Archive for the ‘College Students’ Category
Harry Potter and our college quest.
How many times can you remember a book release more anticipated and talked about than the seventh Harry Potter book? Tales of space exploration, halocaust, global warming have never sparked the excitement and obsession for this seventh book by J.K. Rowling. Recognizing the extraordinary phenomenon, the Los Angeles Times postulates today that perhaps it is the result of Rowling’s populist message: The real quest in life is that of personal transformation and not even the Chosen One can go it alone. Leaving home for college is most certainly a MAJOR personal transformation. And for those of us who are past those years, we all can cite times during our college years when we needed the support of family, friends or professors to get through a day. We definitely did not go it alone. However, its not just kids who love Harry Potter. The widespread popularity of Harry Potter to fans of all ages is proof that personal transformations are not merely for the young, and none can go it alone. So enjoy the last book if you’re a fan as I am and look forward to many personal transformations in your future, hopefully surrounded by friends, family and colleagues.
Young Men and College: Aren’t Going and Aren’t Staying?
“Women make up 58 percent of college and university students, with the percentage of men shrinking every year.”
“Nationwide, male students are also much more likely than women to drop out of school, have lower grades, have run-ins with campus judicial systems and even commit crimes…A lot of times its fighting, vandalism, damaging property. The overwhelming majority of the time it involves alcohol.”
“Experts also say men are less likely to seek help from tutors, teachers and counselors than women–one reason they probably drop out more often.”
Orange County Register June 4, 2007.
According to this Register article, university professionals are becoming more interested in serving the specific needs of male students. University of California Irvine Asst. Vice Chancellor Thomas Parham believes boys of all races generally do worse in school because they are more physically active and find it harder to sit and study or listen to a lecture.
Along that line, together with my local PTA book club, I recently read The Minds of Boys: Saving Our Sons from Falling Behind in School and Life, by Michael Gurian. Gurian’s message is that the innate learning style of boys is inconsistent with traditional kindergarten through high school education programs. In addition to brain research, he includes separate chapters on boys with ADD/ADHD, undermotivated boys and sensitive boys. Whether or not Gurian’s specific suggestions for change will be effective in bettering the lot of boys in our schools is yet to be seen. However, Gurian’s work most certainly will raise awareness of the learning differences between boys and girls which is an important first step.
As parents we all know boys are different from girls and boys are different from each other. But if for example, if boys are less likely to seek out help with school then perhaps as parents we need to stay more on top of our son’s grades in order to encourage them to get help when they need it. We hope that by the time our son is in college he will have learned the benefits of seeking help and will initiate it on his own…well, perhaps after a stumble or two freshman year.
On my son’s graduation day from Oberlin College, I felt pride and relief that he had stuck it out. So many of his male friends from freshmen year didn’t cross the stage that day. As he gathered his cap and diploma, a woman rushed up to him and gave him a giant hug–it was his tutor from the learning center who he finally sought out his sophomore year. After the ceremony driving to lunch he summed it up perfectly with a big smile on his face, “I’m never going to school again!” Well two years later he makes mention from time to time of graduate school, but no definite plans. He loves his work as a musician which pays the rent so everything is good.
PS In the interest of equal time…a very different book but one about challenges girls are facing is Stressed-Out Girls: Helping Them Thrive in the Age of Pressure, by Roni Cohen-Sandler, Ph.D. Subject for future blog.
But I Don’t Qualify for Financial Aid…You Might Be Surprised!
Southern California, April 12…sunny skies, breezy and 70 degrees…perfect weather for staying inside, completing your taxes, waiting in line at the Post Office AND coming straight home to complete your son or daughter’s FAFSA!?!…Free Application for Federal Student Aid: the form required to be completed by all applicants for federal student aid and sufficient for most states and private colleges to establish eligibility for non-federally sponsored aid programs.
The FAFSA can be completed entirely on line in little over an hour using data from your current 1040 forms. What is considered when calculating student need? Annual income and value of investments are the two major factors. NOT considered is the value of your primary residence! [Note I recommend that you sign your student’s FAFSA electronically by requesting a pin. It will take a day or so now, but save you a lot of time in future years.And remember even if you are denied aid this year, reapply in future years.]
You will be asked to enter the code for the school(s) your son/daughter plans to attend next year. …DON’T wait for a final decision.
