College Counsellor: Forget Harvard:Here's where to go to College if yo...

College Counsellor: Forget Harvard:Here's where to go to College if yo...: I found an interesting article at Fast Company, an online publication - "Forget Harvard: Here's where to go to College if you want ...

Forget Harvard:Here's where to go to College if you want a high paying job

I found an interesting article at Fast Company, an online publication - "Forget Harvard: Here's where to go to College if you want a high paying job".  It was interesting to note that the list did not include any Ivy League universities.  Please see link.

http://www.fastcoexist.com/3045598/forget-harvard-heres-where-to-go-to-college-if-you-want-a-high-paying-job#1

Full Sail University

If you think ‘outside of the box’, have visual and performing and artistic talents, interests or abilities, would love to work in the entertainment industry or can see yourself as an entrepreneur in these fields, then FULL SAIL UNIVERSITY  near Orlando may just be  the right fit for you!

The ‘Creative Campus’ boasts world class facilities, dubbing stages, recording and engineering studios , and other virtual learning environments in which students are engaged in immersive style education. There are 110+ studios/labs and 60+ classrooms. One of the most interesting learning environments in these real-world media production facilities is the Full Sail Backlot, an amazing façade park where much filming takes place.

At Full Sail, student creativity is prioritized and their intellectual property rights are respected. Students spend time being educated to achieve a degree, but also building their portfolios, which many describe as REAL WORLD EDUCATION (learning the technicalities and how to apply education.) The professionalism of student learning is also emphasized. Students are taught how to operate as professionals in their chosen field while applying their skill sets.

Tuition covers expenses at Full Sail, with the exception of housing, meals and transportation. All materials and texts needed throughout study are covered in tuition. There is a Housing Department that is familiar with the Full Sail area and will assist students in finding their ideal living situation.

Degree programs are created by reaching out to entities in the industries. Based on the feedback received every six months, programs are designed to fit the needs of what exists, as well as encourage innovative ideas for future development.

Degrees start every month and make graduates available to the industry year round. Those who enroll are fresh from high school, college or already working in an industry. Master’s, Bachelor’s and Associates Degrees, as well as Certificate programs are offered on Campus and Online. Full Sail offers an accelerated, innovative curriculum in which:

·         Graduate degrees are attainable in 12 months

·         Undergraduate degrees are attainable in 20-32 months

There are 6- 24 students per class, depending on the area of study. Classes are scheduled on a 24 hour shift  to mimic the actual working hours within many areas of several industries, from  film-making, sound-engineering, music recording, graphic design, video game creation, animation, television and radio production to mention a few. 

As part of the immersive education style at Full Sail, major artistes visit the campus from time to time, allowing students to network with well known players in various areas of the industry.  

The Full Sail Hall of Fame- Showcases talented alumni who have worked alongside international artistes or are actual winners themselves of Grammy, Academy, Oscar and Game Awards.

For the International Student- There is a Full Sail International Student Center that provides assistance to students from the time of their vested interest, through enrollment, and settling in. The center supports students throughout their course of study. 

Scholarships are available as well as course exemptions for college credit and IB Diploma scores

One such award is the Global Achievement award which is up to $15,000 to eligible campus degree programme candidates.  This scholarship fund is limited and is open
 to all applicants who meet the eligibility requirements  

In order to be eligible for consideration, those applying must be:
non-US citizen or non permanent resident
Complete and submit the Global Achievement application, and an original 500-word essay on "How my Full Sail Education will Help me achieve my Career Dream" prior to the first day of class.
Applicants must have applied for one of the following immersive campus degree programmes:
Computer animation, Creative writing, Digital Arts & Design, Entertainment Business, Film, Game Art, Media Communications, Music Business, Recording Arts, Show Production, or Sports Marketing & Media.

There many more scholarships available and we urge students to visit the Full Sail website for more information.

Here is an Admissions Checklist International Students may find useful. Use this checklist as a guide to what you will need to enroll at Full Sail and help to keep track of submitted materials.

·         Interview with Admissions Representative

·         Application

·         Application Fee

·         Seat Deposit

·         High School Transcripts

·         College Transcripts

·         Verification of Language Proficiency

·         Signed Enrollment Agreement

·         Financial Guarantee

·         Copy of Identification Page of Passport

·         English Translation (f any document not in English must be accompanied by a certified English translation)

 For more information visit their website at www.fullsail.edu

 

Skidmore College

Skidmore College is located in beautiful Saratoga Springs. One has to pass through a suburban neighbourhood to get to the college, which is one mile from Saratoga Springs.There is a horse racing track nearby.  The town is very picturesque with lovely boutiques.  It is three hours from New York City, Boston and Montreal. Skidmore College provides free transportation within the town of  Saratoga and to Albany.

