Financial Planning for College

Anderson, Ball State, Butler, Indiana, IPFW, IUSB, Manchester, Notre Dame, Purdue, St. Mary's,  and Taylor are only a few of the colleges and universities from which a student may choose to attend.  Depending on the course of study and type of environment he or she prefers, any one of them will be a great choice.  The big question for students and their parents is, 'How are we going to pay for this?'

The National Center for College Costs is an excellent resource providing just such information.  This organization provides free support and advice on a broad range for those interested in pursuing higher education.  This is exclusively for those who reside in Elkhart County (& other counties that are funded).  I had the opportunity to attend a workshop where Dave Murray, from The National Center for College Costs, gave a dynamic presentation on the College Cost Estimator, which is only one of the many services provided by the organizaton.   

The College Cost Estimator is a FREE tool for parents and students to use that enables them to find out the amounts of federal and state awards and grants available to them, and the estimated amount that parents and/or students will be expected to pay.  To complete the form, parents and students need their information from their W-2 form; students also need to know their G.P.A. and have a ready list of colleges they are interested in attending. (They may have already applied, or are getting ready to apply).  After that is submitted, the college cost estimator will do the rest.  You will receive your results in the form of a customized College Costs Estimator report either at a College Costs Estimator workshop (at your school or other designated location) or through the mail.  You may email or actually speak to a person regarding any questions you may have.  Their main goal is to help parents and students find ways to plan and fund a college education - there is never a cost involved in their services.  Also, it is important to note your child does not have to be a senior to begin using this resource, and it is also available for adults who have long since graduated from high school!

When you go to the link for the National Center for College Costs, you may go to the "Hot Topics" tab to download printable materials, or under the "Our Programs" tab you can find the Online College Cost Estimator.

Other items of interest you may find include: a listing of Indiana College Costs, tips for Writng a College Application Essay, and Scholarship Searches (under Hot Topics). 

By using this resource, it is my hope that students and parents may see that pursuing higher education is not simply a dream, but a reality.

Make a Plan, Work Your Plan

When a student is a seventh or eighth grader he may not always see the value in planning ahead. That senior year seems like a long way off. But before he knows it, he will be making plans for college. As a parent, I am realizing college plans will be in my son's future way too soon!

It is never too early to start setting goals and devising a plan to obtain them. I have a good friend whose motto is "Make a plan, and then work your plan!" He has lived his life by this - and has become quite successful I might add!

Often times I see students who get very frustrated and quit trying when life gets tough. I try to assure them that it is just like traveling to a far-away destination by car. The 'MapQuest' search has been done, the car is packed, the gas tank is full and you are ready to go. Sometimes you can make it without a hitch, and sometimes you get part way and you come upon an unexpected road block - that isn't on the 'MapQuest' detail. Then you need to stop, re-evaluate and make an adjustment. You may need to stop and ask directions, but ultimately a different route will need to taken. This can happen more than once on one trip and it certainly can be frustrating, but it doesn't mean you turn around and go back home. In most cases, people realize how much they want to arrive at their destination and make it a priority to find a way to get there, regardless of the detours.

Life works in exactly the same way. Students simply need to keep in mind that there is more than one way to reach a goal, no matter how many detours they might need to take along the way. They need to make reaching that goal a priority. It is also important to keep in mind it is perfectly okay to change the goal - as long as there is a plan to make it happen.

Here are a few links that may give students and parents some simple guidelines to follow through the high school years. So you can start 'making a plan and working your plan.'

Senior Year
Junior Year
Sophomore Year
Freshman Year

ASVAB TESTING

Everyone always asks, 'Just what is the ASVAB Test anyway?' It is actually a career exploration tool. The acronym ASVAB actually stands for: Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. Unlike an achievement test which measures skills that you have worked on and developed, an aptitude test attempts to measure your capacity for learning. It can help someone predict certain areas she or he may do well in as a career.

The ASVAB Test has four major areas of concentration: Arithmetic Reasoning, Word Knowledge, Paragraph Comprehension and Mathematics Knowledge. In addition it contains test questions covering General Science, Electronic Information, Mechanical Comprehension and Auto & Shop Information. The scores help determine strengths and weaknesses, that can direct someone into a particular career field.

There is an additional interest inventory to complete once the scores are received. The inventory helps a person determine a career area of interest such as Artistic, Realistic, Investigative, Social, Enterprising,or Conventional. That result will direct a person towards a particular career cluster - under which are listed numerous jobs which a person might choose.

The ASVAB is a very useful tool for students who simply have no idea what they want to be when they grow up.

At Fairfield test results will be distributed tomorrow. There will be a meeting in the auditorium during homeroom to go over test scores and explain how to complete the interest inventory. Students can access OCCU-Find to learn more information about particular careers.

Digital Reputation Part 2

So...a "friend" has posted a most unflattering picture, video or comment about you, what can you do about it? One of the first things you should do is ask that person to remove it as soon as possible. The longer you wait the more people will see it, tag it and continue to circulate it - making it all the more difficult to get rid of. You can also flag it, then Facebook will remove it for you. You can, of course, 'remove tag'and delete as many of the images as you can on your own.

If someone has sent a picture through their cell phone, you can notify your cell phone carrier, or theirs, and they can help you find and stop the picture from circulating. It may not always be an easy task, but certainly well worth it in the end.

Let's say you didn't get to the picture/video or comment about you in a timely manner and it is out there and keeps popping up; there is still a way to help you save face. Start posting as many positive comments and images about yourself as you can. Or start a blog that shows you in a positive light, and have as many of your friends as possible write positive comments. This will help counteract the negative image portrayed and push the negative things to the bottom of the list.

Remember everyone makes mistakes - but you don't have to have them displayed for the world to see. Inappropriate postings may end up affecting future college acceptance and job opportunities. I think younger people may have an especially hard time realizing the long-term consequences of their actions because those are 'far away'. Just remember once that image is out there - it can be passed around with the touch of a button to hundreds of people, and it can truly be out there FOREVER. That is why I am really trying to get the word out about how important it is to know this and how you can prevent it.

*Just an additional side note...it might be even more wise to simply not put yourself in situations to have an unflattering picture/video taken of you.

If you didn't watch the video from iKeepSafe, I again urge you to do so. The people in the videos are real people, and those things actually did happen to them. Let's not see it happen to you!

Digital Reputation Part 1

I went to a counseling conference this week and sat in on a session hosted by Marsali Hancock who is President of the Internet iKeepSafe Coalition. She presented some very valuable information regarding Students'Digital Reputations. I thought this would be an excellent first topic to post on my blog. I don't believe I was totally aware of the overall impact of posting information on the internet and how it can impact a person's future - FOREVER! I am posting a link for students and parents to view videos on the ramifications of someone posting damaging digital images, as well as the surprising opportunities that can be discovered by posting positive personal information. Students I urge you share this information with your parents, siblings and friends. Here is the link iKeepSafe.

***IMPORTANT NOTE***
I also learned that colleges and universities are now using internet searches to find information on students who have applied. If they find negative information it could likely hurt a student's chances of getting accepted into that college or university.