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Helping Students and Families Navigate the College Journey

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The Greatest Thing Ever!

If it were possible to know the greatest thing ever, would you take the time to find it?  There are countless stories of such adventures.  Remember these great films?  The Goonies,   National Treasure,  Indiana Jones,  Star Trek, to name only a few!  There’s something captivating, mystic and ultimately, rewarding in the quest and discovery for whatever “holy grail” we are seeking to find.

As students, finding this gem in light of college could be the greatest thing ever!  But what exactly is it?  And why, when it’s found, would it become the greatest thing ever?

If a man empties his purse into his head no one can take it away from him.  An investment in knowledge always pay the best interest.    Benjamin Franklin

The pursuit of the greatest thing ever comes through the simple act of reading.  Read!  It becomes the conduit through which depth of thinking, breadth of understanding and construction of vocabulary occurs.  As Franklin states, it will “always pay the best interest.”

Leave nothing unturned, read often, read from different sources.  This, by far, becomes the best preparation for and improvement in writing, standardized tests and general knowledge of the world and events.

Take the time to read and read, and read some more!  It is the window through which knowledge is gained.  It truly is the greatest thing ever!!

Mankind have a great aversion to intellectual labor; but even supposing knowledge to be easily attainable, more people would be content to be ignorant than would take even a little trouble to acquire it.   Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)

by Mark Cruver
©2014 Capstone Educational Consultants

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HOPE Requirements Are Changing For Georgia Students

While this may come as a surprise to many, the law changed in 2011 by the College-Bound StudentsGeorgia Legislation to give the HOPE scholarship more hoops before any student can cash in.  Georgia students are looking ahead to an even greater and more rigorous academic load while preparing for college.

It’s not just the grade point averages anymore.  It’s the added requirement of including up to four dual-enrollment, advanced placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB) or others from a small list of legislatively approved courses by 2017.

Christopher Smith of The Daily Citizen reports,

“Qualifying for the HOPE scholarship is going to become more difficult.

Students graduating after May 1, 2015, will be required to take at least two classes from among college dual-enrollment, Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB) and advance foreign language classes to specific classes approved by lawmakers (tinyurl.com/GSFClist) if they want to qualify for the scholarship. They must still have the required GPA.

Sophomores who will graduate after May 1, 2016, will be expected to take three advance courses if they want to qualify, while freshmen graduating after May 1, 2017, will have to take four classes.”

Planning for the HOPE scholarship became more calculated and having a plan in place for college just became more critical.  Both students and their parents should be looking ahead and preparing for making some more calculated and intentional decisions that could have a surprising and positive impact on the student’s college admission plans.

These new requirements will actually allow more students to be more admissible to a broader selection of colleges.  When you apply for college, your academic resume makes a huge difference with regard to attending many colleges and universities.  A rigorous high school academic schedule speaks volumes these days!

The Daily Citizen also quotes Jennifer Phinney, director of school support for Dalton Public Schools saying, “regardless of which classes they take, students should “get a plan now” if they’re banking on HOPE scholarship money to help pay for college.

”It’s going to require careful planning,” Phinney said. “If you wait … you’re not setting yourself up for success.”

Capstone Educational Consultants, LLC — Fayette County’s personal and comprehensive college planner can assist in developing an educational action plan that makes sense now, but makes even more sense now for college.  Creating a plan during high school, where every decision is intentional and makes the case for college is brilliant.

by Mark Cruver
©2014 Capstone Educational Consultants, LLC

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Shaun White And Our College Dreams

The name Shaun White is no stranger to the airwaves these days.  In fact, he’s Shaun-Whitebeen all over them with his exciting performance expected on this year’s Winter Olympic half-pipe.  Anticipated by many to bring home the Gold, Shaun actually went on to rank 4th in the event.  And as you know, 4th place in the Olympics brings nothing home, but Shaun brought home something more priceless than Gold!

The more I pondered on this moment of surprise, I thought of the many high school students who, like Shaun, have worked hard and have for themselves incredible dreams and aspirations for college.  It’s a journey not unlike an athlete’s journey to win Gold.  But for Shaun, his dream ended nothing like he had imagined it would.  It ended in 4th place.

You Don’t Always Get What You Work Hard For

Shaun didn’t quite set out during his college days expecting to win a Gold Medal at a future Winter Olympics.  In fact, Shaun’s parents were a bit confused when their math student began talking of snowboarding and a half-pipe.  But Shaun didn’t allow those moments to interrupt his big dream of one day making history.

His journey began with a dream and with that he set out to make it come true.  Like so many high school students that think long and hard about the college of their dreams, Shaun thought a great deal about what it would take to make his dream a Gold-en moment.

Hard work certainly paid off, he made it to the Olympics!  But the dream of Gold he worked hard to earn slipped through his fingertips.  Similarly, high school students work extremely hard with community service, academics and extracurricular activities in hopes that one day it will all pay off — for college.   But the truth is everyone doesn’t get into the college of their dreams, even though they work very hard.  Everyone doesn’t win and that’s okay because Shaun doesn’t see himself as having lost, he thinks of himself as a winner regardless.

Good Sportsmanship Matters

When we don’t get what we want or even what we think we deserve it often leads to conflict.  I can only imagine the disappointment with not getting to medal in the Olympics after such discipline and working so diligently for that very moment.

College-bound students are experiencing this very thing each time the college of their dreams sends the infamous letter of rejection.  This being said, it’s even more difficult for these students to congratulate their friends — especially when it’s at a college they want to attend as well.

Seeing Shaun go for it and lose it was nothing short of painful.  But watching him respond to it was priceless — encouraging those who’d done well and winning the very thing he wanted.

