?>?> 2011 March

Nationally Recognized Financial Aid Expert to Discuss Evaluating College Financial Aid Offers

March 29, 2011 By

Bestselling financial aid and college planning expert and author Mark Kantrowitz, will provides tips on deciphering financial aid awards during #CollegeChat on Twitter Monday, April 4, 2011 at 9 p.m. EST. Kantrowitz is the publisher of FinAid.org and FastWeb.com and author of the new e-book “Secrets to Winning a Scholarship”.

During #CollegeChat, Kantrowitz (http://twitter.com/mkant ) will provide tips for parents and students to understand their financial aid award letters and not misinterpret what is actually being offered. Kantrowitz testified on March 17, 2011 during a hearing for the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance (ACSFA) regarding his proposal for standardization of financial aid award letters and net price calculators. Kantrowitz stated in his proposal, “Certain standards for financial aid award letters must be mandatory, as the current voluntary best practices have not adequately addresses the needs of students and their families. Cost information in current financial aid award letters is often incomplete or absent.”

Addressing this issue further, FastWeb.com has just issued a “Quick Reference Guide to Evaluating Financial Aid Letters”.

Kantrowitz will discuss with #CollegeChat participants:

  • Why some colleges try to purposefully complicate their financial aid offers
  • How to analyze competing aid letters from different colleges
  • Why you should ignore work-study awards when calculating your financial aid package
  • How to arrive at the net cost to attend each school you are evaluating
  • How to tell the difference between loans and gift aid and why this matters
  • How to find out if the college front loads their scholarships and grants
  • How  private scholarships might affect financial aid awards
  • Why it is important to understand what the projected cumulative debt will be at graduation

Before founding FinAid.org, the most comprehensive source of student financial aid information, advice and tools — on or off the web, and FastWeb.com, the largest and most popular free scholarship matching service, Kantrowitz was a Research Scientist at Just Research, the US software laboratory for Justsystem Corporation of Japan. Kantrowitz has earned the praise of numerous college administrators, journalists and students and families for his dedicated work on the FinAid site; also, not surprisingly, he managed to fund his own schooling without spending a single cent of his parents’ money. As a nationally-recognized financial aid expert, Kantrowitz has been called to testify before Congress about student aid on several occasions. He is on the editorial board of the Council on Law in Higher Education and the editorial advisory board of Bottom Line/Personal (a Boardroom, Inc. publication) and writes a weekly column for MainStreet.com in addition to the weekly Ask Kantro column for Fastweb. He is also a member of the board of trustees of the Center for Excellence in Education and a member of the board of directors of the National Scholarship Providers Association.

About #CollegeChat

#CollegeChat is a live bi-monthly conversation intended for teens, college students, parents, and higher education experts on Twitter. #CollegeChat takes place on the first and third Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m. PST/ 9 p.m. EST. Questions for each #CollegeChat edition can be sent to Theresa Smith, the moderator of #CollegeChat via http://Twitter.com/collegechat , by entering questions online on the CollegeChat Facebook page at http://ht.ly/1XIqV , or by email. More detailed information about signing up for Twitter and participating in #Collegechat  can be found at  http://pathwaypr.com/how-to-participate-in-a-twitter-chat .CollegeChat can also be found on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/collegechat .

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What is #CollegeChat

March 29, 2011 By

#CollegeChat is a live bi-monthly conversation for teens, college students, parents, and higher education experts on Twitter. #CollegeChat takes place on the first and third Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m. PST/ 9 p.m. EST. The chats are intended to help students navigate the college admission process; succeed in college life including course work, majors and internships; provide information and insight on graduate school; and provide expert advice on securing careers after graduation.

The first #CollegeChat was held on June 1, 2010 with Amazon bestselling author and higher-education journalist Lynn O’Shaughnessy regarding her book Shrinking the Cost of College: 152 Ways to Cut the Price of a Bachelor’s Degree. Subsequent chats have included authors, college to career experts, athletic director, graduate school admissions counselor, and admissions counselors. A full listing and description of #CollegeChat editions can be found at http://pathwaypr.com/tag/collegechat.

If you have a guest or topic suggestion or any other questions please contact Theresa Smith, the moderator of #CollegeChat on Twitter @CollegeChat , by entering questions online on the CollegeChat Facebook page, or by email. You cal also leave your suggestion in the comment setion below.

