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High school students are looking for more assistance with college planning. According to a recent survey by Grand Canyon University, many students now rely less on parents and teachers. They are turning to guidance counselors for help with one of the biggest decisions of their lives.

The GCU study, conducted via forums and electronic surveys of area public high school guidance counselors, showed some surprising results. A record number of students are seeking help to decide what to do after high school.

While colleges and universities are investing heavily to recruit students, the demands on high school students are escalating as well. Students are pressured to decide on an area of study before even entering college. A majority of counselors said that less than half of their students had decided on a major or direction of study for college.

Couple that pressure with the stress to select a college or university. As a result, students are increasingly seeking out guidance counselors to help with the critical decision-making process. Students are coming to counselors for assistance with college applications, financial aid and scholarship information.

Many of the counselors also reported that they need better training to assist students with the application process.

Sidebar:
Among the guidance counselors surveyed by Grand Canyon University, most responded that students had also sought assistance for something other than college planning. The most frequent reasons students asked for help were:

• Grief and bereavement – 76% of counselors
• Suicide issues – 68% of counselors
• Drug and alcohol issues – 65% of counselors

Numbers
It’s hard to argue with raw numbers. Social networking sites are hosting daily users in the range of over 120 million combined. Big digits even when you discount the pages that people make for their favorite TV characters, pets, and toys just for laughs. That number refers to people who check in at least once a day to:

• find new videos and music
• send and receive messages
• upload photos
• chat with new friends

Facebook has more than 8 million photos uploaded each day, and is the seventh most-visited site for web surfers in the USA. MySpace attracts almost 230,000 new user registrations a day. Their user base totals over 250 million. Friendster, one of the longest-standing, high-traffic social networks, still commands over 30 million users. And more are popping up each month.

But there’s a different side to these “super public” sites. Social networking sites can be more than just cures for boredom. They can also be a great way to network and boost your professional development. Forget about getting your band signed, but think about getting a business interview when you alert a potential hiring company to a public portfolio of your work experience. Focus your approach to get better results.

The refined network approach
So you earned your degree. You have a few professional hours under your belt. You’re on your way, but you just don’t know which direction to start in. Do you begin with the want ads? An employment office? Burger King? Perhaps, but it would be wiser to start laying a bit more groundwork to better your chances of landing a great job.

There is a huge interest in social networking sites. It’s the past time of choice for millions of people of all ages. But the great part about this new trend is that you can also do it seriously to gain professional partnerships and peers. To be effective, you don’t necessarily have to wade through millions of diversified interests in the high-traffic currents of sites like MySpace or Facebook. There are already social networks set up to address specific needs of professionals. The truth is, social networking sites aren’t just places, they’re business models. They’re models designed to connect people with similar interests for professional development. This can be for everything from finding a perfect romantic partner, or the next great American band, to your next great job opportunity.

The networks
Two online professional social networking sites that work well are Linkedin.com and ryze.com. They both help people who are looking to make professional connections and build a better portfolio, but they function differently.

1. Ryze.com is set up to help people find other professionals in their area for face-to-face networking and public events. Add people who work with specific things related to your field of interest and ask them questions. The more you add, the better your chances at a professional connection. When you join people’s groups by adding people, you boost their personal and group ratings.

The interests of groups on ryze.com can be very generalized, such as career assessment tests, or things that are very specific, such as resources for local graphic artists.

Ryze.com goes further by making it easy for your group members to meet for events themed on professional topics. They’re designed for you to meet people and trade professional tips or connect for new work. The whole purpose is to build a network of professional references and job leads.

2. Linkedin.com helps you create a profile that summarizes your professional development and accomplishments that help you find and be found by former colleagues, clients and partners. You build connections by sending emails to professional colleagues to join the network then connect back to you. This network has a massive user base, numbering in the millions, connected through over 350 companies.

Through this network, you can:

• be found for business opportunities
• search for great jobs
• discover connections within companies to help you land jobs or close deals
• post job listings for your company
• find potential clients, service providers, subject experts and partners who come recommended
• have the people you know introduce you to other professionals

Work to find your niche
You can choose to start out with these social network models to help you begin your professional climb, but there are more being created everyday. One might be just perfect to help address your specific needs and build your skills. Keep your eyes open and hit the search engines, because now more than ever, it’s easier to collect resources designed to help you in your journey.

A high school senior was fighting back tears in her guidance counselor’s office. Despite her 92 average, the girl had been rejected by her top three college choices. Another senior, already clad in a new Northwestern T-shirt, interrupted to give his counselor a thumbs-up. He was in.

