Music Business Summer Programs

Here are some ideas of excellent summer programs for high school students interested in combining music and/or business. This career is becoming more popular as students seek to get into the music business, not necessarily being musicians, but just interested in this industry…

-          Wagner College in NY on Staten Island.

-          “What Makes a Star” program at NYU’s Steinhardt School of Education; this is a music business summer institute for high school students. Here is the link for this program, http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/music/business/programs/summer/sta . NYU’s Steinhardt School has some good summer music programs for high school students, as offers residency. Other NYU high school programs are also available, but without dorm space, so it might be worth inquiring whether there are opportunities to combine the music program with other business-related classes.

-          Berklee College of Music (music business, entertainment law, and music of course). http://www.berklee.edu/summer/5week.html

-          Interlochen camps in Michigan; Northwestern

-          www.EnrichmentAlley.com for summer enrichment programs.

-          Drexel’s program (exploring the music industry)

-          The EPGY Summer Institutes at Stanford University will offer a new music course in Summer 2010, which will be taught by a team of musicians including the St. Lawrence String Quartet, Stanford artists in residence. The course will run from June 20 through July 9. The course will be a multi-disciplinary mix of music theory, history, criticism, and performance. We also have a very popular Business course that is offered in both sessions of our program, so either June 20-July 9 or July 12-August 7. While our 2010 website is not yet up, check out our current site, which has a lot of information about our program generally: http://epgy.stanford.edu/summer The 2010 website will go up by the end of November.

-          http://www.belmont.edu/mb/

-          Belmont University in Nashville, but if not, it’s a great place for music business. Belmont College in Nashville has a great Business/Music program.

Issues on Higher Education Costs

Colleges and Parents Prepare for Change

By Claudine Vainrub, Principal of EduPlan

With the cost of so many services going up these days, education does not stand behind. Many colleges look for ways to smartly confront the recession and survive. In the last two months, we have witnessed activity within schools nationwide that allow us to think that schools are preparing to combat deficits. Just last week, the University of Minnesota announced that if it would continue working with the current budget, by the year 2025, their deficit would be of US$1 billion (read about it here). Needless to say, they are planning cuts and drastically taking measures; change must happen.

One of the changes we have seen is the increase in tuition rates. This year in Florida, for example, state universities and community colleges were allowed to increase their tuition fees by up to 15%, which in turn, they did. Tuition usually goes up on average around 6% yearly, growing at a faster pace than inflation. Yet this year, we expect a hike from last year’s prices. Colleges have not many more options, as state funded educational institutions no longer receive the support they used to count on. Federal and state funding cuts are felt in education as much or more than in any other societal sectors.

Another strategy that has been implemented lately by some public universities is recruiting and admitting a larger percentage of out-of-state students, which pay out-of-state tuition. This strategy was publicly announced a couple of weeks ago by the University of Massachusetts at Amherst – read about it here. The school explained that, in order to prevent the university from sinking due to the financial crisis, it is implementing a campaign to aggressively recruit out-of-state students, who pay twice the tuition that Massachusetts residents do. Other public schools might find themselves utilizing similar strategies to survive the next decade. We might see this happen with popular and reputed public research universities such as the University of Michigan, the University of Maryland and the University of North Carolina, among others, where out-of-state students only represent up to 35% of student body. These schools have a lot of room for growth in that specific statistic, being very competitive and reputable schools, which can offer a great education to in and out-of-state students.

Whilst schools take measures to secure a more stable financial future, parents must also prepare for an education to get more costly. Financial planning never comes soon enough. One opportunity available to Florida residents is the Florida Prepaid Plan. Starting this week, parents will be able to enroll in this program, which allows for them to lock in the 2010-2011 tuition rates at public higher education institutions in Florida. The investment can be made for a newborn or a 17 year-old student. As the cost of education rises faster than inflation, this is one way to ensure that you can afford college education at an in-state college. If the student later on decides to attend a university outside of Florida, the money is returned to the family or can be transferred to a school of their choice. However, it is one way to save towards a college education.

Just today, the National Association for College Admissions Counseling – NACAC released its Report of College Admissions Trends. In it, NACAC shows that while the number of college applicants and applications has increased since 2001. This has resulted in a decline in overall acceptance rates at U.S. Colleges and universities of 5%. All this information means that the trend is towards more competitiveness in college admissions in the next years. Parents must not only prepare to support their children at in-state colleges, they must also ensure that they can provide funding for other alternatives, if the competition gets too rough with selective in-state schools.

In the college admissions process, sooner is better; the more prepared and informed, the better the outcome for the family and ultimately, for the student.

EduPlan

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The Value of an Elevator Pitch

By Claudine Vainrub, Principal of EduPlan

What we call today “Elevator Pitch” is what once was a simple introduction. The term refers specifically to what you would say to someone about you and your added value if you were in an elevator with them for a minute, before getting to your floor. In today’s competitive job market, having an outstanding elevator pitch can make all the difference in the world. It can attract parties that otherwise might not be compelled to connect with you. Elevator Pitches can help you create personal brand recall, supporting you to position yourself favorably in the mind of a decision maker.

Let’s start by defining the term: an Elevator Pitch is a brief – 30-second statement that defines who you are, what is your profession or business, and the benefit of your services. In other words, it is a positioning statement that informs others of your stance and added value.

The essence of an Elevator Pitch, however, also involves the context in which we deliver it. When communicating our pitch, we need to understand who is our target audience and if they are ready to receive it. We might be distracted trying to get a business card out, or focusing on ourselves, when the other party might be providing a message. We also must develop several elevator pitches, one for each type of audience, and one that will prove compelling specifically for each receiver.

It seems not so hard to do, however, keep in mind that Elevator Pitches are not necessarily directed to a friend of your grandmother, they are to be delivered to people that could open doors for you in your job search or to enhance your business development process.

Here are some guidelines on how to prepare a compelling elevator pitch:

1-      Learn what differentiates you from the crowd. This is the first step in creating a good elevator pitch. Understand your uniqueness, traits, passions and values. For this, personal branding is a great tool which will support you in developing a vision, mission and unique promise of value, which should be essential parts of your pitch.

2-      Use the added value you bring any company through your services in the beginning of the pitch. Instead of saying: “I have been developing marketing strategies for 20 years”, say “I have generated seven figures in revenues through marketing strategies developed in the last 20 years”. Bring focus to the achievement, which is what differentiates you from other job seekers and business people.

3-      Make it exciting for you to say. Once determining your passions and values, add them to your pitch to ensure that when you communicate it, it increases your blood rate and visibly rises your energy level. Show your enthusiasm when giving your elevator pitch, an easier task to master if it truly is compelling to you.

4-      Be specific about your achievements and goals. Create different pitches for different industries and occupations, if you have several. Keep it as simple as possible, while communicating enough information to create the need of more.

5-      Practice saying it out loud – practice often. This is one case where practice can make perfect.

6-      Make sure to have business cards to accompany the elevator pitch. If you have delivered the pitch and do not have supporting materials to make the next move, you will no longer look as professional as you did when delivering the pitch (or could loose the opportunity to connect).

EduPlan, LLC

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Virtual High School Option

For students interested in completing high school courses not be offered at their high school, virtual high schools provide a great educational alternative. Here is some information on a new program, which you could be interested in, if you are looking for this option:

The new school Youth Connections Charter School (YCCS) Virtual High School powered by K12 is chartered through Chicago Public Schools and located on Chicago’s west side at the Malcolm X College campus.

YCCS Virtual High School is designed for students 17 to 21 who have one to two semesters needed to graduate. Students complete rigorous coursework within a classroom setting utilizing K12’s online curriculum facilitated by highly qualified teachers. See K12 course catalogue here: http://www.k12.com/int/prog_overview/curriculum/high_school/

(YCCS) Virtual High School students have a diverse range of interests, skills, and abilities, but all have a desire to attain a high school diploma and beyond from vocational to 4 year university and beyond.

Address:

YCCS Virtual High School powered by K12

Malcolm X College, room 2417

1900 W. Van Buren

Chicago, IL 60612

Principal Early King

Phone 773.553.2341

Preventing Crime on Campus

Annie Le had everything going for her; a coveted education at Yale University, a fulfilling job, a beautiful life ahead of her. Her horrible death three days before her wedding, in the bathroom of a library at her Alma Mater, reminds us that although college crimes of this nature are rare, they do occur.

Universities take many steps to ensure our safety, some have security cameras, others feature patrols by security guards and a few offer metal detectors outside popular buildings. But ultimately, your safety depends upon your own actions.

As expressed by Kerrie Troseth, there are several common crime activities present in college campuses. Troseth explains: “The most severe crime is murder/manslaughter. This number is usually relatively low or at zero for most campuses. Families may be concerned about this category; however, compared to most small cities and towns of similar populations, the number is usually at a lower rate. Campuses are now required to have crisis plans, including mass texting and emailing, to warn students of any potential high risk situations occurring on campus.”

Sexual offenses are also a common crime, and they are categorized in forcible and nonforcible. These types of offenses can have to do with alcohol and drugs usage, as students engage in these illegal activities and can more easily become victims.

As explains Troseth, “other campus criminal activities include robbery, theft, assaults, and arson. Incidences within these categories tend to have higher occurrences than the previously mentioned offenses. The higher offenses are usually burglary and theft. College students who leave personal items unattended, like backpacks full of electronic devices and other high priced items, are more likely to experience theft. Additionally, unlocked dorm rooms can also be a haven for burglary.”

So how do you expose yourself the least to crime on campus? How to choose a college that is safe?

1-      Find college crime statistics when choosing schools. When seeking colleges for admissions, take the time to investigate their crime statistics by visiting http://ope.ed.gov/security/ which reports criminal offenses for more than 4,000 institutions of higher learning in the United States.   You can also check out the 25 best and worst colleges when it comes to safety by visiting http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-09-18/how-safe-is-your-college/#gallery=713;page=1;item

2-      Learn what measures the college is taking to ensure student safety. Check out school websites and ask school officers what initiatives they have placed in action to enhance student safety on campus.

3-      Once you enroll in a college, understand what resources you have in your new school to feel and be more safe. Often times, schools offer patrols that walk single females and males back to their dorms at late hours. Campuses also count with emergency lines you can call if unsure on how to handle a situation. Sometimes the police does not respond to a call when you are uncertain to be in a danger situation. These emergency lines are answered by students and staff that will guide you in the right direction on what to do to feel safer.

4-      Use precaution always by following these guidelines, provided by http://www.ehow.com/how_5425402_safe-college-campus.html

• Always be aware of your surroundings. If something seems suspicious or you feel uneasy, notify campus safety right away. Trust your instincts!
• Keep your dorm/apartment room door locked at all times (even when you are in the room), and don’t loan keys to friends.
  • Keep the phone numbers for campus safety/campus security in your cell phone so that you always have them on hand in case of an emergency.
  • Don’t walk anywhere around campus alone at night. Walk with a friend, or call campus security for an escort.
  • Check underneath your car and in the backseat of your car before approaching your car in a parking lot.
  • Carry pepper spray and/or a handheld alarm that will set off when squeezed.
  • When you go out, let someone know where you are going and when you plan to return. Then you will have someone to check in with you and who will notice if you are missing and can act quickly.
  • Be careful about posting personal information on social networking sites (such as Facebook). We are often giving people too much information about where they can find us, essentially giving them a road map.
  • Do not accept drinks from strangers, and be careful about drinking too much when out.

And finally, sometimes crime is prevented by not allowing situations to escalate. Here are some smart ways of dealing with potential threats, as provided by The Boca Raton Police Department:

1-      ” Look for ways to settle arguments and disagreements without violence.

2-      Use good manners to help ease tensions that can lead to violence.

3-      Report crimes and suspicious activities to police; agree to testify when necessary. If you want to live in a safe community, stand up for what you believe in.

4-      Don’t support illegal activities, like buying stolen property or using illegal drugs. It encourages more crime that hurts you and your neighbors.”

By Claudine Vainrub, MBA

Principal of EduPlan

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Free SAT, GRE, GMAT Practice Tests

A new testing database is available to students now. It provides a myriad of information, and best of all, free practice tests. The database counts with three free practice tests for the following:

- ACT

- SAT

- GMAT

- GRE

- TOEFL

and many others, including AP tests, FCATs and more. With the need to “Test early and often”, as colleges and grad school programs encourage, this is one tool that supports your budget, allowing you to do so at a lesser cost.

Check out the TERC at http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/miamidade?&db=TERC

For the username and password, please contact EduPlan at info@eduplan.us.

Why Higher Education?

Many students are attracted by the prospect of being able to generate an income and take up a job immediately after high school. While a high school diploma was sufficient to land a decent job and keep it thirty years back, the situation has definitely changed in the current scenario. You can still find a decent job after high school, but without a higher degree, you are very likely to get stuck in your career path.

One important reason why you should consider a higher degree is more opportunity, according to collegeview.com author Jeff McGuire. “The U.S. has been transformed from a manufacturing-based economy to an economy based on knowledge, and the importance of a college education today can be compared to that of a high school education forty years ago”, he explains.

Author Kathleen Porter in her ericdigests.org article quotes the findings of the Census Bureau, that “over an adult’s working life, high school graduates earn an average of $1.2 million; associate’s degree holders earn about $1.6 million; and bachelor’s degree holders earn about $2.1 million”. Thus a college education is important for higher-paying jobs as well as growth in your career.

Moreover, higher levels of education promote intellectual growth in the student. At the level of post-secondary education, the student gets exposure to many new ideas and stimulating thoughts. He/she also gets to meet achievers and leaders in their chosen field. All this serves to make the student an independent thinker, which is crucial to reach high levels of success in any field.

When you go back to college after a few years of work, you get to learn new concepts in your field and view theoretical learning in the light of hands-on experience. “Over the years, some practices get modified and evolved; higher education provides an opportunity to keep abreast with updates and trends in the field”, according to www.rememberanything.com.

Higher education not only improves the quality of life as the horizons of your awareness and exposure expand, but also has significant benefits to the community and society at large, according to a study by collegeboard.com. “Higher rates of volunteering, voting and donating blood correspond to higher levels of education as do lower unemployment and poverty rates. Similarly, socially valuable behaviors, such as tolerance for the opinions of others, seem to increase with education”, found the study.

When more and more people of a nation attain higher levels of education, it also impacts the economy and cumulative growth in a favorable way. It leads to better growth in the fields of science, technology, business and entrepreneurship as well as culture and social well-being.

Here is a link to some recent findings on the earning potential at different levels of education.

http://www.mdrc.org/area_fact_33.html

The following link throws light on how higher education is viewed in contemporary USA.

http://www.highereducation.org/reports/affordability_pa/affordability_pa4.shtml

By Claudine Vainrub, MBA and Principal of EduPlan

Sources:

http://www.collegeview.com/importance_of_college_education.html

http://www.ericdigests.org/2003-3/value.htm

http://www.collegeboard.com/press/releases/185478.html

http://www.rememberanything.com/importance-of-higher-education/

Changes in Financial Aid

Financial aid has recently become a hotter topic in the mind of many more Americans, as we survive a recession. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel. We count with enhanced Government support, especially led by President Obama, who strongly advocates towards positive change in the field. Supporting Americans to achieve higher education has been one of the core initiatives and focus points of this administration. True to its values, U.S. leadership has introduced reform that makes the Financial Aid process a promising one towards the future.

Until now, student loans have been mostly handled through private banks and other financial institutions. As part of this process, while the Federal Government sponsors these loans, private banks offering and managing loan programs benefit from earning a percentage. This percentage is one that will soon cease to exist, as a new bill is passed in Government. The plan is for the Fed to bypass banks and private lenders to provide these loans directly to students – no middleman involved.

No doubt, there is a lot of resistance from the private sector, as a cash cow is being sent to the slaughter house. However, keep in mind that the new system, although destroying the private student lending industry, will positively affect the lives of most Americans (even private lending managers). With student loans being directly provided by the government, we are saving 3-4% of loan costs, which translates into government savings of $86.8 billion over the next 10 years, as reported by David Lightman from The Miami Herald. Quoted by Lightman, House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller, D-Calif., explains that the legislation should support students with “no cost to taxpayers.”

Although it might seem so, this is not the first time an initiative like this one has been launched. A few years back, Clinton’s administration also supported a federal student loan program that bypassed banking institutions. However, it is now that this initiative has been fully undertaken, and gaining speed as we speak.

Student loans have become a reason for many to encounter financial distress, to say the least. They represent one of the primary reasons why individuals cannot pay their debts, consumed with interest payments that are unmanageable. However, current instruments do not provide feasible alternatives for individuals in distress. As explained by Dwyer and Associates, when earning $80,000 a year and having $200,000 in student loans debt you would think it should be easy to discharge this debt in bankruptcy. However, “student loans are not an easy type of debt to discharge. Actually, student loan debt is one of the hardest debts to discharge, and for 99% of people, it is impossible to discharge this debt altogether.” For this reason alone, reform is urgently needed, as education becomes every day more inaccessible to most Americans, subsidies are not enough, and more people wise up to this situation. Do we want to encourage a society where education is unaffordable?

How does the new bill directly affect us?

In simple terms, we should see a more controlled loan environment, with lower interest rates that allow for students to pay off their debt without going bankrupt in such large numbers. Savings will positively affect Federal Education budget, allowing for increased expenditures in programs that will directly benefit students, and not banks. It is a challenging undertaking for the government to directly manage all loan process, and this could present a problem.

With the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) process, it has taken many years for the government to provide a more comprehensive tool, one that parents and students can handle easily. Still, it is not 100% straightforward, and many consider it gruesome to handle. With the new loan system, I foresee impact to be felt in navigating the process while the specific loan offices get organized and make the process as user-friendly as possible. There is a learning curve to be overcome, but once it is, we shall encounter clearer skies.

By Claudine Vainrub, MBA and Principal of EduPlan

Search Schools with EduPlan!

Courtesy of industry leader Hobsons, we are now offering a college, grad school and international school search tool on our website. This system will help you search for universities and programs from undergraduate to graduate all over the world. We hope you find it very valuable in distinguishing educational options.

