Finding the right college is an art, rather than a science. It takes time, energy, and a willingness to ask yourself some tough questions about what kind of college experience you want and what kind of college is most likely to give it to you. It can’t be reduced to a checklist or chart or formula.

As a student of color, you will be doing everything everyone else is while looking for a college—and maybe a little bit more. Here are eight steps that will help you explore widely and choose wisely.

First, apply yourself in high school. Don’t go for the easy “A.” Colleges, especially selective colleges, want to see challenging courses on your record. Get involved in things beyond academics, too—and not just sports. What about community service, a local youth group, student government, or a club? And don’t be reluctant to take a leadership position in these kinds of organizations. Be sure to take your SATs in the spring of your junior year; this gives you the chance to take them a second or even a third time. Many schools will accept your highest scores.

Second, know yourself. Look for a school that is strong in the things you might want to major in. Think about size: if you are considering a large school where classes can be big, sit in on some large lecture classes; if you aren’t comfortable, visit some other schools which offer smaller classes and more personal attention. Consider how important the school’s academic reputation is to you. What about its location: do you want to experience a different part of the country? What about opportunities for internships and research that might interest you? What about academic support services, such as tutoring or assistance in writing papers? Which of these are most important to you?

Third, make your own list of priorities. Many students of color do not choose a college based on the diversity of its student body. Take stock of yourself: how important is this to you? If you are currently attending a high school with many students of color, it may be a shock coming to a campus with mostly white students. But remember—that is only one aspect of college, and it may or may not be a deciding factor for you. No college will have everything you want; what is important to your best friend or your classmates or even your parents may not be important to you.

Fourth, get your parents involved. Take them to college fairs and to open houses held by colleges. During the summer of your junior year, visit some campuses together. If you can’t visit with your parents, bring back information to them. If a college is too far away to visit, request a video and/or an interview with an alumnus in your area.

If your parents didn’t go to college, they may not know how to guide you. You’ll need to educate them about the process and make them feel part of it. They may be concerned—even frightened—by the cost of college, especially a private college. They may also be uncomfortable with—or even afraid of—disclosing their income on the financial aid forms. You might also find your parents have strong opinions on where you should go to college. For example, if your parents are African American and attended one of the historically black colleges, they may want you to do so, too. Your parents may be reluctant to send you far away to school. Whatever their concerns, involving your parents in your search can help them feel more at ease about the choices you’re making—decisions you want them to support.

By the way, consider asking an admissions counselor to call your parents. If your parents don’t speak English, call before you visit and ask if a counselor or another student who speaks their language can meet with you. The ultimate goal? Your parents should be involved in the process, but the final choice should be one that makes you happy.

Fifth, visit, visit, visit. This is crucial for getting a feel for what your life might be like at a particular college. Stay overnight. Go to classes. Eat lunch in the dining hall. Go to a social event. Read the campus newspaper. Listen to the radio station. Watch the flow of students as they move from class to class. Look for campus political or religious organizations or other activities there that appeal to you. And pay attention to that “inner voice” that speaks to you as you do all these things. When you set up your visit, you might ask to stay with a student of the same ethnic background—don’t assume this will happen unless you request it. Talk to current students from a variety of backgrounds and with interests similar to yours.

Sixth, ask admissions representatives specific questions, among them: How many minorities enroll? How many come back sophomore year? How many graduate? How many hold leadership positions in student organizations? How many are professors, administrators, and staff? What kinds of support services—like tutoring or mentoring—exist? Ask, above all, about the things you care about.

Seventh, don’t be put off by “sticker shock.” Some of the colleges that cost the most also offer the best aid packages—and most college students do receive financial aid of some kind. Scholarships and grants are valuable, as you do not need to repay them. Loans and work-study opportunities also make education more affordable.

Ask if the college is “need blind” in the way it distributes its financial aid. “Need blind” means that your need for financial aid is not considered in the decision to admit you. Typically at such schools, admitted students are offered a financial aid package generous enough to make it possible to attend. Some colleges also have special scholarships targeted to minority students. Ask about them, and look also for local organizations that offer scholarships; your guidance counselor can help you find them.

Eighth, consider schools you may not have heard of. Some excellent schools don’t have big names, and even some top-ranked colleges are well known only in their own region of the country. Use this magazine, your guidance office, the many college guides/catalogs, and the Internet to search for colleges. (One good place to start looking online is www.privatecolleges.com.) And don’t let the cost of a trip keep you from considering a distant college. Many schools aggressively recruit students from different racial and ethnic backgrounds. They may pay for your visit to a college, even for your airfare. Call and ask.

