If You Don't Believe In Yourself Why Should I?

Lately I have been getting a lot of inquiries from high school and college students who are trying to get things together for the summer. They are taking the steps to secure employment, however many of them are settling on applying for jobs that are just that jobs that really are not related to their area of interest in any way, shape or form.

I can not begin to stress how important it is to utilize your student status while you have it. In general, organizations are more open to hiring students than they are recent graduates or anyone who is looking for full-time employment. I know its hard to pass up job opportunities that may pay well, but it is important to keep your big picture in mind and start building the foundation for your career.

Believe in yourself enough to find the opportunities that you know would benefit you. If you don't believe in yourself enough to find the opportunities don't expect for them to jump in your lap. Prove to people that you want what you want. Get your foot in the door first before you decide to play it safe!

Rankings and You

I guess this is the time of year when you start seeing the new rankings of colleges come out. Most popular magazines find a way to rank schools based on something, such as: Best School, Best Party School, Best College Buy...etc. Although the magazines try to justify their rankings through whatever methodology they choose to use, for the most part always remember that they are really trying to sell their magazine. Students who are in the process of choosing and deciding on where they should attend college are just another 'target market' that magazines are aiming to generate more sales of their magazine.

Unfortunately, to many students and parents trust the list as gospel and leave off their list some really good schools with really good programs. Personally, I obtained my bachelors and masters degree from a school that consistently ranked on the Best Party School list for years. Did they party? Yes. But so did the students at schools who didn't make the list. Thankfully I did not avoid applying to my college based on the party school ranking or I would have missed the great education that I received from Ohio University, who is also ranked as having some of the best programs in sport management, journalism, and medicine!

I think it is ok to read the rankings, but remember that only you can make the right decision for you. You have to go the school that is the right fit for you. If you can visit the school, talk to the students, and decide for yourself if it truly is or is not the place for you.

What Are Your Summer Plans?

I am often surprised by the number of high school and college students who do not make summer employment plans until summer is knocking at the door. One way to help yourself stand out as a undergraduate or graduate college applicant is to be able to boast that you have attempted to prepare yourself academically, and also professionally by using school breaks (summer, fall, winter, and spring) to gain experience. This is extremely important for students who have some blemishes on their academic record.

Gaining professional experience in your area of interest allows you to 'test-drive' your potential career. In addition, it demonstrates to college admission review boards that you aren't just about talking about what you want to do, you are beginning to do what you want to do. And finally, if your experiences are positive, it may provide you with the extra motivation you need to jump through the hoops and hurdles required of you to finish either high school and graduate school.

Everyone who knows me can testify that I am not a person who subscribes to having a lot of rhetoric. For myself, and for anyone asking my advice on preparing for school or their career, I believe one thing is true: don't say what you want to do, do what you want to do. So if you have not already done so, begin searching organizations or businesses in your area of interest and either apply for a formal internship program or offer to volunteer a few hours every week during the summer. Make your goals a reality by putting your foundation into place today.

How Does Your State Rate?

Find out how your state rates when it comes to higher education. This tool provides some insight on how conservative or liberal states are when it comes to financial aid.

Measuring UP

College Advice...Be Selective

For some time I weighed the decision as to whether or not College Strategies would host a public forum for students to ask and answer questions about the college admission process. There are currently some really popular forums that already exist so I have decided to contribute some advice on those forums instead. Although asking general questions about college admissions in this manner is ok, and you will receive some good advice, I am a little concerned about the students who may be making major decisions that could affect them for the rest of their lives based on the advice given by absolute strangers.

If you have a variety of specific questions about selecting a major, selecting a school, how to make your applications stronger, although it is may be an expense, you really should consider hiring an educational consultant. College Strategies offers this type of service, however you can also research others companies with the list provided by the Higher Educational Consultants Association to search other companies and independent consultants.

Free advice is nice at times, but sometimes it is worth working with a professional who has experience.

Should you tweek the essay?

On a message board I offer advice a student asked the question if it is ok to send a short story instead of an essay on the required topic? The answer unfortunately is no. Do your best to answer the question that is being asked. Don't make any assumptions when it comes to completing admission applications, just provide the information that is being required.

I have many years of admission experience, and have also helped design admission applications, every question asked has an intended purpose otherwise they wouldn't have asked. If you decide not to answer the question directly you may run the risk of sending the message that you don't know how to follow instructions, and that doesn't sit well with those who are trying to decide if they should admit you to their school.

Back on the scene!

I apologize to the readers of this blog for the long pauses in post. My accomplishment today will hopefully free up some time that I can devote to keeping this blog more current and full of information for its readers. Today I passed my dissertation defense and became Dr. Chrystal Denmark Porter!

Now back to work on getting you into college!

The One Constant in Education

College cost have a will continue to sore. That is a constant that we will all be guaranteed. The article Paying for Your Education...Forever, emphasizes how college cost continue to rise. College Strategies works on your behalf to find scholarships and help you prepare the scholarship applications as a means to improve your chances for receiving the scholarships. You should begin searching for scholarship even before you begin searching for your school.

Free College Consultant Service

If you are wondering whether or not you need a college consultant to help you during your college admission process College Strategies has a way for you to "test drive" our services.

If you are a high school senior, college transfer student, or graduate applicant we will allow you to submit one (1) application essay for us to critique.

If you are a high school freshmen, sophomore, or junior we will find you two (2) scholarships that you could likely apply.

For more information please visit our web site at: www.CollegeStrategiesOnline.com

Financial Aid 101

I thought this was a good article on Financial Aid 101. Eight Tips To Getting Financial Aid.

For students that are already accepted, remember most schools will need for you to file for financial aid before they will consider you for any institutional scholarships. Many consider only students who filed for financial aid before March 1.

