August 2008

Vol. 7. Issue 10

Your Counselor Connection

There's plenty to think about when making your college plans:

The best place to go to get the process started is your school counselor. Your counselor is college-planning central. Got questions? See your counselor and the sooner the better!

Your counselor should have plenty of material about colleges, business and trade schools to help you get started on your college choice decision. Your counselor can also help you with scheduling PSAT, SAT or ACT tests, searching for scholarships, researching financial aid and arranging internships or work-shadowing opportunities.

A great way to supplement the information you receive from your counselor is to visit our award-winning college planning site, EducationPlanner.org. At EducationPlanner, you can research thousands of careers, search for schools and access online admission and student aid applications. EducationPlanner also has test prep information and practice exams for the PSAT, SAT and ACT, a comprehensive college essay writing course, a student resume builder, interactive financial aid calculators and more!

As you develop your college plans be sure to include your parents, teachers, counselors, and college representatives. They can provide you with direction and support during your decision-making process.

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The Extracurricular Advantage

One of the things that colleges consider when deciding on whether to admit a potential student is their involvement in extracurricular activities. Students with great grades and test scores, but no involvement in other activities, may be surprised when they receive rejection letters from schools they want to attend.

Colleges want to admit students who show that they can master subject material while also managing a commitment to extracurricular activities. Schools want that “well-rounded” student; one who shows interest or passion for an activity or one who “gets involved” in their local community through volunteer activities.

Extracurricular activities may be school-related such as athletics, club participation, band, choir and working on the school newspaper or yearbook committee. There are also activities outside of school that you can get involved in. Religious organizations and community groups offer many opportunities for students to volunteer. You could offer to collect food for the local food bank or homeless shelter, donate time and effort to clean up a local highway or park, work with inner-city kids to plant gardens and spruce-up their neighborhoods or tutor students who are having difficulty with subjects like math or reading.

The possibilities to make a positive difference are almost endless at school and in your community. Identify something that is meaningful to you and then get involved in projects that match your interests. Not only will you get the personal pleasure of making a difference, but you will also be able to include your efforts on college applications or use your volunteer experiences as a possible topic for your essay.

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Benefits of a Liberal Arts Degree

Sometimes being a specialist is good. For some students, it's required in technical or highly specialized fields of study. For many others, the broad spectrum of courses provided by a liberal arts degree is the key to open many employment doors and sometimes not-so-obvious career paths.

From many employers' perspective, the degree is more important than what you actually major in.

Have you ever heard your parents say, “What in the world are you going to do with a liberal arts degree?” Well, the answer is more than they might think.

Because of the wide-range of coursework, liberal arts majors develop highly sought-after skills like critical thinking, problem-solving and communication skills. They also develop the flexibility to mature through lifelong learning to meet any organization's requirements for employment. Employment trends indicate that liberal arts majors tend to advance farther and are recruited more for high-level positions than non-liberal arts graduates.

Additionally, with people changing careers an average of five to six times over their working years, the need for specialized skills is becoming more limited in value.

We've compiled a list of some popular liberal arts majors and the careers they can lead to.

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Career Highlight: Social Worker

Social work is a profession for those with a strong desire to help improve people's lives. Social workers help people function the best they can in their environment, deal with their relationships, and solve personal and family problems. Problems that social workers' clients may face include inadequate housing, unemployment, serious illness, disability or substance abuse. Social workers also assist families dealing with child or spousal abuse.

While a bachelor's degree is the minimum requirement, a master's degree in social work or a related field has become the standard for many positions.

Employment opportunities are available with local, state and federal government and within the private sector, which includes health care settings and social assistance agencies.

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Explore any or all of our web sites. You'll be glad you did!

Manage your AES account online at aesSuccess.org.

YouCanDealWithIt.com gives you the real story on money, student loans and life.

EducationPlanner.org is our award-winning career and college planning site.

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