Think of all this as homework. In truth, it’s probably the most important homework assignment you’ll do all year.

San Diego-based writer Deborah Knight

Source: www.careersandcolleges.com

Posted by Shawn Augustson, CollegeRecruiter.com on January 31, 2007 at 5:35 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Freshmen in college consistently rank time management as one of their biggest challenges. Basically, if you don’t stay on top of your schedule, it can lead to poor academic performance. So why are you wasting time? Grab your planner and jot this down! You’ll be thanking us next year.

The First Step: Know Yourself
Dr. Edward O’Keefe, author of Self Management for College Students: The ABC Approach, recommends that you look at the big picture of your life and figure out what’s important to you. He suggests writing down your big goals for college. Don’t limit yourself to academic ones. “You should use college to develop the rest of yourself, in addition to your academic side,” explains O’Keefe.

Next, decide when, where, and how you work best. Ask yourself these questions:
• Do I work best with an intense or more laid-back schedule? Some people thrive on having an ultra-packed lifestyle; others get overwhelmed.
• Am I a morning or evening person? Some students have a tough time in the morning, but others are like Leah McConaughey, from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. “I know that I get up early and can’t stay up late at night,” she says. “So forcing myself to study late is a waste of time.”
• Can I tune out distractions easily? The answer will tell you whether you’ll be able to study in a rowdy dorm or whether you’ll have to head to the library.

Staying On Track
Once you’ve figured out how you operate best, start to make time management a habit. Follow these guidelines:
• Keep track. Students who write down all they have to do often find they have more free time than they thought. Using a laptop, a handheld organizer, day planner, or notebook, list your activities and deadlines in order of when they have to
be done.
• Seek balance. Don’t overload yourself. Scheduling all your classes on two or three days can turn ugly.
• Don’t waste the daytime. Freshmen often wait until night to do their work. Instead of hanging out in the student lounge during free periods, use that hour between classes to hit the books.
• Give yourself a break. Make sure your schedule includes short periods to recharge. If you can limit yourself to fifteen or twenty minutes, now is the time to relax in the student lounge. But if you’ll get too distracted, reward yourself with a cup of tea or hot chocolate instead.
• Ask professors for help. Teachers are human and, for the most part, willing to consider solutions if you get into a jam.
• Get credit for work you do outside of class. Jennifer Adams, from Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts, took on the task of maintaining her school newspaper’s website, and she was able to use that work for her final journalism project. Finding clever ways to “double up” like that can save time.
• Don’t sweat the small stuff. Things like laundry can fall through the cracks and that’s okay. “The only person who sees my dirty laundry is me,” says Adams. “It needs to get done, but is the world going to stop if it doesn’t? Probably not.”

Time Tip
“Keep a calendar! It can be as simple as a notebook with the date and a list of stuff to do. No one will be there to nag you about homework. I live by my “to-do” lists. And when I cross things off, I can see how much I’ve accomplished.”

Time Tip
“School should be treated like a full-time job. People who work full-time are at it from 8 am to 5 pm. Getting an education is your job, so in between classes do homework and study. You’ll have a lot more time in the evenings to do things you enjoy.”

Source: CareersandColleges.com

Posted by Shawn Augustson, CollegeRecruiter.com on January 30, 2007 at 8:03 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Extracurricular activities can teach you valuable time-management skills, as Christopher Hooker-Haring, Dean of Admission and Financial Aid at Muhlenberg College, explains:
“Success as an adult often means juggling priorities and managing your involvement in several activities at once. College should be practice for that.”

Let’s suppose that you’re the star of your high school basketball team or that you live for the Yearbook Club. Does going to college and taking on the responsibilities of your courses mean you’ll have to give up sports and clubs just so you can pull good grades? Not at all, according to people who know.

“A big part of the college experience is the education of the whole person,” says Christopher Hooker-Haring, Dean of Admission and Financial Aid at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He encourages students to begin their first semester by getting involved in extracurricular activities and then see if they need to cut back. “While academics should be your top priority, you also want to have as full an experience as you can,” he says.

Being involved in nonacademic activities can actually help freshmen become better students. Extracurriculars can . . .
• ease the transition to your new college environment

• relieve the tension of your academic work

• help you meet people with similar interests

• teach you valuable time-management skills.

Time-management and study skills can be particularly important early in your college experience. Students who have lots to do seem to be more focused; they force themselves to stay on top of things better than students with too much time on their hands.