Rising College Cost!

The title of the article says it all Average College Cost Break $30,000.

Now more than ever, students NEED to begin their college and scholarship search during their freshman year so they can maximize their opportunities to find money for college. If you are looking for help with performing a through scholarship search, regardless of your grade level, please contact me at: MyStrategyCoach@aol.com. College Strategies's 30-Day Scholarship Search Service can help you locate where the opportunities exist.

Financial Aid Season is Here

January 1st has come and gone, most students have heard or will be hearing back from schools on their acceptance status. Regardless, it is time for families to get their papers together to file for financial aid. Usually financing college is the biggest concern for most families, yet they wait to fill out the very paperwork that will not only determine if they can receive federal assistance, it is often used in the equations offered by individual schools when determining scholarships, grants, and loans.

Even if you don't plan to file your taxes any time soon, you can still complete the FAFSA with estimates on how you will file, and then revise the information later. You also do not have to wait until you have committed to a school, the form allows you the opportunity to send the information to a the schools you are or planning to apply.

To find out more about the FAFSA visit www.fafsa.ed.gov.

Why Hire a Private College Advisor?

People are always curious about my company, and wonder if students truly need a college admission advisor, in addition to their high school guidance counselor. There is no simple answer because every situation is unique, but hiring a college admission advisor may provide a student with a variety of advantages both personally and professionally.

Often private advisors have worked in college admission so they are able to offer you advice and give you insight on the college admission process, as well as steer you away from making common applicant mistakes. The closest similarity that I think most people can relate is a when someone talks with a person who currently works or previously worked at a place where they are applying for a job. That insider can tell the applicant not only the ins-and-outs of the job and the environment, but they can also give them pointers on what to emphasize during the interview, give information to the applicant about who they will be interviewing with, and possibly give the applicant suggestions on how to stick out from the rest of the applicant pool.

College admission is cyclical in nature. The "application season" comes around once a year, and college admission counselors approach it like the many other aspects of their jobs. They usually are responsible for reading a stack of applications. They usually spend a set amount of time with each application, and have little time to even consider the effort that may have been put into an application if they consider it to be less than stellar. But on the flip side, if there are any errors, many will have the thought that the student isn't taking the process seriously since they submitted an application with errors, even if that is not the case.

Personally, as a private college admission advisor, I will work with students to not only ensure the applications are flawless, but also make sure they communicate a real story about a real person. Although I can't make any guarantees, I can assure students that they will feel confident the person reading the file will truly become acquainted with them, even if it is only on paper.

If you still opt not to use a college admission advisor, my advice to you is to remember ERRORS ARE NOT FORGIVEN and DO NOT ASSUME ANYTHING!!! Allow yourself some breathing room and at least investigate hiring a private college admission advisor, or at the very least pick up a good book that explains how to approach the process.

Times Are Changing

I recently completed the first draft to my dissertation "The Collegiate Expectations of Millennial College Students", so I am pretty current with many of the differences that today's students have while in college when compared to previous generations. However, one area I was not aware of until today is that some colleges are allowing men and women room together. For more information on this developing trend check out The Christian Science Monitors article on the subject.

Colleges Already Know You

Recently I was on WGN Radio on the John William's Show discussing my services and what students need to do to make themselves more attractive candidates for admission (and not wait-list or deferred-list). The host was surprised when I talked about the fact that colleges start collecting information on students as early as middle school, so by the time they apply in their senior year most schools already know who you are. A recent CNN.com article talks about some of the recruitment strategies that college admission offices are using to collect information about students as well as attract students.

Online Education

I am a full supporter of online educational opportunities. High school students can use the online format to continue to take classes in areas that interest them but are unable to take at their own high school or local community college. College students can complete whole degrees, or transfer the credit they receive from their online classes so they meet their graduation requirements.

However, all online schools are not created equal. In fact, some of them are not schools at all. For those of you who are interested in exploring online opportunities, please visit the US Department of Education's database that communicates the accreditation status of colleges and universities. If the school is not regionally or nationally accredited you may want to pursue other avenues.

Public Versus Private Colleges

I am often asked by my clients if there are any advantages to attending a private college versus a public one. Although type has its own advantages, I think it is more important to find the school that meets your needs as a student.

A recent article by The New York Times provides perspective on this topic for families. Check it out!

Sharing the Wealth

The following is an interesting article that appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer (Public colleges giving more aid to the wealthiest) on how more public colleges are providing more financial aid to wealthy families. As all types of schools become more competitive and want to be perceived as prestigious, this will continue to be the trend.

For students who are almost totally reliant on financial aid, you must educate yourself about the process well before your senior year to maximize your possibilities. In addition to having more time to prepare scholarship applications and write essays, you will likely have the opportunity to earn more money for yourself as well. Securing financial aid is something that shouldn't be taken lightly and requires a great deal of time and effort.

Money for College

Even if you get admitted to college, will you be able to afford it? Many students make the mistake to wait until their senior year to investigate scholarship opportunities, but then find out several things including:

1. They could have applied for a variety of scholarships earlier in their academic career.

2. They are too pressed for time to apply for college, remain involved in their academics and extracurricular activities, and then apply and meet the criteria for scholarships they find.

3. They don't know where to go to find the information about scholarships.

My advice: It is never to early to start searching for money. Begin your freshmen year, and if you can apply go ahead and give it your best. Also, you have got to make the time to apply even with all that is going on.

Some students are finding that even though they were able to get admitted to their college of choice, they are not able to afford it and are then forced to attend another school. Check out this article on this exact subject called Studies Show Most States Fail in Financial Aid.

Choosing College

The College Strategies blog is back! Looking for a reason or two or three about whether or no college is worth all the struggle? Check out: Why College Is the Intelligent Choice