The most popular majors are: Management and Business, English, Psychology, Studio Art and the following tied for 5th - Biology, International Affairs, Economics, Exercise Science and Theatre. 

Total enrolment: approximately 2,400, of which 180 are international students.

Skidmore offers B.A. and B.S. degrees in over 50 areas - in traditional liberal arts disciplines but also in Pre-Professional fields not typically offered at other liberal arts colleges, like business, social work, education studies, and health and exercise sciences. Students can craft their own self-determined majors. Almost all majors have corresponding minors.

Skidmore offers Pre-professional and Cooperative Programs: Pre-Medical advising; Pre-Law advising; 4+1 M.B.A. programs (Clarkson, RIT, Union Graduate College); Whitman M.B.A. Advantage Program, 4+1 M.S.A., and 4+1 M.S.F. programs (Syracuse University); dual-degree engineering programs (Clarkson, Dartmouth, RPI); B.S.N. (New York University School of Nursing—15 or 18 months); 4+2 M.S. in occupational therapy and 4+3 doctorate in physical therapy (Sage Graduate School), and M.S. in accountancy (Wake Forest University)


Candidates for the Bachelor of Arts degree must complete a minimum of ninety credit hours of course work designated as liberal arts. Candidates for the Bachelor of Science degree must complete a minimum of sixty credit hours of course work designated as liberal arts.



Merit based scholarships- open to both American and international applicants
Porter Presidential Scholarship in Science and Mathematics: $15,000 annually ($60,000 over four years) to five to seven students per class

Filene Music Scholarship: $12,000 annually ($48,000 over four years) to four students per class

Skidmore is listed in the 2015 Princeton Review 150 Best Value Colleges

Financial aid
Skidmore annually gives approximately $40 million in financial aid on the basis of demonstrated need.  The average 2012-13 first year financial aid package for international students was $49,985.  International students applying for aid are required to file the College Board's College Scholarships Service (CSS) Financial Aid PROFILE.

Varsity sports
Skidmore is a member of the NCAA Division III and the Eastern College Athletic Conference. 

First Year Experience (FYE)
First year students select a Scribner seminar from over 50 course offerings.  The course are interdisciplinary.  The students in each seminar are housed in rough proximity to each other.

Suggested "5 Steps to Choose How Many College applications to send" - US News

Suggested 5 steps to determine how many US college applications to send

1.Know your Admissions budget -  It can be costly to apply to universities. Costs include:
ACT or SAT tests
Application fees - anywhere from $30 - 90 per application
Possible campus visits

There is also the investment of time.  You may be required to write essays for each application and submit financial documents etc. to each university

2.Consider the rarity of the major you are considering.  Think about factors such as the option to double major?  Are there research opportunities available?  Do the universities offer a 4 + 1 option which allows you to get your Masters in an additional year?  Is the option to pursue your Masters covered by your university?

3.Gauge the selectivity of your Major - Is it very competitive to get into the field you have selected?  You may have to apply to a larger selection of schools

4. Review Your Own Needs:  What type of school do you wish to attend? Large or small?  Rural, Urban, Suburban?  Which factors are important to you.

5. Ensure you are comfortable with the number of schools and the variety of school - target school, reach and safety schools. 

For the full article
http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/college-admissions-playbook/2015/06/01/5-steps-to-choose-how-many-college-applications-to-send

Hamilton College

Hamilton College is located in Central New York between Albany and Syracuse. It was the third college to be established in New York state and is now the oldest in USA. The female college, Kirkland College was started in 1968 but the two colleges were merged in 1978.

The bicentennial video on the Hamilton website highlights the rich history of Hamilton  College.

http://www.hamilton.edu/bicentennial-video


The total enrollment is 1,904 students.  The student to faculty ratio: 9:1

The acceptance rate at Hamilton College is 26% and 5% of the student population are international students.

The five most popular majors at Hamilton are: Economics, Mathematics, Government, Biology and Psychology.

Hamilton is Need Blind for American citizens and green card holders and Need Based for international students.

Hamilton is able to provide accommodation for 98% of the student body.

Open Curriculum
Hamilton College boasts an open curriculum which allows students to create a program of study which meets their needs. At Hamilton, if you already know what you want to do, their open curriculum allows you to get started immediately and explore other subjects that interest you along the way. If you are undecided or have many interests, Hamilton allows you to sample the academic smorgasbord before committing to one or two areas.