The tool can be found on our website at http://eduplan.us/education/college-search/

La Fuerza Laboral Envejece

Por Claudine Vainrub

En un estudio publicado por el centro de investigaciones Pew, se demuestra que actualmente la fuerza laboral no se está retirando de sus trabajos rápidamente. Se estima que el 93% del crecimiento de la fuerza laboral en los próximos diez años estará en el sector de edades de las de 55 anos. La baja rotación de personal  y baja generación de nuevos empleos ha prohibido la entrada de empleados más jóvenes. Adultos jóvenes se están quedando sin entrar en la fuerza laboral por más meses.

Desde el principio de la recesión en Diciembre del 2007, la tasa de desempleo en las edades entre 25 y 34 años se ha más que duplicado de 4.8% a 10.5%, así reporta la oficina de estadísticas laborales de USA. Los empleados de mayor edad son considerados como de mayor experiencia, y capaces de realizar labores diversas. Al sufrir despidos, los gerentes de compañía buscan empleados con los que pueden contar para diferentes tareas, considerando que los jóvenes, por la falta de experiencia, no califican para lo mismo.

También existe la ley del “ultimo empleado es el primero en despedir”. Cuando acumulan anos con la empresa, los gerentes tienen capacidad de titulación o beneficios especiales por los cuales las compañías tienen menos interés en despedirlos. Asimismo, los empleados de mayor edad tienen menor probabilidad de rotación de trabajo. Y además, los empleados mayores están protegidos por el acta de discriminación por edad, para el que califican empleados de 40 años de edad o más.

Esto tiene una repercusión en los jóvenes al buscar cualquier trabajo con el objeto de satisfacer la necesidad de producir un sustento para sus hogares. En vez de buscar empleos para los cuales están altamente capacitados, solicitan empleos con los cuales no están logrando crecimiento profesional, sino pagar las cuentas. En este tipo de trabajos, su aporte intelectual no es igual de bueno, punto que va en detrimento de la compañía en la que se emplean y en la capacidad de producir mayor desarrollo.

Los empleados jóvenes, muchas veces recién salidos de la universidad, traen a las compañías ideas innovadoras producto de sus estudios. Las universidades se vuelven calderos de ideas que la juventud trae para lograr mayor desarrollo. Este efecto, que ayuda a las economías a crecer, se está perdiendo, perdiendo también así la capacidad de innovación.

Cuatro de diez adultos de más de 62 años de edad reportan la necesidad de retrasar su retiro por los efectos de la recesión en su presupuesto familiar. Mientras la medicina logra prolongar la vida de los adultos, y la necesidad se avecina en un mayor porcentaje de individuos de más de 62 años de edad, estos ocupan los puestos que anteriormente se asignarían a empleados más jóvenes, haciendo que la fuerza laboral tenga una edad promedio mayor. Mantener el empleo significa para los empleados de mayor edad mantener y acumular beneficios como seguros de salud, y aumentar la pensión que recibirán al retirarse, entre otros.

Para los empleados más jóvenes, obtener un nuevo empleo tiene el objeto de mantener a sus familias, lograr ser independiente y buscar el progreso profesional.

La fuerza laboral también aumenta de edad promedio al volverse aun mas importante para empleadores que sus empleados logren culminar estudios universitarios. Con la cantidad de opciones académicas existentes actualmente, incluyendo educación en línea y grados técnicos, las compañías cada día exigen más que los nuevos empleados se reciban en una universidad. Esta es una de las razones por las cuales la fuerza laboral aumenta de edad en la actualidad. U.S. El Departamento de Educación de los Estados Unidos reporta que en el 97, 13.8 Millones de estudiantes estaban registrados en algún tipo de educación superior, y se espera que aumentara a 17.5 millones para el 2010.

Asimismo, los empleados de mayor edad, estando informados de los efectos de la recesión, entienden la dificultad que se les presentaría de quedarse sin empleo. Por ello, hacen todo lo posible por mantener su posición actual.

La rotación de personal y de trabajos dentro de una empresa tiene un efecto positivo muy grande, al ser bien planificado. Permite el enriquecimiento del trabajo para el nuevo empleado o el empleado rotado, el desarrollo del empleado en áreas diversas, el aumento de la motivación causado por nuevos retos y el desarrollo de carrera. Las empresas deben buscar este proceso en los empleados, para alcanzar el desarrollo como entes económicos productores para la sociedad.

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Radio Show – Twitter for Job Search

Our weekly radio segment on Twitter and how to use this tool for job search. Sorry folks, only En Espanol…

Nuestro segmento semanal radial con Eli Bravo acerca de como utilizar a Twitter como herramienta en la busqueda de trabajo.

Twitter como herramienta de busqueda de trabajo

Using Twitter for Job Search

As social media becomes more and more popular, companies are catching up to technology and finding ways to maximize their ROI through these new alternative tools. One of the social networking tools, Twitter, catches our attention, as companies begin to use it to recruit.

Twitter, in few words, provides a microblogging service that is transmitted in the way of instant messaging. The technology offers Real Time information, which other media do not. Messages are short and usually newsworthy to the subscribers, as they enter or sign up for channels of their interest.

How does this technology support job seekers? Everyday more, companies see the added value of using Twitter to establish relationships with customers, vendors and now job seekers, and post short information that is relevant to each audience. So if you are a job seeker, interested for example, in positions within MTV, you can sign up to receive updates on new jobs by MTV at MTVNetworksJobs in Twitter. By “following” this account, you will get new job postings as soon as they become available.

If you cannot notice, the added value of this service for job search is enormous. Before Twitter, we had to search online, get into each website and wait until new jobs were posted. We waited until CareerBuilder or other job boards posted a job (which was not free, thus not necessarily available in these portals). We had to surf company sites one by one to know which new jobs had been posted. Now, Twitter sends us new postings to our cell phone, allowing us to get the job postings as soon as they become available, with no hassle.

There are a few Twitter accounts that act like job search engines, following all Tweets regarding new job posts.  Some include   TwitterJobSearch.com, which matches keywords entered by yourself regarding jobs you are interested in. JobShouts is also a free resource, which provides a similar service to that of Craig’s List, with free job postings for companies, but then automatically tweets these postings once they become available.

You can follow any company you are especially interested in on Twitter, and get new job leads. To do so, go online and create a Twitter account, then go to find people and type the name of the company and jobs in the same line. This will accrue several results out of which you will be able to sort out which ones to follow. Some companies have the twitter link already included on their website, making it easy for you to sign up to receive their corporate updates. Just make sure that if you will be following the company, that jobs are being posted in that account, and not only news.

Another interesting service on Twitter is called JobAngels, which basically allows job seekers to tweet their desired job needs so that “angels” can provide advice, leads and help seekers ultimately find jobs.

According to a study by Russell Herder and Ethos Business Law, 81% senior US marketing, management and HR executives believe social media can enhance relationships with customers/clients, thus, the use of social media is increasing and becoming more important for companies.  Also, 69% feel such networking can be valuable in recruitment and 25% check the background of a prospective employee through social media.

It is not only important to participate, but also to ensure that your profile screams professionalism, highlights your strongest values and attributes, to enhance your chances of being hired. Although Twitter does not allow for a lengthy profile, LinkedIn does. Work on your profile focusing on where you want your career to be, and not so much on what your career looks like now. As Dan Schawbel explains, “I tend to examine a lot of online profiles to see whose doing things right and who is less “forward thinking.”  Most people seem to be caught up in the moment, without really think about where they are heading in their careers.  When this occurs, they tend to stay exactly where they are, without much progression.”

With this in mind, position yourself while targeting the future and not focusing on the present. Be specific on what you want, be thoughtful when tweeting and stay on brand, and remember that Twitter is yet another tool to connect with people, one that can lead to proactive and effective networking that can take you to your next career move.

By Claudine Vainrub

Principal of EduPlan

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Issues for International Students

News for International Students Seeking College Admissions and How to Make the Best of them…

As we enter the fall, many students prepare to begin the application process to enter colleges and universities in USA. If you’re a international student, this is a good time to consider applying to enter a college or university, in pursuit of an undergraduate degree. As reported by Inside Higher Ed, this is especially true as less students from countries like India and South Korea are applying, which means much less competition for you. The blog reports that the only exception is doctoral institutions which saw a 4% increase in international applications. For example, Virginia Tech saw an 8% increase in applications from South Korea.

However, getting accepted to college and receiving scholarships/financial aid is all about preparation and strategy. Whilst application numbers may crumble, this might not have a good effect in our specific case if other important pieces of information are not taken under consideration. Here are some things to consider as an international student seeking admission to a university in USA, to support your case:

1. Take Challenging Courses in High School or through any study program you undertake before becoming an applicant. Taking calculus, a rigorous curriculum, honors courses at any stage of your live can give you the extra edge you need. Colleges and graduate programs love candidates that are prepared for the challenges of higher education by experiencing tough courses before engaging in a new path. This preparation will not only come handy when schools consider you as a candidate, but you will learn concepts that will be invaluable for your career, while pushing yourself and demanding the best of yourself. Don’t set yourself short.

2. Size Matters: Did you know that some of the most competitive colleges haven’t increased their number of students in years? If the college isn’t building more dorms, hiring more teachers and increasing their course offering, your chances of getting accepted to that school decreases. Think of alternative schools that offer higher percentage of applicants admitted, that are in continuing growth and welcome students, while providing an outstanding education. There are many options out there, and very few that most applicants are familiar with. Research pays off.

3. SAT or ACT – GMAT or GRE? Take both and submit the best score: Why gamble with one test when you can increase your odds with two? Since the SAT and the ACT are equally accepted for college admissions, you have nothing to lose by taking both. A similar situation is beginning to happen with the GMAT and the GRE, as more institutions are allowing the GRE to take the place of the GMAT.

4. Request special accommodation for testing: If having extra time allows you to check your test more thoroughly and increase your chances of getting a better score, why not do it? Special accommodations are no longer disclosed to colleges, which means you application wont’ be discriminated against other applications on that basis.

5. Asking for money: While schools have money in the form of scholarships and financial aid for international students it’s not easy to get. Unlike students which are U.S. residents, you are expected to have better grades and test scores in order to get free money towards a degree. One strategy to increase your chances of receiving money for college is to apply to institutions that don’t have a lot of international students, they will be more desperate to increase their diversity and thus more likely to reward you for it.

6. Geography Matters: New York, New York is not the same as Ithaca, NY. One school may leave you steps from Time Square while another school might represent a 4-hour drive to Manhattan.  You should also explore other characteristics such as the weather, the location of the school (big city, small town, country), whether you’ll need a car to get around, etc. America’s 50 states offer almost endless possibilities, don’t be afraid to do your research.

7. Brand Name does not Equal Fit: International students have a tendency to apply to famous colleges they’ve heard about before. Almost everyone in the world knows Harvard, Columbia and Yale, but there are more than 4,000 accredited higher education institutions in the U.S., many of them offering outstanding academic opportunities. Many are also welcoming of international students and their diversity, others go to the extent of offering financial aid to support having this diversity on campus. Seek new names for you, like Eckerd College, Vanderbilt University, Reed College, places of great prestige and the very highest academic standard, where you could also thrive as a student.  Find some of the schools available online at collegeboard.com.

8. Degree does not equal green card: If your dream is to become an American citizen someday, you’ll have to consider not only what you study but where. Some universities lack credentials and some majors don’t translate to jobs. You also have to prepare yourself for the possibility that you might have to return to your home country, with that in mind is wise to study something that helps you get a job in your home country as well as America.

9. Sell with your Essay: Although international students might not have to write essays for college or grad school admissions, in USA, essay writing is an important part of the puzzle. Just like an advertisement in the newspaper, your college essay should sell you to the application committees. Rather than focusing on things any American could write, develop essays based on what makes you unique and what background you come from. If you lack command with English, have someone edit your essay to avoid the embarrassment of a spelling mistake or grammatical error. Remember that American application committees are impressed with international students that write well or better than native-born Americans.

We hope these tips you will help you increase your chances of making a great impression and getting accepted to the college of your choice. With perseverance, hard work, research and a great attitude, we can achieve the dream of gaining acceptance and scholarship money as an international student in USA. Good luck!

By Claudine Vainrub

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Radio Show – Online Degrees

Our weekly radio show with Eli Bravo, this time on the topic of Online Degrees – what to take under consideration when seeking an online education. Sorry folks, only in Spanish…

Nuestro segmento radial semanal con Eli Bravo en Actualidad 1020 AM, acerca de educacion online – que debemos tomar en consideracion cuando buscamos programas de estudio online.

Estudios Universitarios en Linea

Choosing a Free College

How to choose a College that will not Bankrupt me

At this time of the year, seniors and even graduate admissions candidates are thinking about their college and graduate school options. Being that the economy has hit many of us hard this year, the choices might not seem as abundant as when our family income is higher. So how do we evaluate the best college and grad school options for a tight budget? Here are some things you can do to enhance your chances of choosing programs that will allow you an outstanding education, while not making you go bankrupt in the process:

1-      Research schools that meet 100% need. Find which programs they offer and figure out what chances you have to gain admission to one of these schools. What does it mean that they meet need 100%? It means that when you fill out your Financial Aid Application – FAFSA, if you are admitted to one of these schools, they will be able to support your need 100%. Your tuition will be whatever FAFSA says you can afford to pay, not more than that. The rest of the tuition would be covered by the institution you enroll in. Not all schools are able to sponsor 100% of your need. Make sure to research which ones do. At the end of this article is a list of some of the schools that currently meet 100% need.

2-      Consider Tuition-Free Colleges. Did you know some institutions offer free tuition for their students? They are few, but offer the option of a debt-free education. These schools are funded through their endowment and large donations, and might ask you to work in exchange for a free education. For most, if not all, you will need to prove financial need.

3-      Apply Early Action, but NOT Early Decision. Early Decision students might not be considered for as much financial aid, as they are committing to a school early on in the process. Early Decision could commit you to accept the school if they accept you, although there is a grey area which allows you to get out of the commitment if financial aid does not meet your need. However, it is a risky move to apply early decision, for this reason, and one you might want to pass on. However, early action does not commit students to accept admission, and financial aid funds might be more available. So a smart thing to do is find out which schools in your preliminary list of college choices offer early action, and send applications to those. In that way, you will quickly learn if you have been admitted, what your financial aid package is, and you will have time to negotiate it to meet your expectations and need, if possible.

4-      Familiarize yourself with the history of the school regarding financial aid administration, college scholarships available, and how they usually handle student financial aid support. Speak with the financial aid office to understand what opportunities they have available for you, how you can best take advantage of them.

5-      Start all processes early on. Leaving your research and learning process for the last minute might mean that you could miss out on opportunities. Money is more available in January than in May. Study the FAFSA to ensure that information is accurate once you complete the form. If it is not, you could be risking an auditing or a request for additional information, which will delay the process and also your funding opportunities. It literally pays off to be the early bird in the college admissions / financial aid process.

In conclusion, if we are smart about researching options, going to college does not have to be a back-breaking process. We can secure an education that will support us in achieving our career goals, while living to tell the story of our success. Securing funding for college and grad school is feasible in the U.S., and certainly, an important part of the process; one which can determine how effective we were as candidates, but in essence, the first test of our process management skills professionalism.

Schools that meet 100% need, as reported by U.S. News

College Name    State

Adrian College   (MI)

Amherst College              (MA)

Barnard College                (NY)

Bates College     (ME)

Beloit College    (WI)

Boston College

Bowdoin College              (ME)

Brown University             (RI)

Bryn Mawr College          (PA)

California Institute of Technology

Carleton College               (MN)

Carroll College   (WI)

Chapman University       (CA)

Claremont McKenna College      (CA)

Colby College     (ME)

Colgate University           (NY)

College of the Holy Cross              (MA)

Columbia University       (NY)

Connecticut College

Cornell University            (NY)

Dartmouth College          (NH)

Davidson College             (NC)

Duke University                (NC)

Emory University             (GA)

Franklin & Marshall

Georgetown University                (DC)

Gettysburg College         (PA)

Grinnell College                (IA)

Hamilton College              (NY)

Harvard University          (MA)

Harvey Mudd College    (CA)

Haverford College           (PA)

Lafayette College             (PA)

Macalester College         (MN)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Middlebury College        (VT)

Mount Holyoke College                (MA)

Northwestern University             (IL)

Oberlin College                 (OH)

Occidental College           (CA)

Pitzer College    (CA)

Pomona College               (CA)

Princeton University       (NJ)

Reed College     (OR)

Rice University (TX)

Salem College    (NC)

Scripps College (CA)

Smith College    (MA)

St. Olaf College                 (MN)

Stanford University         (CA)

SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

Swarthmore College       (PA)

Tufts University                (MA)

University of Chicago

University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill

University of Pennsylvania

University of Richmond                 (VA)

University of Virginia

Vassar College   (NY)

Wellesley College            (MA)

Wesleyan University      (CT)

Williams College               (MA)

Yale University (CT)

Tuition Free Schools, as reported by the WSJ and BusinessWeek:

Berea College
Bereau College has a mandatory work-study program
Cooper Union Architecture
College of the Ozarks
Alice Lloyd College
City University of New York’s Teacher Academy
Curtis Institute of Music
Deep Springs College
Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering

UC Irvine School of Law
Webb Institute is a Naval engineering college

Military Academies: U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Coast Guard Academy and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy offer free tuition for students going into military careers.

MBA Application Dates 2009-2010

When are applications due for MBA programs in USA?

In this chart you can find the Application deadlines for several MBA Programs across the U.S. As more MBA dates become available, we hope to bring you this information.

USA MBA Program Application Deadlines for 2009-2010

Full-Time MBA Program	Round 1 Deadline	Round 2 Deadline	Round 3 Deadline
Carnegie Mellon University – Tepper	10/26/2009	1/4/2010	3/8/2010
Columbia University	10/7/2009	1/6/2010	3/3/2010
Dartmouth College – Tuck	10/14/2009	11/11/2009	1/6/2010
Duke University – Fuqua	10/6/2009	11/12/2009	1/7/2010
Georgetown University – McDonough			3/3/2010
Harvard University	10/1/2009	1/19/2010	3/1/2010
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) – Sloan	10/27/2009	1/12/2010
New York University (NYU) – Stern	11/15/2009
Northwestern University – Kellogg	10/15/2009	1/14/2010	3/4/2010
Stanford University	10/7/2009	1/6/2010	4/7/2010
University of California Berkeley – Haas	10/20/2009	12/10/2009	2/2/2010
University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) – Anderson	10/14/2009	1/6/2010	3/17/2010
University of Chicago – Booth	10/14/2009	1/6/2010	3/10/2010
University of Michigan – Ross	10/10/2009	1/2/2010	3/1/2010
University of North Carolina – Kenan-Flagler	10/23/2009	12/4/2009	1/8/2010
University of Pennsylvania – Wharton	10/1/2009	1/5/2010	3/9/2010
University of Texas – McCombs	11/2/2009	1/15/2010	4/1/2010
University of Virginia – Darden	10/28/2009	1/7/2010	3/31/2010
Yale University	10/8/2009	1/7/2010	3/10/2010

The spaces without information will be filled as data becomes available.

