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Teens Turn to Counselors for College Advice

Key Magazine — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 15:41:59 +0000

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

Using Social Networks to Boost Your Professional Connections

sitemanagers — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 15:58:40 +0000

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.

High Anxiety of Getting Into College

sitemanagers — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 13:51:20 +0000

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.”

Ms. Buchman tries to explain to families that the second- or third-choice college is also a wonderful place, that the child will make friends, get a good education and life will go on. In six months, that first choice will be a vague memory.

But given all the angst surrounding college admissions, it can be a difficult message to sell. Emotions run high this season, and the anxiety level is testament to a process that many educators believe has spiraled out of control.

The frenzy over college admissions is well known. Stories abound about overstressed students who race from Japanese calligraphy classes to hockey practice to SAT tutors. Anecdotes about out-of-control parents who write college essays, monopolize questions at college information sessions and hound their children to make every moment a resume-building one – are plentiful.

Those aren’t even the really crazy ones. One Westchester guidance counselor described a student who was applying to a college that required a graded high school paper. The child brought in an ‘A’ essay with many enthusiastic teacher comments. The counselor took a closer look and asked why the teacher had written comments in two different inks. It turned out that the student’s mother had added a few thoughts of her own.

It’s easy to criticize parents for the current state of affairs, but you can also point to other culprits the infamous college rankings, ambitious high schools, colleges that brag about all the students with perfect SAT scores whom they reject, colleges that market themselves aggressively and then proudly declare low admission rates, and a culture that values performance over character.

However you allocate the culpability, though, there is a growing sense that it’s time to return some sanity to the process. Merilee Jones, dean of admissions at M.I.T., has made this her mission. Recently, she addressed 160 school counselors at a meeting of the Westchester Putnam Rockland Counseling Association in White Plains. When Bob Sweeney, a counselor at Mamaroneck High School, introduced her, he said, “You just flew into the Bermuda Triangle of stressed-out guidance counselors, overstressed kids and unrealistic parents with high expectations.”

Ms. Jones laughed, but she was serious about her message to the counselors (and, at a later meeting, to parents at Byram Hills High School): she is worried about the toll the application madness takes on today’s children, whom she describes as “the most anxious, sleep-deprived, steeped-in-stress, judged, tested, poorly nourished generation.”

These teenagers, she said, are being raised to please adults and held to impossible standards. They are loaded down with A.P. classes and expected to participate in multiple extracurricular activities, demonstrate leadership, garner high SAT scores and, on top of that, have a “passion,” a buzzword in college admissions. “It’s ridiculous to expect that of them,” Ms. Jones said. “Most teenagers have no passions at all, except sex.”

The pressure is literally making children sick, Ms. Jones said, citing increases in everything from eating disorders to depression. Her call to arms: reel in the pressure and start changing the culture. Parents need to back off. Children need downtime. High schools need to lower the pressure. Colleges need to be straight with teenagers.

Most counselors embraced the message. Mr. Sweeney described Ms. Jones as “the voice of reason and sanity in the middle of all this craziness.”

But the culture isn’t going to be easy to crack. Barbara Leifer-Sarullo, director of counseling at Scarsdale High School, said that in the college competition, parents were victims as much as children.

“A few years ago, I had a parent who was outraged because I didn’t tell him his kid needed a math tutor,” she said. “He told me, ‘Here my kid is climbing Mount Everest himself, and everyone else has a Sherpa.’ He felt like he was a bad parent.”

Article by Kate Stone Lombardi

Click here to view this article in its original context on The New York Times website (login required).

Choking Game, Passing Out Game, Space Cowboy, Cloud Nine – Whatever the Name, Teenagers are Learning of the Deadly Consequences

sitemanagers — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 14:21:29 +0000

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.

Levi was found by his mother last Oct. 28, clinically dead, suspended on a rope he had slung across a bunk-bed frame. He had pushed his neck onto the rope, he told the rapt audience, aiming to achieve a surging rush as his brain was starved and then replenished with blood just before the point of unconsciousness.

The rush is the appeal of the choking game – or space cowboy or cloud nine or any of a dozen other names. In most schools and families it remains a subject of deep shadow and denial, students, parents and health professionals say.

“I did it because it felt good and I didn’t think I’d get caught,” said Levi, a slow-talking, sardonic skateboarder and hockey player from San Antonio. “Do I consider myself a miracle?” asked Levi, who told the students he had played the game three times before his accident. “Yes, I do.”

What happened that October afternoon was that Levi passed out faster than he could react and suffered a heart attack, said his mother, Carrie. His brain was deprived of oxygen for more than three minutes.

Levi’s survival and recovery against the odds – three days in a coma followed by a regimen of antiseizure drugs that he still takes – have made him perhaps the first scared-straight, been-there-and-back spokesman against the choking game. And there is a growing audience for his message…

…But the exact number remains uncertain because there has been little real research, health professionals say, and because medical examiners have been quick in the past to rule suicide. Some adults might also dismiss the game as the slumber party goof it was in years past, when constriction to the point of death was virtually unheard of.

