choice.
   
5. There are very few worse reasons to select a college than because your friends are going there. Choosing a college because your girlfriend or boyfriend is headed there is one of them. In fact, if there is a worse reason to choose a college, it escapes us.
   
6. Investigate, investigate, investigate, and be sure to separate reality from (often baseless) opinions. Lots of folks will refer to a college as "good", "hard to get into", "a party school", "too expensive", etc. without really knowing the facts. Don't accept these kinds of generalizations without evidence.
   
7. Do not rule out colleges early because of cost. Many colleges offer scholarships, financial aid, and tuition installment plans that make them far more affordable than they may first appear. You can't/won't know how much it will cost to attend a college until the very end of the process.
   
8. Deadlines, whether for college applications, SAT or ACT registration, financial aid, scholarships, campus housing, etc. are not suggestions. Miss a deadline and you may find yourself in deep you-know-what. Write down on a calendar and adhere strictly to all deadlines.
   
9. Don't be afraid to apply to a few "reach schools". You might be pleasantly surprised by the results if you are not entirely unrealistic. Then, apply to at least three colleges you like which are highly likely to admit you. Remember, choose these three colleges very carefully as they are the places where you are mostly likely to wind up. Finally, choose at least two "safety" colleges. Colleges to which you are virtually certain you will be admitted. Choosing "safety" schools they don't really like is a mistake many students make. If you take the time to choose safety schools you would be happy to attend, you'll eliminate all the anxiety some students experience in the college application and admissions process.
   
10. When it is time to make your final choice, discuss your options with your family, your counselor (if you have one), and others who know you well and whose judgment you value. If you have a tough time choosing among two or more colleges or universities it is probably because you have done a good job putting together your list and you will be happy at whichever institution you choose. Once you make your choice, don't agonize over it. If you have followed these rules there is an excellent chance your final college choice will be a good one.

Scottsdale Company Offers 6 Steps to Help Parents Put Kids Through School

Scottsdale, AZ -- (SBWIRE) -- 10/22/2007 -- Janice Wheeler, of Scottsdale, enjoys telling friends about the $20,000 letter that enabled her son Kyle to attend New York University. College Planning Consultants of Arizona came up with the idea for the letter and wrote it. Like many parents, Wheeler and her husband had not saved enough for college. Their youngest son, Kyle, was accepted by both the University of California Berkeley and NYU. While his first choice was NYU, his parents simply couldn’t afford the school’s expenses. Ryan Blomster of College Planning Consultants suggested faxing a letter to NYU explaining Kyle’s dilemma and asking for funding assistance. NYU quickly responded with an offer of $5,000 for each of the four years. “I would never have known to ask, and I wouldn’t have known the right person to send the letter to, and I would have obsessed over the wording,” Wheeler said. “Parents have to do their homework,” Blomster said. “They can't leave it to a guidance counselor. Here

In the Valley, the ratio is one high school guidance counselor for every 400 to 500 students."

For the past 5 years, Blomster has been helping parents and their children with the college application and financing processes.

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http://www.sbwire.com/news/view/14317