Bad Days Happen

Bad days are not easily forgotten.  They tend to linger for a while.  But it is critical in these moments to not lose heart.  How you respond to your bad day makes all the difference.  Shaun collected his thoughts and instead of dwelling on the events of the past few moments, shot them forward to the “next time.”

It’s important for high school students to realize life hasn’t come to an end when dreams get crushed.  Instead, live life to the fullest as though nothing will stop you.  Remember, even though you don’t get into the college of your dreams simply means there will be a detour and detours are meant to take you to the same destination.

Be Encouraged

Nothing can spoil a moment more than derogatory or negative comments when something you’ve always wanted doesn’t quite land in your lap.  Don’t be that negative person.  Instead, be sure to encourage the one who got turned down from a college or not chosen for that scholarship.  Everyone wants to win, but it takes character to make it through a loss.

Friends and family that encourage the high school student along their college journey will be giving them the strength they need to make it through those rough moments.  It’s fantastic to have a supportive family and a group of friends by your side when the tough gets going.

Thank you Shaun White for showing America how to work hard to win and how to act when you don’t!

by Mark Cruver
©2014 Capstone Educational Consultants

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The Race Is On For Financial Aid

financialaidSome of the more costly mistakes made during the college planning process are made in the financial aid process.  Making assumptions on eligibility, waiting too long to file or not including the colleges under consideration are only a few of the many misfortunes that have the potential of become overly expensive.  Read here for a full list of costly errors to avoid:  http://goo.gl/iWjwBx

Truth is, the race is on!  Both the federal and state governments set aside a predetermined allotment of funds to distribute to eligible students each year for financial aid — and it’s not just for college freshman!  These funds are only available for a limited time for ALL college students.

Aid is available on a first-come, first-serve basis . . . so it is imperative to be on your game!  Here are a few tips that could save you both time and potentially thousands of dollars:

  1. File early!!  Filing as soon after January 1, the greater the chance your student will receive the entire amount of eligibility.  The early bird really does get the worm!
  2. Include each college/university of consideration on the FAFSA!!  This notifies the college of your interest or intent and streamlines the process as your FAFSA results will be sent directly to them.
  3. File despite your wealth!!  The formula used to determine aid eligibility takes into account far more than income and assets alone.  Don’t assume you won’t receive financial aid, it’s a bad idea.
  4. Extenuating circumstances that significantly impacted your reported income could call for a justified “professional judgement” by the financial aid director.
  5. Look into how Capstone Educational Consultants can assist you with their ccn1Financial Aid Estimator, College Cost Predictor and a FAFSA Answer Key.   With a single, customized report, it’s possible you could save hundreds, if not thousands or tens of thousands of dollars throughout the course of your child’s college career.  Capstone Educational Consultants will give you a detailed look inside each college, their financial aid offers, your estimated family contribution and projected out-of-pocket expenses.

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The Key To Christmas Break: Time To Think

 

Students and Christmas break conjure up all sorts of thoughts:  Christmas parties, family gatherings, comfortable couches, late mornings, late nights and an endless supply of festive goodies and excitement.  But in the middle of this more than wonderful hustle and bustle of the season, there within lies a sleeping giant.  This giant, if ignored, can be considerably unwelcoming as college approaches.  However, if greeted warmly, considered thoughtfully, this giant becomes your best-friend when it comes to college planning!

University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh

For both high school seniors and college students, the Christmas break can be a great time to think.  The challenge is finding and taking the time, the gift, and using it wisely.  It takes considerable discipline to be intentional about time over this break given the many things otherwise filling their space.  But the time they take to get away, answer some very important questions, pays a dividend that is worth it’s weight in gold.  That’s a gift that keeps on giving!

High school seniors are in a different place than their college friends.  While some have already received their acceptance to college, many are still in the middle of the application process.   It’s important for the high schooler to take this time to concentrate on that college essay.  While school is in session there are many distractions that occupy their attention and more often than not, the things that matter most often suffer most and take a back seat.  The exclusive time the senior takes to concentrate outside of a cluttered daily schedule could very well mean the difference between a good essay and a great one!  And when it comes to a college essay — quality matters!

Another place the high school senior who is still completing applications for college can spend some time asking some questions is regarding their test scores.  If they are content with their current score then they are propelled further down the road to completion.  If, however, they are not content, then it might be in their best interest to take the time to schedule for an upcoming ACT or SAT.  “What can be done to prepare to improve my score?” is a question to consider.

The other category of high school seniors are those who have yet to complete a single application because they have not identified a college of interest.  These seniors are in a completely different mindset throughout their Christmas break.  They should pause first, then just breathe.  Don’t panic!  This Christmas break is a perfect time to sit down and strategize.  There are many resources that can assist in this process and seeking wise counsel can make a huge difference.  Consider finding an IEC (Independent Educational Consultant) locally (http://www.hecaonline.org/Directory) to assist in this process!  Start by asking: “What am I looking for in a college?”  This is a great launching point that will develop into a plan.  Planning ahead is a great gift to yourself!

Coming home for the holidays for the first time since moving away to attend college can be a bit different for the college student — especially if their old bedroom has been transformed into the new workout room with a single treadmill.  College students should spend this holiday break still thinking about their college experience.  Self-evaluating their major fit, academic performance, satisfaction and ultimately, their college selection can be time well invested!  While many will determine early they are in the right place, there are many that know a change is in order.   Transferring can be a costly move at times, but if well calculated, it can be extremely economical in the long run.  No one can answer this question better than the college student who takes the time, away from the distractions of both the classroom and the season, to contemplate for themselves.

For the college student who is completely happy with where they are headed and the college experience has been extremely rewarding, the Christmas break can serve as a time to get involved.  There’s time for occasional periods of excessive rest, but for the most part, it is important for these students to give the gift of their time, skills and cheer to those in their community.  Offer to serve at a homeless shelter or at a local church — time is a precious gift!