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Are you questioning whether or not college is for you? Do you have concerns or doubts?  When I made the decision to attend college, finance was my number one concern. Other fears included wondering if I could handle the the college workload, if I was choosing the right program or the right school, if my family would support my decision and and many more. 

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.

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.

You’ve helped pack the clothes, boxed the stereo and purchased a year’s worth of school supplies. Your college student knows her classes, her dorm room and roommate. What did you both forget: The nutrition strategies that will prevent your child from gaining the notorious ”freshman 15.”

Eating Well in College 101
Present your college student with these tips from nutrition professionals who work in universities or who have college-age children themselves:

• Along with all the other changes that college brings, changes in eating habits are sure to happen. Give yourself time to adjust to new surroundings and new foods.
• If your campus has more than one dining hall, try them all! College students often complain of boredom with their meals — you’d be bored with any restaurant if you ate there three times a day, seven days a week and nine months out of the year!
• Remember to eat three meals every day. It may seem like you can function on caffeine alone, but your brain and body will fail you when you need them most if you routinely skip meals.
• Carry a water bottle with you everywhere you go. That way you can stop spending money on soda and other sweetened beverages, avoid unwanted calories and ensure that you’re well hydrated. A triple bonus!
• Grab a piece of fruit every time you leave the dining hall, and carry it with you for a quick snack on the go.
• After you brush your teeth in the morning, take a balanced multivitamin. It doesn’t hurt to have extra nutrition insurance!
• Experiment with vegetarian meal options. College is full of new experiences, and this is a perfect time to try different foods.
• Keep quick snacks in your room: pretzels, low-fat popcorn, high-fiber crackers, unsweetened breakfast cereal. If you purchase snacks at the grocery store instead of using vending machines, you’ll save money.
• You may think eating lunch at the salad bar is a great way to avoid gaining weight. It can be, if you:
  • Use only a small amount of low-fat or fat-free salad dressing
  • Avoid vegetable salads made with mayonnaise
  • Use only a sprinkling of cheese, nuts or seeds
  • Use legumes such as garbanzo beans or kidney beans for added protein
  • Fill up your bowl with fresh, plain veggies
• Avoid keeping high-calorie foods such as ice cream, candy and cookies in your room. Instead, eat a small portion for dessert after a meal once each day to satisfy your craving for something sweet.
• Eat breakfast! One college student I know thinks ”breakfast” is a foreign word. Breakfast can be a bagel and juice in your room or on the way to class; cereal, milk and fruit in the dining hall; or even a hot meal. Breakfast will get your body and brain ready for the day, and you’ll be less likely to snack due to mid-morning hunger attacks.
• Eat a variety of different foods. Instead of choosing peanut butter and jelly for lunch every day or stocking up on ramen noodles because they’re cheap, expand your horizons! Make sure to include fruit, vegetables, whole grains, protein and dairy products in your food choices every day.
• Stock a dorm refrigerator with fat-free milk, yogurt and individually portioned canned fruits, puddings, bags of ready-to-eat lettuce or carrots for quick meals or snacks.
• Every time you visit home, package individual portions of leftovers such as spaghetti, grilled chicken or your favorite casserole to take back to school with you and store in your refrigerator. Who needs frozen dinners when you’ve got Mom?
• Make a goal of trying one new food each week. Share with a friend so you can both experiment.

If you want to find out even more about how to eat well in college, read The College Student’s Guide to Eating Well on Campus by Ann Selkowitz, M.S., R.D., Litt.D., or The Healthy College Cookbook: Quick, Cheap, Easy by Alexandra Nimetz, et al. Both books make great gifts for college students and their parents!

Original article by Lynn Grieger, RD, CDE for iVillage. View the article in it’s original context here.

Frankie Milley’s son Ryan was 18 years old when he died of meningitis. “The hardest thing was to walk to the cemetery, to see his name on a gravestone,” Milley says. “His name shouldn’t be on a gravestone. It should be on a wedding invitation, a birth announcement. … If he’d had that vaccine he wouldn’t be there.”

Now, many states are lobbying to make the Menactra vaccine (83 percent effective against meningitis) mandatory. Many parents are against the idea and feel that nobody should be forced to receive a vaccination. What do you think?

Let’s take a look at some facts:

According to Dr. Tom Clark of the Center for Disease Control, “It’s not unusual to hear a story of a kid not feeling well on a Friday night and going to bed, and being dead on Saturday morning.” “It happens so quickly.”

Meningitis is an infection that causes inflammation of the thin tissue surrounding the brain and spinal cord, called meninges. It is usually caused by a viral or bacterial infection.

Teenagers and young adults are at an increased risk of contracting meningococcal meningitis.
Studies show college students, especially freshmen living in dorms, are more vulnerable to the disease, because of lifestyle factors such as:
• Crowded living conditions
• Moving to a new residence
• Contact with students from all over the country or world
• Sharing beverages or utensils
• Lack of sleep or irregular sleep patterns
• Smoking, including secondhand smoke

The Center for Disease Control recommends young people ages 11-18 receive Menactra, a vaccination that is 83 percent effective in protecting against four strands of bacterial meningitis.

The symptoms are very similar to those of a cold or flu, and they can develop over several hours or in one to two days. For those over the age of 2, the most common symptoms are high fever, headache and stiff neck. Other symptoms include nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light, confusion and sleepiness. As the disease progresses, a purple rash may appear and seizures can occur.

