All posts by Suzanne Shaffer

scholarships

Freedom in Academia Essay Contest

The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) is currently running an essay contest (the Freedom in Academia Essay Contest). High school juniors and seniors for the 2012-2013 school year are eligible to participate in FIRE’s essay contest. To enter, students must submit an essay between 800 and 1,000 words on the provided topic.

One $10,000 first prize, one $5,000 second prize, and three $1,000 runner-up prizes will be awarded for the best essays. Four $500 winners will be chosen from the remaining entrants in a drawing.

FIRE will accept essay contest entries from August 1 to November 25, 2012.

Instructions:

Familiarize yourself with FIRE and FIRE’s issues. Our mission statement:

FIRE’s mission is to defend and sustain individual rights at America’s colleges and universities. These rights include freedom of speech, legal equality, due process, religious liberty, and sanctity of conscience — the essential qualities of individual liberty and dignity. FIRE’s core mission is to protect the unprotected and to educate the public and communities of concerned Americans about the threats to these rights on our campuses and about the means to preserve them. A great resource is FIRE’s Guide to Free Speech on Campus. For more information, explore thefire.org.

Watch two short videos about real students who were censored and punished for speech that is protected by the U.S. Constitution. Students should also watch FIRE’s other videos, available on YouTube.com/theFIREorg.

Answer the essay question: Why is free speech important at our nation’s colleges and universities? Using examples from both videos, discuss how censorship of student speech is incompatible with higher education. Your essay should be 800-1,000 words.

Submit your essay through the online form at http://thefire.org/article/14663.html. Only current high school juniors and seniors (graduating in the spring of 2013 or 2014) may apply.

 

 

college guidance, infographics, parenting

The truth about college binge drinking

Every parent worries about their college student observing this type of behavior. If you have a college-bound teen, use this infographic to start a discussion about the temptations at college and the obvious consequences of engaging in binge drinking.

The Truth About College Binge Drinking
By: TheBestColleges.org

college guidance, college planning, infographics

Public vs Private Colleges

I have had many parents ask me about a public college education vs a private college education. It’s the old debate: Public vs Private. Surprisingly, many times the private colleges cost less than public institutions (based on large financial aid packages they are able to offer from alumni contributions). But according to this infographic, private colleges might be an even greater value in the long run due to higher earning potential. It’s just one more factor to consider before making the final college choice.

 

Public vs. Private: How College Quality Can Impact Your Future
Brought to you by: OnlineColleges.net

campus security, college guidance, college planning, parenting

Preparing for College: Safety First

In a few short weeks, your child is going away to college – either for the first time or another year. That reality brings with it an overwhelming number of emotions for most parents. Excitement for the new experiences they will have, but also worries for their safety and ability to thrive on their own. So many questions run though your mind as the countdown begins. Have you prepared your child for this big step? Will he or she be able to take care of themselves? Make the right choices? But most important of all, is your child safe? Thanks to the wonders of information technology, you can send your child to college with powerful safety tools that keep you connected no matter the miles between you.

Creating a virtual safety tool kit for your child’s Smartphone is a great way to take advantage of the latest information technology. It’s as easy as downloading a few key apps. One basic app that can be useful to your child in all kinds of situations is a simple flashlight app. Downloading this app, for example, can help your college student locate their keys before entering an apartment or dorm at night. More involved applications like the WebMD app, put tons of valuable health information at your child’s fingertips. WebMD allows you to document any conditions your child may have, such as any allergies; it lists nearby hospitals, pharmacies, and doctor’s offices and includes a first aid guide for emergencies.

An all-in-one emergency response app can be beneficial to your child’s safety too. Apps like The Safety App Plus allow parents to request the safety status of their college student, giving them an instant visual update of their child’s current or last known address. The app also helps you to prepare your child for weather emergencies, by providing real-time emergency weather alerts. Its patented technology allows The Safety App Plus to send and receive text messages even when voice and data networks are overwhelmed which is common during disasters and emergencies.