Full-Time MBA Program	Round 1 Deadline	Round 2 Deadline	Round 3 Deadline
Carnegie Mellon University – Tepper	10/26/2009	1/4/2010	3/8/2010
Columbia University	10/7/2009	1/6/2010	3/3/2010
Dartmouth College – Tuck	10/14/2009	11/11/2009	1/6/2010
Duke University – Fuqua	10/6/2009	11/12/2009	1/7/2010
Georgetown University – McDonough			3/3/2010
Harvard University	10/1/2009	1/19/2010	3/1/2010
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) – Sloan	10/27/2009	1/12/2010
New York University (NYU) – Stern	11/15/2009
Northwestern University – Kellogg	10/15/2009	1/14/2010	3/4/2010
Stanford University	10/7/2009	1/6/2010	4/7/2010
University of California Berkeley – Haas	10/20/2009	12/10/2009	2/2/2010
University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) – Anderson	10/14/2009	1/6/2010	3/17/2010
University of Chicago – Booth	10/14/2009	1/6/2010	3/10/2010
University of Michigan – Ross	10/10/2009	1/2/2010	3/1/2010
University of North Carolina – Kenan-Flagler	10/23/2009	12/4/2009	1/8/2010
University of Pennsylvania – Wharton	10/1/2009	1/5/2010	3/9/2010
University of Texas – McCombs	11/2/2009	1/15/2010	4/1/2010
University of Virginia – Darden	10/28/2009	1/7/2010	3/31/2010
Yale University	10/8/2009	1/7/2010	3/10/2010

Easy Scholarship to Apply For

SchoolSoup.com has posted a scholarship you do not want to miss. It frees some tuition money for online education. Now, beware of the institutions you might want to use it for, since degree mills are in abundance. Degree mills represent, in other words online universities that are not accredited by the U.S. Department of Education, and provide a false promise of a legitimate degree program.

Other thing to consider when applying for this scholarship – you might start getting spam from organizations linked to this application. It could be worth your while if you are really going for online education, but otherwise, you might not want to pass out on this opportunity.

The only requirement to opt for this specific scholarship are to be over 18 years of age. Worthwhile to check it out, in my opinion… Here is the information, as I received it from SchoolSoup:

Having trouble qualifying for a scholarship?  If so the Students Direct Freedom Scholarship is for you.

To be eligible for the scholarship you must be 18 years of age or older  – that’s it.  It’s easy to apply and it’s FREE.  Click Here to view the application.

Apply today – the application deadline is August 15!

Radio Show – New Career Path

Our weekly show with Eli Bravo, this time on choosing another career. If you are seeking for a job, maybe you should consider a career change. The program talks about how to go about it and achieve this goal successfully. Sorry, only en Espanol…

Nuestro segmento radial semanal con Eli Bravo en Actualidad 1020 AM, esta vez en el tema de cambio de profesion. Si busca trabajo, quizas es el momento para cambiar de area, de industria o de ramo profesional. Nuestro programa trata el tema de como hacerlo de forma exitosa.

Claudine Vainrub de EduPlan y Eli Bravo en Actualidad 1020 AM acerca de Cambio de Profesion

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Beware when Pursuing an Online Degree

What to look for and Is Online Education what you Want?

By Claudine Vainrub, MBA and Principal of EduPlan

Many adult learners who want to go back to school today consider online college programs. I know I did a few months back, as it was for me the only alternative to achieve a certification I longed for. I registered at UCLA Extension and for a year, learned in an online environment, and achieved my degree with High Distinction. Sounds easy? It was nothing of that sort. My online program entailed long hours reading in front of my computer, lots of assignments, more class participation than if I would have been attending a class on-campus. The full certification took a year to complete, including an internship at a school in my city. A few years ago, this type of education was not even an option. Now, it is sometimes the only option we have to pursue our studies.

Unlike ten years back when online courses were few, we now have thousands of online colleges to choose from. The proliferation of the Internet and the new technologies of Web 2.0 that enable high speeds and interactivity have propelled this trend. Moreover geographical considerations are not a constraint in choosing an online college, so you can virtually choose a college that suits your needs from any part of the world. “Over twenty percent of all U.S. higher education students were taking at least one online course in the fall of 2007”, states Staying the Course, an illuminating survey undertaken by I. Elaine Allen and Jeff Seaman for the Sloan Consortium.

A major advantage of studying online is the flexibility it offers. This is the number one reason people choose to study online, according to a poll by Claria Corporation, a behavioral marketing firm, quoted in onlinedegreezone.com. However not all online colleges meet the required norms. Here are some guidelines on how to proceed when evaluating online programs:

-          Conduct a thorough research, shortlist a few-at least four or five- colleges that meet your needs and request information from all of them. Do not hesitate to ask questions, when something is not clear to you.

-          Make sure that the online college you join has accreditation from a proper source. This ensures that the institution meets the educational quality standards. Many online degree mills claim they are accredited, but the agency that accredits them does not have legitimacy. They grant accreditation to anyone who can pay them for it. Therefore consider only those colleges accredited by accreditation agencies approved by the US Department of Education. To research accredited degree programs and legitimate accreditation agencies, visit the website of the US Department of Education: http://www.ed.gov/index.jhtml

-          A college/university serious about online courses will develop considerable time and resources to develop courses that suit an e-learning mode and also engage in continuous research to better their teaching methods. Inquire what initiatives of this kind are pursued by the college/university that interests you.

-          Before you start researching online colleges, it would help to make up your mind about what kind of major you intend to pursue. Some online schools offer two-year, associate level courses. If you are merely looking to upgrade your skills or learn something new, this should be good enough for you. Other online schools offer four-year degrees (BA or BS). This is desirable if a degree can help you move ahead in your career. Also look into what options are available between choosing between private and public institutions and for-profit and non-profit colleges.

-          Find out if the online school and program will grant you college credit if you seek to transfer to a non-virtual accredited college or university. For instance, if you join an online associate program now, find out what are the chances that you will have to continue your education and pursue a bachelor’s degree later with another college/ university in a virtual or a classroom environment. Inquire within a few accredited higher education institutions by providing the name and basic data of the online school you are considering to enter.

-          Check out the size of the classes, and the student-teacher ratio. Colleges with fewer students per teacher are likely to say so. This is important for you to get personalized attention and mentoring from your teachers/professors.

-          The track record of the teachers is also important. If several of the faculties’ qualifications come from the same college he/she works with, it does not bode well for the credentials of the college and the faculty, warns college-scholarships.com.

-          Financial aid options need to be considered before you finalize on a course. Similar to a classroom programs, colleges might offer loans, scholarships and installment options for fee payment.

-          Find out how easy or hard it will be to contact faculty and support staff at the college where you enroll to achieve your online degree. Inquire on whether the entire course can be completed online or if it will require for you to travel to the college location to complete any part of the coursework. This is an important point that might prevent you from earning the degree you have worked so hard at.

So, if you are ready to embark on the adventure of online education, get prepared to work very hard, read a lot, and put as many hours or more than you would in an On- Campus environment. By being informed on online schools, what they offer and which are reputable and accredited, we can take advantage of an amazing education technology that will surely keep growing in the near future. Was it worth it to me, to spend every day of the week for a year hours in front of the computer, responding to classmates in an online environment, reading endlessly and completing numerous assignments? You bet!

Find out the most recent information on Online University options on the U.S. News site…

Sources: http://www.college-scholarships.com/ten_rules_for_choosing_online_colleges_and_universities.htm

http://www.onlinedegreezone.com/choosing_online_programs.php

http://www.elearners.com/guide-to-online-education/online-education-providers.asp

http://www.sloan-c.org/publications/survey/pdf/staying_the_course.pdf

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A New Career Path

Finding the Perfect Match Between Demand, Skill and Interest

By Claudine Vainrub, MBA

If you are unemployed, a student, or at a time in your life when you are in doubt of your current career path, the time could be right to make a bold move in a new direction. Finding a new career path can be advantageous to you, if you pursue this change with a methodology. With the job market undergoing a recession, many professions have suffered while others continue recruiting. Often times, I hear CEO’s and corporate decision makers expressing frustration in not finding employees for their openings. The smart thing to do if you are thinking of making that career change is to look closely at the market and draw conclusions.

How do we look at the market and determine which careers are in need of employees? My best friend for these types of searches is Google. We conduct a query on careers in most demand and get 65 million responses!  Some of my favorite lists and information for 2009 are at U.S. News 30 Best Careers for 2009, the Top In-Demand Careers by Yahoo, and  25 Top Jobs by Fast Company. These articles can provide an idea of what options we have. We should look into several of these lists and compare results, ensuring that if we are attracted to a specific career, that it is truly one in demand, as listed in several sources, and not just one.

Although for some this can be obvious, we need to mention that choosing a career cannot be solely a decision we make based on a list. Taking a look at lists of jobs in demand helps us make moves that will stand a better chance of success, in terms of finding a job once we make the transition. However, skills and interest assessments are as important. It would be a great failure to get into a field for which we have little skill or interest just because it is one in demand. We need to find that combination of job demand, passion for the specific field, and skill, which will enable us not only to become good at our new profession, but also devoted to it, as it is interesting to us. Our career becomes our life, as we are drawn to learn more, have it constantly in our mind not out of force but out of real curiosity and fascination.

If these concepts seem a bit unreal, dreamy, and out of tune with reality, it is because you have not yet found the one specific profession that does this for you. There is one or sometimes more than one discipline that will interest us so much that we will want to be in tune with it at any time. It is the one thing that will keep us working until the wee hours of the night, or even wake us up in the middle of the night with an idea that will get us out of bed and into the writing board. Seems ideal, but often times, it is not too clear which is this one right career choice that will entice us to grow exponentially.

How can we find this special interest of ours? One way is to use Personal Branding. This methodology allows us to understand skills, values and passions, our SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats), attributes, best roles, and especially, what is our career goal. We define a vision, mission and unique promise of value, and in the process, we are able to distinguish the career path we are seeking. We can also use career assessments, such as the Career Liftoff Inventory and the Self-Directed Search (SDS), by John Holland, among others, to assess interests. The Work Behavior Inventory Assessment and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Assessment can provide feedback on personality types and traits that will allow you to work better in one certain environment over another.

Think Strategically… Although it is a tough job market, with strategy and in-depth analysis on your interests and strongest skills, the right time for a career change can be today.

Here is U.S. News full list of Best Careers 2009 :

• Audiologist
• Biomedical equipment technician
• Clergy
• Curriculum/training specialist
• Engineer
• Firefighter
• Fundraiser
• Genetic counselor
• Ghostwriter
• Government manager
• Hairstylist/Cosmetologist
• Health policy specialist
• Higher education administrator
• Landscape architect
• Librarian
• Locksmith/Security system technician
• Management consultant
• Mediator
• Occupational therapist
• Optometrist
• Pharmacist
• Physical therapist
• Physician assistant
• Politician/Elected official
• Registered nurse
• School psychologist
• Systems analyst
• Urban planner
• Usability/User experience specialist
• Veterinarian

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Radio Show – Consultores de Admisiones Universitarias

Our radio show with Eli Bravo on Actualidad 1020 AM this week touching on the topic of Independent College Advisers, our work, and how to evaluate a consultant’s potential to conduct the coaching effectively.

Nuestro show radial semanal con Eli Bravo en Actualidad 1020 AM, esta semana tocando el tema de

Consultores Independientes de Admisiones – Programa Radial de Eli Bravo con Claudine Vainrub

Radio Show – MBA Admissions

Our weekly radio show with Eli Bravo, this time on MBA Admissions, the process and is it worth the effort and investment to pursue an MBA. Sorry folks, only En Espanol…

Nuestro segmento semanal con Eli Bravo, esta vez acerca del tema de admisiones a MBA’s (Postgrados de Administracion). Vale la pena el esfuerzo y la inversion economica que un MBA implica?

Eli Bravo y Claudine Vainrub acerca de Admisiones a MBA

Radio Show – Buscar Trabajo

What to do if you have been looking for a job for too long? Here are some strategies as presented in our program with Eli Bravo on Actualidad 1020 AM. Only en Espanol…

Si su busqueda de trabajo se ha prolongado por mas de seis meses, escuche nuestro programa acerca de como abordar la busqueda de trabajo y que hacer para lograr mayor exito pronto. Segmento con Eli Bravo y Claudine Vainrub en Actualidad 1020 AM.

Eli Bravo y Claudine Vainrub acerca de Busqueda de Trabajo Prolongada

How to Hire an Educational Consultant

A very recently published article on The New York Times has provoked an explosion in diverse opinions. The article “Before College, Costly Advice Just on Getting In” talks about independent college counselors and the job we do. However, the author, Jacques Steinberg, seems to have done his job partially, depicting the larger pool of educational consultants in the same manner as he would a smaller breed of unethical counselors, who most of us, have nothing in common with.

But instead of focusing on this incomplete piece, I would rather share with you some valuable insight. What are we to expect when seeking help from an educational consultant? How do we choose a consultant who will do the job right? What is a job well done in educational consulting?

Here are some true observations and information you should have handy when choosing someone to work with you or your family (son / daughter) in college admissions:

1- Seek a professional with at least some experience in the admissions field. Someone who has worked as interviewer or within an admissions office, can provide an insider´s perspective on how admissions work. Also, this professional will probably have passion for the field, having demonstrated work experience in it, working with students and in academia.

2- Find someone who is familiar in working with students. A professional who has been in teaching, education, who has gained exposure in working with teenagers will be able to connect with the student better than someone used to work with executives.

3- Certifications exist! College advisers and Independent Counselors can get certified. At present, there are three certificate programs available, one provided by UCLA and called The College Counseling Certificate Program. This extensive online program not only demands hard work (usually takes over a year to complete), but it consists in seven classes, the last one being a practical course to be conducted in the college counseling office of a high school. It is a very rigorous certificate to complete. Same goes for the College Counseling certificate program offered by UC Berkeley, and the CEP – Certified Educational Planner, for which you can only apply after earning years of expertise in the field. Independent consultants can and should get certified. Ensure the person you are seeking advice from is!

4- One step above a certification is having earned a master in education or in counseling. Several graduate school programs allow for more expertise in the field. Even an MBA can work when considering the expertise of a college adviser, however, not on its own. An MBA plus experience in the field and a certification can provide a great combination of skills, allowing the professional to have a background in marketing, easily applicable to candidates, plus keen interest in education.

5- Membership to leading industry associations. There are several associations that group educational consultants, colleges and professionals related to college and graduate school admissions. Some of them are IECA, NACAC, SACAC, HECA and AIGAC. If you do not have at least three years of experience in the field, you cannot be admitted as a member. This means that professionals involved with these associations have to abide by certain rules and regulations that are hard to follow and comply with. These associations not only provide opportunities for continuing education, they also set standard laws for the industry which have to do with ethical and unethical behavior, what is expected and what is not allowed. A professional involved with these associations is one that you will be able to have more confidence that he/she will do the job ethically and responsibly.

6- Continuing education through educational consulting associations. Professionals that keep up to date with the latest market trends, technologies and industry information are the ones that will allow you to continue progressing when seeking your goals. Continuing education is as important in this field of educational consulting as in any other.

7- Crazy fees are not directly related to results. Some consultants decide to offer advice for tens of thousands of dollars, while others offer reasonable fees well below ten thousand. The ones that are able to provide more reasonable fees most of the times consider that the student should lead this process, working in their college admissions while continuing to be a high school student, teenager, sportsman, or anything else he/she desires to be. If college admissions will be the sole thing in the student´s life for months or years, the college adviser is not doing his job right. College counseling is a part of life, one we must dedicate energy to, but not devote completely ourselves to. Find someone who thinks this way and you will have one happy and triumphant teenager who feels good about him/herself and the next step they will be taking in their lives.

What do we look for in a great college admissions process? We focus on finding the right fit for the student academically, socially and in every single aspect of their lives. We seek an institution that will inspire the student to seek their maximum potential and provide growth opportunities like the student never imagined. This is the goal of college admissions and a truly great adviser, who is worth every penny of their wages.

By Claudine Vainrub, MBA and UCLA Certified College Counselor

Principal of EduPlan

2009 – 2010 ACT Dates

Here are the ACT Dates for 2009-2010. Register soon to take this exam and be eligible to attend college!

ACT Dates 2009 – 2010

ACT

TEST DATE	REGISTRATION DEADLINE
September 12, 2009*	August 7, 2009
October 24, 2009	September 18, 2009
December 12, 2009	November 6, 2009
February 6, 2010**	January 5, 2010
April 10, 2010	March 5, 2010
June 12, 2010	May 7, 2010

* The September 2009 test date is offered only within the 50 United States and D.C.

** No test centers are scheduled in New York for the February test date.

2009 – 2010 SAT Dates

Here are the SAT Dates for 2009-2010. Register soon!

SAT Dates 2009 – 2010

SAT and Subject Tests

Test Dates	Test	Regular Registration Deadline (postmark/submit by)	U.S. Late Registration Periods (late fee applies)
October 10, 2009	SAT & Subject Tests	September 9, 2009	September 23, 2009
November 7, 2009	SAT & Subject Tests	October 1, 2009	October 15, 2009
December 5, 2009	SAT & Subject Tests	October 30, 2009	November 12, 2009
January 23, 2010	SAT & Subject Tests	December 15, 2009	December 30, 2009
March 13, 2010	SAT only	February 4, 2010	February 18, 2010
May 1, 2010	SAT & Subject Tests	March 25, 2010	April 8, 2010
June 5, 2010	SAT & Subject Tests	April 29, 2010	May 13, 2010

 

SAT Dates 2009-2010

Register soon to take the SAT in 2009 – 2010 and become eligible to attend college at the end of this academic year.