Hooker-Haring adds, “Success as an adult often means juggling priorities and managing your involvement in several activities at once. College should be practice for that.”

Of course, if you find yourself overwhelmed and your grades start slipping, you can always cut back your time in a club, sport, or organization. How will you know you need help? You’ll know! The confusion you’ll feel, the assignments you’ll struggle with, the reading you won’t get done, the panicky feeling that things are out of control—these “warning signs” will be too obvious to overlook.

If you’re on a sports team, you might think you need to quit—but more than likely you won’t have to: most college sports programs monitor athletes’ academic progress closely. If an athlete needs help, it’s available from tutors and study groups or through an academic support center. The same kind of help is available to all students. You’ll need to be honest enough with yourself, however, in order to recognize the warning signs and ask for help.

So, should you abandon extracurricular activities and become a study freak? Absolutely not. Go for it! Test yourself. Play football; join the volleyball team; pursue your interest in photography or writing or theatre or ceramics or student government. Your greatest regret, warns Hooker-Haring, will be wishing—long after you graduate—that you had gotten more involved in and taken greater advantage of opportunities in college by pursuing your outside interests—or by developing new ones.

“College,” he says, “is a time to think about who you are and who you’d like to be. Outside activities have as much to do with shaping your experience as the classroom does. You only get one chance to be where you are now—with all the choices and opportunities available to you—and you should maximize the hours in every day by taking advantage of every opportunity.”

Paul Adams writes about education and business issues from his home in Brimfield, Massachusetts.

Source: http://www.careersandcolleges.com

Posted by Shawn Augustson, CollegeRecruiter.com on January 28, 2007 at 9:22 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

This could be you: a college student with two different passions planned to follow his father into medicine, so he enrolled in a pre-med program and majored in biology. But as a talented actor, he also loved theater. So during college, he performed in plays and pursued a second major in theater. He stuck with the more reliable career path—medicine—but did not let go of his other passion, which he continued as a hobby throughout his life.

Do you have two passions? Perhaps you are thinking about majoring in a subject that intrigues you and that seems like a good career choice. But a little voice keeps saying, “Don’t you love this other thing also?” Or perhaps your parents are talking “job prospects,” while your heart is calling you to music, art, or philosophy.

You’re in luck! Just as boundaries are being bridged between nations, markets, economies, and currencies, so too academic and career-related disciplines are getting easier to combine. More and more careers demand that people be skilled in more than one area. Technology is bringing fields together in new ways. And just because you start your career in a particular field, it doesn’t mean you’ll spend your life in it.

Many students now pursue multiple interests in college, and colleges are coming up with more and more programs that combine fields of study. Here are some of the ways you can pursue more than one interest:
• pursue a double major
• combine a major and a minor
• seek a major and a certificate
• design your own major
• do a combined B.A./M.A. or other undergraduate/graduate program
• use electives to pursue things you are curious about, not just to be practical
• explore study abroad or internship programs to connect academics with real-world experiences
• use college-level credits from high school to fulfill some college requirements; this allows you more flexibility to complete a second major or a minor.

In many cases, you can still complete your degree in four years. Sometimes, however, it will be necessary to take an extra year or to complete summer courses or internships for credit.

How do these combinations work?

A double major: You take enough courses to complete two separate majors. The two fields may be related, such as math and engineering, or un-related, such as science and music. Double majors are now common.A major and a minor: A minor is usually half the number of courses required for a major. This is also commonly done.
Interdisciplinary programs: Unlike separate majors that may be unrelated, in an interdisciplinary program two different fields are woven together, with courses designed specifically for that purpose. Many schools now offer these.

Combined undergraduate/graduate programs (such as 3-2 or 4-1): These require a year or more extra, but save you a year compared to pursuing the degrees separately.

Here are a few examples:

Claremont McKenna College
• Offers two interdisciplinary majors: “Environment, Economics, and Politics,” and “Philosophy, Politics, and Economics.” These majors include courses that weave these subjects together (for example: The Economics and Politics of Environmental Issues).
• Has a 3-2 (5-year) engineering program that offers a Management Engineering degree. For three years you take math, physics, business, economics, and management classes and then transfer to an engineering school for two years.
• Offers a 4-1 program that combines a B.A. in economics with an M.B.A. from a business school.