But attitudes are shifting. Some medical examiners and pediatricians are looking at the increased teenage suicide rate from suffocation over the last decade and questioning whether dozens of deaths listed as suicide might in fact have been accidental, the result of a choking game experience gone wrong.

In 2004, according to the most recent figures from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 779 children between ages 10 and 19 committed suicide by suffocation, up from 400 to 450 per year from the early 1980s through the mid-1990s, when the numbers began to rise.

Read this article in its original context here (login required).

Interviewing: Important Advice for All Careers, Especially Guidance Counselors

sitemanagers — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 16:35:27 +0000

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.During the dozen years I’ve worked in human resources for global organizations, I’ve seen plenty of job candidates sabotage themselves during interviews. Take, for example, Noah Ferr an amalgam of the less-skilled interviewees I’ve encountered.

Noah made no eye contact. He inquired about being reimbursed for the $12 round-trip expense he incurred to visit our offices. He explained that he’d fallen into his profession (the same profession for which we were interviewing him) and wanted out. He gave rambling five-minute answers to questions that could have been answered with a simple yes or no. And his handshake was akin to a near-death experience.

The takeaway: Don’t be like Noah. And if you want to land the job, here are a dozen more things you should never say (or imply) at a job interview.

1. This suit has been in my family for five generations. Fail to ace attire and grooming and you can sink your chances before you say a word.

2. You think this is disorganized. Wait till you see me on work projects. Neglecting to bring information required on the application, or bringing too few copies of your typo-free resume, looks just plain careless.

3. I’d rather watch The Worst of C-Span than research your company. Bone up on recent new business the company has landed or write-ups about the firm in trade publications.

4. I expect you to provide the exact job I want on my terms now. Say too much about the job you want and you risk eliminating yourself.

5. I could care less but not much less. You don’t want an awkward silence when asked if you have any questions. Speak up.

6. If you hire me, you’d better get your own resume up to date. Come across as overly aggressive and you may scare the interviewer into rejecting you.

7. You might want to have security frisk me before I leave. Sharing confidential information about past or present employers will make the interviewer wonder if you can be trusted.

8. I think you’re not playing with a full deck. If you’re asked the ‘What are your weaknesses?’ question, the interviewer wants a straight answer. Mention one noncritical area you’d like to polish.

9. I’m just going to go ahead and answer the question I wish you’d asked. Failing to answer the question that was actually posed will frustrate the interviewer.

10. I’ll be a huge drain on company morale. A negative attitude regarding your current or past employers or colleagues will make your stock drop.

11. Ask not what I can do for you. What can you do for me? Asking questions about salary or benefits prior to getting a job offer is a major turnoff.

12. Why did we meet? Candidates who leave without underscoring their great interest in being hired are quickly forgotten.

Author Peter Phelan (www.funnyphelan.com) is the humor columnist for Employee Benefit News, a contributor to Wealth Manager and a popular speaker at business conferences.

When Helicopter Parents Hurt Your Independence

sitemanagers — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 19:24:07 +0000

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

A bachelor’s degree equals $23K more a year

Key Magazine — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 20:35:37 +0000

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.”

An article by the Associated Press appeared on MSNBC.com. The following information is an excerpt from the article:

Higher education is still the best investment

Key Magazine — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 18:18:25 +0000

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.

Career colleges and technical schools offer practical training that allows you to learn the skills you need to enter the workforce immediately. There is little need to take unnecessary classes that make earning a degree a four-year process at traditional colleges and universities. Earning a degree from a career college or technical school can lead to Associate and Bachelor’s degrees in top fields like Business, Healthcare, Computers or Criminal Justice in less time than four-year schools.

In addition to saving time, students at career colleges and technical schools save money because they enter the workforce sooner.

Online degree programs work in a similar way by saving students time and money. Because students can attend school without quitting their jobs, they continue to generate income. The flexibility of distance learning also affords students the opportunity to study when and where it’s convenient for them.

No matter how you choose to pursue a degree, having a degree opens the door to greater career opportunities and financial security. It is one of the best investments you will ever make in your future.

Technical career training making a comeback

Key Magazine — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 15:49:06 +0000

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.

The resultant curriculum resembles a Jeopardy-style game show in which memorizing for standardized tests is the prize, says Jim Aschwanden, executive director of the California Agricultural Teacher’s Association.

“We have a generation of students that can answer questions on tests, know factoids, but they can’t do anything,” said Aschwanden, an appointee to the state Board of Education.

Congress recently reauthorized $1.3 billion for career-based courses in high schools and community colleges, which President Bush had pushed to eliminate so more funds could be steered toward reading and math courses. Now, with both federal and state support, students can now pursue career training while in high school at many schools across the nation.

Private: Steps you can take to plan for college early

Key Magazine — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 15:48:23 +0000

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.

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