Here is the information on the SAT Dates for 2009-2010…

2009 – 2010 SAT Dates

SAT and Subject Tests

Test Dates	Test	Regular Registration Deadline (postmark/submit by)	U.S. Late Registration Periods (late fee applies)
October 10, 2009	SAT & Subject Tests	September 9, 2009	September 23, 2009
November 7, 2009	SAT & Subject Tests	October 1, 2009	October 15, 2009
December 5, 2009	SAT & Subject Tests	October 30, 2009	November 12, 2009
January 23, 2010	SAT & Subject Tests	December 15, 2009	December 30, 2009
March 13, 2010	SAT only	February 4, 2010	February 18, 2010
May 1, 2010	SAT & Subject Tests	March 25, 2010	April 8, 2010
June 5, 2010	SAT & Subject Tests	April 29, 2010	May 13, 2010

ACT Dates 2009-2010

Here are the ACT Dates for 2009-2010. Register soon to take this exam and be eligible to attend college at the end of this academic year.

ACT Dates 2009 – 2010

ACT

TEST DATE	REGISTRATION DEADLINE
September 12, 2009*	August 7, 2009
October 24, 2009	September 18, 2009
December 12, 2009	November 6, 2009
February 6, 2010**	January 5, 2010
April 10, 2010	March 5, 2010
June 12, 2010	May 7, 2010

* The September 2009 test date is offered only within the 50 United States and D.C.

** No test centers are scheduled in New York for the February test date.

How to Hire an Educational Consultant

A very recently published article on The New York Times has provoked an explosion in diverse opinions. The article “Before College, Costly Advice Just on Getting In” talks about independent college counselors and the job we do. However, the author, Jacques Steinberg, seems to have done his job partially, depicting the larger pool of educational consultants in the same manner as he would a smaller breed of unethical counselors, who most of us, have nothing in common with.

But instead of focusing on this incomplete piece, I would rather share with you some valuable insight. What are we to expect when seeking help from an educational consultant? How do we choose a consultant who will do the job right? What is a job well done in educational consulting?

Here are some true observations and information you should have handy when choosing someone to work with you or your family (son / daughter) in college admissions:

1-      Seek a professional with at least some experience in the admissions field. Someone who has worked as interviewer or within an admissions office, can provide an insider´s perspective on how admissions work. Also, this professional will probably have passion for the field, having demonstrated work experience in it, working with students and in academia.

2-      Find someone who is familiar in working with students. A professional who has been in teaching, education, who has gained exposure in working with teenagers will be able to connect with the student better than someone used to work with executives.

3-      Certifications exist! College advisers and Independent Counselors can get certified. At present, there are three certificate programs available, one provided by UCLA and called The College Counseling Certificate Program. This extensive online program not only demands hard work (usually takes over a year to complete), but it consists in seven classes, the last one being a practical course to be conducted in the college counseling office of a high school. It is a very rigorous certificate to complete. Same goes for the College Counseling certificate program offered by UC Berkeley, and the CEP – Certified Educational Planner, for which you can only apply after earning years of expertise in the field. Independent consultants can and should get certified. Ensure the person you are seeking advice from is!

4-      One step above a certification is having earned a master in education or in counseling. Several graduate school programs allow for more expertise in the field. Even an MBA can work when considering the expertise of a college adviser, however, not on its own. An MBA plus experience in the field and a certification can provide a great combination of skills, allowing the professional to have a background in marketing, easily applicable to candidates, plus keen interest in education.

5-      Membership to leading industry associations. There are several associations that group educational consultants, colleges and professionals related to college and graduate school admissions. Some of them are IECA, NACAC, SACAC, HECA and AIGAC. If you do not have at least three years of experience in the field, you cannot be admitted as a member. This means that professionals involved with these associations have to abide by certain rules and regulations that are hard to follow and comply with. These associations not only provide opportunities for continuing education, they also set standard laws for the industry which have to do with ethical and unethical behavior, what is expected and what is not allowed. A professional involved with these associations is one that you will be able to have more confidence that he/she will do the job ethically and responsibly.

6-      Continuing education through educational consulting associations. Professionals that keep up to date with the latest market trends, technologies and industry information are the ones that will allow you to continue progressing when seeking your goals. Continuing education is as important in this field of educational consulting as in any other.

7-      Crazy fees are not directly related to results. Some consultants decide to offer advice for tens of thousands of dollars, while others offer reasonable fees well below ten thousand. The ones that are able to provide more reasonable fees most of the times consider that the student should lead this process, working in their college admissions while continuing to be a high school student, teenager, sportsman, or anything else he/she desires to be. If college admissions will be the sole thing in the student´s life for months or years, the college adviser is not doing his job right. College counseling is a part of life, one we must dedicate energy to, but not devote completely ourselves to. Find someone who thinks this way and you will have one happy and triumphant teenager who feels good about him/herself and the next step they will be taking in their lives.

What do we look for in a great college admissions process? We focus on finding the right fit for the student academically, socially and in every single aspect of their lives. We seek an institution that will inspire the student to seek their maximum potential and provide growth opportunities like the student never imagined. This is the goal of college admissions and a truly great adviser, who is worth every penny of their wages.

By Claudine Vainrub, MBA and UCLA Certified College Counselor

Principal of EduPlan

EduPlan at Casa de Jesus

Casa de Jesus Congregation and EduPlan join forces to offer parents and students the opportunity to learn how to navigate the complicated world of college admissions. The series of seminars will begin on Friday July 17 at 8:00 pm and will continue on Saturday, July 18 at 10:00 am, at the headquarters of Casa de Jesus.

What to do about a low GPA, how to attain scholarship money for college, the importance of volunteering, do´s and don´ts in the admissions essay, how to find the right college, when to take the SATs – these are some of the relevant discussion topics of these series, focused on supporting multicultural students in successfully achieving their college dreams.

Casa de Jesus is proud to bring this special seminar to the community. Reverend Valdir Franca explains: “Our church is actively involved in the community in the areas of student motivation, community building and immigrant services. We want to help as many people as possible in their lives and we are happy to offer young people this important seminar.”

EduPlan is a consulting firm that offers over 15 years of experience in the fields of Career Development, and Educational Planning. Their team comprises of certified career coaches, business consultants, college and graduate school advisers, personal branding strategists, and writers with advanced degrees and expert field experience in the U.S. and worldwide. 50% of EduPlan´s clients earn unsolicited merit scholarships each year.

The seminar will be conducted by Claudine Vainrub, the principal of EduPlan. Vainrub has been featured by CNN, The Wall Street Journal, The Miami Herald´s CareerBuilder site, and Ely Bravo´s weekly careers and education expert on Actualidad 1020 AM.

Claudine holds an MBA from the University of Michigan, a BA in Communications and Journalism from Universidad Católica Andrés Bello, speaks four languages and holds the top industry certifications including: UCLA Certified College Counselor, Professional Résumé Writer, Personal Branding Strategist, Personnel Consultant, and Online ID Strategist.

Stimulus Jobs and Money

By Claudine Vainrub Principal of EduPlan

How to find a Job offered through the Stimulus Plan

Just yesterday, we conducted a job phone bank in CBS Channel 4 and the unemployment statistic became alive to us attendants through the amount of phone calls received in a matter of 2 ½ hours. Over 400 calls and the phones ringing non-stop shows, once again, that South Floridians are greatly affected by layoffs and unemployment. We hear that Obama’s Stimulus Plan will combat unemployment, but how? Here is some new information…

Full effect of stimulus plan, as President Obama states, will be felt in the next few months. The goal is 600,000 new and SAVED jobs in the next 100 days. The focus is not only on creating new jobs but also, supporting companies to ensure that massive firings are stopped. The President reports 150,000 new jobs created in the last three months and he plans to quadruple these results in the next three months. How will he do this, especially when we discuss South Florida? Through infrastructure projects that will be launched this summer, Obama expects to put a percentage of the unemployed back in the work force.

The unemployment rate is the highest in 25 years and still expected to continue growing. The stimulus plan’s effect is almost a dent, as some argue, yet, it has a spiral effect where, if one company gains resources, it pulls others with it, allowing a multiplying factor.

So where do we find the stimulus jobs? There are several resources out there available for job seekers and employees who know will be laid off in the near future. One is the job search engine employflorida.com. This site will provide listings of stimulus jobs, especially for the construction industry but not specific to it. EmployFlorida.com allows job seekers to search several job boards at the same time, as when you type a query, it looks for all jobs available and listed in CareerBuilder, Monster and other sites. At this moment, stimulus jobs were available only for youth – 19-24 year olds looking, and as WorkForce One reports, these jobs are already sourced. However, employflorida.com is the one website you will want to visit to find anything new on Stimulus jobs.

14 million Americans are currently receiving unemployment benefits provided by the Economic Federal Stimulus fund. These funds have helped many undergo the job seeking process without going bankrupt.

Other available resources we count in are free resume writing, career coaching, and job search assistance can be found through WorkForce One, a non-profit agency that will provide resources to enhance your job search results.

Certified Professional Resume Writers and Career Coaches are also available to support you, although for a fee, could be a better alternative if you require individualized attention and are not achieving results.

Another resource currently available to job seekers is the Career Strategies for Success Mass Workshop and Forum. This is a full-day event to be held at The Signature Grand in Davie, Florida, on June 23rd, 2009. Job seekers will find more information on Stimulus Plan resources, and get exposure to Human Resource professionals, recruiters, compensation benefits specialists to help them achieve better results in their job search and understand benefits available to them.

WorkForce One explains we shouldn’t expect a quick fix, since it takes time for the process to close its circle. The government launches the initiative, projects receive bids, which in their turn, get evaluated and one contractor is chosen. At that point, the chosen company is enabled to begin the hiring process. The entire process does not take two days, but Obama’s interest in supporting employment, generating and saving jobs gives hopes to the millions unemployed that there will be some relief soon.

By Claudine Vainrub, Principal of EduPlan

MBA Application Components

By Claudine Vainrub Principal of EduPlan

What is involved in the MBA Application Process and How to Tackle this Challenge

Application to MBA programs is a process that requires a lot of planning and strategizing. According to Dr. Randall S Hansen, career coach and founder of Quintessential Careers, the ratio of students accepted to the number of applicants at a premier MBA school stands at 1 to 50. It goes without saying that a lot depends on how you prepare your application and present it.

However the application process and package to most MBA schools follow a somewhat standard pattern. Below are the key components common to most if not all of the competitive MBA Programs.

Academic Records: You must send in transcripts of your undergraduate scores/grades along with your application. Make sure to have this information well in advance of deadline. International students must submit transcripts that have undergone an official translation, so make sure to prepare those in advance to the deadlines.

Your undergraduate transcripts are an important part of the application process. However, they are just that – one part of the application process. If your college GPA is not great, that does not mean that you will not be admitted to a top MBA program (although you do stand a worse chance). If your undergrad GPA is great, that does not mean that you will get in either. Your post-graduation work and volunteer experience, GMAT scores, essays, and the other components of the application package are yet to skew a decision for or against you.

GMAT Scores: The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is essential for MBA admission, so prepare thoroughly and take the test well in advance. Few schools are now also taking GRE scores instead of GMAT, allowing students to substitute one for the other. The GRE is the standard test used for admissions to most other graduate school programs except for Law, Medicine and Dentistry, among others. Some students might find it easier to tackle, while others could find it tougher. Since most schools still only accept the GMAT, unless you already took the GRE and performed very well there, you should still consider preparing and taking the GMAT.

A note of caution during the MBA admissions process: If your GMAT grade falls below the minimum reported GMAT scores for the class, it is very likely that your candidacy to the school targeted will be in jeopardy. Prepare to take the GMAT as many times as you need to pull your score up, or your chances of entering the program of your choice will be close to none. This is probably one of the toughest steps in the admissions process for many students. Brace yourself with patience and hard work and keep fighting until you get a top grade. The GMAT is one of the most important components of the MBA application process. We might agree or disagree in its validity to measure performance and success potential of a student within an MBA program. But at present, it is one of the most important and non-negotiable ways schools measure if you will be able to thrive in their MBA program, or not. Be prepared to take many practice tests, engage in tutoring and concentrate in this aspect of your application to become admitted to the school of your choice.

Application Forms: Each school has its own application, most of them available online. Make sure that your application is neatly presented. Type the application and use the online versions nowadays offered by most schools, if possible. Sending the physical application by snail mail is no longer the most accepted format. Schools count with user-friendly online systems nowadays, that allow you to submit online quickly while checking that all aspects of your application have been fully completed.

Essays: This is one of the most important aspects of your MBA application, where you get the chance to explain why you make an exceptional candidate. Schools get to know you, understand why you will be an asset to their classes and how you could become a contributing member. This is especially important since top MBA programs have a very important class participation component. Lectures, case studies and special projects become more interesting and enriching for students as peers bring their own perspectives and experiences to the discussions. Brainstorming with groups of students that have diverse and unique experiences enables a cauldron effect, mixing acquired knowledge of leaders and effective team members allows for an explosive combination that many times has resulted in MBA graduates launching successful startups that it no time, have achieved millions in venture capital securing and profitability upon MBA graduation.

Take your essays to heart and express your uniqueness here especially. “Make no mistake that these essays are taken lightly. Write and rewrite several drafts — and get outside opinions and feedback – before you complete your personal essay,” Dr. Hansen cautions. GMATCAT.com also advises that you must spend time to introspect and identify what motivates you to go back to school for MBA, what special skills and attributes you bring in to the school and how you wish to proceed after the course. MBA Admission Essays also explains, “this self-reflection may seem like a waste of time, but you will gain from it mature thinking and generate a wealth of examples and situations.” The essays are one of the most important marketing tools we will have during the MBA admissions process. Most candidates will have similar stories, so it is vital that you strategize and come up with a unique positioning. The essays typically revolve around questions like these:

• Why do you want to do an MBA?
• Describe a few significant events that shaped your life/career.
• Who is your role model/mentor and how has this person played a significant role in your life?
• What are your plans after MBA?
• Describe a situation that tested your leadership skills.

Schools like University of Chicago and NYU’s Stern Graduate School of Business often times challenge applicants with innovative questions that you will not see in all applications. These have included creating a powerpoint presentation on who you are, creating a special project on you as a candidate in a free format of your choice that does not exceed certain measures, and others. Be prepared to get creative – it pays off to devote time, thought and effort to ensuring this part of your application is nothing less than superb. It is the one aspect that you can control. Although hiring an essay writer would be not only immoral but illegal, you can seek help from a professional to discuss content of your essays, review sentence construction, grammar and orthography. Your writing skills are important for an MBA program, and schools want to see how good you express yourself. However, no one is expecting an MBA candidate to be a professional fiction novel writer. Business writing skills are what schools seek and also, shall be enhancing during the years of the MBA program.

Letters of Recommendation: Most MBA Programs ask for recommendation letters from two or three people who know you. Typically these have to be from your educational or business background. Again, choose professionals who are likely to recommend you strongly. Another point to remember is to identify people who will help to bring out different sides of your stance as leader and team player. Business schools are especially looking for clues on how you have differentiated yourself from the pack, how you have brought added value to the environments you have been immersed in, and how you will be able to contribute to the MBA program. Do not hesitate to have each one of your letters speak about a different aspect of your professional persona.

Professional Resume: Another aspect of the application you can control to ensure it is the best it can be. If you do not know this yet, a resume is not an informative document, it is a MARKETING document. This is the face recruiters first see most of the times when you are a job seeker. It is what causes the first impression in a job search process, and you can stun decision-makers with it, or simply get tossed. A similar situation applies for the MBA admission process. If well developed, a professional resume can support you in becoming a top candidate. Portray your accomplishments, focus on how you made a difference within your team while at work, in volunteer experiences, during your college years. Express how you have been involved with companies and associations as a leader, decision-maker, innovator, what legacy you have left in for others to follow, even in a small scale. Create a professional format, one that helps readers get a 50,000 feet view of your differentiators with key phrases. Develop a resume headline instead of a boring objective. Make sure it does not exceed two pages, and if you can, limit it to one page.

A final word of caution: During your MBA admission process, it doesn’t pay to be too modest. There are so many smart and accomplished professionals out there competing, and if you don’t make yourself noticeable, chances are no one will notice you. Therefore, emphasize your achievements and unique skills. Control your personal brand through the application process to ensure it is a strong and true reflection of yourself, and what you want it to be. This is how you will be one step closer to conquering the MBA Admissions Race!

By Claudine Vainrub, MBA ’97 Ross School of Business and Principal of EduPlan

Sources:

http://www.quintcareers.com/MBA_applications.html

http://www.manedit.com/mba/MBA.html

http://www.mba.wfu.edu/default.aspx?id=966

http://www.gmatcat.com/MBA_Admissions_Essays.html

http://www.gmatcat.com/Letter_of_Recommendation.html

http://www.gmatcat.com/MBA_Admissions_Resume.html

Radio Show on Admissions

Our weekly show with Eli Bravo in Actualidad 1020 AM on college and graduate admissions secrets. Learn what admissions officers from top schools have to say about what they seek in candidates. Sorry folks, only in Spanish…

Nuestro show radial semanal con Eli Bravo en Actualidad 1020 AM, esta vez acerca de admisiones universitarias y a postgrados. Aprenda que dicen los jefes de los departamentos de admision de las mejores universidades en USA acerca de lo que buscan en candidatos exitosos.

Secretos de Admisiones – Eli Bravo y Claudine Vainrub

Radio Show – Secretos de Admision

Los mas recientes comentarios de los directores de admision de las universidades top en USA, incluyendo la Universidad de Virginia, Michigan, Dartmouth College, NYU, Columbia, y otras, en nuestro programa radial semanal con Eli Bravo en Actualidad 1020 AM.

Our radio show discussing this week Secrets of Admissions, as provided by Deans of Admissions from top schools including those of the business schools at the University of Michigan, Virginia, Dartmouth College, NYU Stern, Columbia University, UC Berkeley and others.

