Tamara Keith from American Public Media reports that preparing for the SAT is a good idea, but you’d probably get the same benefit from a $30 at-home study guide as a multi-thousand dollar test-prep course.

David Hawkins from The National Association of College Admissions Counseling says “There needs to be a buyer-beware notice for students and families who are thinking about commercial test preparation.” The group pulled together a report that says the average score increase as a result of prep courses is only 30 points. Out of 2,400.

Hmm … while that might be enough to make or break an Ivy League acceptance for a few people, it’s probably not worth it to the rest of us.

Whether you took an SAT prep course or not, what if your score didn’t turn out quite as high as you’d like? Don’t worry! Standardized tests aren’t for everyone – we know that.

Not all schools require an ACT/SAT score for admission. Schools that don’t often offer a more targeted education, building practical skills rather than general knowledge. Career colleges and technical schools around the country realize that your priorities are different – that test scores don’t matter to you as much as starting a stable career.

Recently, at least nine college institutions have received gifts totaling over $45 million from a mystery donor. What’s unusual is no one, not even the universities, knows where the money came from.

Typically when an educational institution receives an anonymous donation – they are allowed to know the identity of the donor.  In the recent donation sweep, however – lawyers and middlemen have cornered academic institutions into signed agreements not only disallowing them to know the identity of the donor, but promising not to try and find out.

Some of the schools that received the donations are the University of Iowa colleges receiving 7 million, the University of Southern Mississippi college receiving 6 million, and Purdue’s Indiana college receiving 8 million. It’s not clear whether the gifts come from an individual, organization or group of people with similar interests.

All donations were given on March 1st. Each came with the stipulation that most of the money must go to student scholarships.
Donations have dwindled at several colleges, and many schools have been trying to make ends meet during this economic downturn. These gifts show that someone recognizes the importance of higher education and truly wants to make a difference in the lives of students.  Historically speaking, and only exempting some of the Ivy League institutions – a larger endowment is a typical prelude to enrollment increase.

I would certainly be on the lookout at these specific universities enrollment metrics over the next academic year – as opportunity might arise for those looking to attend one of their programs.

Some people have the right attitude about starting over. Some even relish the thought of building new networks and friendships. You can either drown in your own guilt and anger, or you can challenge yourself and your expectations by making a quick roundabout move to more versatile earning potential. The key to remaining marketable for employment is to diversify your skills.

While you search for full-time employment, there are several quick career certifications that you can study for in a relatively short time. You might be surprised to know that many of these quick certification fields feature fairly good earning power. The industries they are for also seem to have an endless supply of new jobs for certified graduates.

The spare time you have now during your job search or as you work part time can easily be filled by going to class for certifications in these types of positions. Have a look at a few.

Paralegal

Some schools offer basic training certifications that you can finish in 6 months. Some schools feature programs that go a bit deeper and award a degree. Either way, the legal industry is always busy, always looking for smart workers and always expanding with new services. Many programs include internships – an excellent way to get experience in a law firm and begin to make connections for your future job search. Why not get started in an industry where it pays to know how things work? One thing to remember – paralegals can’t offer legal advice or argue a case in court. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median salary for a paralegal is $44,990.

Find Paralegal programs offered in your area with the US College Search Engine here.

Medical Assisting

There are basically two tracks for medical assistants – clinical and clerical.

Clinical tracks teach students how to perform basic medical procedures like taking blood pressure, taking temperatures, drawing blood, handling medical samples and assisting physicians and nurses in more complex procedures.

Clerical tracks teach students how to assist health care professionals in the office or how to handle insurance forms and claims. Clerical assistants will do more computer and phone work, they will file and act as liaison between doctor or nurse and patient or insurance agent.

Most cities of any size will have training institutes for medical assistants that offer quick 6, 9 and 12 month certifications. Many professionals hoping to earn a little extra for big plans, or who simply need a stable part-time job during a recession are often found in medical assisting jobs. Depending on your plans and what you hope to make, investigating each school’s training track further is a good idea before just jumping right in. One thing you can say for certain about health care – this is an industry with job security. The need for qualified medical assistants grows more every month as the baby boomer population retires and ages. This could be the shot in the arm your career earning plan needs.

