Learn the Secret way to Choose a Major and a College

To recap this video.

First thing to do if your student has not idea what to be when they “grow up” is to expose them to a bunch of different career options.

This will let them get the feel for what they like or dislike about the jobs.  We use Discover to do this for us.  It will asses the students likes and dislikes, than offer career’s based on their answers.  They can than research the salary, likes/dislikes and future of the different careers.  After they decide on a few careers it will than list the different majors that correlate to the careers.  And lastly choose the school based on the majors.

The last thing you want to do is go to a college that doesn’t have the major you need for your career choice!

Let me know what you think about this post!  Your feedback is appreciated

Three Steps to a Great College Essay

You, in 500 Words or Less

The college application essay is a chance to explain yourself, to open your personality, charm, talents, vision, and spirit to the admission committee. It’s a chance to show you can think about things and that you can write clearly about your thoughts. Don’t let the chance disappear. Stand up straight and believe in yourself!

The Essay Writing Process

OK, boot up your computer and let’s get to it. To write a college essay, use the exact same three-step process you’d use to write an essay for class: first prewrite, then draft, and finally, edit. This process will help you identify a focus for your essay, and gather the details you’ll need to support it.

Prewriting

To begin, you must first collect and organize potential ideas for your essay’s focus. Since all essay questions are attempts to learn about you, begin with YOU.

• Brainstorm
  Set a timer for 15 minutes and make a list of your strengths and outstanding characteristics. Focus on strengths of personality, not things you’ve done. For example, you are responsible (not an “Eagle Scout”) or committed (not “played basketball”). If you keep drifting toward events rather than characteristics, make a second list of the things you’ve done, places you’ve been, accomplishments you’re proud of; use them for the activities section of your application.
• Discover Your Strengths
  Do a little research about yourself: ask parents, friends, and teachers what your strengths are.
• Create a “Self-Outline”
  Now, next to each trait, list five or six pieces of evidence from your life — things you’ve been or done — that prove your point.
• Find Patterns and Connections
  Look for patterns in the material you’ve brainstormed. Group similar ideas and events together. For example, does your passion for numbers show up in your performance in the state math competition and your summer job at the computer store? Was basketball about sports or about friendships? When else have you stuck with the hard work to be with people who matter to you?

Drafting

Now it’s time to get down to the actual writing. Write your essay in three basic parts: introduction, body, and conclusion.

• The introduction gives your reader an idea of your essay’s content. It can shrink when you need to be concise. One vivid sentence might do: “The favorite science project was a complete failure.”
• The body presents the evidence that supports your main idea. Use narration and incident to show rather than tell.
• The conclusion can be brief as well, a few sentences to nail down the meaning of the events and incidents you’ve described.

An application essay doesn’t need to read like an essay about The Bluest Eye or the Congress of Vienna, but thinking in terms of these three traditional parts is a good way to organize your main points.

There are three basic essay styles you should consider:

• Standard Essay
  Take two or three points from your self-outline, give a paragraph to each, and make sure you provide plenty of evidence. Choose things not apparent from the rest of your application or “light up” some of the activities and experiences listed there.
• Less-Is-More Essay
  In this format, you focus on a single interesting point about yourself. It works well for brief essays of a paragraph or half a page.
• Narrative Essay
  A narrative essay tells a short and vivid story. Omit the introduction, write one or two narrative paragraphs that grab and engage the reader’s attention, then explain what this little tale reveals about you.

Editing

When you have a good final draft, it’s time to make final improvements to your draft, find and correct any errors, and get someone else to give you feedback. Remember, you are your best editor. No one can speak for you; your own words and ideas are your best bet.

• Let It Cool
  Take a break from your work and come back to it in a few days. Does your main idea come across clearly? Do you prove your points with specific details? Is your essay easy to read aloud?
• Feedback Time
  Have someone you like and trust (but someone likely to tell you the truth) read your essay. Ask them to tell you what they think you’re trying to convey. Did they get it right?
• Edit Down
  Your language should be simple, direct, and clear. This is a personal essay, not a term paper. Make every word count (e.g., if you wrote “in society today,” consider changing that to “now”).
• Proofread Two More Times
  Careless spelling or grammatical errors, awkward language, or fuzzy logic will make your essay memorable — in a bad way.

Technorati Tags: College, College Financial Aid, Essay, FAFSA

INTERNSHIPS CAN HELP YOU WITH YOUR CAREER PATH

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Hey, with all businesses closing down, how do you make a decision? You want to make sure that you have a job when you graduate!

And once you know what career path you want to follow, how do you get there?

I tell my clients that one way to answer questions about your future career is to develop a career plan. A career plan outlines the steps you need to take to reach your career goal.

Fool Proof way to Developing a Career Path

To develop a career plan you must determine your interests and skills. Thinking about your skills and interests is a good way to help you find a satisfying career. Why go to college if you wont like your career?

When you’re trying to determine what your interests are, think about what you like and dont like to do. Think about experiences you have enjoyed. Evaluate what you liked, what you found challenging, and what you may have learned from those experiences. Make a list of activities you have enjoyed during the past few years.

List your skills that will help you in your career. Your skills may include training you have gained through part-time or full-time jobs. Even if you haven’t been employed before, you do have some skills which will help you find a job. For example, you may have skills you learned through typing class or photography.

Evaluate those skills and interests you have listed. Are there similar activities on the two lists? Are there any experiences that could turn into a career? For instance, if you volunteered at a hospital and enjoyed the experience, you may want to consider a medical career.

Research the types of careers available to you. If you don’t research careers, you may not know about the best occupations to fit your interests and skills. There are MANY more jobs that you can even think about

It’s also important to decide if the career you are considering is really what you expect and whether it offers the salary and benefits you want. The Best way to learn about a career is to get an internship in the position. (Internships are also a great way to gain experience in your selected career field). Another good way to find out about a job is to network—talk to someone who is in the career now.

When you have decided what career path you want to follow, figure out what you need to do to prepare for your new career. Do you need technical school training, or training at a college? If so, research the schools that offer the kind of training you need. What kinds of experience will you need to be successful in the career? Think of an internship as a way to get work experience in the career field.

When you develop your career plan, you can focus on what you want to do and how to get there.

And when you are ready to write your resume for your job search, you will have a better understanding of your skills and experiences to discuss with potential employers.

Technorati Tags: Career Planning, College Financial Aid, FAFSA, Fafsa help, fafsa hints, fafsa tips, internships

Technorati Tags: College Financial Aid, FAFSA, Fafsa help, fafsa hints, fafsa tips