Eli Bravo y Claudine Vainrub acerca de Secretos de Admision

Good Cover Letters Do Make a Difference

Good Cover Letters Do Make a Difference

How to create an effective cover letter and why you should devote time to this task

By Claudine Vainrub

In the process of finding a job, most of our focus lies in developing a compelling resume. However, another marketing document, essential to the job search process, is the cover letter. It is the one area of the application where we demonstrate writing skills, are able to include personal opinions and make a good case as to why consider us.

Should we or should we not include a cover letter when we send a resume? It is certainly very important not only to include a cover letter, but a customized cover letter, specifically written for the job targeted. Sending a template letter not directly drafted for the company and job that we are responding to can have a negative effect. A canned letter might dissuade the recruiter from considering a good resume. So be prepared to work hard on the cover letter, and make a strong case on why this position is the right one for you and why you should be considered. If you are genuine about your strengths, insightful and informed about the company, demonstrate it through the cover letter. This can make a difference when competing for a position with other candidates with similar profiles.

In the case of B.B., an executive seeking a position in marketing management, she expressed how the company that she now works for confessed that it was her cover letter that made them make the call. Her writing skills, along with arguments on why she was the right person for the job, caught the eye of the decision makers within her new employer. She was considered beyond other candidates and ended up accepting the opportunity. Good cover letters do make a difference.

Now about the format… We start with a header which should be copied and pasted from the one used on the resume. If margins differ, the cover letter header, although very similar to the one on the resume, can be slightly modified to fit the cover letter format. The important thing to keep in mind is that we want to have a unique identity in all our professional documents. As with the resume, make sure to check that your contact information is correct, and also appropriate for job search. Screen your email and change your address if it sound other than professional – sassygirl237@hotmail.com will not be appropriate for job search purposes (or for your personal brand).

Right below the header comes the date when the letter is written. This is followed by the address of the company you are sending the letter to. Sometimes, we are answering anonymous ads. In those cases, we can address the letter to the attention of the Human Resources Department, in reference to the position targeted. We can include their fax and/or phone information, or any information about the company included in the ad. Most of the times, when we do have the full company information, we start with the name of the person we are addressing the letter to, their position in a second line, followed by the name of the company and their full address. If appropriate, we can add a line right below the full address to point out the position or reason why of the letter. In this way, the reader can easily distinguish the purpose of this writing, funneling it through the right channels more quickly.

To begin our writing, we address the letter to Dear Mr. or Ms. and the last name of the addressee. If we do not have their name, we can also address it to Dear Hiring Professional or Dear Employment Manager, however, it is worth our while to research and find someone within the organization that we can directly address a letter to. Not only it will become more personal, but it will be taken under more consideration by the letter recipient, who could eventually become a cheerleader for your candidacy within the company. You will have also demonstrated that you are able to make things happen, that you possess great research skills and have the ability to find information when it is not readily available to you.

The cover letter content should be short and sweet, not more than four short paragraphs that state a strong case. The first paragraph of the cover letter should include information regarding where you saw the posting and what specific opportunity you are seeking. It should give a reason why of the letter and address in a line or two at the most that you are the right candidate for the position, and why.

The second and third paragraphs of the cover letter should talk more in detail about skills, professional experience and aspects of your education that directly relate to the position. To be effective while writing this content, make sure to read and re-read the position’s advertisement. The more you understand the job requirements, the better you will be at making a compelling case for yourself on why you have a perfect fit with the job. For example, if you are seeking a financial management position and the posting requires five years of experience in trading, if it is true, you should include in the cover letter a line stating that you earned over five years of trading experience as trading manager for Goldman Sachs, conducting transactions valued at over $200MM per month. This will put in perspective the fact that you have an excellent fit with the position.

Two words of Caution: do not make the letter too long and do not copy information directly from the resume. You can go up to four paragraphs, but you can also limit yourself to three. Both lengths are acceptable. The most important thing to remember is that the information always and in every part of the letter needs to be compelling to the reader and directly related to the position targeted. Give the information on the resume a twist, include sentences that give an overall picture of you as a professional, while always considering the requirements of the job you are applying to. A cover letter is the one document where it is acceptable to include soft skills – A.K.A. – excellent communication skills, ability to work in teams, creativity, people person, a great motivator,… Make sure you have both soft skills and data on previous positions and accomplishments.

In the second and third paragraphs, it is possible to include bullet points with relevant information. These bullet points should be completely different from those utilized for the resume. However, information can be presented in this format, to make the letter more enticing to the eye. Bullet points can include what you specifically bring to the position or career highlights as they relate to the position. These can take the place of the second/third paragraphs.

The fourth and last paragraph or closing should be used to state what you would like to achieve through the cover letter. Whether it is an interview, further discussion, a time to meet to review how you can mutually benefit from each other, this is where you want to express this interest. You can be proactive and say you will make the contact by the following week, unless you hear from them before then.

The letter should be signed sincerely, your name and enclosure, to indicate that the resume is also included in the package.

Although they require hard work, attention to detail, and often times take long to create, results from sending a compelling cover letter can be very favorable. Cover letters can make a difference when getting your foot on the door, or not securing that interview that you know you deserve. With cover letters, the reward is worthwhile the effort.

By Claudine Vainrub, Principal of EduPlan

Secrets of Admissions

Secrets of Admissions: Do’s & Don’ts from College and Grad School Admissions Decision Makers

Two weeks ago, EduPlan had the honor of being invited to the prestigious AIGAG conference in New York, where we met with several admission officers from prestigious institutions like the University of California at Berkeley, Dartmouth College, Columbia University, NYU, University of Michigan, University of Virginia, INSEAD in France, and others.

At this event, we learned what admissions officers want and don’t want in submitted applications directly from the mouth of decision-makers. Here we share these invaluable secrets with you!

1. Leaders wanted: Whether you’re a natural-born leader or a developing one, schools are looking to train leaders that are willing to look beyond the status quo, find solutions, and express confidence without attitude.

2. Theory’s out, experience is in: Experiential learning or “learning by doing” is the hottest trend in higher education. Universities believe the best way to teach students how to find solutions to real world business problems is through observation, analysis and implementation directly in the field of work. Your interest and prior experience with this learning methodology is interesting for college and grad school admissions.

3. Corporate responsibly: Today´s company is judged not just by the products or services offered but by its behavior within society. That is why today´s prestigious schools look for students focused more on responsible business practices, environmentally awareness and social consciousness.

4. Exploit your unique advantage: If you have past experiences in fields like engineering, technology or even medicine, business schools offer you the opportunity to combine majors to help you get the best of two worlds. This is an asset when applying to advanced degree programs, as seen by admissions officers.

5. Avoid the third round: Often times, you have the choice of submitting a grad school application in the first round, second round or third round. Schools warn that the third round is extremely competitive. If your application is as good as it gets, if you´re happy with your GMAT or GRE score, if your essay is perfect, admissions officers advise to make your submission prior to the first round deadline. If you can improve your resume, GMAT, or anything that will help you become a better candidate, wait to send your application until the second round.

6. Show me the money: A large percentage of students seek and get scholarship money in top schools, as well as financial aid. If you are in need of financial aid and scholarships, although we might have considered otherwise in the past, you will no longer feel a disadvantage – too many students are asking for this to be an exception to the rule or play against you.

7. Think globally, act globally: In teaching how to recognize opportunities, find partnerships, and promote corporate social responsibility. Universities are becoming very global and offer nowadays a large number of international exchange programs, consulting opportunities, study-abroad, special engagements in many countries and continents. We have become McLuhan’s Global Town. Think globally and you will be more attractive for admissions and in tune with trends.

8. Know where you´re going and how you´ll get there: Colleges are not as interested in students that want to find themselves as in students that know where they are headed. They want applicants to already have an idea of what they want to do after school, how to get there with the understanding of how the college program will help them achieve those goals.

9. Be prepared, be very prepared: Universities also want to know what has prepared the student for what they want to do, and if the student understands in depth what they’re talking about. For example, it would make no sense for someone that rarely uses computers to major in systems engineering, or for someone that rarely draws to study architecture.

10. Get a clue: If you want to make a career transition it´s a major no-no to have no clue about how hard it is to make that transition. For example, a communications major that wants to pursue an MBA should understand the realities of business administration and what it would take for them to successfully make this career change.

11. Avoid the kiss of death: A BIG mistake you can make is to stop working to study and prepare for the GMAT or the GRE. Most students take the GMAT/GRE while they’re working, so why shouldn’t or couldn’t you? This is frowned upon by admissions officers, as directly expressed at the AIGAC conference.

12. Go forward: Admissions officers look for forward movement in the student life, they want to see progress and how the candidate was able to build something little by little.

13. Close the gaps: If you have any gaps in your life, such as periods of unemployment, or breaks from school, don’t leave anything for the admissions officers imagination. They have a great imagination and will suspect the worse, unless you provide reason why. You are better off addressing everything that could be questionable in your application.

14. Disclose the bad before it gets real bad: Always disclose negative things. In a special case of a doctor applying to business school, where the situation exposed did not make sense, the admissions officer researched and found out that he lost his medical license for malpractice. As he tried to camouflage the situation, and did not truthfully disclose the circumstances, the school was left without a choice and rejected him.

15. If it sounds too good to be true, they will investigate: When the essays you submit for admissions are too good to be true, admissions officers will often look at your TOEFL, GMAT or GRE essay to see if it has similarities with the materials provided in the application. If they find an improvement that isn’t logical, they will suspect that your essays were written by someone other than yourself. This will automatically disqualify you for admissions. Aside from the ethical and moral implications of having your essays written by a third party, this is yet another important argument for you to author your own materials.

16. Believe in yourself: Schools look for leader that are confident and can hold their own in conversation. Communication skills are essential, being shy or awkward rarely works in the real world, much less in school. Take a course, go to Toastmasters if you need to improve in this area.

17. Relax during the interview: Yes, you want to get accepted by the college of your dreams, but rattling papers during the interview, being nervous and seeming anything less than authentic will not help you connect and make a good impression. This is the one shot you will have to make a standing and propel your admission. Maximize this opportunity

By Claudine Vainrub, Principal of EduPlan

EduPlan Speaks at Casa De Jesus

Casa de Jesus Congregation and EduPlan join forces to offer parents and students the opportunity to learn how to navigate the complicated world of college admissions. The series of seminars will begin on Friday July 17 at 8:00 pm and will continue on Saturday, July 18 at 10:00 am, at the headquarters of Casa de Jesus.

What to do about a low GPA, how to attain scholarship money for college, the importance of volunteering, do´s and don´ts in the admissions essay, how to find the right college, when to take the SATs – these are some of the relevant discussion topics of these series, focused on supporting multicultural students in successfully achieving their college dreams.

Casa de Jesus is proud to bring this special seminar to the community. Reverend Valdir Franca explains: “Our church is actively involved in the community in the areas of student motivation, community building and immigrant services. We want to help as many people as possible in their lives and we are happy to offer young people this important seminar.”

EduPlan is a consulting firm that offers over 15 years of experience in the fields of Career Development, and Educational Planning. Their team comprises of certified career coaches, business consultants, college and graduate school advisers, personal branding strategists, and writers with advanced degrees and expert field experience in the U.S. and worldwide. 50% of EduPlan´s clients earn unsolicited merit scholarships each year.

The seminar will be conducted by Claudine Vainrub, the principal of EduPlan. Vainrub has been featured by CNN, The Wall Street Journal, The Miami Herald´s CareerBuilder site, and Ely Bravo´s weekly careers and education expert on Actualidad 1020 AM.

Claudine holds an MBA from the University of Michigan, a BA in Communications and Journalism from Universidad Católica Andrés Bello, speaks four languages and holds the top industry certifications including: UCLA Certified College Counselor, Professional Résumé Writer, Personal Branding Strategist, Personnel Consultant, and Online ID Strategist.

Looking for Jobs TOO Long

What to do if you have been looking for a job for too long? Here are some strategies as presented in our program with Eli Bravo on Actualidad 1020 AM. Only en Espanol…

Si su busqueda de trabajo se ha prolongado por mas de un ano, escuche nuestro programa acerca de como abordar la busqueda de trabajo y que hacer para lograr mayor exito pronto. Segmento con Eli Bravo y Claudine Vainrub en Actualidad 1020 AM.

Eli Bravo y Claudine Vainrub acerca de Busqueda de Trabajo Larga

Secrets of Admissions

Secrets of Admissions: Do’s & Don’ts from College and Grad School Admissions Decision Makers

Two weeks ago, EduPlan had the honor of being invited to the prestigious AIGAG conference in New York, where we met with several admission officers from prestigious institutions like the University of California at Berkeley, Dartmouth College, Columbia University, NYU, University of Michigan, University of Virginia, INSEAD in France, and others.

At this event, we learned what admissions officers want and don’t want in submitted applications directly from the mouth of decision-makers. Here we share these invaluable secrets with you!

1. Leaders wanted: Whether you’re a natural-born leader or a developing one, schools are looking to train leaders that are willing to look beyond the status quo, find solutions, and express confidence without attitude.

2. Theory’s out, experience is in: Experiential learning or “learning by doing” is the hottest trend in higher education. Universities believe the best way to teach students how to find solutions to real world business problems is through observation, analysis and implementation directly in the field of work. Your interest and prior experience with this learning methodology is interesting for college and grad school admissions.

3. Corporate responsibly: Today´s company is judged not just by the products or services offered but by its behavior within society. That is why today´s prestigious schools look for students focused more on responsible business practices, environmentally awareness and social consciousness.

4. Exploit your unique advantage: If you have past experiences in fields like engineering, technology or even medicine, business schools offer you the opportunity to combine majors to help you get the best of two worlds. This is an asset when applying to advanced degree programs, as seen by admissions officers.

5. Avoid the third round: Often times, you have the choice of submitting a grad school application in the first round, second round or third round. Schools warn that the third round is extremely competitive. If your application is as good as it gets, if you´re happy with your GMAT or GRE score, if your essay is perfect, admissions officers advise to make your submission prior to the first round deadline. If you can improve your resume, GMAT, or anything that will help you become a better candidate, wait to send your application until the second round.

6. Show me the money: A large percentage of students seek and get scholarship money in top schools, as well as financial aid. If you are in need of financial aid and scholarships, although we might have considered otherwise in the past, you will no longer feel a disadvantage – too many students are asking for this to be an exception to the rule or play against you.

7. Think globally, act globally: In teaching how to recognize opportunities, find partnerships, and promote corporate social responsibility. Universities are becoming very global and offer nowadays a large number of international exchange programs, consulting opportunities, study-abroad, special engagements in many countries and continents. We have become McLuhan’s Global Town. Think globally and you will be more attractive for admissions and in tune with trends.

8. Know where you´re going and how you´ll get there: Colleges are not as interested in students that want to find themselves as in students that know where they are headed. They want applicants to already have an idea of what they want to do after school, how to get there with the understanding of how the college program will help them achieve those goals.

9. Be prepared, be very prepared: Universities also want to know what has prepared the student for what they want to do, and if the student understands in depth what they’re talking about. For example, it would make no sense for someone that rarely uses computers to major in systems engineering, or for someone that rarely draws to study architecture.

10. Get a clue: If you want to make a career transition it´s a major no-no to have no clue about how hard it is to make that transition. For example, a communications major that wants to pursue an MBA should understand the realities of business administration and what it would take for them to successfully make this career change.

11. Avoid the kiss of death: A BIG mistake you can make is to stop working to study and prepare for the GMAT or the GRE. Most students take the GMAT/GRE while they’re working, so why shouldn’t or couldn’t you? This is frowned upon by admissions officers, as directly expressed at the AIGAC conference.

12. Go forward: Admissions officers look for forward movement in the student life, they want to see progress and how the candidate was able to build something little by little.

13. Close the gaps: If you have any gaps in your life, such as periods of unemployment, or breaks from school, don’t leave anything for the admissions officers imagination. They have a great imagination and will suspect the worse, unless you provide reason why. You are better off addressing everything that could be questionable in your application.

14. Disclose the bad before it gets real bad: Always disclose negative things. In a special case of a doctor applying to business school, where the situation exposed did not make sense, the admissions officer researched and found out that he lost his medical license for malpractice. As he tried to camouflage the situation, and did not truthfully disclose the circumstances, the school was left without a choice and rejected him.

15. If it sounds too good to be true, they will investigate: When the essays you submit for admissions are too good to be true, admissions officers will often look at your TOEFL, GMAT or GRE essay to see if it has similarities with the materials provided in the application. If they find an improvement that isn’t logical, they will suspect that your essays were written by someone other than yourself. This will automatically disqualify you for admissions. Aside from the ethical and moral implications of having your essays written by a third party, this is yet another important argument for you to author your own materials.

16. Believe in yourself: Schools look for leader that are confident and can hold their own in conversation. Communication skills are essential, being shy or awkward rarely works in the real world, much less in school. Take a course, go to Toastmasters if you need to improve in this area.

17. Relax during the interview: Yes, you want to get accepted by the college of your dreams, but rattling papers during the interview, being nervous and seeming anything less than authentic will not help you connect and make a good impression. This is the one shot you will have to make a standing and propel your admission. Maximize this opportunity

By Claudine Vainrub, Principal of EduPlan

Radio Show – MBA Admissions

Our weekly radio show with Eli Bravo, this time on MBA Admissions, the process and is it worth the effort and investment to pursue an MBA. Sorry folks, only En Espanol…

Nuestro segmento semanal con Eli Bravo, esta vez acerca del tema de admisiones a MBA’s (Postgrados de Administracion). Vale la pena el esfuerzo y la inversion economica que un MBA implica?

Eli Bravo y Claudine Vainrub acerca de MBAs

Seeking Jobs for Too Long

With the rise of unemployment numbers and the decrease in new job offers, candidates are finding it harder and harder to secure new posts quickly. More often than ever, we are seeing professionals seek new work for 6, 7, 8 months and even over a year. What are the disadvantages of a long job search process and how to combat them?

Job search processes can take longer than expected for several reasons. One is when seeking senior executive positions. In a stable economy, an executive position can take from 6 months to a year to source. This means that in a difficult job market, we would have to add six months to this equation.

Often times, candidates realize much later in their job search process that they have been working with a resume which was not professionally developed, thus, does not express their uniqueness and differentiation. Sending an ineffective resume out can burn bridges and close doors much too early in a job search process. Realizing that you need to enhance your resume and taking the steps to do so will help you achieve better response when presenting yourself to hiring parties.