Every day that passes the line is forming for financial aid at each college and university.
The individual colleges and universities may ask you to provide them with additional information to complete the application. In my experience satisfying these requests takes mimimal time.
It is hard to predict whether or not your son/daughter qualifies for financial aid. It depends on you, them, other students applying, their parents and the financial aid at the discretion of the college or university. So stay inside one more hour and complete your FAFSA. Good luck!
P.S. The sooner the better for submitting a FAFSA, but it’s never too late…summer or even during the school year. The size of the pot of available moneys is just shrinking. But we all know circumstances don’t always change according to schedule, so never hesitate to approach the Office of Financial Aid at your son or daughter’s college at any time throughout the years. They want your son/daughter to have the opportunity to graduate from their college.
March Madness: Player or Fan It’s Fun!
Speaking from experience, participating in college sports can be one of the highlights of your college years. Though most college athletes never have the opportunity to participate in the NCAA’s March Madness, “March Madness” happens at thousands of colleges and universities across the country throughout the year. The “Madness” doesn’t just surround basketball and football, but it is just as likely to happen at a LaCrosse, Ice Hockey or Volleyball game.
The “Madness” I speak of is not the game itself, but instead its waiting in line to get a ticket, wearing your school colors, maybe painting your face (big games), getting there early to cheer before the team even arrives, cheering every point scored, challenging every “bad” call, and when its over win or lose singing the school’s alma mater, going back to your dorm or house to debate what happened and plan for your next big game. College sports…nothing matches the excitement or emotion.
For those of you considering participating as an athlete at your college or university there is an extensive set of rules governing Division I and Division II participation. These rules do not apply to Division III schools. if you go to the National Collegiate Athletic Association website[ www.ncaa.org. ] you can find out which NCAA Division the schools you are interested in belong to. Don’t be fooled, size and TV time are not the determining factors: University of Southern California and University of the Pacific are both NCAA Division I teams.
At the end of your junior year, potential collegiate athletes must complete the NCAA’s Initial Eligibility form along with the NCAA Amateurism Certificate. These forms and the NCAA’s recruiting rules can all be found on their website. You will also need to send to the NCAA Clearinghouse a transcript with six high school semester’s grades along with SAT and/or ACT test scores. The NCAA will then “clear” you to participate in college athletics. For this “service” you will need to send a check to the NCAA as well. Even if you believe you will participate in a Division III sport, I recommend that you go through this process to leave all other options open to you.
Happily fans are “clear to cheer” for their teams the day they set foot on the campus. What better than to have all the “March Madness” without those long practices the athletes have to go through? Wherever you go become a fan, it’s fun.
College Freshmen and Depression
“In the fall of 2005, psychiatrist J. Anderson Thomson Jr. was treating an 18-year- old college freshman whom he describes as ‘intensely depressed, feeling suicidal and doing self-cutting.’ A few years before, Thomson says, he would have interpreted her depression as anger turned inward. But instead he decided that her symptoms might be a way of signaling her unhappiness to people close to her. He discovered that his client’s parents had pressured her to attend the university and major in science, even though her real interest lay in the arts. In the course of therapy, he helped her become more assertive about her goals. When she transferred to another school and changed majors, he says, her depression lifted.” [Los Angeles Times, Health F1,2/12/07.]
Applying a new concept from evolutionary psychology, Thomson based his approach on the idea that depression is not simply a disease to be eliminated, but a way of eliciting support from family and friends. Speaking to you not as a trained psychologist, but as a mother of three, I am certain treating depression must involve multiple independent tools but Thomson’s tool should not be forgotten as it rings true in my children’s anecdotal experiences both in the high school and college world.
Going away to college is a stressful change to say the least. What can we do?
First thing, when you drop your freshman at their dorm, don’t leave until you have the cell phone number of their Resident Advisor. Even if you student is happy from day one you may find the number useful to have the RA pin a “Happy Birthday” banner on your student’s door.
Second, listen to your college freshmen, listen not only to what they say, but to what they sound like. It’s not really all that different from high school. It’s just harder to collect the data. Are they doing their work for school? Are they having fun with usual friends doing the usual things? Has anything changed about their day…sleeping more, eating less or more, more time on the computer? [You can see from this that you will need to learn who your student’s friends are…visit the school and take them out for free meals. It’s easy–college kids will talk for food.]
