Campus Visits

This post Last minute campus visit tips appeared first on College Admissions Strategies. Last minute campus visit tips Posted: 20 Mar 2016 08:00 AM PDT Families are about to load up their mini-vans and head for the airports and highways this week and next for the annual spring break campus visit blitz. Some last minute tips to help you make the most of your travels: Allow extra time. Some campuses are so large that you may have a 10 minute walk from the parking garage to the Admissions Office. Allow enough time so you arrive early enough to check in with the receptionist. When you first arrive, it makes sense to find out if and when a representative from the admissions office will be visiting your high school or your city. Make sure you make note of that information because it will be very important for you to follow up, if the college or university is still on your list after the visit. Be respectful of other people’s time. If you arrive late, don’t take over the session and ask what was missed. Come open-minded. Do your best not to be swayed by “what everybody else says” about certain schools. When students and families return from a visit to North Carolina State University (www.ncsu.edu), I’m always tickled by their common response, “It wasn’t nearly as ugly as I expected and everyone seemed so happy.” Be considerate of the other families visiting. Remember the basic stuff such as turning off your phone or other electronics, limiting personal conversations amongst yourselves or trying to focus the group’s attention on your particular student. Live in the moment. Take a few photos but don’t try to record the entire Information Session or the one-hour campus tour. Take good notes. I encourage everyone to write-up their impressions. As a parent, you are likely to “hear” different things than your child has heard. I also ask students to compile everyone’s notes into one document because six or eight months later it’s likely you will have forgotten why you liked or disliked a college so much. Don’t be condescending. Once you’ve done two or three campus visits you’ll probably be able to deliver the campus tour spiel yourself, but remember these are students who love their school and are trying to share valuable information. Wander the campus separately. After the Information Session and the tour are over, grab a meal in the dining hall, if possible, and then give yourselves an hour to separately get lost and then regroup. When your child is on their own, hopefully they’ll engage in conversations with students, ask some good questions and then be able to articulate what they like most and least about their campus visit experience. Let your kids go first. As you drive to the next campus visit or home, let your child share their impressions before you share yours. Bierer is an independent college adviser based in Charlotte. Send questions to: lee@collegeadmissionsstrategies.com; www.collegeadmissionsstrategies.com Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/education/article66658187.html#storylink=cpy

$10,000

Make College Happen Challenge: http://www.makecollegehappenchallenge.com/

• High school students: Tell us how YOU plan to pay for college for a chance to win $10,000!
• With Plan for College, you and your family will learn how to prepare and pay for college in a straightforward, step-by-step way.
• Register to learn more today!

Did you know....(scholarship program)

Mt. Mercy University is offering FREE TUITION to Iowa Students whose family is $45,000 or less annually! These scholarships are renewable for up to four year. To be eligible, the student must be:

1. An Iowa residents and graduate from an Iowa high school
2. Be admitted as a new freshman to Mount Mercy
3. Reside all four years on Mt. Mercy's campus during the academic years.
4. Participate in Mt. Mercy's College Success Program during their first year on campus.
5. File the FAFSA prior to July 1st (first year) and May 1 (subsequent years) that shows family income of $45,000 or less and Pell Grant eligibility.

If you qualify, visit Mt. Mercy and see if this is the right place for you!

Virtural College Fair

October All Access is NOW! Log in today, October 29th, 2015 from 10am-10pm ET to take part in this falls largest virtual college fair!

Any high school that has 50 students log in today, during the virtual college fair will be entered into a drawing for 10 chromebooks! During All access your students can: 

• Chat live with college admissions counselors from schools around the globe
• Watch expert presentations on topics such as financial literacy, the college essay, and more
• Earn their entry into a $5,000 scholarship drawing by visiting five college pages

Have your students sign up at October.CollegeWeekLive.com and log in today!

Exploring Post

Exploring is excited to learn of your interest in health field careers from a recent school survey.  Together with UnityPoint Health, Finley Hospital in Dubuque, we would like to invite you to participate in the Health Careers Exploring Program!


Exploring is a non-profit which offers career exploration programs to both male & female high school students.  Each session of this program focuses on a different department in the hospital, giving students a taste of many different health fields & specialties.  From pharmacy, to surgery, radiology, and more; this Exploring program provides students a chance to tour various departments, participate in activities, meet professionals in the field, and ask plenty of questions!  Students will walk away knowing if a health field career is something they want to pursue. 


UnityPoint Health & Finley Hospital normally do not allow any local students to observe or shadow due to HIPPA laws which protect patient privacy & safety, so you do not want to miss out on this opportunity!


FIRST MEETING: 
Date: Monday, November 16th, 2015
Time: 4:00-5:30 p.m.
Location: Finley Occupational Health  | 
1665 Embassy West Drive,
Dubuque IA
Registration Fee: $30.00 (made payable to Northeast Iowa Council)
A full schedule of meetings is included.


UnityPoint at Finley Hospital can only accommodate twenty students at one time, so please call or email to RSVP.  Due to the limited number of spots for students, we ask that you please take attendance very seriously.  Contact Melissa Neuhaus with the Exploring Program with RSVPs or questions at  563-556-4343 or email her at melissa.neuhaus@scouting.org.  Please then complete your registration form, make sure it is signed by a parent, and then mail it along with your registration fee to Exploring, PO Box 732, Dubuque, IA 52004.


This is an excellent way to learn about careers in the medical field while having a great time.  Remember, your future is the best reason to explore careers today!

From Smart College Visits....

Tonight, October 21, 2015, on #CampusChat:  Our "Best Of" #CampusChat Event We've taken the best of the best tips and advice shared during our recent chats and compiled them into a best-of-the-best event. Join us tonight for the best tweets and tips on:  Scholarship Tips  Understanding the new SAT and ACT College Rankings The Value of a Liberal Arts Education The College Essay Social media and college prep Career choice Financial Aid College visits Parenting a college-bound senior Follow @collegevisit    |    Follow @zkellyq    |    Follow @suzanneshaffer See you at 9PM Eastern!

CampusChat celebrated its 5th year in May of 2015 making it one of the longest-running higher-education chats on Twitter. Each week we bring you an hour of college related advice, tips, resources and comraderie focused on all things college. From parents and teens on the college-bound journey together to experts in college admissions and SAT/ACT test prep and essay writing professionals. Throughout it all, we're here to share our passion for college with you.

Would you like to be a guest on #CampusChat?   What else you'll find on Smart College Visit From advice on finding the right college fit to how to get the most from your campus visit to how to win scholarships, we've got you covered! College Admission Application Tips Essay Writing Tips Scholarship Mom Tips Tips for College Parents And, of course, advice, planning and travel tips, and stories on College Visits.

STEM/TECHNOLOGY Scholarship!

The IT Leadership Forum Technology Scholarship is a $1,000 scholarship awarded to Iowa high school seniors who have been involved in STEM classes or clubs and plan to pursue a technology-related degree at an Iowa college, university or community college. Up to 25 scholarships will be awarded this year (spring of 2016). To be considered for the scholarship, applicants must meet the following criteria and provide the requested information:

 

1. The applicant must be an Iowa resident and high school senior graduating in the 2015-2016 school year.

2. A minimum 3.0 high school grade point average (4.0 scale) is required.

3. The applicant must be enrolling in college for the first time.

4. Complete the online application form: https://goo.gl/VRZr1f

5. Provide a high school transcript (can be submitted online)

6. Provide two letters of recommendation (can be submitted online by reference)

7. Write an essay (minimum 500 words; instructions provided within online application)

8. Application deadline is March 1, 2016.