Other factors that contribute to a lengthy job search process are not being as proactive as needed in connecting with people and getting the word out about our status. Often times, job seekers feel they will find a position soon and resolve their unemployment status quickly. We can think that not communicating our status will save us from “loosing face” in front of colleagues. This move can have the opposite effect. Allowing all surrounding us know that we are actively seeking a job could provide an opportunity for colleagues that have admired us to consider us for available positions. It will help us connect sooner than later with decision-makers and professionals that can open doors.

Job seekers can sometimes be slow in sending resumes out. We take this new time gain as an opportunity to do things we did not have the chance of getting done before. Instead of taking our job search as a full-time job, we work on finding jobs sporadically, not devoting the time and resources really needed to succeed in the process.

A job search process for a mid-level candidate working with a professional resume that truly makes them stand out, sending out customized cover letters, and applying to 10+ daily opportunities, an average job search process can take anywhere from 1 to 3 months. In a market with high unemployment, add six months to that process. Then, add another 6 months if we are talking about a senior position within a corporation.

When the job search process has taken longer than usual, interviewers might question why the candidate has not been hired yet. They might ask: “Am I missing something that other employers noticed, as to why not to hire this candidate?” This is a disadvantage as job seekers will confront a set of questions that can be avoided if the job search process is short or conducted while still holding a position.

Another disadvantage of a long job search process is that, as time passes, we can become demoralized from negative employer responses. We can start showing a “looser” attitude, caused by the lack of positive response from recruiters. We must continue to keep our hopes up, not loose faith, and know that soon, a door will open for us.

We can become more and more anxious to continue with our careers and compromise our job interests, salary needs and work environment preference, when looking for a job for too long. When not sticking to what we considered would work for us in terms of job offer, we might end up accepting a position that we could forfeit in the short term, thus taking us back to the job market.

They have to answer to recruiters questions not posed to candidates working or very recently unemployed. These questions might be asked out loud, providing an opportunity for a candidate to answer, or not inquired at all, offering a chance for the employer to speculate. This speculation certainly puts the job seeker at a disadvantage to other candidates. Recruiters might ask a long-time job seeker what they have been doing in the past year, why they have been unsuccessful at finding a job. However, they might not ask and create suppositions on what others have seen wrong in the candidate’s profile, why others did not choose this candidate. Instead of approaching a candidate with a positive attitude regarding what they can bring to the organization, they adopt a more scrutinizing attitude to ensure that there is no reason why not to extend an offer.

Another disadvantage for people seeking jobs for more than a year is a possible hike in the level of desperation and anxiety when trying to find an open door. As time passes, the clock ticks for the job seeker. He/she becomes increasingly anxious to find an opportunity, while at the same time, his/her self-esteem decreases from the negative feedback from “dings” (rejection letters). This can prevent professionals from portraying themselves positively, as they would in a regular situation, when they have job security. Job seekers need to be aware of this and maintain their cool and high energy, demonstrating who they really in good times.

A final disadvantage is lack of practice in their field of work. Being out of your profession for an entire year can mean, for some careers more than others, loss of skill, speed, and just being out-of-the-loop in your field of work. In medicine, example, not keeping in tune with a year of advancements can seriously harm a career. Same goes for IT and systems engineers, and even writers. If you don’t use it, you can loose it! The way to counteract this deficiency is by continuing to follow the news in your field of work, contemplating internships, part-time and subcontracting opportunities. Have something to say when recruiters ask “what have you been doing to stay current in your field of work?”

Candidate desirability is negatively affected as time passes and a position is not secured. When recruiting, often times companies ask for “passive candidates” or candidates that are currently working and not seeking jobs. These are the most desirable candidates and one of the reasons why recruiting companies (headhunters) exist, to seek passive candidates. Down the line, a candidate that has been looking for a job for three months is less desirable than a passive candidate and yet more desirable than a candidate seeking a job for one year. Why? Companies can consider that as time passes, the job seeker gets more and more disconnected with his/her industry, duties, and loose valuable career growth time. Recruiters might also sense that if the seeker is ineffective in finding a job and marketing themselves, they might not be effective in other tasks. Questions arise as to why this candidate has not been recruited yet and if the company is missing out on some important data that could skew the hiring decision south. There could also be a sense of the candidate not being proactive enough in their careers, resulting in a projected image of lack of motivation and even a “loosing” attitude. Job seekers who are looking for work for more than a year will benefit from showcasing character strength and dynamism when interviewing.

However, there are also some advantages to a long job search process, believe it or not… Some of them are becoming an expert interviewee and maybe even interviewer, finally achieving an outstanding resume, learning how to write cover letters, becoming a more efficient job seeker, learning a lot about companies from researching them for the job search process. You might end up making a career change and becoming a Human Resources professional without asking for it, after gaining months of expertise in recruiting.

Here are some tips to enhance your job search process, when you have been looking for a while…

1- Do not loose faith, keep your hopes up and your chin up high. Show strength and perseverance, optimism and work ethics. A “winner” attitude will take you to high places.

2- Look for jobs more intensively through relationship-building than through any other source. Find ways to connect to professionals and develop your network.

3- Seek part-time and project-based opportunities. Keep working in your field even if it is a few hours every day and not full time. Part-time and temporary work can lead to a full-time job if you perform very well and impress decision-makers and co-workers. Sometimes, it even leads to a new career path as an entrepreneur.

4- Have your resume critiqued by a professional. If this is something you have been avoiding, or you have been 100% sure that your resume is well constructed but have not found a job for a while, you might be missing something regarding your resume. Research on the internet for Certified Professionals in the industry and find someone to talk with about your current version.

5- If you are getting interviews but then missing out on opportunities, consult with a professional career and interview coach. Understanding how to tackle hard questions to answer is an art that can be mastered.

6- Start selling and not informing, showcase your skills and how you bring added value to the company. Do your research on the employer and go the extra mile to prove to them with facts how you can be an asset to their team.

Vote for EduPlan!

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Thank you in advance!!!

MBA Application Components

What is involved in the MBA Application Process and How to Tackle this Challenge

Application to MBA programs is a process that requires a lot of planning and strategizing. According to Dr. Randall S Hansen, career coach and founder of Quintessential Careers, the ratio of students accepted to the number of applicants at a premier MBA school stands at 1 to 50. It goes without saying that a lot depends on how you prepare your application and present it.

However the application process and package to most MBA schools follow a somewhat standard pattern. Below are the key components common to most if not all of the competitive MBA Programs.

Academic Records: You must send in transcripts of your undergraduate scores/grades along with your application. Make sure to have this information well in advance of deadline. International students must submit transcripts that have undergone an official translation, so make sure to prepare those in advance to the deadlines.

Your undergraduate transcripts are an important part of the application process. However, they are just that – one part of the application process. If your college GPA is not great, that does not mean that you will not be admitted to a top MBA program (although you do stand a worse chance). If your undergrad GPA is great, that does not mean that you will get in either. Your post-graduation work and volunteer experience, GMAT scores, essays, and the other components of the application package are yet to skew a decision for or against you.

GMAT Scores: The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is essential for MBA admission, so prepare thoroughly and take the test well in advance. Few schools are now also taking GRE scores instead of GMAT, allowing students to substitute one for the other. The GRE is the standard test used for admissions to most other graduate school programs except for Law, Medicine and Dentistry, among others. Some students might find it easier to tackle, while others could find it tougher. Since most schools still only accept the GMAT, unless you already took the GRE and performed very well there, you should still consider preparing and taking the GMAT.

A note of caution during the MBA admissions process: If your GMAT grade falls below the minimum reported GMAT scores for the class, it is very likely that your candidacy to the school targeted will be in jeopardy. Prepare to take the GMAT as many times as you need to pull your score up, or your chances of entering the program of your choice will be close to none. This is probably one of the toughest steps in the admissions process for many students. Brace yourself with patience and hard work and keep fighting until you get a top grade. The GMAT is one of the most important components of the MBA application process. We might agree or disagree in its validity to measure performance and success potential of a student within an MBA program. But at present, it is one of the most important and non-negotiable ways schools measure if you will be able to thrive in their MBA program, or not. Be prepared to take many practice tests, engage in tutoring and concentrate in this aspect of your application to become admitted to the school of your choice.

Application Forms: Each school has its own application, most of them available online. Make sure that your application is neatly presented. Type the application and use the online versions nowadays offered by most schools, if possible. Sending the physical application by snail mail is no longer the most accepted format. Schools count with user-friendly online systems nowadays, that allow you to submit online quickly while checking that all aspects of your application have been fully completed.

Essays: This is one of the most important aspects of your MBA application, where you get the chance to explain why you make an exceptional candidate. Schools get to know you, understand why you will be an asset to their classes and how you could become a contributing member. This is especially important since top MBA programs have a very important class participation component. Lectures, case studies and special projects become more interesting and enriching for students as peers bring their own perspectives and experiences to the discussions. Brainstorming with groups of students that have diverse and unique experiences enables a cauldron effect, mixing acquired knowledge of leaders and effective team members allows for an explosive combination that many times has resulted in MBA graduates launching successful startups that it no time, have achieved millions in venture capital securing and profitability upon MBA graduation.

Take your essays to heart and express your uniqueness here especially. “Make no mistake that these essays are taken lightly. Write and rewrite several drafts — and get outside opinions and feedback – before you complete your personal essay,” Dr. Hansen cautions. GMATCAT.com also advises that you must spend time to introspect and identify what motivates you to go back to school for MBA, what special skills and attributes you bring in to the school and how you wish to proceed after the course. MBA Admission Essays also explains, “this self-reflection may seem like a waste of time, but you will gain from it mature thinking and generate a wealth of examples and situations.” The essays are one of the most important marketing tools we will have during the MBA admissions process. Most candidates will have similar stories, so it is vital that you strategize and come up with a unique positioning. The essays typically revolve around questions like these:

• Why do you want to do an MBA?
• Describe a few significant events that shaped your life/career.
• Who is your role model/mentor and how has this person played a significant role in your life?
• What are your plans after MBA?
• Describe a situation that tested your leadership skills.

Schools like University of Chicago and NYU’s Stern Graduate School of Business often times challenge applicants with innovative questions that you will not see in all applications. These have included creating a powerpoint presentation on who you are, creating a special project on you as a candidate in a free format of your choice that does not exceed certain measures, and others. Be prepared to get creative – it pays off to devote time, thought and effort to ensuring this part of your application is nothing less than superb. It is the one aspect that you can control. Although hiring an essay writer would be not only immoral but illegal, you can seek help from a professional to discuss content of your essays, review sentence construction, grammar and orthography. Your writing skills are important for an MBA program, and schools want to see how good you express yourself. However, no one is expecting an MBA candidate to be a professional fiction novel writer. Business writing skills are what schools seek and also, shall be enhancing during the years of the MBA program.   

Letters of Recommendation: Most MBA Programs ask for recommendation letters from two or three people who know you. Typically these have to be from your educational or business background. Again, choose professionals who are likely to recommend you strongly. Another point to remember is to identify people who will help to bring out different sides of your stance as leader and team player. Business schools are especially looking for clues on how you have differentiated yourself from the pack, how you have brought added value to the environments you have been immersed in, and how you will be able to contribute to the MBA program. Do not hesitate to have each one of your letters speak about a different aspect of your professional persona.

Professional Resume: Another aspect of the application you can control to ensure it is the best it can be. If you do not know this yet, a resume is not an informative document, it is a MARKETING document. This is the face recruiters first see most of the times when you are a job seeker. It is what causes the first impression in a job search process, and you can stun decision-makers with it, or simply get tossed. A similar situation applies for the MBA admission process. If well developed, a professional resume can support you in becoming a top candidate. Portray your accomplishments, focus on how you made a difference within your team while at work, in volunteer experiences, during your college years. Express how you have been involved with companies and associations as a leader, decision-maker, innovator, what legacy you have left in for others to follow, even in a small scale. Create a professional format, one that helps readers get a 50,000 feet view of your differentiators with key phrases. Develop a resume headline instead of a boring objective. Make sure it does not exceed two pages, and if you can, limit it to one page.  

A final word of caution: During your MBA admission process, it doesn’t pay to be too modest. There are so many smart and accomplished professionals out there competing, and if you don’t make yourself noticeable, chances are no one will notice you. Therefore, emphasize your achievements and unique skills. Control your personal brand through the application process to ensure it is a strong and true reflection of yourself, and what you want it to be. This is how you will be one step closer to conquering the MBA Admissions Race!

By Claudine Vainrub, MBA ’97 Ross School of Business and Principal of EduPlan

Sources:

http://www.quintcareers.com/MBA_applications.html

http://www.manedit.com/mba/MBA.html

http://www.mba.wfu.edu/default.aspx?id=966

http://www.gmatcat.com/MBA_Admissions_Essays.html

http://www.gmatcat.com/Letter_of_Recommendation.html

http://www.gmatcat.com/MBA_Admissions_Resume.html

Radio Show on Stimulus Jobs

Como conseguir los trabajos del Plan de Estimulo

How to find President Obama’s stimulus plan jobs – this is the topic of this week’s radio show with Eli Bravo in Actualidad 1020 AM and Claudine Vainrub, Principal of EduPlan. Sorry folks, only in Spanish…

Como conseguir los trabajos del Plan de Estimulo del Presidente Obama – ese es el tema de la semana en nuestro segmento semanal del Programa Radial de Eli Bravo en Actualidad 1020 AM con Claudine Vainrub, Principal de EduPlan.

Disfruten!

CareerBuilder Quotes EduPlan

In the article “Help, My Job Search is Taking Years”, Rachel Zupek from CareerBuilder provides opinions from job seekers and career coaching experts, including EduPlan Principal, Claudine Vainrub, on how to enhance job search results.

Read this valuable information to find tips on how to get ahead in your job search, if you have been looking for a while without results.

CareerBuilder is the leading publication with news on career advancement, job search, resume writing and other topics concerning professionals seeking for career development and growth.

Stimulus Money and Jobs

How to find a Job offered through the Stimulus Plan

Just yesterday, we conducted a job phone bank in CBS Channel 4 and the unemployment statistic became alive to us attendants through the amount of phone calls received in a matter of 2 ½ hours. Over 400 calls and the phones ringing non-stop shows, once again, that South Floridians are greatly affected by layoffs and unemployment. We hear that Obama’s Stimulus Plan will combat unemployment, but how? Here is some new information…

Full effect of stimulus plan, as President Obama states, will be felt in the next few months. The goal is 600,000 new and SAVED jobs in the next 100 days. The focus is not only on creating new jobs but also, supporting companies to ensure that massive firings are stopped. The President reports 150,000 new jobs created in the last three months and he plans to quadruple these results in the next three months. How will he do this, especially when we discuss South Florida? Through infrastructure projects that will be launched this summer, Obama expects to put a percentage of the unemployed back in the work force.

The unemployment rate is the highest in 25 years and still expected to continue growing. The stimulus plan’s effect is almost a dent, as some argue, yet, it has a spiral effect where, if one company gains resources, it pulls others with it, allowing a multiplying factor.

So where do we find the stimulus jobs? There are several resources out there available for job seekers and employees who know will be laid off in the near future. One is the job search engine employflorida.com. This site will provide listings of stimulus jobs, especially for the construction industry but not specific to it. EmployFlorida.com allows job seekers to search several job boards at the same time, as when you type a query, it looks for all jobs available and listed in CareerBuilder, Monster and other sites. At this moment, stimulus jobs were available only for youth – 19-24 year olds looking, and as WorkForce One reports, these jobs are already sourced. However, employflorida.com is the one website you will want to visit to find anything new on Stimulus jobs.

14 million Americans are currently receiving unemployment benefits provided by the Economic Federal Stimulus fund. These funds have helped many undergo the job seeking process without going bankrupt.

Other available resources we count in are free resume writing, career coaching, and job search assistance can be found through WorkForce One, a non-profit agency that will provide resources to enhance your job search results.

Certified Professional Resume Writers and Career Coaches are also available to support you, although for a fee, could be a better alternative if you require individualized attention and are not achieving results.

Another resource currently available to job seekers is the Career Strategies for Success Mass Workshop and Forum. This is a full-day event to be held at The Signature Grand in Davie, Florida, on June 23rd, 2009. Job seekers will find more information on Stimulus Plan resources, and get exposure to Human Resource professionals, recruiters, compensation benefits specialists to help them achieve better results in their job search and understand benefits available to them.

WorkForce One explains we shouldn’t expect a quick fix, since it takes time for the process to close its circle. The government launches the initiative, projects receive bids, which in their turn, get evaluated and one contractor is chosen. At that point, the chosen company is enabled to begin the hiring process. The entire process does not take two days, but Obama’s interest in supporting employment, generating and saving jobs gives hopes to the millions unemployed that there will be some relief soon.

Claudine Vainrub

How to Get Scholarship Money

College studies are so expensive in the USA, most students cannot afford to pay for it from their own pocket. On the other hand, there are many ways to find the money to support your studies and there is no reason why you should miss college for mere lack of funds. The most common forms are loans, grants and scholarships. Loans could be a burden, so let us keep this as the last resort and examine the other two options of grants and scholarships.

In her column in MSN money, author Liz Pulliam Weston states that about 40% of student aid in USA comes from grants. Grants can be categorized into Federal, State and Institutional grants. Grants are most often offered on a first-come, first-serve basis and the usual criterion is need. It is therefore important to research into grants you can avail and apply early enough. If you wish to explore this option, you are advised fill out the online Free Application for Federal Student Aid at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/

Scholarships may be in the range of a few dollars or an amount that covers the entire tuition fee. Federal and state governments, employers, companies, individuals, religious groups and communities, institutions and colleges and universities themselves offer scholarships based on different criteria.

There are different scholarships based on academic performance and artistic or athletic achievement. Some institutions or companies may offer scholarships as a way to encourage the better students of certain communities or religious sectors. Another reason is to retain employees or to recruit new ones. Colleges and universities grant scholarships to encourage a diverse student community or to attract good students.

You can maximize your chances to win a scholarship by starting early and following a focused, diligent method. Get as much information as possible. It may not be possible to apply to every scholarship scheme, so narrow down your choices to those that you are most likely to win. The body awarding the scholarship will make a decision based on your application, so it is important to tailor your application to their criteria. Spend time to write good application essays and get recommendation letters. Also make sure to include all relevant details including your academic records and relevant documents as proof of achievements in other areas.

