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.

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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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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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

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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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.

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/

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

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/

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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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

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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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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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

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.