The Safety App Plus can be used by both you and your college student to…

  • Request a safety status, automatically supplying you with the GPS location of your college student or of a lost or stolen phone.
  • Access real-time emergency weather alerts, a checklist of emergency supplies and important online resources while on a road trip.
  • Send group or individual messages when data and voice networks are overwhelmed, such as during large campus events or disasters.

As an incentive for more families to benefit from the robust features of The Safety App Plus and in observation of National Preparedness Month, the app is now only $0.99.

Sending your child away to college doesn’t have to be wrought with worry for you or your child. With the right tools, you can stay connected and help them stay informed and prepared in the event of a weather or other emergency. For more information on The Safety App Plus visit www.thesafetyapp.com or follow them on twitter @thesafetyapp.

____________

Today’s guest post was contributed by Lisa Barclay DiBenedetto, the president and founder of LDB communications, a successful marketing company. Lisa is the mother of four children, the oldest of whom is a junior at Northern Illinois University. Keeping her family safe has always been a priority, as well as spending as much time with her teenage children as they will allow.  

campus security, parenting

School shootings–What’s a parent to do?

Police officers investigate the scene of a shooting near Texas A&M University on Monday in College Station, Texas

I just got a news update on my iPhone saying that police had shot and killed a gunman at Texas A&M University this afternoon. The details are sketchy right now but it made me think about the importance of campus alert systems and some of the questions parents need to ask during the selection process.

Texas A&M responded quickly:

Texas A&M issued a Code Maroon — the university’s emergency notification system — at 12:29 p.m. CT (1:29 p.m. ET), telling people to avoid the area where there was a report of an “active shooter.” The entire ordeal lasted around 15 minutes, with an 12:44 p.m. update also posted on the university’s website indicating the alleged gunman was by then “in custody.”

Every parent of college-bound teens should ask this question during the campus visit (preferably not in the presence of your student):

What systems do you have in place to protect my child in the event of an emergency such as the Virginia Tech shooting?

The American Council on Education published a list of questions school leaders should ask themsleves. Parents should expect answers to these questions when discussing this issue with campus security:

  1. Has the school done a full assessment of potential catastrophic risks, and does it have plans in place to address these risks?
  2. Does the school have an appropriate emergency team in place? Do team members regularly participate in emergency preparedness exercises?
  3. Does the school have multiple means to communicate with students, faculty, and visitors in the event of an immediate, ongoing emergency situation? Do plans exist to direct people to a safe location?
  4. What communication and coordination networks exist among campus security leadership, local law enforcement, political officials, first responders, and health officials, both on an ongoing basis and in case of emergency? Is there a specific integrated emergency response plan? Do all the agencies who might be involved in emergency run drills on campus to prepare?
  5. Is the training of campus security personnel appropriate to potential risks?

The president of Virginia Tech also mandated several internal reviews following the VT tragedy to evaluate the school’s existing emergency plan. The review committees’ recommendations included the following (things you should expect from your own school’s emergency plan):

  1. Classroom door locks that are modified.
  2. Video surveillance cameras, centrally located and monitored.
  3. Electronic key cards for controlled access to facilities.
  4. Mass communication outlets (e.g., phones and Internet access) within classrooms.
  5. Frequent emergency drills.
  6. Emergency response protocol with awareness education.
  7. Campus security committee and master plan.

Before sending your child off to college, do your homework. Make sure that if something bad does happen, the incident and the students get the attention they deserve. If you know the plan and have assurance that the college has implemented specific procedures to facilitate it, you will worry less and sleep better at night.

More on campus safety:

 6 Talking Points on Campus Safety

Prepping your college-bound student in campus safety

college planning, infographics, parenting

Smartphone apps for your students

It’s back to school time again and parents are searching for all types of study tools for their students. Smartphone apps are becoming great tools for education.