Find Medical Assisting certification programs offered in your area with the US College Search Engine here.

Dental Assistant

A dental assistant performs a variety of laboratory, office and patient care duties that assist dentists in their day-to-day operations. A dental assistant often works alongside dentists as they examine and treat patients. BLS reports median salaries in 2007 were between $30,000 and $35,800. But that’s not all there is to love. Many dental hygienists find flexible scheduling to be a real upside of this career. This is especially important if you’re working another part-time or full-time job.

Many times to just get started in a dental office, you’ll only need to finish a quick 9 month certification course. Once you’re done, job prospects and supplemental earning power will help keep a gleaming smile on your face.

Find Dental Assisting certification programs offered in your area with the US College Search Engine here.

This article could go on and on, but you get the idea. There are more and more ways to supplement lost income through jobs that feature flexible scheduling and can be earned through quick training courses. Being ready for change in any capacity makes you a stronger person. Certification training gives you versatility in the marketplace and can help give you a financial boost when conditions turn for the worse. Use the search engine at US College Search to help you step up to new levels of effectiveness and earning.

This kind of fear and self-doubt can prohibit many people from going to a college which can vastly improve their lives.  A new website, www.college.gov identifies these common concerns and shows ways to overcome them. There are testimonials from students across the country that have triumphed over challenges such as peer pressure, lack of family support, and financial barriers. Against the odds, these students made college a reality.

More features of the website:

• Create your own roadmap.  No matter what year you are in high school, www.college.gov can create a personalized road map that will layout detailed steps necessary for getting to college.  You can keep the roadmap on your computer, or print it out and put it on your wall or in you locker.  Either way, this roadmap can put you on the path towards college!
• Find the school for you.  Universities, community colleges, or vocational schools, whatever you are looking for, this website can help you find a school to fit your lifestyle.
• Why go? What to do? How to pay?  www.college.gov  helps you realize reasons for going to school such as, increasing your income, finding your passion, proving your potential, growing with help and support, and lifting your family.  It also shows you the step for getting into college and payment options.
• Information for everyone. The website is geared towards high school students but also gives information to parents, families, teachers and counselors.

What sets this website apart from other education sites is that it was made by students for students.  The creators of this website have pinpointed real concerns that high school students have about going to college.  Through their college roadmap, they give us the tools to overcome those obstacles. 

Anyone can make their dream of attending college a reality.  www.college.gov is one tool that can help.

However, campus visits can provide insight and information on a school that can’t easily be ranked in statistics. Visiting a school can give you and your child a chance to get a gut feeling about the environment, which becomes just as important as cost and how many professors have a PhD.

Knowing what to look for and what to do on a campus visit can help ensure that your child makes the right decision. Familyeducation.com offers these tips to make your campus visit as beneficial as possible.

• Go prepared to ask questions. A college interview is like a job interview — students should review the catalog and related material and come prepared to discuss specifics. Remember to take notes: After the first few visits, campuses begin to look alike.
• Know your role. Experts recommend that you accompany your child to the waiting room, but not to the interview.
• Visit a variety of schools. Visits provide an opportunity to see how your children respond to different environments. Students have a great instinct for the schools that feel comfortable to them. If classes are in session, visit a few to help your child get a feel for student life.
• Check out residential accommodations. What are living arrangements like? Are there single-sex and coed dorms? Are bathrooms coed? How many students live off campus, and what’s the school’s policy?
• Investigate safety issues. According to Eve Brouwer of the National Safety Council, 270 colleges and universities are members of its Campus Safety Association. Ask specific questions, such as, “How does the school handle alcohol abuse?”
• How about off-campus crime? Although colleges are not required to release crime statistics for the local area, ask how safe off-campus jogging or walking is. Take it as a danger sign if school officials show a reluctance to discuss these issues.

Source: http://school.familyeducation.com/college-preparation/planning/37670.html?detoured=1

Students are considering various pros and cons like distance from home, student to faculty ratio, and student housing. However, parents may place importance on a different factor – getting the best bang for their buck.

