With the state of our nation's economy, being wait-listed is the least of a student's many worries. College expenses continue to rise, yet, enrollment in two- and four-year institutions has increased. The reason for this says, Ann Hatch, district director of media relations for Dallas County Community College District (DCCCD), is that "during tough economic times, the trend that almost all higher education institutions see -- both two- and four-year colleges and universities -- is an increase in enrollment as people seek to return to college or extend their studies so that they can obtain knowledge and/or learn skills that either make them more valuable to current employers or provide them with attractive skills for new employers. Some also are losing jobs in one field and choosing to create new careers in completely different fields."

Schools like Harvard and the University of California system have devised ways to ease the burden of going to college for all students, but especially for those who come from families with incomes below $60,000 per year. But they aren't alone in their desire to accomodate students and their families.

"Many colleges are trying to bring home their value message to prospective students and/or finding ways to be more responsive to student need (through financial aid) and student payment," said Alisa Johnson, dean of enrollment management for Unity College.

Interestingly, wait-listing students hasn't abated. "many schools will most likely keep a much larger wait list to draw from throughout the summer. Having to 'dive deep' into the wait list may increase the risk of actually diminishing the academic profile for the year - but every college has an incoming class size goal they want to meet," said Johnson.

Although economic times are hard, colleges and universities are still receivi applications. The desire to be competitive in an increasingly tough job market seems to be the main reason. Enrollment in community colleges has increased because they are more affordable than many four-year institutions, but also because they have ceritification and associate degree programs for popular career fields like information technology and healthcare.

Posted by Candice Arnold on February 18, 2009 at 3:42 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Parents,

This is a list of tools your student may need. LifeHacker.org compiled this list. Cut and paste this information and send it to your student TODAY! They will appreciate this kind of help.

Email: Gmail
Register for a solid, plain-jane email address from Gmail, something like FirstnameLastname@gmail.com. If your school sends important information only to your school email account, have it forwarded to your Gmail account. When you graduate, you'll lose that school address - don't invest too much of your social identity in an address you'll lose someday. And while that .oOAwesomeChickOo.@goober.com email address seems like fun now, it won't be much use he you start applying for internships, scholarships, and jobs.
Word Processor: Google Docs/Zoho Writer/Buzzword
Online word processing offers solid features (minus a few bells and whistles you aren't likely to need) with the ability to access your work from any web-connected computer. Google and Zoho lead the pack at the moment, though Buzzword's gorgeous interface makes it a definite contender.
Spreadsheet: Google Docs/Zoho Sheet/EditGrid
Again, Google and Zoho both offer strong online spreadsheets; if you're using them for word processing, you might as well stick with them for spreadsheets. EditGrid's emphasis on collaboration (they even have a FaceBook app) and strong feature-set make it well worth checking out.

Student Organizer: Notely/MyNoteIt/GradeMate
Online organizers designed with students in mind, these services offer the ability to create, organize, and share notes, create reminders for important assignments, track grades and schedules, and generally keep on top of your student life. Each offers a slightly different feature-set and approach to student organization; pick the one that fits you best.
Todo List: Toodledo/Remember the Milk
Good, solid general-purpose task lists that allow you to sort tasks by date, priority, project, and just about any other way that strikes your fancy. Send yourself reminders by SMS, email, IM, or RSS. Access on your computer or any web-enabled mobile device, even by voice using Jott. Integrate with GMail (Remember the Milk only), iGoogle, Google Calendar, and various other apps and services.
Mindmapping: Bubbl.us/Mindomo/Mind42/MindMeister
Release your creativity and organize your thoughts using an online mindmapping tool. Collaborate with others and publish your mindmaps. Use to generate ideas for your papers and export in outline format.
Textbook Search: BookFinder
Search over a hundred online bookstores for used or cheap copies of your required texts.
Bookmark Manager: del.icio.us
Still the best place for storing, organizing, sharing, and discovering online resources. Tag bookmarks with the name of each project you're working on to create an online research reference. Tag by subject to recall possible topics for later papers.
Notebook: Google Notebook
Use Google Notebook to keep track of pages, pictures, excerpts, and other material for papers and projects. Create a new notebook for each class or essay. Share resources by publishing your notebooks to the web.
WIki: PBWiki/WikiDot
Another way to build and share resources like notes, collaborative papers, etc. Wikis offer incredible ease of use and are ideal for working with others.
Bibliography Creator: OttoBib
Enter the ISBNs of all the books you used in a paper; OttoBib returns a perfectly formatted bibliography ready to cut and paste into your paper's "Works Cited" page.

Article by, College Parenting Expert, Dr. Debi Yohn, whose advice on successfully getting college students through college with an emphasis on graduation and rewarding employment is sought by parents from around the world. Now for the first time, she reveals 27 Winning Strategies for Success - a guidebook geared to parents of new college students. Get her free e-Book now at http://www.collegeparentsadvice.com/ and improve your child's chances of a successful college experience.

Posted by Candice Arnold on February 16, 2009 at 12:32 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

In a previous post, I talked about college students buying franchises to earn money instead of getting regular jobs. Owning and operating a franchise pays more than the average internship and teaches a lot more than could ever be learned in a classroom. Business isn't for everybody; but for those who are passionate about it, there are organizations like Kauffman.org to help foster their young entrepreneur spirits early.

Young entrepreneurs who start early, like the neighborhood boys who mow lawns in the summer and shovel snow in the winter or neighborhood girls who baby sit, are already laying the groundwork for successful careers in the future. There's more to young entrepreneurship than selling lemonade or tutoring classmates, and Kauffman.org has the tools and opportunities that high school or college students with a passion for business will need to start planning their futures as entrepreneurs.

But you don't have to be planning a career in business to enjoy the educational benefits of young entrepreneurship. It's open to anyone who wants to learn valuable skills that can help them be successful in any career field.

Posted by Candice Arnold on February 9, 2009 at 2:43 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Imagine graduating from college with zero debt. Some people don't have to imagine it; they're fortunate enough to live it. Most of us, though, have a long-term relationship established with our student loans. Well, Harvard University may have changed all that for future graduates.

Thanks to the prestigious university's Financial Aid Initiative, which was announced in December 2007, students whose parents' combined income is less than $60,000 per year, are eligible for a four-year grant to attend. The program, according to the FAQ page, is entirely need-based and considers such factors as income, assets, size of family and "unusual expenses."

Assets like retirement funds and home equity are no longer considered when assessing a student's financial need. And students whose family incomes exceeds $60,000 per year can still qualify for grants to reduce their overall debt after graduation.

Harvard's standards of academic excellence haven't diminished along with the tuition, mind you. The Financial Aid Initiative simply makes it possible for high-caliber students to get a stellar education, regardless of their families' incomes. Considering what the nation's economy looks like right now, Harvard's generosity can't be beat.

For more information visit:

http://www.fao.fas.harvard.edu

Posted by Candice Arnold on February 4, 2009 at 1:07 PM | Leave a Comment (0)