One parting thought…children of all ages experience change and stress…different times, different reasons for each child. But we should remember part of the depression might be reaching out for support at any age.
Don’t Wait to be Accepted. Find the Money Now!
Just as important as completing a persuasive and complete application for admission is completing a persuasive and complete application for financial aid. Don’t wait until your student is accepted to try to figure out how you will pay the college bill. If you wait for the acceptance letter it will be too late. Now is the time in order to give colleges the opportunity to put together a financial aid package.
Most important first step is to go to the website of every college to which your student applied and read it carefully and thoroughly. Each college has different aid forms and deadlines. Dont hesitate to call the financial aid office if you have questions.
To follow is a list of terms you will encounter as you research the financial aid requirements of each college:
Financial Aid: A general term used to refer to all types of money awarded to student based on financial need. It can include grants, loans, work-study and scholarships.
FAFSA (Free application for federal student aid): Completing the online (or paper) FAFSA is the first step toward applying for federal financial aid at any college. Dont wait until your 2006 taxes are complete, you can begin completing it now. The site walks you through step by step and even the technically challenged like myself can get through it.
CSS Profile (College Scholarship Service): some colleges that award non-federal funds require that this profile be completed. It is a division of the College Board who charges a family $5 registration fee and $18 to submit to each college. AGAIN check each college’s web site to see if this is necessary.
SAR (Student Aid Report): The Department of Education will send a SAR to the applicant and the colleges selected by applicant based on information provided in the FAFSA. The SAR will contain a dollar amount, EFC(Expected Family Contribution) that the family is expected to contribute to college expenses that year.
Demonstrated Need: The difference between the EFC and real cost of attending college.Some colleges are committed to meeting this difference and others are not.
Grants and Scholarships: Federal government and states have systems for granting or giving money to students with demonstrated financial need. It can be used for public or private colleges. Scholarships can also be awarded by colleges or outside sources for achievement, special talents or other particular reasons. These do not need to be repaid.
Loans: Loans must be repaid by students and/or parents and can come from federally funded loans, colleges themselves or banks. Watch the terms carefully and be proactive whenever possible to improve them.
Merit aid: Merit scholarships are awarded to students to entice them to attend the college. They do not have to be repaid.
Work-study: The federal work-study program is a way for students to earn money to help pay for college expenses. Jobs can be on or off campus, though off-campus jobs are usually related to community service. Even if your student does not qualify for work study have them seek work opportunities organized through the college as they are often more understanding of college testing schedules and vacations.
College “Wrong Carrot” for Some?
In an article in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal entitled “What’s Wrong With Vocational School” Charles Murray argues that too many high school graduates are going to four-year colleges. Getting past Murray’s troubling reliance on an IQ of 100 as a cut-off of sorts for students going to a four-year college, Murray should cause parents and educators to pause and consider both the personal and societal value of alternatives to a college education. Assuming value in a vocational education is found, the obvious first step is to expose high school students (or even middle school students) to classes that expose them to the various vocations, just as high schools currently expose their students to the sciences, math, music etc. But how can we expect high schools to offer vocational classes if their success is judged both locally and nationally by student performance on standardized tests in math, science and english to say nothing of the reality that parents often select their child’s high school based on how many graduates go on to a four-year colleges? Murray’s article correctly focuses attention on the symptom–“wrong kids” going to college, but readers should recognize the source of the problem is not the kid or the parent, but is state and federally mandated curriculum that dangles the “wrong carrot”–college for all. In fact , a large percentage of high school students might be better off in their adult lives if they were “left behind” from college and attended vocational school.
Scholarships in a nutshell.
What to ask about scholarships.
Keep these questions in mind:Â Â Â Â
- What is the maximum scholarship award?
- Is the scholarship one-time or can it be renewed?
- What’s required for renewal?
- Is the scholarship based on merit or need, or a combination?
- How does the scholarship define merit?
- Does the scholarship require admission to a certain college program?
- Is full-time enrollment required to get and keep the scholarship?
- What are the other requirements, if any?
- Is an essay required?
- Are recommendation letters required?
- What is the deadline?
- How does the college treat “outside” scholarships? Some schools let students combine outside scholarships with financial aid from the college with no impact on a student’s financial-aid package. Others will reduce the package if you get outside scholarships. Check with the college.
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