Choosing the one perfect college or university out of selected few can be difficult; actually getting to the top choices can be even more taxing. You can start by weighing the pros and cons of public vs. private colleges.

Take a look at The New York Times article Weighing the Costs in Public vs. Private Colleges, for answers to some of the frequently asked questions:

As parents and students cope with the ever-rising cost of higher education, many debate whether attending private institutions � which charge far more than public universities is worth the expense. Is the quality of the education better? Will students have more access to their professors? Will those professors be more distinguished? Do students make important contacts that pay off later in life? Are any such advantages worth going deeply into debt?

Tuition and room and board at private four-year colleges now add up to more than $30,000 a year on average, and rose by 81 percent, more than double the inflation rate, between 1993 and 2004.

Financial aid provided by private institutions, even to the upper middle class, has grown more than tuition by 135 percent over the same period and some universities provide substantial assistance to low-income students. Still, the dollar amounts are hard for most applicants to ignore.

Selection of a college, public or private, often turns on more than just money, of course. As Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, the president of George Washington University, put it, Picking a college is like falling in love.

Still, students, parents, college officials and high school guidance counselors have strong opinions about the value of a private education. Below is a sampling of views.

PEYTON RANDOLPH HELM
President, Muhlenberg College

There are certain things that most public colleges and universities cannot offer, said Mr. Helm, explaining why he thinks a private education, even at a small institution like Muhlenberg, in Allentown, Pa., is worth the cost.

What private liberal arts colleges provide is very high quality and high sticker price, Mr. Helm said, adding that the sticker price is not necessarily the cost and it’s not necessarily the value because of financial aid.

Mr. Helm stressed nonfinancial benefits, too. ‘The better, the more prestigious the institution, the more you have small classes and you have direct interaction with your professors,’ he said.

Many private institutions have large classes, but Mr. Helm described a classics course he teaches with just 10 students.

‘Some of them have been brilliant from Day 1, and there’s one of them whom I could barely get to open his mouth who came out with something brilliant’ in the last days of the term, Mr. Helm said.

‘If I had a class of 150 people, or 500 people, or 800 people, that isn’t going to happen,’ he said.

Students may more easily get into courses they want at private colleges, Mr. Helm said. If you’re not going to graduate in four years because you’re not going to get the courses, then a public education may not be the best choice.

STEPHANIE A. BALBACH
Student, Indiana State University

Ms. Balbach, 18, a freshman, said she got a good deal at Indiana State, in Terre Haute, thanks to a pair of scholarships covering most of her costs. She does not think she is missing anything by choosing a public institution.

Even though her parents had saved to help pay for Ms. Balbach’s college education, she said, money was an issue. She considered three colleges, two public and one private, none too far from her hometown, Evansville. Indiana State offered the best deal. ‘Right off the bat they said, ‘Here are three scholarships that you would fit the criteria for,’ she said.

When she visited the university, she was even more impressed. ‘I immediately met the undergraduate dean, I met the director of the department I was interested in,’ Ms. Balbach recalled. She added that although the university had more than 8,600 undergraduates, she felt she would not be a faceless number.

Her scholarships cover $12,396 for tuition, room and board; Ms. Balbach has paid a few hundred dollars for books and other expenses. She plans to major in insurance and risk management.

‘This whole agenda that was lined up for me, when I saw that, I thought, ‘Wow,” she said.

JENNY RUSSELL
2004 graduate, University of Redlands

Ms. Russell, 24, loved her time at Redlands, a private university in Southern California with just under 2,500 undergraduates in its liberal arts college. But she said the expense was not worth it; this year tuition, room and board was $36,000.

Even with money from scholarships and other financial aid, she graduated with about $50,000 in debt to accompany her major in creative writing. Coping with the debt has been hard.

‘I’ve been a cocktail waitress, a bartender, I worked at a grocery store, I did market research, I sold tickets for the Phoenix Symphony orchestra, and one tragic day I sold vacuum cleaners door to door,’ said Ms. Russell, who now lives in Tempe, Ariz., and works as a telemarketer, selling advertisements for a telephone directory.

