Let's Go to College!

Summer Programs for High School Students

There’s a hundred and four days of summer vacation and school comes along to end it. The annual problem for our kids’ generation is finding a way to spend it. Gail Grand of Enrichment Alley presented on the various options students have for summer programs and internships. Summer programs are made for high school students who are interested in exploring college and spending their summer taking college classes and getting a taste of college life. There are boarding style programs and local commuter programs.

These programs would be a good fit for a mature student as there is a lot of on your own time in the residential program. It is important to also have students who keep up with study skills because of the fast paced nature of summer school. While this is an experience that requires tuition pay, there are financial aid options. Some colleges will sponsor a student who has adverse financial issues.

There are different types of programs for different types of people. Programs can vary from short terms, slice of college life, and career and major exploration. Gail Grand gave examples of summer programs such as Free Math (University of Washington), Inner Spark (California State University), Three Days of Fashion (FIDM), SMARTS (UCLA), and more.

Jill Levin (Tips on Trips and Camps) also talked about overnight summer opportunities that are open to 9^th grade students. She highlighted community service opportunities and teaching the value of giving back. She also talked about programs for students involved in summer conditioning that there are programs available to them that allow summer conditioning while they are performing community service in Peru or South Africa. She also talked about abroad programs on cultural exploration and outdoor adventure.

The right summer program can make all the difference. It’s important to find out what students are mature to handle the residential life and who have a serious commitment to their studies to connect them with summer programs.

Ethical Practices in College Counseling

This was one of the more unique sessions at SLC. Pepperdine University and Oaks Christian School hosted this session. Essentially, the panel discussed principals of good practice. Because it was a small group, we had a seminar discussion on case studies in ethical issues that have come up in college counseling. Acreas of confidentiality, trust, professionalism, and how to keep rapport with all parties involved while upholding the NACAC Statement of Principles and Good Practices.

Wanted: New College Counselors

Three local Los Angeles counselors teamed up to lead this session for the new generation of college counselors. They emphasized on the need for a user friendly college center. The more help you can provide the school community, the better. New college counselors should find a mentor to help them through the first couple of years adjusting to the new position.

A counselor also talked about the importance of having student peer counselors helping the college center. Typically, the ideal is to have a group of peer counselors that reflect the student population of the school. About 15 peers are selected to help guide all students to best prepare them for college and help them get ready to apply for college.

Public relations skills are also key for new college counselors. Another counselor talked about the types of material college counselors should have to collect data and she also provided examples of what makes an effective flyer or promotional material to advertise a college event like a financial aid night.

The panelists emphasized keeping and collecting data. “If you don’t have a sign in sheet, start one on Monday,” said a panelist. Keeping data allows the new counselor to advocate for their position.

Share Learn Connect: Los Angeles took place on March 16, 2012 at the University of Southern California. The yearly professional development workshop is typically held four times a year in different regions in California: San Diego, Los Angeles, Bay Area, and Orange County. These events are hosted by WACAC (Western Association of College Admission Counselors) so that current college counselors can be well informed about trends and the state of college admissions in California.

Opening Remarks

After picking up my registration packet, I went straight to Taper Hall to check in for opening statements. This was held in a typical USC classroom; over 100 chairs in a lecture hall. It was also noted that this was the largest SLC held in Los Angeles. Opening statements was presented by Professor William Tierney. His opening statements highlighted economic competitiveness in the 21^st century and how we need to prepare our college bound students. Professor Tierney urged to increase the numbers of admitted students by 100,000 over the next ten years.

Professor Tierney also highlighted five important things college counselors need to do to take care of the low income students and first generation students:

1.  Take financial aid out of the equation – deal with it sooner.
2.  Build college knowledge – teach students note taking skills, study skills, financial literacy
3. Utilize assessments and overcome academic deficiency
4. Build college going culture – use peer networks
5. Offer course that prepare students for college – are the classes academically challenging or are they convenient?

Tierney also remarked that 60% of UC students have taken some form of remedial class. It’s important to best prepare students to be ready for entry level college classes. “Call me old fashioned, but I am big on subject verb agreement,” says Tierney.  More importantly, Tierney emphasized to make 9^th grade count. 9^th grade often gets under looked in the college counseling stage.

Brunch Update

The brunch was held at the Davidson Conference Center. The Big Four: UC, CSU, Private School, and Community Colleges had representatives speak about the state of college admissions. Fullerton, San Luis Obispo, San Jose, and San Diego are all completely impacted. Long Beach is expected to a fully impacted school in 2013. However, CSU still remains to be one of the more affordable schools in California.