The Online Mom has partnered with Lookout and produced a Smartphone Guide for Parents. Take a look and download your own copy.

Here’s an infographic that shows the many benefits of smartphone usage in education.

Connecting Apps & Education
Provided By: OnlineColleges.net

admissions, college guidance, college planning, social networks

Your teen’s online reputation

 

I have been harping about your teen’s online reputation for the last year or so. Last week I posted an infographic “Google Yourself Challenge” and encouraged you to have your teen do this simple exercise. Why? Important people are looking at their online profile (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Google)–people who could have a huge affect on your teen’s future.

If you don’t believe me, here’s something that a good friend of mine posted on Facebook this week. He’s the CFO and does the hiring for a major corporation.

Public Service Announcement for those who don’t believe that potential employers actually look you up on Facebook – we do!

If you are looking for a job, take the questionable pictures down (or at least hide them). I’ve reviewed 6 resumes this AM and eliminated 3 of them based off of Facebook profiles.

Your teen may not be job hunting at the moment, but they are college searching and colleges have begun to look at profiles of their applicants. In addition, after college, your student will be looking for a job. Mistakes like this can cause them to be unemployable after graduation.

Pictures aren’t the only thing you need to worry about. Later he posted these LinkedIn profiles with some comments:

Really…? Why bother posting the resume?

Ummmm this might have been funny if it said Zack of ALL Trades…

It’s clear what your teen posts online should be professional and impressive. Encourage your teen to take some time this week and review their online profiles. Clean them up and/or make things private. The steps they take could help them stand out in a sea of applicants who didn’t take the time to do some simple housekeeping.

 

college guidance, college planning, Guest Posts, online learning

Traditional students are embracing online education

Only a few years ago, online education was the realm of the non-traditional student. Whether you were a high school dropout, a dad working three jobs, or a retiree who simply wanted to take some classes, chances were that you were not a typical college student if you were signed up for courses online.

In the last couple years, though, that all changed. In an era of tablets, smartphones, and omnipresent technology, it only makes sense that education – both traditional and otherwise – would gradually bleed into the virtual world.

Traditional students are quickly embracing the concept of online classes and obtaining various valuable degrees. There is no limit to what one can obtain via online courses. A degree like Information Security is easy to sign up for and schedule around just about any job or career. Furthermore, a degree like this is practically recession proof when considering technology’s exponential growth.

Online education offers the chance to change their career path at any time in their life. Combine this with the fact that there are plenty of opportunities in cyber careers like Information Security and there is no reason not to at least go online and see what is available.

Now, more than ever before, a student or alum from a traditional university can be found taking classes online. Here, generally, is what prompts these students to do this:

The Motivated Student

This student is enrolled in a traditional university – or, perhaps, they are a high school student who is about to matriculate to one – and they seek an intellectual challenge they cannot find in the classroom. Their classes may be too easy or the subject they seek to study may not be offered; either way, this student is self-motivated enough to go online and find an alternative.

The Prerequisite Search

Imagine that you signed up for a course at your university that you need for your major, for graduation, or simply wish to take for your own enjoyment. Now picture that this course has a prerequisite that must be taken but does not fit with your schedule. Maybe it’s a difficult mathematics course. What to do? Increasingly, students in this position are dealing with this issue by turning to online classes.

Students are also utilizing the help of powerful new tools that facilitate differentiated math instruction in and outside the classroom. Click here to learn more about such options.

The Second Degree

With the economy as it is these days, people often get a traditional degree from a four-year college, head out afterwards into the workplace, and quickly learn that they don’t possess many employable or marketable skills. Many of them, at this point, decide to work part-time towards an online degree that will provide those skills and, hopefully, help them find a job that they want.

With all these new types of traditional students entering the world of online education, the process of getting a degree over the internet suddenly becomes more widespread and traditional. As the lines continue to blur in the future between traditional and non-traditional, online and offline, we should expect to see this phenomenon occur with even more regularity.

