http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2014/03/the-dark-power-of-fraternities/357580/
http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/confessions-of-an-ivy-league-frat-boy-inside-dartmouths-hazing-abuses-20120328
Here are links to a couple of articles about fraternities. Not all fraternities are bad and some offer positives. However, it is good to investigate fully before joining or attending a party. There are some real dangers here that no one deserves.
http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2014/03/the-dark-power-of-fraternities/357580/ http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/confessions-of-an-ivy-league-frat-boy-inside-dartmouths-hazing-abuses-20120328
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Here is an editorial written by two college admissions professionals. As a former high school counselor, I had the equivalent of 400 students on my caseload. I always had so much more information to offer than I had time. Here's the article.
Of course, we hope you high school seniors filled out your FAFSA early in January, based on your 2012 tax returns. Now it is time to file your 2013 taxes and then log in into your FAFSA account and make corrections using your 2013 income.
If you need help filing your taxes, Oregon has a non-profit that helps low-income families complete this step. I recommend using them, as I believe it is important for students to learn the basics of filing taxes. Almost anyone can fill out a basic tax form with a little bit of help. Go to this website for more information. (Check to see if your state offers a similar service). January is over, which means that seniors should have completed all financial aid forms for college. Almost everyone needs to complete the FAFSA-Free Application for Federal Student Aid. (This form is free. Do not use commercial sites with .com addresses). This qualifies you for federal need-based aid which includes, Pell grants, work-study, and federal student loans. It may also be used to qualify parents as eligible to borrow PLUS loans to help their student with tuition. Quite a few schools also use the CSS Profile. (This is a financial document created by the same people who create the SAT. This form requires a fee unless you are very low-income. In that case, the fee will be waived after you have completed the form). The last day to file the CSS Profile for students entering college in the fall of 2014 is February 15th.
Be sure to check the website of every college to which you will apply to ensure that you have completed all requirements. Nothing is more disappointing than getting an incomplete financial aid offer that can not be corrected in a timely manner. A few colleges also have their own financial aid form to complete, in addition to the FAFSA and CSS Profile. Do not hesitate to communicate with the college to make sure you understand everything you need to complete. Here is an interesting description of one student's experience being recruited for a Division I football team. He offers some important insights.
Here are suggestions from Tufts University on choosing classes for your senior year. Are you hoping to attend a very selective university? Are you truly intellectually curious? Show it! Your class selection tells a story about you.
With all the college hype, many students do not realize that they will be admitted to most of their colleges. There are a few colleges that are extraordinarily selective, but most colleges accept most of their applicants. Here is a link to an article.
If you are an artist, National Portfolio Day is an important event in choosing a college. This is a place where you can bring your portfolio and get feedback from artists representing a number of excellent art schools. The national schedule is posted at portfolio day.net. More information about the January 12, 2014 event in Portland, OR day is listed here.
This would even be a place to talk about the advantage of an art school vis a vis a four year university with an excellent art major. There are two major differences. An art school tends to boast more of an artist culture. The second is the difference between a BA or a BFA degree. With a BFA, art will likely occupy 67-75% of your curriculum. With a BA, generally fewer than 50% of your classes will be art courses. If you are interested in other subjects (psychology, physics), in addition to art, the BA degree will likely serve you best. If you can't imagine doing anything other than art, the BFA may be your best choice. Make sure you are interested in working on art for 12 hours a day; I have met art students who almost live in their studio. The linked article below suggests that the order in which a student lists his or her college on the FAFSA could affect the admission decision or the financial aid package. For simplicity, I advise (as I have inconsistently recommended in the past) that you list your colleges alphabetically on the FAFSA. Or you can read the whole article and devise a strategy for listing colleges that could beat colleges at their own game. It is too bad that there are gaming elements involved in the admissions process. If we all ignored all the ratings, many of the gaming elements would disappear nicely.
Here's the FAFSA article. Pacific University's Department of Education is sponsoring a workshop for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth and those who teach them. It is designed to help people create environments in school where everyone can feel safe and thrive. This will happen on Saturday, October 12, from 9am-3pm. Click on the link to register: LGBT workshop.
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AuthorKathy Garrett has been a school counselor for over 30 years, and a college counselor for well over a decade. Archives
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Kathy Garrett, College Counselor
Consulting with students in Portland, Lake Oswego and other Portland, OR suburbs about choosing colleges, and offering support, expertise and encouragement through the application process.
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