A Five-part Series by Carol J. Amato
5. Compare the cost per unit at the schools you research. While price alone shouldn’t be the deciding criterion for selecting a school, determine whether the pricing structure is out of line from the average costs.
6. Read the fine print of any contracts you have to sign. You don’t want to find out after the fact that you’ve made commitments that you don’t want to keep.
7. Understand that most financial aid needs to be paid back. The advantage of borrowing from government-provided student loans is that you won’t have to begin making payments until you have finished your degree, but you WILL have to pay it back. Don’t let the enrollment advisors mislead you on this.
Also be aware that if you drop out, your financial aid will become due and payable immediately—whether or not you have finished the class. Be sure you understand thoroughly all the terms and conditions of your financial aid contracts.
Before signing up for financial aid, check with someone else who already has a loan to find out the pros and cons.
8. Check the school website to see which of your previous classes will transfer to the school of your choice. Many schools list on their websites the courses for which they will accept credit. Often, these listings are only for other colleges in the area, however. Be sure to see if any AP classes you took in high school will transfer.
Stay tuned for Part 3....
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
20 Tips for Returning to College, Part 1
A Five-part Series by Carol J. Amato
Congratulations! You’ve made the critical decision to complete your degree. Perhaps you’ve hit a ceiling at work and need a degree to go further or you want it just for your own personal benefit. Whether you have taken college classes in the past or are new to college life, you may be hesitant to enroll because you think you will feel out of place among all those 18-22-year-olds.
Don’t worry. According to the Commission on the Future of Higher Education’s 2006 report, those over 22 make up 58 percent of today’s college population. In fact, 40 percent are 25 and older. These students are called “adult learners.” Most of them work and have spouses and/or children. You will fit right in.
To ensure that your return to college is successful, keep these points in mind:
1. Have a clear idea of your major. Do you want to remain in the same career or change careers? Knowing your direction will help you choose the right school and relevant classes or program. College is expensive. Don’t waste time and money on classes that won’t further your career goals.
2. Make sure the college/university is accredited. Many companies/grad schools do not recognize undergraduate degrees from unaccredited schools. “Accreditation” means that the school’s programs have been screened and verified by the one of the arms of the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
Accreditation doesn’t ensure that a school isn’t more interested in taking your money than giving you a good education, however. Talk to your Human Resources department to see what he/she know about the school(s). If possible, talk to other students who have gone there. Also talk to experts in your line of work to get their advice on what school you should attend.
3. Consider an accelerated program. You can take one class at a time and still finish in a reasonably short period. A traditional semester is 15-18 weeks. A semester/term in an accelerated program may be 5-8 weeks. In other words, in that 5-8 weeks, you’ll read the same number of chapters and complete the same amount of homework—or more—as the student in the 18-week semester. The upside is that you’ll get 3 units under your belt in a much shorter amount of time.
4. Weigh the options between onground and online classes. If you travel frequently with your job, have childcare issues, or live too far from a ground campus to attend classes conveniently, consider an online program. You can attend class from the comfort of your living room via your computer, no matter where you are.
Stay tuned for Part 2....
Congratulations! You’ve made the critical decision to complete your degree. Perhaps you’ve hit a ceiling at work and need a degree to go further or you want it just for your own personal benefit. Whether you have taken college classes in the past or are new to college life, you may be hesitant to enroll because you think you will feel out of place among all those 18-22-year-olds.
Don’t worry. According to the Commission on the Future of Higher Education’s 2006 report, those over 22 make up 58 percent of today’s college population. In fact, 40 percent are 25 and older. These students are called “adult learners.” Most of them work and have spouses and/or children. You will fit right in.
To ensure that your return to college is successful, keep these points in mind:
1. Have a clear idea of your major. Do you want to remain in the same career or change careers? Knowing your direction will help you choose the right school and relevant classes or program. College is expensive. Don’t waste time and money on classes that won’t further your career goals.
2. Make sure the college/university is accredited. Many companies/grad schools do not recognize undergraduate degrees from unaccredited schools. “Accreditation” means that the school’s programs have been screened and verified by the one of the arms of the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
Accreditation doesn’t ensure that a school isn’t more interested in taking your money than giving you a good education, however. Talk to your Human Resources department to see what he/she know about the school(s). If possible, talk to other students who have gone there. Also talk to experts in your line of work to get their advice on what school you should attend.
3. Consider an accelerated program. You can take one class at a time and still finish in a reasonably short period. A traditional semester is 15-18 weeks. A semester/term in an accelerated program may be 5-8 weeks. In other words, in that 5-8 weeks, you’ll read the same number of chapters and complete the same amount of homework—or more—as the student in the 18-week semester. The upside is that you’ll get 3 units under your belt in a much shorter amount of time.
4. Weigh the options between onground and online classes. If you travel frequently with your job, have childcare issues, or live too far from a ground campus to attend classes conveniently, consider an online program. You can attend class from the comfort of your living room via your computer, no matter where you are.
Stay tuned for Part 2....
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
10 Secrets for Success When Writing College Papers
by Carol J. Amato
Students make many of the same mistakes over and over that cause otherwise good papers to lose points. Here is a list of some of the main mistakes so that you will know what to avoid to ensure your papers can receive the best grade possible.