More detailed information about signing up for Twitter and participating in #CollegeChat can be found at http://pathwaypr.com/how-to-participate-in-a-twitter-chat .

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How To Set Up Google Reader

March 27, 2011 By

Two questions I have been asked about a lot in the last six months are what is RSS, Real Simple Syndication,  and how do you use it to track the web sites that you read must frequently. The Business Insider recently tackled this in their “How To Use Google Reader.” The how to article follows. Enjoy.

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7 Things to Know before You Embark on Your First College Visit

March 23, 2011 By

Duke Chapel 2009 Creative Commons
Creative Commons License photo credit: Ivy Dawned

Over the next month thousands of high school students will descend upon colleges across the country for official college visits. For high school seniors it will undoubtedly be the last time they visit their top picks before making their final decision. But, for many sophomores and juniors it will be the first time they visit colleges.

To make the most of their visits, Kelly Queijo, founder of Smart College Visit, Inc. and publisher of SmartCollegeVisit.com, recommended the following tips for high school students and their parents during #CollegeChat.

1. Plan on visiting colleges in earnest by your junior year of high school. According to Queijo most high school students start visiting colleges in the fall and spring of their senior year. But Queijo recommends that families consider informal visits to colleges earlier if their students are interested.

“Many families start the visits even earlier working them into drive throughs or informal visits while on business or on family vacations,” Queijo explained.  “Walking tours of campus, formal or on your own is good exposure for younger teens but sitting though formal presentations may be too soon.”

Sharon McLaughlin, founder of McLaughlin Education Consulting, recommends that students start their formal visits even earlier. McLaughlin recommends that rising juniors have their preliminary list of colleges ready by June so they can start their visits in the summer before their junior year begins. Suzanne Shaffer, founder of ParentsCountdowntocollegecoach.com, agreed. “I say start preliminary visits sophomore year, narrowing your schools down. Then hit it hard the spring of junior year.”

2. Visit colleges when classes are in session. Ideally, students should plan their visits based on the college calendar and not on the high school calendar. While it may be most convenient to visit a school during the college’s spring break, the high school student will not get an accurate picture of the college then.

“Sign up for visits online and call the admissions office to arrange your visit,” says Jeannie Borin, founder of College Connections.  Once at the college, students should make a point to sign in at the Admissions Office recommended Angela Quitadamo. Sign in, admissions track visits.”

Parents also need to “let the students do the talking” advised Jennifer Cohen, president of Word-Nerd.com. “Parents should not dominate the information sessions and tours. I hated it when kids felt like they couldn’t get a word in.”

Queijo advised that students visit the college that they are most interested in last. “I learned of this tip from Eric Yaverbaum’s book, “Life’s Little College Admissions Insights: Top Tips from the Country’s Most Acclaimed Guidance Counselors”. It makes sense that saving the best for last will help a student better evaluate if the best really is the best college. You will have a better frame of reference then,” she said.

3. Go beyond the official college tour to get the real picture. Queijo recommends that high school students “talk with current students for the inside track. Ask them “What don’t you like about your school?”

“Official tours are good, but remember these students love the school. You may not hear legitimate criticism,” said Cohen. Jonathan Hoster, from the Admissions Office of Syracuse University, concurred adding that after getting credit for visiting, students should “venture out on their own after the formal tour. Sneak into the back of a class.”

“Find the center of campus, sit down and observe for at least 30 minutes,” advised Borin. “See who walks by and whether you can relate.” Borin suggested that students take a camera and notebook to their visit. She noted that many students forget where they saw what when visiting many colleges over a period of time. She also recommended that students visit departments of interest if possible.

Kelly Rivard, a college student majoring in interactive media studies, went on two college visits at the college she is attending.  “I made two trips to my school. One an individual tour and one on a group tour. The individual tour made the difference.”

4.     Remember to apply the 2-2-2 rule. According to Queijo, the 2-2-2 rule comes from Dr. Richard E. Bavaria, senior vice president for education outreach at Sylvan Learning. The rule means visit no more than 2 schools in 1 day, ask 2 questions, and make sure to talk with 2 students or 2 professors. The 2-2-2 rule keeps the college visit process simple, consistent, and engaging with each school.