The FastWeb scholarship search may be a good place to search for scholarships that suit you, as it returns the closest matches based on the background information you provide.

Besides these, the blog of collegescholarships.org has several smart tips to enable students graduate debt-free, like choosing a college based on costs, finding part-time work and minimizing costs.

You may also want to check out, Upromise, a scheme that helps you and family to save money for college while shopping for your everyday requirements.

Finally, a word of caution from smartmoney.com financial expert Anna-Maria Andriotis would not be out of place here. She urges students and parents to read the fine print as they explore various financing options. Quite often the college or scheme that offers the most money may not be the best choice for you. Look into how much of the financial aid is really free, what are the costs the package covers, and whether some private loans are included in the loan package. These factors can make a difference to the tune of thousands of dollars to what it finally costs.

By Claudine Vainrub, Principal of EduPlan

Hispanic Resumes Radio Show

Our weekly radio show with Eli Bravo in Actualidad 102 AM on the hot topic of creating a resume showcasing your Hispanic Identity. Is it favorable or not, how to do it correctly. Sorry folks, only in Spanish.

Nuestro segmento radial semanal con Eli Bravo en Actualidad 1020 AM, tocando el tema ardiente de elaborar hojas de vida con un perfil Hispano, para profesionales Hispanos. Nos favorece tener un resume con nuestra identidad Hispana o nos perjudica? Como hacerlo correctamente.

Eli y Claudine Acerca de Resumes Hispanos

Resumes for Hispanics

How to create a resume if you are Hispanic
By Claudine Vainrub, MBA

If you are Hispanic and looking for a job, you might be at an advantage and not know it. Just yesterday, my colleague and friend Murray Mann, an expert in diversity recruiting, shared some interesting statistics with me:

• Despite 57 million jobs lost in past 16 months, there have been more than 4.3 million new hires/month in 2009
• A SHRM Survey conducted in March this year shows 18% of respondents (HR corporate departments) decreased Recruitment initiatives specifically related to increasing diversity of company’s workforce, while general Recruitment expenses were decreased by 56% – this represents almost a 40% difference between diversity recruiting vs. general recruiting.
• A conference report by the Career Development Office for April 2009 shows companies are seeking diverse talent to gain a competitive advantage in today’s turbulent economy, during the recovery and in the future
• Just this May, the Conference Board: The Corporate Diversity and Inclusion Conference expressed that “The war for diverse talent has increased during the current economic downturn amongst companies with strong commitments to diversity.”

What do all these statistics mean? Simple and clear – Expressing your diversity pays off in the recruiting process. What we thought in the past could harm us can now support us in finding jobs. Diversity-specific resume writing and marketing strategies can improve our job search success.

Here are some ways of portraying your diversity in a resume:

1. Portray bilingual skills on the top of your resume as part of your header, showcase your ability to communicate in both Spanish and English throughout your resume
2. Use keywords that allow you to show your diversity involvement as part of your regular professional duties and also in your community and volunteering work
3. Highlight achievements within your specific niche
4. Include memberships to clubs that identify you as member of a minority
5. Show knowledge of the niche through your education, work experience, special classes you have engaged in and any other way in which you have been exposed to learning more about Latinos
6. Express your culture, understanding of traditions, ways of thinking, diverse perspectives and immersion you have had within your target audience
7. Develop a SWOT analysis of the Hispanic consumer
8. Portray your diversity within your job seeker profile by displaying your Hispanic identity in your social media profile description through LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube
9. Have samples ready of work you have completed in Spanish, and even YouTube videos of you conducting Spanish communications.

Your resume is the first image you provide of yourself to most employers, who have not met you in person. It is your chance to maximize the opportunity to be perceived positively. Showing that you are Latino and that through your diversity you bring great added value to a company can favor you immensely.

Companies that value Hispanics understand the importance of directly targeting efforts to the largest minority in the U.S. These companies will value your Latino roots. These are the type of companies you want to work for.

Online Image and Admissions

College and Grad School Applicants – Maintain a Favorable Online Presence

How Can Cyber-trash Affect You in the College and Grad School Admissions Process

By Claudine Vainrub, Principal of EduPlan

The savvy college and grad school applicant nowadays is an avid user of the Internet. But do you know that the internet can make or break your chances for advancement? Have your asked yourself: Is my web presence favorable? Can it hurt me? If you doubt it for a minute, you might be dealing with a case of Cyber-trash… There might be pictures published online or comments you have made not anonymously, which can hurt you when seeking college and graduate admissions. Sometimes, it can be very hard to erase online content, so the smart thing to do is not to publish online anything that could ever hurt you. Sounds hard, but we are referring mostly to pictures that are not favorable to you, or that could embarrass you in front of an admissions committee or employer.

Just a couple of weeks ago, eSchool News published an article regarding the National Association for College Admissions Counseling – NACAC’s recent survey on using Facebook as part of the admissions process. Approximately 25% of colleges and universities admitted to researching prospective students within social networks including Facebook, MySpace and others, before extending admissions and scholarship offers. After all, they explain that no one wants to provide a scholarship to a student to later find out that they have pictures on the internet of them drinking and trashing institutions. Just this year, there was a case of an applicant who raised red flags regarding behavior. His decision was revoked after the university found online pictures of the student portraying guns. If this student’s intentions were benevolent, and there were truly no grounds for concern, his online image portrayed otherwise. His pictures spoke a thousand words to the admissions committees, who judged him with these materials as a pivotal part of his application.

This is happening every day more, as we do not realize that the message portrayed on the internet can have great impact in our lives. In another survey conducted by NACAC in 2007, over a quarter of the participating universities expressed that admissions decisions could be revoked from finding inappropriate web content on the student.

NACAC College Decision Revocation Reasons

Colleges and employers want to find respectful content online, and this is an opportunity for a student and job seeker to grasp. Since we know that colleges and employers are looking online for information on us, why not provide great content, information that takes us to the next level. A web resume and favorable web presence can give us that edge that we need to turn a waitlist decision in our favor.

A personal website can also provide opportunities to not only post your resume but also include a Bio, work samples and other tools that demonstrate that you are the right candidate for the Career you seek. Creating a blog on discussion topics that genuinely interest us can also allow universities and employers to see our analytical capabilities, even if their opinions differ with ours.

Getting online presence nowadays, especially the online presence you want becomes crucial. If you haven´t googled yourself yet, others probably have. Do you know what information they are finding on you? As stated in The Wall Street Journal, another survey conducted by Kaplan had 38% of colleges researching students express that what they saw “negatively affected” their views of the applicant. “Only a quarter of the schools checking the sites said their views were improved”, explains the WSJ.

In a time when we all search online, it is wise to ensure what others find about you is what you want them to find. A web resume, contributions to professional blogs, articles on special topics related to your career – GOOD! A picture of you drunk in the last Spring break party, questionable comments, personal innuendo – NOT FAVORABLE…

To take control of your college and graduate school admissions process, and achieve your goals, building your online identity is a key factor you do not want to ignore.

Online ID – Radio Show

Our weekly segment with Eli Bravo and Claudine Vainrub, Principal of EduPlan. We discuss Online Identity and how it can hurt your chances of getting into college, grad school or finding a job.

Nuestro segmento semanal con Eli Bravo y Claudine Vainrub, Principal de EduPlan. Hablamos acerca de Identidad en la Internet y como puede perjudicarnos al buscar admisiones universitarias y empleo.

EduPlan and Eli Bravo on Online Identity

Job Seeking – Radio Show

Our weekly program with Eli Bravo and Claudine Vainrub, Principal of EduPlan, discussing this time how to find employment if you are a recent college graduate.

Nuestro programa semanal con Eli Bravo y Claudine Vainrub en Actualidad 1020 AM. Esta semana, conversando acerca de como conseguir trabajo si eres un recien graduado universitario.

Eli Bravo y Claudine Vainrub de EduPlan en Actualidad 1020 AM

EduPlan Krop Scholarship

EduPlan College Admissions Counseling Scholarship for Krop Juniors

Because higher education should not be a privilege, but a right for all students!

Attaining a college degree is not only one of the most important goals in anyone’s life, but also, the beginning of a path towards self-fulfillment. As educational consultants, at EduPlan, we understand the role higher education plays in supporting anyone achieve their goals, opening a spectrum of career possibilities. As former admissions officers at The University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, we also gained in-depth understanding of strategies to succeed in the competitive college admission process.

The EduPlan College Admissions Counseling Scholarship for MKHS juniors (rising seniors) caters this specific need. Our program provides an opportunity for MKHS excelling students to receive personalized support throughout the process of succeeding in applying and financing an education at highly selective colleges and universities.

To find out how to apply, please read the instructions bellow carefully.

Program Goal:

The goal of this merit scholarship program is to provide tuition assistance to truly deserving students. Juniors are eligible when having demonstrated academic, sports, and/or artistic achievement. Students must also show their interest in receiving college admissions assistance to achieve their maximum potential in the admissions process.

Scholarship Amount:

Three (3) full 100% merit scholarship for private college admissions consulting, valued at US$2,900 each are being offered for this term. Scholarships will be granted to students showing outstanding academic, sports and/or artistic achievement.

Eligible Programs:

We have learned that the best way to set students up to succeed in college admissions is by starting as early as possible in the process. Therefore, the consulting program is set to begin during the summer transition. Students do not need to be on location in South Florida to conduct sessions, as we provide an interactive system to work on every aspect of the application via the internet. However, they will be required to begin their application work over the summer. The EduPlan scholarship program is not intended for students who are already receiving private college admissions coaching.

Candidates should carefully evaluate their desire to achieve a College Education prior to applying – See following consulting specifications on Agreement. They should be certain that they will take full advantage of the educational and career consulting opportunities afforded by them through the scholarship and that they are able to follow through with the requirements of the scholarship.

Agreement:

Students must commit to the following to be eligible for the EduPlan Scholarship Program:

* Be prepared to start the program upon acceptance;

* Complete the training with EduPlan in a timely manner;

* Complete all assignments prior to each deadline to facilitate consulting process;

* Ask questions as needed to ensure that I fully understand the concepts;

* Apply themselves thoroughly and get all they can out of the consulting;

* Provide a volunteer service of their choice to EduPlan upon graduation (examples: being available to discuss the advantage of receiving college admissions support with future scholarship candidates by phone or email, providing a testimonial for use in scholarship promotional materials, volunteering, mentoring, and/or promoting EduPlan scholarship programs and events to students that could benefit from such services);

Inability to comply with agreement commitment will cancel scholarship rights and privileges.

Application Process:

There are several parts to this application. Please fill out the entire application online at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=Ka_2fo6Ftdu6v0Kj1ouSwHtA_3d_3d

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Please refer to the timeline below for the steps in processing your application.

Scholarship Timeline:

1. Submit scholarship.

2. Receive acknoledgement of receipt of scholarship application. 1 – 3 days.

3. Review of submission. 1 – 2 weeks after scholarship submission.

4. Schedule interview. 1 – 2 weeks after scholarship submission.

5. Fifteen-minute phone interview.  2 – 3 weeks after initial acceptance.

6. Review of materials by scholarship sub-committee. 2 – 4 weeks after initial acceptance.

7. Notification of student of acceptance or refusal. 2 – 4 weeks after scholarship submission.

8. Signing of Consulting Contract with Advising Process Timeline. Immediately after #7.

9. Consulting process begins. Immediately after #8.

The entire process typically takes 3 to 4 weeks. Deadline for Fall 2008 scholarship is July 30^th, 2009. Scholarships will be provided on a rolling basis, awarding full scholarships first.

Submit your application, and begin the process!

EduPlan Consulting Process Specifics:

The following is a list of some of the services that will be provided as part of the consulting process for students earning the EduPlan College Admissions Counseling Scholarship for MKHS Juniors:

1.       Evaluate Career Options through two Careers and Personal Branding Assessments

2.       Assess College Choices through EduPlan’s School Priority Assessment and Develop List of College Options and Admissions School Portfolio catering Student and Family needs (financial, location, academic, prestige, scholarship opportunity-wise)

3.       Consult on achieving merit scholarships and gaining opportunities to earn free money to attend college. Develop methodologies to receive full education funding to attend top schools in and out of state. Strategize on ways to finance your education without incurring in loans.

4.       Development of a list of activities and community service work to support candidate in demonstrating leadership skills.

5.       Exhaustive revision of applications filled by the student. Confirmation of veracity of content and identification of format comprehension, editing of reported data for accuracy.

6.       Training in essay writing. Brainstorming on successful answers to essay questions, essay structure and content editing, maximizing message communication through this media.

7.       Dates and strategies to take the needed standardized tests (SATs or ACTs). Strict follow-up of calendars and deadlines for application submission for each pre-selected program.

8.       Support in visits to Universities and Colleges. Guidance on how to contact the admissions office and schedule appointments, relevant questions to ask and networking with admissions officers.

9.       Interview coaching. 30-minute mock interview training sessions with 15-min review session following interview, over the phone or in person, as student is able.

10.   Creation of Resume with professional format, dedicated to College Admissions.

11.   Consulting on letter of recommendation structure, to maximize outcome of admission process. Support in letter outline development, to provide to teachers / counselors, as  per their request.

12.   Consulting on Website or Blog creation and development, analysis on best format. Consulting on developing favorable online identity that will be highly effective, in accordance to career goals.

13.   Personal brand development, analyzing Vision, Purpose, Goals, SWOT, Values and Passions. Generation of Professional Unique Promise of Value, which strengthens all documents involved in the admission process.

14.    Development of elevator pitch and strategies to uncover personal brand when conducting admissions interviews. Ideas of additional tools for personal marketing.

Free College Money

Are you looking for scholarship money for college and grad school education? Then learning about school endowments can make a difference for you! University and College Endowments allow schools to provide merit and need-based scholarships for admitted students. Here is some information on College Endowments, what they are and the amounts available…

University Endowments

Endowments are money and financial assets donated to a university of college. At the time of donation, it is usually stipulated that these assets be invested and the principal kept intact. The idea is that the asset generates long-term income for further investment and activities of the university or college. Endowment donors usually set certain terms and conditions on how the income from the asset is allocated.

There are also guidelines that tell how much of the income from the endowment funds can be spent each year. This is usually 5% of the total asset value for most universities. This can sound like a small amount, but consider that some of the wealthiest universities like Harvard have endowment assets worth billions. Thus these universities have a large amount at their disposal every year to be spent in student grants, scholarships and endowed professorships.
Apart from certain restrictions the donor may place, the bigger universities and colleges still have large amounts of money, which they can spend as per their discretion to provide more grants and scholarships, hire experts or add to their facilities. These additional funds can aid in cost savings which the university/college can then pass onto the students.

Endowment scholarships may be need-based or merit-based. They assist to meet tuition fees and sometimes other expenses like boarding too. Need-based scholarships, or grants as they are otherwise known, are offered to only those students whose families cannot afford higher education for their ward. Universities and colleges try to attract meritorious students by offering them the best possible scholarship amounts within their reach.

Fellowships are a sub-category of endowment scholarships, usually offered to graduate students. Apart from tuition costs, fellowships have an additional amount meant as stipend. As finances are a major decisive factor in higher studies, universities that offer larger amounts as fellowships see some of the brighter minds and working professionals join them.

However the size of the endowment fund is not always an accurate means of looking at the resources of a university/college. The annual income from endowments has to be seen in proportion to the number of students at the university or college. For instance, Harvard has topped the list of universities with large endowments for years. As of June 2006, the market value of Harvard’s endowments stood at $28,915,706. For the same year, Harvard’s endowment per student was $ 1,456,940, whereas four other top US universities had a larger per student endowment amount (Princeton University-$ 1,900,000, Bryn Athyn College-$ 1,770,994, Yale University-$ 1,751,927, Rice University-$ 1,557,600). On the other hand, the larger universities can take advantage of economies of scale and turn over the benefits from their larger investments to students.

In addition to private endowment funds, institutions also receive government aid and research funding. These amounts can make a significant difference in the amount of money churned every year by a university or college.
Here is an indicative list of the 100 schools with the largest endowment funds. Figures are given in multiples of $1,000 for the years of 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008.