___________

Today’s guest post was contributed by Amanda Green, a freelance writer who normally writes on the topics of education, business, and personal finance. Amanda has been writing for multiple years on the web and enjoys writing on less serious topics like pets and crafting in her spare time! You can read more writing by Amanda at paidtwice.com

admissions, infographics, social networks

Google Never Forgets

Anyone who follows me knows that I’m a big proponent of a “clean appearance” online. Colleges and employers are already eyeing your social media presence and it’s important for your student to put as much effort into “keeping clean” as preparing their college application. Why. ? Because Google never forgets.

Here are some statistics on who is looking for your data:
  • 81% of millennials Google or Facebook their date before going out
  • 79% of recuiters and hiring managers screen applicants by information available online
  • 86% of hiring managers have rejected someone based on information available online
  • 7 in 10 internet users search online for information about others

This infographic shows how your college-bound teen’s digital footprint can affect their future.

The Google Yourself Challenge
From: BackgroundCheck.org

admissions, college guidance, college planning, financial aid

Preparing your student for college graduation

Last night in the #CampusChat discussion we were talking about moving into college and what to pack. One participant stated she took her whole life with her to college because she never planned to move back home after college graduation; and to her credit she did not.

Most parents believe (or hope) that once their student goes off to college they will only be temporary visitors at home. We often talk about getting into college, but rarely discuss what happens after graduation. Unfortunately, in today’s economy, many students are forced to move back in with their parents after they graduate. For those boomerang students, the top two reasons are no job or job prospects and too many student loans exceeding their expected income.

These reasons alone make it important for parents to be involved in the financial decisions that their students make related to the college they choose and the loans they choose to incur while attending. Of course your student may WANT to go to an expensive private college, but can you, as a family, afford it? Is your student prepared for the ramifications of taking out massive student loans and not being able to repay them?

Three scenarios

After the student returns home three scenarios usually play out.

Scenario One

Your student returns home and still can’t find a job with their college degree. After weeks of depression and frustration, they make the decision to attend graduate school. Since it’s expensive, they opt to take out graduate student loans to supplement the financial aid and provide living expenses. After they complete their graduate degree, they are able to gain employment and begin paying back their loans.

Scenario Two

Your student finds a minimum wage job, defers their student loans and still can’t find a job related to their college degree and major. They end up working in a field that is completely unrelated to their area of interest, in a job they do not like, and are still unable to pay back their student loans. They borrowed too much and will probably never crawl out of the hole they dug for themselves.

Scenario Three

Your student returns home, finds a minimum wage job, defers their student loans and saves every penny they make while living at home. They are able to begin paying back their student loans with their savings and continue the job hunt while working full time. Many times, those temporary jobs end up being avenues to find college degree employment either through networking or company advancement.

With scenario one, if your son or daughter opts to pursue the graduate degree path, it’s critical they do their homework, research interest and payback rates, and degrees that are worth their investment. If they don’t, they could end up as the student in the second scenario with too much debt and no job prospects.

Summing it up (my opinion)

Advise your student wisely about debt, college value, and degree prospects after graduation. It’s not just a decision on which school they “like”. It’s a decision that affects the rest of their life and could have overwhelming negative consequences. Parents are key role players in this decision. It’s our job to point out the possible ramifications of their decisions and allow them to have input. But (and this is is hard) if they won’t listen to reason, you might have to be a parent. I know because I had to take that role with my daughter and her college choice. I had to be the “bad guy” and kept her from attending her first choice college. Today she thanks me. At the time, she wasn’t very happy with me–but she fell in love with her second choice college and graduated with minimal debt.

Being a parent can be extremely hard; we have to balance guidance with “helicoptering” and know when to take a stand for the well-being of our kids. It’s a difficult job on the best of days and downright frustrating on the worst of them. Helping them with the college choice as it relates to financial consequences is one of those “take a stand” moments.