5.     Search online for travel deals in advance of your visit. One of the first online sites to check for travel deals is the web site of the college you are interested in visiting. Many times the college itself will be able point visitors to discount on travel. SmartCollegeVisit.com provides travel deals through the web sites travel planning tools.

6.     Try to schedule an overnight campus visit. One of the best ways to see and experience a college is through an overnight visit in the dorm. These visits vary from school to school and the best way to arrange them is directly through the Admissions Office reported Queijo. Generally, most schools recommend students contact the Admissions Office two weeks before a student would like to visit.

7.     Go online if you can’t go in person. Thanks to technology including video tours, virtual tours and fairs like CollegeWeekLive, students now have a multitude of options to explore campuses even if they can’t go in person Queijo explained. CollegeWeekLive is the world’s largest college fair and is supported by the US Department of Education.  CollegeWeekLive Spring is from March 23-24, 2011 with other events planned for the rest of the year.

“Visit colleges nearby if you can’t travel far,” advised Borin. “It’s good for students to see what they like and what they don’t like.” By visiting a college of a similar size students can get an appreciation of what that size of school feels like to them.

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Young Gen Y Doesn’t Want to Be Friends

March 14, 2011 By

Free Mall Girls Riding on The Escalator Creative Commons
Creative Commons License photo credit: Pink Sherbet Photography

Brands flocking to Facebook in order to connect with young consumers got some bad news last week from Forrester Research. According to a new report authored by Jacqueline Anderson, Forrester’s Consumer Insights Analyst, a mere 6 percent of 12 to 17 year olds wants to be friends with a brand on Facebook. The percentage increases to 12 percent of 18 to 24 year olds wanting to be friends with a brand.

According to Anderson, “Many brands are looking to social media as a strong digital channel to communicate with these consumers. But research shows that it is important to consider more than just consumers’ propensity to use a specific channel. Almost half of 12 to 17 year olds don’t think brands should have a presence using social tools at all.”

There is a silver lining for brands. Although young Gen Y’ers may not want to be friends, 74 percent of them are using “social networks to talk about products with friends and make recommendations.” Are you listening to them?

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Martin Zwilling: The Best Entrepreneurs Share These Traits

March 12, 2011 By

If you don’t know who Martin Zwilling is and are either interested in starting a business or have a startup in progress, you should be following Martin either on his blog, Startup Professional Musings, or on Twitter. Martin is a veteran startup mentor, executive, blogger, author, tech professional, and angel investor. Today he wrote the following excellent post for The Business Insider :

 

Filed Under: How to, Startups, Uncategorized Tagged With: , ,

Next #CollegeChat: How to Plan an Effective and Economical College Visit

March 11, 2011 By

Memorial Union
Creative Commons License photo credit: Vironevaeh

Z. Kelly Queijo, founder of Smart College Visit, Inc. and  publisher of SmartCollegeVisit.com, will discuss how to plan an effective and economical college visit for college bound high school students on  the March 15, 2011 #CollegeChat on Twitter  at 9 p.m. Eastern.

During #CollegeChat, Queijo (http://twitter.com/#!/collegevisit) will discuss with attendees:

  • When should high school students ideally begin their college visits
  • When is the best time to visit a college
  • Where can parents find the best deals on travel for college visits
  • How do you go beyond the official college tour
  • What is the 2-2-2 rule and why is it important
  • Are overnight visits on campus just for accepted students and how do you arrange
  • If the school you want to visit is too expensive to travel to what other options do you have to “visit”
  • How much credibility should you give the “official college led tour”

Queijo is a working-writer-turned-entrepreneur, recovering helicopter parent, and higher-ed marketing and public relations professional. She has taken her 16 years of experience working in, or with, college and universities and focused her attention on helping families navigate the fascinating journey of the college-bound. Queijo is also the host of #CampusChat, a Twitter chat on all things college: campus visits, college admissions and college life.

About #CollegeChat

#CollegeChat is a live bi-monthly conversation intended for teens, college students, parents, and higher education experts on Twitter. #CollegeChat takes place on the first and third Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m. Pacific/ 9 p.m. Eastern. Questions for each #CollegeChat edition can be sent to Theresa Smith, the moderator of #CollegeChat via http://Twitter.com/collegechat , by entering questions online on the CollegeChat Facebook page at http://ht.ly/1XIqV , or by email. More detailed information about signing up for Twitter and participating in #Collegechat  can be found at  http://pathwaypr.com/how-to-participate-in-a-twitter-chat .CollegeChat can also be found on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/collegechat .