George Washington University
• Offers interdisciplinary programs, such as Women’s Studies and Africana Studies that draw on many disciplines, including history, sociology, and anthropology.
• Offers a 5-year program that leads to a B.A. and an M.A. in public administration, computer science, or English. Also offers a 7-year program that leads to a B.A. and an M.D.; a 5-year program in engineering and physics; and integrated programs in engineering and law or engineering and medicine.

Carnegie Mellon University
• Fifty students a year are accepted for a program leading to a B.A.in Humanities and Arts. These are students the school considers “pioneers” in pushing the boundaries between different disciplines. They combine liberal arts courses with fine arts courses, such as art classes. Students live together in the same dorm, take special seminars, and are encouraged to explore new combinations between diverse fields.
• Offers a Bachelor of Science and Arts degree. Students might combine physics and music (perhaps understanding the science of musical sounds) or biology and art (perhaps drawing the human form).

Ithaca College
• Has an “International and Interdisciplinary Studies Program,” formed to promote new interdisciplinary programs between departments.
• Offers an Environmental Studies major that includes interdisciplinary courses in biology, chemistry, history, and politics. There are also interdisciplinary minors in Women’s Studies and Jewish Studies.
• Offers a 3-2 Physics/Engineering program that involves three years at Ithaca and two years at Cornell. Also offers a 3-1 Optometry program.

Are there disadvantages?

College involves a balance between breadth and depth. Combining passions may limit your flexibility, your opportunity to have fun when picking courses, and your chance to explore new things.

If you double major, for example, you will not have as much time to take courses out of curiosity, such as Far Eastern religions, mythology, or astronomy. You may thus narrow the breadth of your education. Also, by doing a double major, you might not have the time to take courses in either major beyond the minimum. You may thus miss out on those additional courses that would give you more depth in a single major.

These days students—and their parents, who are paying the big tuition bills—often focus strongly on a “marketable” degree. Asa result, a student might add a business minor to an English major—not for love of business, but simply to enhance his or her résumé.

Career considerations are legitimate—but remember that the extra “credential” may limit what you get out of your education in other ways. And some options, like a 3-2 program, can force you to make a decision very early about what you want to be when you grow up.

You may fall in or out of love

You may be reading this and thinking, “But I have no clue what I want to major in!” Don’t worry. Most students arrive at college not knowing, and many change their minds about their major at least once during their first two years. Many students discover that the field they thought would be their first love doesn’t really appeal to them. Or they might take a class in something completely new—say, archaeology or economics—and discover it is the field for them.

Be sure to ask colleges what options they offer for combining interests. And feel free to dream up some new combination of interests that no one else has done before. But don’t feel that you have to double major just because so many people do or just because it might look good on your résumé. Your best option: keep your mind—and your options—open.

Deborah Knight is a freelance writer who frequently contributes to this magazine. She is based in San Diego, California.

Source: http://www.careersandcolleges.com

Posted by Shawn Augustson, CollegeRecruiter.com on January 28, 2007 at 9:19 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Want to get a head start in college? Take AP courses in high school. By taking AP classes, students show colleges that they’ve challenged themselves, and high enough scores on AP exams may allow students to graduate early and/or take more courses that lead to a minor or even a second major.

Want to get a head start in college? Take AP courses in high school. By taking AP classes, students show colleges that they’ve challenged themselves, and high enough scores on AP exams may allow students to graduate early and/or take more courses that lead to a minor or even a second major.

Christon Horstman, now 20, took three AP courses in high school. The credits he earned from scoring well on the exams, combined with credits from community college classes he took, allowed him to graduate from Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah, in just three years. That saved him a whole year’s tuition.

“It was definitely a good thing for me,” says Horstman, who double majored in finance and accounting. “I didn’t have to take those classes [biology, chemistry, and history] my freshman year, and I could jump right into the classes related to my major.”

Every year some students take AP courses but then decide not to lay out the $82 to take the exam in the spring. “I’d say maybe a quarter of the people in my AP classes didn’t take the exam,” says Horstman. “I don’t know why—maybe the pressure?”

Although students may feel pressed to score a perfect 5 on the exams, many colleges offer some kind of credit for lower scores. The money spent on the exam can seem well worth it when your score allows you to opt out of a class costing several hundred dollars.

According to Mike Frantz, dean of enrollment at Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, how an AP test score translates into college credit varies according to each academic department. For example, a score of 4-5 on AP Biology is granted eight credits at Wilkes, but a score of 3-5 on AP Psychology is granted three credits. Sometimes the credits earned through the AP exam are enough to meet the entire course requirements. At Wilkes, a score of 4-5 on the AP U.S. History exam can earn you enough credit to skip U.S. History 101 and 102 (six credits). Check out the AP section of www.collegeboard.com to find out the policies at different schools.