Ms. Russell, whose father works in construction and whose mother is a hotel reservations clerk, said she had first planned to attend San Francisco State University. But money would have been a problem at the public institution, too.

‘At a lot of the state schools, there are a lot of problems with housing,’ Ms. Russell said. ‘If your parents are making $21,000 a year, combined, you’re not going to be able to afford an apartment nearby.’

JIM CONROY
High school counselor, New Trier High School

Before anyone can figure out whether private education is worth the price, students and their parents need to know what the real price is, said Mr. Conroy, chairman of post-high school counseling at New Trier, in Winnetka, Ill. That means ignore the stated tuition.

‘Don’t close the door yet until you see what kind of financial aid the school can offer,’ Mr. Conroy said. Even when the tuition appears out of reach, applying and waiting to see what aid may appear is worthwhile, he said. ‘Colleges offer many types of financial support,’ he said, adding that at some institutions, ‘60 to 65 percent of the kids are on some form of financial aid.’

But in the end, Mr. Conroy said, students and their parents must still decide what is the best deal for them. ‘Each one of these families is making a value decision,’ Mr. Conroy said. ‘Families have said to me, we will pay for that school, we will not pay for that school. We will extend ourselves and sacrifice if he gets into and you can name them, Harvard, Yale, Princeton but we are not sacrificing for the next tier.

F. KING ALEXANDER
President, California State University, Long Beach

Anyone asking Mr. Alexander whether a private college education is worth its price gets an unequivocal answer.

‘The answer is no,’ Mr. Alexander said, adding that high price does not mean high quality. ‘A lot of schools, particularly up in New York and New England, they want everybody to believe that.’ He described what he called the Chivas Regal effect in which, he said, ‘the bottle looks great, but what’s inside doesn’t taste better.’

There may be benefits to students at the most elite colleges, Mr. Alexander said, including those in the Ivy League, where classmates who end up working in important and influential places can help one another later in life. But he added that most private colleges probably cannot achieve the same ‘network effects’ and still charge several times the tuition of most public colleges.

Plenty of people who are now rich and powerful went to public colleges and universities, Mr. Alexander said. ‘Steven Spielberg went to Cal State Long Beach,’ he said. ‘He’s doing all right.’

CAROLE K. BELLEW
Parent

Ms. Bellew is helping Luke, one of her two sons, attend Bryant University, a private institution in Smithfield, R.I., with 3,200 undergraduates. Tuition, room and board for his first year come to about $35,000, Ms. Bellew said, but her son received a merit scholarship that covers about $15,000. Other scholarships, including one from Cambridge, Mass., where Ms. Bellew lives, have brought the total amount due this year down to about $10,000. Luke has borrowed as much as he can on his own from the federal government, taking out Perkins and Stafford loans.

Ms. Bellew said she had hoped her son would apply to a public university, but he did not. After comparing what Bryant and the University of Massachusetts would cost, she concluded that with the aid, the two institutions were only about $5,000 apart.

‘To me, it’s worth another $5,000 to give him the support I think he needs,’ she said, adding that her son had learning disabilities and that she preferred him not to be one of nearly 20,000 undergraduates at the University of Massachusetts.

Ms. Bellew looked into private loans, but found she did not qualify, because until she changed jobs recently, she earned too little money.

‘When you’re 60 years old and you’re financing a kid’s college, it’s a little bit scary,’ Ms. Bellew said. The money she is drawing on, she continued, ‘is basically my retirement.’

JUSTIN R. ERICKSON
Student, Grinnell College

Mr. Erickson knew he wanted to go to Grinnell, in Iowa, from the start, and so far at least, he is sure it is worth it.

‘When I visited, I loved it,’ Mr. Erickson said.

His parents were worried about the money, he said, and warned him he would have to borrow. His younger sister will soon be ready for college and will need help to cover her costs, too.

He looked at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and applied there and to the University of Minnesota. But when he applied to Grinnell, he asked to be considered for early decision, pledging that, if accepted, he would enroll.

‘I think it’s worth it,’ he said, citing the small classes and the ’small-town feel’ of the campus.