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8 Steps to Land Your Dream Internship

March 7, 2011 By

the red door
Creative Commons License photo credit: marfis75

In less than three months college students across the country will begin their summer internships which will likely be a boon for their future employment opportunities.  According to National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), 70 % of those who intern are offered full time employment either by the company or through their network.

If you haven’t started looking for your summer internship, now is the time to get cracking according to Emily Bennington, founder of Professional Studio 365 and author of  “Effective Immediately: How to Fit In, Stand Out, and Move Up at Your First Real Job”.  During a recent #Collegechat, Bennington recommended the following steps to students to land their dream internships.

Start early. Students should start their search for an internship at least two to three months before they would like to begin. So, if you are interested in having an internship beginning in June, you need to start looking by March.

Make a list. Students should start with their dream companies and expand from there. Bennington recommends students have at least 25 companies on their initial list. Mark Babbit, CEO of Youtern,  added, “Once you have a list of dream companies, check out their competitors. Their competitors may be more dynamic and welcoming.”

Identify target internships. According to Bennington, the Internet is a great place for students to research internships. Bennington recommends students check out Intern Queen,  an online internship destination that helps students find and apply for internships while also educating them on how to make the most of their experiences. Bennington also recommends that students check out Internships.com, which describes itself as the world’s largest marketplace for internships. Interested in a social media internship? Internships.com lists 3651 available internships in social media alone including one with Charlie Sheen. Youtern is another resource that according to Babbitt, ”Focuses on mentor-based internships where those entering the workforce contribute right away.”

Twitter is another great social media source for looking for both jobs and internships according to Bennington. She recommends students check k out the tweets of http://twitter.com/#!/jobhuntorg.  Job-hunt.org maintains a list of the “Top 50 Employers Recruiting on Twitter” at http://www.job-hunt.org/job-search-news/2009/06/09/top-50-employers-recruiting-on-twitter/.  MonsterCollege –http://twitter.com/#!/monstercollege – is another great resource on Twitter and at http://college.monster.com/education for both college students looking for internships as well as graduates looking for jobs.

Students should also look for internships through their own personal networks including family, friends, and social media contacts including those on LinkedIn. And last but not least, don’t forget to utilize your college’s Alumni network in your search. After all, they have been there and done that.

Take an internship predictor test. For students not sure what kind of internship to look for, check out the free internship predictor application at http://www.internships.com/predictor. Students should also be able to take a career assessment test at their college’s career services office.

Make sure internship is legitimate. Try to find other students who have done the internship before you and ask them about their experience. Also, look up the company that you are interested in with the Better Business Bureau. According to Bennington, a legitimate internship should have learning objectives and be part of a formal program.  InternshipRatings.com and InternshipKing.com both offer ratings of internships.

Beware of “premium” And “u-pay internships.” Students should be very careful about “u-pay” and “premium” internships Bennington warned. “It’s best if the internships comes through the school.”

Some of these all-inclusive oversea internships, according to Babbit, CEO  of YouTern, cost $5000 to $10,000, and although many parents may be willing to pay for them,  are not necessary.

Open a LinkedIn account. Ideally, college students should have a LinkedIn account long before they start looking for an internship explained Bennington. “High school isn’t too early for a LinkedIn profile either,” said Bennington. “Fill it up with volunteer work and get a head start.”

Outshine the other applicants. The first step to outshine other applicants and to get your foot in the door for an interview, is to have a well thought  out and well written resume. “The best resumes showcase accomplishments and not just responsibilities,” said Bennington.

The next step is to do the research on the company you are interviewing with. Go to LinkedIn and learn as much as you can about the person interviewing you as well as the company. “Company research is so important,” said Bennington. “I am always surprised at how many candidates don’t know the basics.”

The final step actually begins after the student starts the internship. Bennington recommends that interns email their bosses weekly with a list of accomplishments, areas for input, and goals for the week ahead.  This final step will not only help you stand out during your internship, but will help position you for your next internship or job after graduation.

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