Once the bacteria has been identified, doctors can treat the disease with antibiotics. Immediate, aggressive treatment is necessary to avoid death or serious aftereffects. Because the disease progresses so quickly, treatment does not always lead to full recovery.

Whether or not a vaccine against meningitis becomes mandatory in your state, please be aware of this fatal disease and make sure your college student takes the necessary precautions.

Information provided by Melissa Dahl for msnbc.com. Read the original article in it’s entirety here.

Before you do anything else, apply for financial aid. Even if you think your family earns too much to qualify, send in the forms. Then try these tips:
• Look for scholarships. Many colleges offer academic scholarships that aren’t based on need. (See the Scholarship Search Wizard and “The insider’s guide to scholarships.”)
• Besides scholarships, apply for loans (which you have to pay back) and grants (which you don’t). (See “Find free money for college” and “The insider’s guide to student loans.”)
• The Federal Work-Study Program provides jobs for students, encouraging them to perform community service and work related to their studies to help pay for education expenses. Many schools also have on-campus jobs that are not part of the program but offer tuition discounts and wages.
• Negotiate your aid package. At some colleges, as many as 75% of students who appeal their financial aid receive extra money.
• Programs such as AmeriCorps, Vista, the ROTC and the Peace Corps will help pay off student loans or provide funds during college in exchange for a service commitment upon graduation.
• Tax breaks on 529 plans and larger deductions also are available. Talk with a tax professional. (See “Uncle Sam will help pay for college.”)

Pick up credits where you can. The more credits you can bring with you, the less money you’ll pay to a four-year university.
• Take the first two years at a community college, which has lower costs and easy-to-transfer credits. Pick one that has an articulation agreement with a four-year university. It’s quite common and specifies which community-college credits will be accepted toward a bachelor’s degree at the four-year institution. (See “College for half-price.”)
• If attending a four-year school, take summer classes at a community college near your home.
• Get college credit early. Many high schools offer college-level classes to prepare students for Advanced Placement exams. Some colleges also may let you take College Level Examination Program exams to receive college credit.

Pay for the basics: Eating and sleeping. The cheapest room and board is living with Mom and Dad. Commuting from home can save as much as $6,000 a year. But if you go away to school, try these tips:
• If your college requires you to live on campus the first year, don’t automatically accept the three-meal-a-day food plan if you’re not going to use it. Consider a once- or twice-a-day plan.
• Furnish your dorm room in early American thrift shop rather than new décor.
• Be a resident assistant. Typically open to undergraduates after freshman year, this job involves some work and a commitment to be on call at certain times, but it usually comes with a break on room and board. Plus, you can learn leadership skills for the post-college world.
• Ask your family to buy you a home. It’s not such a crazy idea. If other students rent rooms in the house, the income could offset monthly mortgage payments. Families should make certain, however, that the property they purchase meets all of the requirements of rental property. Consult a tax professional.

Textbooks: Read ‘em and weep. College students can spend nearly $1,000 a year on textbooks. But there are a growing number of options. Find out what books you need (title, author and ISBN, or international standard book number), then get busy — and don’t wait until the last minute.
• Find used books online through Craigslist.org, eBay’s Half.com and Campus Book Swap. Textbook prices are highest online in August, September, January and February.
• Purchase electronic textbooks. If you do most of your work on a laptop computer and don’t mind e-books, purchase them as downloads and cut the cost in half.
• Look for free books. One company, Freeload Press, provides some electronic texts at no charge in exchange for placing advertisements within the books. Other sites, such as Bartleby.com, offer classic literature to be downloaded free.
• Look on a publisher’s Web site for alternative formats that are less expensive, such as soft-cover editions and e-books.
• Consider purchasing an international edition, which typically is cheaper than a U.S. edition of the same book. The differences between the editions are usually cosmetic, and the content almost identical. Search for international editions at sites such as AbeBooks.com or TextbooksRus.com.
• Share books with other students or use a library copy. This could make you more efficient with your time because you will have to do your work before the last minute.
• Resell your books when you’re through. If you do that, remember to handle the books with care and not mark them up.

Little things can add up - students have lots of small personal expenses. Maintain a written budget.
• A car is a killer if you’re footing the bills. Especially if you live on campus, getting rid of it is the fastest way to pare expenses. If possible, walk or buy a monthly bus pass.
• Compare cell-phone plans. Some carriers entice students with discounts or enhanced service. Know that you — not your family — will pay the extra charges if you exceed the allotted minutes.
• Many schools require students to have a personal computer. If possible, use a basic PC rather than an expensive laptop. Remember to factor in the costs of software, a printer and, if you live off campus, an Internet connection.
• Find out whether you are being charged for insurance or another health-care fee by the college. If it duplicates your family coverage, get the charge waived.
• Stay on track to finish in four years or less. Decide on a major area of study early on or you could find yourself tacking on years — and additional debt — to your college career.

View this article in its original format here at msn.com.

High school can be a difficult time for both teens and parents. Students are changing both emotionally and physically as they become young adults. As a parent, keep in mind that counselors can be a valuable resource for you and your son or daughter.

Counselors are readily available to advise students throughout the school year. Learn about a few of the areas that a high school guidance counselor can help.
Read the rest of this entry »