1. Follow the instructions your teacher, instructor, or professor has specified. This includes staying within the word or page count.
2. Create a topic (NOT SENTENCE) outline to ensure that your paper has a good flow and that you have covered all the bases.
3. Use the topic headings from your outline to divide the sections of your paper, but delete the Roman numerals.
4. If you find your paper is going over the word or page count because you have too many topics in your outline, revise your outline and cut some of the topics.
5. If your paper is to be written in first person, such as an essay, ensure it is in first person only (“I,” “me,” “my,” “mine,” OR “we,” “us,” “our,” “ours”). If your paper is to be written in third person, ensure it is in third person only (“he,” “she” “his,” “hers,” “him,” ”her,” OR “they,” “them,” “their,” “theirs”). Look carefully at the instructions and outlines in your instructor’s/professor’s syllabus for directions.
Under NO circumstances should there be any instances of second person (“you” or “your”) anywhere in your paper unless you are writing instructions or it is contained within a quotation. Do a search for these words and make sure that you eliminate them.
Note: Watch out for the command form booby-trap; i.e., “Do this. Do that. Read this. Go to that building.” All of these forms are actually second person (“You do this, you do that,” etc.) even though they can be written without using the word “you.”
6. Use the style guide your instructor/professor specifies to create the format (page layout) of your paper. This includes margins, heading styles, page header style, location of page numbers, and formats for citations and references. If a title page and table of contents are required, be sure to include them.
7. Use at least two outside sources to support or refute your material. Check the syllabus to find out how many outside sources you must use.
8. Cite and reference your sources—and do so using the style guide your teacher, instructor, or professor specifies. Pay close attention to the order of the elements, use of capital vs. lower-case letters, punctuation requirements, and format of the authors’ names. Listing your sources in any old format will guarantee loss of points. Including the entire reference in the text is also a no-no.
9. Eliminate all instances of announcements; e.g., “This paper will discuss…. “; “Attempts will be made to define….”; “The purpose of this paper is to….”
Instead of the announcements, just turn the rest of the statement into a complete sentence. For example:
NOT The purpose of this paper is to analyze two different types of political systems: democracy and socialism.
BUT An analysis of democracy and socialism shows that both political systems have positive and negative characteristics.
10. Read your paper aloud to yourself to catch all punctuation, spelling, and grammar errors. Do not rely on spell check and grammar check alone. They are woefully inadequate and will pass over incorrect words that spell other English words (such as “barn” for “born”).
Following these tips will give take your paper a long way in getting a terrific grade.
Students make many of the same mistakes over and over that cause otherwise good papers to lose points. Here is a list of some of the main mistakes so that you will know what to avoid to ensure your papers can receive the best grade possible.
1. Follow the instructions your teacher, instructor, or professor has specified. This includes staying within the word or page count.
2. Create a topic (NOT SENTENCE) outline to ensure that your paper has a good flow and that you have covered all the bases.
3. Use the topic headings from your outline to divide the sections of your paper, but delete the Roman numerals.
4. If you find your paper is going over the word or page count because you have too many topics in your outline, revise your outline and cut some of the topics.
5. If your paper is to be written in first person, such as an essay, ensure it is in first person only (“I,” “me,” “my,” “mine,” OR “we,” “us,” “our,” “ours”). If your paper is to be written in third person, ensure it is in third person only (“he,” “she” “his,” “hers,” “him,” ”her,” OR “they,” “them,” “their,” “theirs”). Look carefully at the instructions and outlines in your instructor’s/professor’s syllabus for directions.
Under NO circumstances should there be any instances of second person (“you” or “your”) anywhere in your paper unless you are writing instructions or it is contained within a quotation. Do a search for these words and make sure that you eliminate them.
Note: Watch out for the command form booby-trap; i.e., “Do this. Do that. Read this. Go to that building.” All of these forms are actually second person (“You do this, you do that,” etc.) even though they can be written without using the word “you.”
6. Use the style guide your instructor/professor specifies to create the format (page layout) of your paper. This includes margins, heading styles, page header style, location of page numbers, and formats for citations and references. If a title page and table of contents are required, be sure to include them.
7. Use at least two outside sources to support or refute your material. Check the syllabus to find out how many outside sources you must use.
8. Cite and reference your sources—and do so using the style guide your teacher, instructor, or professor specifies. Pay close attention to the order of the elements, use of capital vs. lower-case letters, punctuation requirements, and format of the authors’ names. Listing your sources in any old format will guarantee loss of points. Including the entire reference in the text is also a no-no.
9. Eliminate all instances of announcements; e.g., “This paper will discuss…. “; “Attempts will be made to define….”; “The purpose of this paper is to….”
Instead of the announcements, just turn the rest of the statement into a complete sentence. For example:
NOT The purpose of this paper is to analyze two different types of political systems: democracy and socialism.
BUT An analysis of democracy and socialism shows that both political systems have positive and negative characteristics.
10. Read your paper aloud to yourself to catch all punctuation, spelling, and grammar errors. Do not rely on spell check and grammar check alone. They are woefully inadequate and will pass over incorrect words that spell other English words (such as “barn” for “born”).
Following these tips will give take your paper a long way in getting a terrific grade.
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