No	University/College	Year 2005	Year 2006	Year 2007	Year 2008
1	Harvard University (MA)	25,473,721	28,915,706	36,556,284	34,634,906
2	Yale University (CT)	15,224,900	18,030,600	22,869,700	22,530,200
3	Stanford University (CA)	12,205,000	14,084,676	17,200,000	17,164,836
4	Princeton University (NJ)	11,206,500	13,044,900	16,349,329	15,787,200
5	University of Texas System	11,610,997	13,234,848	16,111,184	15,613,672
6	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	6,712,436	8,368,066	10,068,800	9,980,410
7	University of Michigan	4,931,338	5,652,262	7,571,904	7,089,830
8	Northwestern University (IL)	4,215,275	5,140,668	7,243,948	6,503,292
9	Columbia University (NY)	5,190,564	5,937,814	7,146,806	7,149,803
10	Texas A&M University System3	4,963,879	5,642,978	6,659,352	6,590,300
11	University of Pennsylvania	4,369,782	5,313,268	6,233,281	6,635,187
12	University of California	5,221,916	5,733,621	6,217,340	6,439,436
13	Emory University (GA)	4,376,272	4,870,019	5,472,528	5,561,743
14	University of Chicago (IL)	4,137,494	4,867,003	6,632,311	6,204,189
15	Washington University (MO)	4,268,415	4,684,737	5,350,470	5,567,843
16	Duke University (NC)	3,826,153	4,497,718	6,123,743	5,910,280
17	University of Notre Dame (IN)	3,650,224	4,436,624	6,233,281	6,635,187
18	Cornell University (NY)	3,777,092	4,321,199	5,385,482	5,247,097
19	Rice University (TX)	3,611,127	3,986,664	4,610,164	4,669,544
20	University of Virginia	3,219,098	3,618,172	4,572,613	4,370,209
21	Dartmouth College (NH)	2,714,300	3,092,100	3,660,159	3,760,234
22	University of Southern California	2,746,051	3,065,935	3,589,225	3,715,272
23	Vanderbilt University (TN)	2,628,437	2,946,392	3,524,338	3,519,753
24	Johns Hopkins University (MD)	2,176,909	2,350,749	2,524,575	2,800,377
25	University of Minnesota3	1,968,930	2,224,308	2,750,770	2,804,466
26	Brown University (RI)	1,843,904	2,166,633	2,746,832	2,633,924
27	Ohio State University3	1,726,007	1,996,839	2,075,853	2,338,103
28	University of Pittsburgh (PA)	1,529,884	1,802,859	2,333,602	2,254,379
29	University of Washington	1,489,924	1,794,370	2,262,149	2,184,374
30	New York University	1,548,000	1,774,700	2,475,200	2,161,800
31	Rockefeller University (NY)	1,556,945	1,771,954	2,020,647	2,144,271
32	Case Western Reserve University (OH)	1,516,481	1,598,566	1,766,478	1,841,234
33	California Institute of Technology	1,417,931	1,580,922	1,891,523	1,860,052
34	Purdue University (IN)	1,340,536	1,493,554	1,735,660	1,786,592
35	University of Rochester (NY)	1,369,969	1,491,275	1,730,772	1,726,318
36	Grinnell College (IA)	1,390,545	1,471,804	1,472,448	1,718,313
37	Williams College (MA)	1,348,374	1,462,131	1,808,280	1,892,055
38	Pomona College (CA)	1,298,629	1,457,213	1,794,453	1,760,902
39	Boston College (MA)	1,270,303	1,447,887	1,630,626	1,670,092
40	University of Wisconsin3	1,124,855	1,425,750	1,735,456	1,645,250
41	Wellesley College (MA)	1,275,529	1,412,410	1,611,319	1,656,565
42	University of Richmond (VA)	1,207,573	1,387,834	1,704,350	1,654,988
43	Amherst College (MA)	1,154,570	1,337,158	1,705,917	1,662,377
44	Pennsylvania State University	1,174,828	1,326,390	1,545,314	1,590,000
45	Indiana University3	1,107,498	1,276,160	1,546,469	1,556,853
46	Yeshiva University (NY)	1,148,687	1,273,327	1,344,701	1,409,576
47	University of Illinois3	1,147,517	1,252,290	1,459,967	1,515,387
48	Swarthmore College (PA)	1,164,069	1,245,281	1,412,609	1,441,232
49	University of Delaware	1,077,102	1,223,203	1,340,145	1,397,492
50	Tufts University (MA)	845,389	1,215,413	1,445,662	1,452,058
51	Smith College (MA)	1,035,542	1,156,350	1,365,792	1,360,966
52	University of Nebraska3	1,042,290	1,153,559	1,221,331	1,277,169
53	University of NC, Chapel Hill3	973,920	1,149,222	544,551	535,003
54	Southern Methodist University (TX)	1,013,703	1,122,477	1,367,744	1,327,816
55	University of Cincinnati (OH)	1,032,124	1,101,100	1,099,127	1,185,400
56	Baylor College of Medicine (TX)	1,008,261	1,059,393	1,091,814	1,278,011
57	Kansas University Endowment Association	954,943	1,049,367	1,217,919	1,238,695
58	Michigan State University	906,342	1,047,792	1,282,073	1,247,713
59	Georgia Institute of Technology3	937,410	1,047,724	1,343,503	1,281,162
60	Wake Forest University (NC)	906,803	1,042,558	1,253,673	1,248,695
61	Texas Christian University	941,798	1,016,353	1,260,145	1,187,057
62	University of Florida3	835,698	996,245	1,250,603	1,219,026
63	George Washington University (DC)	823,129	963,697	1,256,433	1,147,451
64	University of Oklahoma3	777,514	960,315	1,154,794	1,114,426
65	Berea College (KY)	861,679	948,738	1,023,255	1,102,272
66	Princeton Theological Seminary (NJ)	863,653	945,355	1,017,643	1,108,515
67	University of Missouri System	832,363	944,054	1,024,892	1,097,846
68	Carnegie Mellon University (PA)	837,459	939,581	1,067,728	1,115,740
69	Lehigh University (PA)	844,672	939,473	1,126,942	1,085,639
70	Boston University (MA)	776,900	916,017	1,144,996	1,101,386
71	Syracuse University (NY)	818,258	908,371	984,779	1,086,143
72	Baylor University (TX)	746,137	870,364	1,059,646	1,018,012
73	Tulane University (LA)	780,200	858,323	1,035,711	1,009,129
74	University of Alabama System	764,882	848,848	997,956	999,816
75	Georgetown University (DC)	741,063	834,497	1,059,075	1,059,343
76	University of Iowa3	786,100	832,869	935,453	982,428
77	Saint Louis University (MO)	750,736	824,851	879,908	959,486
78	University of Tulsa (OK)	769,551	816,980	836,790	915,320
79	Trinity University (TX)	733,261	814,672	1,034,659	991,112
80	University of Tennessee System	714,968	811,138	887,411	954,376
81	University of California, Los Angeles3	668,338	804,869	1,054,119	975,295
82	University of Kentucky	576,721	785,196	908,654	957,608
83	Middlebury College (VT)	721,839	782,115	885,389	936,354
84	University of Arkansas3	691,524	763,069	856,049	876,839
85	Vassar College (NY)	672,010	741,655	848,717	869,122
86	Oberlin College (OH)	637,404	694,565	760,735	816,135
87	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (NY)	624,279	682,894	793,323	812,996
88	University of Louisville (KY)3	607,636	680,251	793,930	796,812
89	University of Maryland System3	595,000	674,600	854,456	810,374
90	Bowdoin College (ME)	578,206	673,346	831,469	827,714
91	The Julliard School (NY)	578,289	663,886	x	x
92	Lafayette College (PA)	587,418	648,292	682,673	734,421
93	University of Miami (FL)	523,706	620,435	736,239	741,382
94	Wesleyan University (CT)	564,879	619,761	652,208	710,800
95	Santa Clara University (CA)	509,149	598,657	676,072	697,881
96	Northeastern University (MA)	543,174	595,859	657,866	679,926
97	Louisiana State University System	504,841	593,203	633,616	656,710
98	University of Colorado3	512,371	590,306	870,081	774,147
99	Hamilton College (NY)	529,708	587,582	670,321	703,481
100	Washington and Lee University (VA)	531,992	586,968	718,907	692,797

Educacion Universitaria Gratuita

Nuestro segmento semanal con Eli Bravo y Claudine Vainrub, Principal de EduPlan quien elabora acerca del tema de obtencion de becas para estudios universitarios. Como conseguir oportunidades de financiar los estudios sin caer en prestamos.

Eli Bravo y Claudine Vainrub acerca de Educacion Universitaria Gratuita

A Prueba de Recesiones

Nuestro programa semanal con Eli Bravo en Actualidad 1020 AM y Claudine Vainrub, Principal de EduPlan.

El tema esta semana es como crear un resume u hoja de vida para tiempos de recesion.

Eli Bravo y Claudine Vainrub de EduPlan acerca de Resume para momentos de recesion

Estudiar una Maestria o no?

Entrevista con Eli Bravo y Claudine Vainrub de EduPlan acerca de Maestrias, vale la pena hacer el esfuerzo? Ventajas de los estudiantes con perfil internacional para obtener admision en Maestrias en USA.

(Only in Spanish)

Eli Bravo y Claudine Vainrub acerca de Maestrias

Recession-Proof Resumes

Tips and tricks to make your resume stand out when unemployment is high

By Claudine Vainrub, Principal of EduPlan

Hard times are upon the world economy and it isn’t news anymore even to school children. What hasn’t faded is the constant, nagging fear of losing one’s job, or finding a new one if you are already there. Layoffs are on a rise but new openings are not happening. This is indeed a time when only the fittest survive. Here are some tips and tricks to make your resume as recession-proof as possible:

1-      Show employers your cost-savings abilities

A way to portray your added value to a company is to show how you can save costs for the employer. Demonstrate how you helped to improve the bottom line for your previous employers. For instance if you were in charge of logistics, explain how you identified a more cost effective method of transporting material. If you were in sales, demonstrate how you produced significant profit margins.

2-      Show examples of resourcefulness, flexibility and adaptability to change

According to TheLadders.com, a leading online job market service provider, “past behavior is indicative of future performance”. Portray how you have embraced change successfully in the past and provide examples on how you would adapt to a new opportunity even when the job description is not 100% similar to what you were doing in the past. Demonstrate versatility with live examples of previous successes.

3-      Showcase profitability achievement during strenuous situations. Clearly state past opportunities to endure and succeed in times of crisis. Provide examples and numbers, demonstrate professional growth while portraying corporate growth. Give employers opportunities to learn about things you could do for them, to enhance their own bottom line.

4-      Avoid vague terms and talk in terms of specifics, facts and figures. If you had to attend to 50 customers in a week and 45 gave good feedback on your service, mention this. It makes a stronger impression than a vague phrase such as “lots of satisfied customers”.

5-      Testimonials are important. “If you don’t already keep copies of your performance reviews and letters of appreciation, client thank-you’s, or congratulatory emails you receive, start now. This provides excellent fodder for your resume,” advises Karen Hofferber, senior resume writer at resumepower.com.

If you were in a secure job and had not been looking for long, you may need to update your resume. In some cases, you will have to write a new one. Many of the skills and courses in your resume may be outdated now. Your resume must present a skill set that meets the current requirements. Weight in the importance of including experiences that you had too many years back; they might not be worthy of being included. Seek to develop an attractive uncluttered resume format that expresses your areas of expertise very clearly. When needing extra assistance, recruit family, friends, colleagues and professional resume writers as needed. Do not shy away from getting many different opinions, but form your own through study of the subject matter and in-depth expert knowledge.

Finally, it is not enough that you prepare a resume and send it out to prospective employers. In today’s internet enabled business environment, an online presence can do wonders for your career. Join professional networks like LinkedIn, iHispano, and many others devoted to the different industries. Connect with professionals that share things in common with you. When they ask for your resume, be sure to have your very best available.

Earn Free Money for College

Find ways to get funding for College without having to acquire more debt

What we don’t know can hurt us… This saying is especially true when we talk about saving money for college. Getting a college degree becomes everyday more expensive, as tuition rates grow an average of 4% per year. It is to our advantage to understand the ins and outs of not only gaining admission to college, but also, alternative ways to finance our education, without getting money out of our pockets. What is available to us? How can we take advantage of opportunities to get funding for college? Here is a list of things to do when looking to make college less expensive for our family, while pursuing a top education.

1-      Understand what is available to you

There are many ways to finance your education, without counting on Loans. Grants are need-based government scholarships. Merit Scholarships are awards that recognize special accomplishments and are funded by state governments, colleges, private corporations, or non-profit organizations. Work-Study opportunities are both offered by schools and by the government. All these are ways to support yourself or your child through their studies, when not wanting to acquire additional debt. These three instruments are available for us. Learn what grants your college offers, seek private scholarship opportunities, find a job on or off campus.

2-      Find money that you will not owe later on

Although sometimes the FAFSA application will not provide you with the opportunity to receive a grant, your college just might think differently. Inquire with your school what opportunities there are for you to receive need-based funding, to support your education.

When you receive money that you will not owe later, the award can be granted for two reasons:

a-      Need

b-      Merit

Tackle both ways to get free money – you will be more successful if you knock on all available doors and see which one opens first.

3-      Look for funding as if it was a full-paying part-time job

Finding scholarships, financial aid for college, and any funding for higher education is not an easy task. It is a job, and a very well paying one, when pursued with dedication. There are several cases, like that of Shayla Price, where students have given a lot of dedication to finding scholarships, and have been able to secure more than US$100,000 for college, meaning that their full tuition and college costs was 100% paid. They did not have to acquire any debt, graduating with a college degree while in the black. Did this take effort and hard work? Undoubtedly! These students devoted themselves to write essays everyday, and were disciplined and constant, just as if they were employed by a company and getting paid for their work. However, they proved that scholarships can amount and they can fully support you through your studies if you seek them out on a daily-basis and work hard at applying.

4-      Look into schools that meet 100% need

Schools that have endowments of over US$1billion are under great pressure from the public and the education industry to support families of incomes of less than US$200K per year. Many of them are already adapting and catering to family needs by offering grants instead of loans. For families with incomes below US$60 thousand, some of these schools meet 100% of the tuition need – that would make these schools even more affordable than an in-state college. As explained by Liz Pulliam Weston, on the article “Graduate from Harvard debt-free“, some of the first institutions that have eliminated all loans from student aid packages include Amherst, Bowdoin, Claremont McKenna, Columbia, Dartmouth, Davidson, Harvard, Haverford, Pomona , Princeton, Stanford, Swarthmore, the University of Pennsylvania, Wellesley, Williams and Yale. When demonstrating need, these schools will sponsor 100% of the need of the student, to promote diversity and provide real education opportunities, no holds barred. Seek these institutions when looking for help in financing your education.

As these universities are amongst the most competitive in the nation to gain admission to, being a top student and college applicant is of the essence. Find out as much information about how to enhance your results in the college admissions process and you will not only support yourself in gaining admission, you will become as eligible as possible to gain scholarship money.

5-      Find schools that have committed to switching from loans to grants in their financial aid packages

If a school has not yet made the transition to support 100% student needs, they might anyway be offering more grants than loans, or a more suitable combination that will allow you to support yourself or your child to go through college without going bankrupt from all the acquired debt. Find these schools as they might provide more chances than others to earn free money in the form of grants, even if you will have to acquire some debt.

6-      Private vs. Public – Do your homework before you decide where to apply

Researching school attendance costs can signify great cost savings for you and your family. You might be surprised to learn that some great private schools offer lower tuition than other public schools. Berea College does not charge tuition, while Brigham Young University full time tuition starts at $3,600 for their Hawaii location.

7-      If you need to borrow, find government loans

As stated in the article “Student Loans: Another Bubble Pops?” in MSN (written by The Wall Street Journal), “Private loans don’t carry federal guarantees of repayment, so they generally come with higher interest rates. Think of them as the educational equivalent of a second mortgage. Borrowing rates typically range from 6% to 11%, compared with the 6% to 8% on federally guaranteed debt.” What this means is that you should shy away from loans that are not government or state funded – the first will be much more expensive than the second.

To be continued…

List of Universities in USA

Alabama

§  Air University

§  Alabama A&M University

§  Alabama State University

§  Athens State University

§  Auburn University

§  Auburn University at Montgomery

§  Birmingham-Southern College

§  Concordia College-Selma

§  Faulkner University

§  Huntingdon College

§  Jacksonville State University

§  Judson College

§  Miles College

§  Oakwood College

§  Samford University

§  Southeastern Bible College

§  Southern Christian University

§  Spring Hill College

§  Stillman College

§  Talladega College

§  Troy University (main campus)

o    Dothan campus

o    Montgomery campus

§  Tuskegee University

§  United States Sports Academy

§  University of Alabama System

o    Birmingham

o    Huntsville

o    Tuscaloosa (main campus)

§  University of Mobile

§  University of Montevallo

§  University of North Alabama

§  University of South Alabama

§  University of West Alabama

Alaska

§  Alaska Bible College

§  Alaska Pacific University

§  Sheldon Jackson College

§  University of Alaska System

o    Anchorage

o    Fairbanks

o    Southeast (Juneau)

Arizona

§  American Indian College of the Assemblies of God

§  Arizona State University

§  Arizona State University Polytechnic Campus

§  Arizona State University West

§  DeVry University-Phoenix

§  Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

§  Grand Canyon University

§  Northcentral University

§  Northern Arizona University

§  Prescott College

§  Southwestern College

§  Thunderbird, The Garvin School of International Management

§  University of Arizona

§  University of Phoenix

§  Western International University

Arkansas

§  Arkansas Baptist College

§  Arkansas State University, Jonesboro

§  Arkansas Tech University

§  Central Baptist College

§  Harding University

§  Henderson State University

§  Hendrix College

§  John Brown University

§  Lyon College

§  Ouachita Baptist University

§  Philander Smith College

§  Southern Arkansas University

§  University of Arkansas System

o    Fayetteville

o    Fort Smith

o    Little Rock

o    Medical Sciences

o    Monticello

o    Pine Bluff

§  University of Central Arkansas

§  University of the Ozarks

§  Williams Baptist College
California

§  Alliant International University

§  Antioch University-Los Angeles

§  Art Center College of Design

§  Azusa Pacific University

§  Bethany College

§  Bethesda Christian University

§  Biola University

§  California Baptist University

§  California College of the Arts

§  California Institute of the Arts

§  California Institute of Integral Studies

§  California Institute of Technology

§  California Lutheran University

§  California Pacific University

§  California State University System

o    Bakersfield

o    California Maritime Academy

o    California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

o    California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

o    Channel Islands

o    Chico

o    Dominguez Hills

o    East Bay

o    Fresno

o    Fullerton

o    Long Beach

o    Los Angeles

o    Monterey Bay

o    Northridge

o    Sacramento

o    San Bernardino

o    San Marcos

o    Stanislaus

o    Humboldt State University

o    San Diego State University

o    San Francisco State University

o    San Jos State University

o    Sonoma State University

§  Chapman University

§  Charles R. Drew University of Medicine & Science

§  Church Divinity School of the Pacific

§  Claremont Consortium of Colleges

o    Claremont Graduate University

o    Claremont McKenna College

o    Harvey Mudd College

o    Keck Graduate Institute of Applied Life Sciences

o    Pitzer College

o    Pomona College

o    Scripps College

§  Cogswell Polytechnical College

§  Concordia University-Irvine

§  Defense Language Institute

§  DeVry University-Long Beach

§  DeVry University-Pomona

§  Dominican School of Philosophy & Theology

§  Dominican University of California

§  Fielding Graduate Institute

§  Franciscan School of Theology

§  Fresno Pacific University

§  Fuller Theological Seminary

§  Golden Gate University

§  Graduate Theological Union

§  Holy Names University

§  Hope International University

§  Humphreys College

§  Institute of Transpersonal Psychology

§  Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley

§  John F. Kennedy University

§  La Sierra University

§  Life Pacific College

§  Lincoln University

§  Loma Linda University

§  Loyola Marymount University

§  Marymount College

§  The Master’s College

§  The Master’s Seminary

§  Menlo College

§  Mills College

§  Monterey Institute of International Studies

§  Mount St. Mary’s College

§  National Hispanic University

§  National University

§