What if your high school doesn’t offer AP courses or prep? According to the College Board, each year hundreds of students get ready for the AP exams through their own independent study.

And here’s another alternative: Check with colleges you’re interested in to see if they offer their own methods for “testing out” of required courses. Wilkes University offers “challenge exams” for students who feel they have strong knowledge of a particular subject. If the student performs well enough, he or she may be granted credit.

“I say, more power to the students if they have acquired the knowledge through other coursework or independent study,” says Frantz. “By all means students should be given credit for that work and acquired knowledge.”

—Traci Mosser

Source: http://www.careersandcolleges.com

Posted by Shawn Augustson, CollegeRecruiter.com on January 25, 2007 at 9:34 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

College degrees have been available from high quality, accredited on-line schools for years. Now there is an on-line school offering GED's for those who did not complete high school. GED for Me!, an online distance-learning program of WQLN Education, connects students with tutors who oversee their progress in studying for the written exam.

Posted by Steven Rothberg, CollegeRecruiter.com on January 17, 2007 at 6:21 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

I think that my colleague Areal Tal makes a lot of good points in his article about College Tour Taking. My article is an expansion of his which discusses not only the tours but also the discussions with the admissions counselors which are usually a big part of getting to know a college.

I usually found myself very let down by the talks with admissions counselors and I often found myself talking with my mother afterward saying that I hadn't learned anything at all about the school. The problem with tours and the talks with admissions counselors are that while you may be able to learn some facts about a school from an admissions counselor. What are the average grades? AP Policy? Sometimes though you can get a lot more than that sort of information.

One of the best college admissions counselor presentations that I went to was for RPI, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. Though it turned me off from the school, it was an amazing presentation because of all that I learned about the college. RPI is a technology/science school and I knew that, but they still have a relatively good name in management and they have a liberal arts school. And the truth is they have good names too and it was really in the management school that I was interested.

So I visited and I took the tour. It's a beautiful campus and I must admit that I liked the people that I spoke to there. And the dining hall didn't seem all that disgusting which was a plus when compared to many of the other ones that I had seen before. But it really didn't tell me much about the academics of the college. It was not until the admissions counselor's presentation that I knew I didn't want to go there.

The admissions counselor presentation, especially if coming from a computer PowerPoint, is made by the college to let you know about the school. The admissions counselor presents what the school thinks is important. And that's the key to these admissions counselor presentations. RPI mentioned the fact that there were other schools, relegated to three slides RPI mentioned the fact that there were other schools, relegated to three slides towards the end. These other schools are important but not enough to be a focal point.

Though, this could happen the other way too. At Binghamton University, State University of New York, the admissions counselor presentation spent the same amount of time on the School of Management and Harpur College of Arts and Sciences. School of Management admits about ¼ the freshmen and is about ¼ the size. This admissions counselor presentation works well if you are interested in the School of Management; it's obviously the focal point of the school over the Harpur College of Arts and Sciences. But not the other way around.

You can also learn a lot about what a college values from what the admissions counselors talk about. Clark University trumps up its five-year program and its community service commitments. Clearly they are trying to get more academics who want to stay and get a master's in their fifth year. Where as Tulane trumps up its location and culture. Cornell, its Ivy status and its amazing dining halls. Figure out what the two main aspects of the school are and figure out if they fit in with you.

Admissions counselor presentations can also be a great way to show your interest in a school. Talk with the admissions counselor, say your name, tell them why you are interested, something specific from the presentation or some other fact that you know about the school. Ask if you can set up a formal/informal interview with either a student, an admissions counselor, or an alumni.

A presentation by an admissions counselor still is a great way to learn about a school but similar to tours try not to be too swayed by what you see. Not all admissions counselors are great presenters but that shouldn't detract from your interest in a college. College is about finding a place where you will fit in and learn new skills. That should be at a place where you can be happy. An admissions counselor can give you information about a school but only you can make that decision. Happy college hunting!

Copyright: Joshua is a freelancer and a student at Binghamton University, State University of New York. He is pursuing majors in Finance, Human Development, and Accounting. Joshua's work has been published in many online blogs, web sites and print journals.

Posted by Shawn Augustson, CollegeRecruiter.com on January 13, 2007 at 1:11 PM | Leave a Comment (0)