He said he was unafraid of working hard to make attending the college possible. ‘I’ve had a paper route since I was 12,’ Mr. Erickson said. Last summer he had two jobs, working more than 12 hours a day sometimes, to build up his college savings. He and his family have to come up with about $20,000 a year, after federal student loans and a $15,000 scholarship, to cover nearly $37,000 for tuition, fees, and room and board at Grinnell.

‘The first semester, we’ve been able to cover, and we’re hoping next semester as well, but we’re not sure,’ Mr. Erickson said. ‘It depends on how much my parents will be able to contribute. It will be interesting to see what happens down the road.’

The New York Times
Article by Jonathan D. Glater
December 13, 2006

What are the steps in planning for college?
Here is a list of things you can do to prepare for school, with tasks spread out over the course of your senior year. In addition to meeting admissions and application requirements, it is very important that you keep track of the various requirements and deadlines related to your orientation at school.

Fall
- Find an interested staff member at school who will help you with the college process.
- Request letters of recommendation from teachers and administrators. Don’t be shy; they understand that it’s part of their commitment to your education.
- Take leadership positions in the clubs and organizations you are passionate about.
- Offer to take leadership positions in jobs, even if it’s something unglamorous like food service.
- Attend informational college events at school.
- Research scholarships and financial options, such as this one (link out).
- Register for ACT and SAT tests.
- Finalize your first, second and third choices for college. A good overall number to apply to is four to six campuses.
- Obtain and submit college applications.

Winter
- Finalize your college essays.
- Submit your second-round of college applications.
- Obtain & Submit a FAFSA form for financial aid. Learn more about that here (link out).

Spring
- You will begin receiving admissions notices from the schools you applied to.
- Plan your visits to college campuses before making final decisions of where to attend. Spend at least a day at each campus.
- The deadline for you to submit your decision and deposit to the college you choose to attend will be May 1st.

What entrance exams do I have to take for college admissions?
There are three main college entrance exams that most (not all) colleges require for admissions:
- SAT I
- SAT Subject Tests
- ACT

These tests evaluate your skills for college-level courses. Their questions review:
- Advanced mathematics
- Reading comprehension
- Vocabulary
- Science
- Writing skills

Most colleges will accept the best score between the SAT I and ACT, which is why students take both tests. Other colleges will require both the SAT I and two or three different SAT Subject Tests.

In the Midwestern region, colleges will give an option to take either the SAT I and SAT Subject Tests or to simply take the ACT.

Information on SAT and SAT Subject Tests: www.collegeboard.com
Information on ACT: www.act.org

With so many great colleges and universities to choose from, finding the best fit is an individual choice that should focus on what a student wants out of the college experience as opposed to the weight the school name carries. In essence, Nancy Gibbs and Nathan Thornburgh, authors of “Who Needs Harvard?” encourage high school students to look beyond the name to the actual benefits the school has to offer.

In addition to providing a much needed wake up call to parents of high school students, high school guidance counselors and high school juniors and seniors, the pair provides some tips for approaching the college search process.

10 tips you need to know
1. Hold your horses. There’s no need to start the search until the summer before junior year.
2. Get organized. The best applicants treat the process as a research project, with clear goals and deadlines and lots of note taking.
3. If possible, pay a visit. No amount of Web surfing can replace a real tour of a campus.
4. Study the price. With scholarships and financial aid, the college that causes the worst sticker shock may still offer the best deal.
5. Contact the coaches. Even if you’re not a star in your chosen sport, a coach who thinks you could be a walk-on could lobby for you.
6. Know the tests. SATs and ACTs have their own logic. Practice!
7. Be first in line. If you can, apply for early action or early decision.
8. Don’t overapply. Stay safe and sane with five to eight schools.
9. Click send. Online applications are convenient. But follow up by phone to ensure that it went through.
10. Trust the system. Admissions are generally fair. Success comes through diligence, not tricks or high-priced consultants.

It is important to note that even the best laid plan can yield undesirable results. But with close to 70 percent of all students getting into their number one choice college or university according to Maria Furtado, director of admissions at Clark University in Worcester, Mass., there is no reason to believe things will change this time.

“In recent years, several million students graduated from high school

Tribal colleges