And so it has gone over the last few weeks, as colleges send their decisions and counselors console, cheer up and otherwise try to help this year’s seniors navigate the end of the admissions process.

“It’s a bittersweet time,” said Susan Buchman, a counselor at Byram Hills High School in Armonk. “You get some kids who are ecstatic because they got into their first choice school, and then there are disappointments. And you get parents who are very upset. They were hoping their kid was going to get into a certain school so that they could put the sticker on the car.” Read the rest of this entry »

Asphyxiation games have been around for decades - and for some reason the brief euphoric high from lack of oxygen continues to intrigue teenagers. However, several publicized deaths over the past few years, as well as Internet sites like YouTube displaying the game in more threatening variations, are spurring a discussion in schools and among parents’ groups, guidance counselors and physicians. Many psychologists believe that this is a serious issue that needs to be addressed openly and aggressively.

Levi Draher has received national attention after sharing his near death experience. Click here to view a video of Draher’s talk about the deadly game.

In a New York Times article, 16-year-old Draher Casts Light on a Shadowy Game.

GERONIMO, Tex. - Levi Draher, 16, walked to the front of the Navarro High School gym in early March and picked up the microphone before a hushed audience of fellow teenagers.

“I died and came back,” he said. Read the rest of this entry »

If you are on the path to becoming a guidance counselor, you’re heading toward a position that involves a great deal of interaction with others. Elementary-level school counselors through college-level guidance counselors work with students to promote and support their academic, personal and social development. It is essential for guidance counselors to be effective communicators, able to provide educational advice, career recommendations, and even help to those who may not be heading in the right direction at all.

Before you can secure your place in this field, you’ll have to successfully complete a different type of interaction process the job interview. Interviewing skills are important for any career field. However, guidance counselors not only need to excel to land a job, they should also be able to help future job-seekers with interview tips.

Learn from common mistakes made by others instead of committing an interview no-no. After all, as Kiplinger’s writer Peter Phelan states, the last thing you want to do is leave the wrong impression.

In his article, What Not to Say at a Job Interview, Phelan outlines 12 gaffes that could cost you a job. Read the rest of this entry »

As a senior in high school or freshman in college, you may not have even heard of helicopter parents but you have almost certainly felt the wind from their rotating wings. A helicopter parent, as defined recently by the media, is a parent who hovers too closely over a child, mapping out their activities, decisions and lives from birth into adulthood. You probably have a friend whose mother picked out her daughter

There are many reasons to go to college to earn a Bachelor’s degree. Among the top reasons is an increase in earning potential. According to a recent government study, the difference is about $23,000.

“College graduates made an average of $51,554 in 2004, the most recent figures available, compared with $28,645 for adults with a high school diploma. High school dropouts earned an average of $19,169 and those with advanced college degrees made an average of $78,093.” Read the rest of this entry »

America is known as the land of possibilities. Increasingly, those opportunities are limited to those with higher education. Higher education is the key to realizing your life and career goals.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, people with a Bachelor’s degree made an average of $51,206 annually in 2004, while those with high school diplomas made $27,915. Those without even a high school diploma made $18,734.

It goes without saying, then, that a college education can put you in a better financial place than simply earning a high school diploma, or failing to graduate from high school at all. Those struggling to complete high school might find higher education out of reach. But, if traditional education is not your speed, you should consider the many career colleges, technical schools and online degree programs available to help you earn a degree. Read the rest of this entry »

According to a recent CNN.com article, “high schools are being transformed into career academies or adding smaller vocational schools within their buildings. In Chicago, Mayor Richard Daley recently announced an initiative that will let high school students become qualified to work in particular industries. Students would then use their certificates to find high-skill, high-paying jobs.”

Three-quarters of high school technology education programs have disappeared since the early 1980s, according to the California Industrial and Technology Education Association. As a result, the number of high school courses offered has dropped from about 40,000 in the late 1980s to 24,000 in 2005-06, according to state data.

The association cites an aging faculty, few reinforcements and competition for financial and space resources as well as pressure for college-prep courses as reasons why. Read the rest of this entry »

By Andy Schiller
Guest Columnist
When should I start planning for college?
As the saying goes, ‘why put it off if it can easily be done today?’ The earlier you plan, the more opportunities you will have to increase your competitive edge in college admissions and the easier it will be to get into the school you’re hoping to attend.

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. Read the rest of this entry »