The University of California is still in the process of releasing acceptance letters. Over 161,000 applied for Fall 2012. All UC campuses saw gains in admissions. However, there was a decrease of the number of transfer students that applied.

The community college rep alluded to the Old Mother Hubbard story. He mentioned it was the current state of the two year community college system; the cupboard was bare, and so the poor dog had none. There are now longer waiting lists for classes, raising fees are debatable, and over 140,000 students could not register for core classes.

Community Colleges now require a diploma to gain full financial aid, but a GED is permissible. At Santa Monica College, students are given three chances to make up a class. 1 in 3 students have difficulty enrolling in a class. 60% of Santa Monica students take courses online. The Santa Monica rep encouraged students to get the application for community college in as early as possible, get assessed, and get the enrollment date.

The panel encouraged counselors to write to senators, congress to restore commitment to public education.

College Fair

As per Share Learn Connect tradition, California regional representatives from out of state schools tabled to promote information on their respective colleges. This was a great way to know what schools other than CSU and UC’s are available for students. Representatives were excited to talk about what each school has to offer and discussing what kind of students they are looking for.

Kids have over 100 days of summer vacation. Whether they are enrolled in summer school or lazing around the house, it is important to keep our kids learning, even when they are not in the classroom. These five ideas are just some fun ideas how to keep your kids learning and make the most out of a 100 days of summer vacation.

1. Arts and Crafts

A kid does not need summer camp to be creative. Google some activities that your kids might be interested in: paper craft, knitting, etc. There are many tutorials online. Creating crafts will help your kid explore their creative abilities. Supplies for art are relatively affordable.

2. Read a Book…For Fun!

Take your kids to your local bookstore or library and have them explore the young adult section. Introduce your kids to a few of the classics: Little Women, Treasure Island, The Hobbit, etc. There is no greater escape than in the world of a book.

3. Visit a Museum

Whether if it is of art, dinosaurs, wax statues, or even a train museum, taking a trip to a museum allows your kids to have an up close and personal look at history. Museums bring the past to life, making the experience much more meaningful.

4. Volunteer

College admissions are looking to see if a student has a life outside of academics. Volunteering allows a student to get involved in their community. Research has shown that students who volunteer are more likely to graduate from college, build job skills, and learn what it means to contribute to the community.

These are just a few ideas to enhance and enrich learning outside of the classroom. If you have any other ideas, share them in the comments.

References:

http://www.civicyouth.org/the-benefits-of-volunteering-%E2%80%93-what-we-know/

Today is the last day to submit the FAFSA. However, you can still make corrections after the deadline once you have submitted. Once you got the financial aid application out of the way, what do you now?

FAFSA ProTip #7: After You Hit Submit

Remember that section where you fill out what schools you want to send the FAFSA to? The schools will receive your FAFSA information and each school will determine how much financial aid you are going to need. It’s a case by case basis. Some financial aid rewards might be higher than others.

For most students, this is typically the deciding factor - What college is going to offer me the most aid?

You might have heard back from a few colleges if you got accepted. It’s perfectly normal to not know if they will grant you a financial aid award at this point in the game. You would either get an email or another notice mailed to you.

I got my financial aid award! What next?

There’s usually a step by step process to accept your award. It depends on the university. For example, Loyola Marymount University has you log into your student account and you would accept the award that way.

Once you have made your decision where you want to attend, check in with the financial aid office. Make sure they have your information. I cannot tell you the amount of horror stories I have heard from students, “Financial aid screwed me over. I can’t go back this semester.” Always check in your school’s financial aid office!

It’s really important to stay on top of your financial aid status whether if it’s a grant, scholarship, federal or private loan.

Good luck in choosing which college you want to attend!

March 2 is the absolute deadline to submit your FAFSA. It’s also the last day to cross your T’s and dot your I’s. This one is self explanatory, but it must be addressed. 

FAFSA ProTip #6: March 2 is the Deadline

This is around the time when the procrastinators start their FAFSA. If you know what you’re doing and know what to fill in, it’s easy peasy. 

If this is your first time filling out a FAFSA, make sure that you have registered a PIN number. If you are in high school, make sure your parents / legal guardian have a PIN number. You need the PIN number to verify your FAFSA before you submit. 

For those who have submitted and still have other schools to add, tax information to change / add, etc March 2 is the absolute last date to change information and numbers. 

Good luck!