Hamilton has been rated # 2 in USA with respect to their writing programs.  There is a heavy emphasis on writing. The Nesbitt Johnson writing center offers student conferences. Students are required to complete 3 intensive writing courses.

Hamilton's Admissions Office tries to admit several students from a country so that the students will be able to provide support to each other.

Persons in the community host students in their homes and families.



 

 Buttrick Hall was constructed in 1812 and was originally known as the Hall of Commons. The building was the first on the Hill to be made of stone, a sandy gray dolostone that turns to an orange-red hue as it weathers. The chance selection of the rock facing of the Hall of Commons set the style for most of the subsequent College buildings constructed throughout the next century-and-a-half. It has served as as a dining hall a home, a classroom and as an administrative building.

One of the dining halls

Taylor Science Center

Alumni gymnasium

Beinecke Student Activity village

Going across Martin's way to the Beinecke Student activity village which houses the mail center, a diner, Events barn and winter porch.

8 Websites for Free Online Learning from US News Education

Wondering what to do this summer or looking for a challenge in your free time?  Consider free online courses - Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)

1. Coursersa - variety of courses offered
2. Duolingo - Learn a new language
3. Khan Academy- mini lectures and interactive problems on a variety of topics including mathematics, history, science and more.  Khan Academy also provides SAT preparation
4. iTunes U - to manage music and audio devices
5. MIT OpenCourseWare - offered by MIT, it provides lectures, lecture notes, homework assignments etc from actual MIT courses.  Covers science, computer and engineering topics
6. EdX - offers courses.  Has arrangements with universities including Harvard to University of Hong Kong
7. Codecademy - learn the basics of computer programming.  Learn how to write code using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, Phython, Ruby and PHP
8. LiveMocha - a tool for learning foreign languages.  It pairs you with speakers of other languages

Colgate University

 Colgate University is located in Hamilton, NY on a 515 acre campus. It was founded in 1819. It is located on sloping hillsides. The total enrollment is almost 3,000 students.  The population of Hamilton is equal to the size of the Colgate student population. Colgate was recently named one of the friendly towns by Forbes magazine.

Students are required to live on campus for the first 3 years.  International students represent 9% of the school's population.

In the 2015 US News magazine, Colgate was ranked # 22 for National Liberal Arts Colleges.

The most popular majors at Colgate are: Economics, International Relations, Political Science, History and English

Case Library and Geyer Center for Information Technology

 

Drake Hall

The Core Curriculum
Created in 1928, the core curriculum teaches students empathy, informed debate, and critical thinking - skills that are required of global citizens. Students are required to take four core classes in any order by the end of their sophomore year:

• Legacies of the ancient world -Studies the ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern texts that have lasting influence on academic discourse and critical thought.
• Challenges of Modernity -Explores pivotal issues of modernity (i.e. urbanization, scientific discovery, imperialism, capitalism, aesthetic innovation) through texts across media and disciplines.
• Communities and identities -Ensures that all students appreciate the identities cultures, and human experience inherent in communities and regions of the world.
• Scientific perspectives of the World -Applies scientific methods to an issue in society or outside the realm of natural sciences and mathematics.

In addition to the four core classes, all students are required to take at least one Global Engagements course - to analyze the conditions and effects of cross-cultural interaction, so that they will be prepared to responsibly confront the challenges of the 21st century. 

In addition there is an Areas of Inquiry requirement ensures that students take six courses from a range of disciplines. This section is divided into three areas: Human Thought and Expression; Social Relations, Institutions, and Agents; and Natural Sciences and Mathematics.


In addition to the Core Curriculum, Colgate offers more than 20 faculty led off-Campus study programs and well as short term extended study programs.

Colgate has been ranked first by the Institute of International Education in percentage of students participating in mid length off campus study programmes.


Colgate is integrally involved in the Hamilton community. It's Upstate Institute provides services to the community such : Volunteer Income Tax Preparation, Summer field school etc.

Financial aid
Colgate meets 100% of a student's demonstrated financial need for all admitted international students who apply for Financial aid

Athletics
Colgate has 25 Division I teams including swimming, golf, soccer, tennis and volleyball

Center for Leadership and Student Involvement

Notable Colgate alumni are:
Andy Rooney
Kim Edwards
Lee Woodruff
Ivy Austin

5 Things about the New SAT from a Time Magazine article by Brian Witte

The Redesigned SAT will be released in 2016.  Below see 5 tips to prepare for the New SAT

1. Practice with graphs - The Redesigned SAT will increase its focus on algebraic and general problem solving,as well as data interpretation.  To prepare for this shift, review and practice with ACT Science materials.

 The writer of the article recommends that test takers should consider taking both tests, SAT and ACT.  

2. Learn to work without a calculator - One of the most significant changes on the Math section is a calculator free portion.  This allows the SAT to test for real mathematical understanding, as opposed to the ability to enter numbers into a machine

3. Understand new answer formats - Test takers will no longer be penalized for wrong answers.  When preparing for the exam, the test taker should focus on not just finding the correct answers, but quickly identifying incorrect responses too. Another important change in answer formats will be the extended-thinking question in the Math section.  This question will be a word problem followed by several questions, all of which test problem solving skills.  The answers will be "open"  or student produced.

4. Focus more on reading and less on vocabulary - The Redesigned SAT will feature a single Evidence-Based Reading and Writing portion. Here the primary shift will be the emphasis on parsing real-world texts. Study materials for the SAT Literature Subject test can be helpful when preparing for the new SAT.

5. Investigate the essay - Beginning in Spring 2016, the essay portion of the SAT will no longer be required for all students.

For the complete article, see link below

http://time.com/3893236/college-new-sat-tips/

6 Huge changes for the Common App in 2015-16

New changes have been announced by Common Application.  Please see below:

 No essay. Common App member colleges will have the choice of whether or not to require the Common App personal statement

 Unlimited essay edits. For the first time, the Common App will place no restrictions on the number of times a student may edit or change their personal statement

 Print review anytime. Applicants will be able to "preview" the completed portions of their application-screen by screen-at any point, not just as part of the submission process

New essay prompts

1.Some students have a background, identity, interest,or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. 

2. The lessons we take from failure can be fundamental to later success. Recount and incident or time when you experienced failure.  How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience.

3.Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea.  What prompted you to act. Would you make the same decision again?

4. Describe a problem you've solved or a problem you'd like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma-anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.

5. Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community of family

Optional recommendations

No penalties for competing applications

See link below for full article

http://www.examiner.com/article/6-huge-changes-for-the-common-app-2015-16

joining a college honors program - eCampusTours

joining a college honors program - eCampusTours



 A college honors program provides highly motivated students the
opportunity to work closely with professors and other motivated students
in advanced levels of critical thinking, analysis, research, writing,
communication, etc. While the provisions for honors programs will vary
from school to school, the following is an overview of some of the
guidelines and benefits of a college honors program.

honors-college-program-difference

honors-college-program-difference

What is a Liberal Arts degree?

http://www.topuniversities.com/blog/what-liberal-arts-education

Goucher College

Goucher College, a Liberal Art college in Baltimore, Maryland has introduced the video college application. Goucher College became the first college in the nation to allow students to submit video applications as the decisive factor for admission. The launch of the Goucher Video Application (GVA), last September, created a big stir both in higher education circles and in national print and broadcast media, including The New York Times, NPR, PBS, USA Today, The Washington Post, Slate.com, and The Chronicle of Higher Education.


http://blogs.goucher.edu/intheloop/7338/goucher-video-application-experiment-pays-off/

Tools for chipping away at College costs

Zinch and Findtuition.com are popular scholarship search engines.  You should start using them early.

For US citizens and green card holders, you will eligible for federal aid. Fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

Visit the websites of colleges you wish to attend and click on scholarships and financial aid

Check public university policies with respect to in-state fees e.g. Florida Caribbean Institute

Do a google search or check out Wacky scholarships or fastweb

Top US universities which claim to meet full financial need - US News Jan 22, 2015

Of course the list includes the big ones - Yale, Princeton, Harvard, Columbia, Caltech, UPenn, MIT, read the full article online.

Check out the article on Top-Ranked Liberal Arts Colleges which meet full need

Williams College
Amherst College
Swarthmore College
Wellesley College
Bowdoin College
Pomona College
Middlebury College
Carleton College
Claremont McKenna College
Haverford College

Note that these schools are highly competitive and acceptance rates range from 10 - 25%.

Strengthen you college application by taking a MOOC

1. Establish goals
2. Know your audience
3. Seek proof of completion
4. Share your accomplishments
5. Be proactive

See full article at link below
http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/college-admissions-playbook/2015/01/12/5-strategies-to-strengthen-college-applications-with-a-mooc?int=95a608

Kick off 2015 with 8 college scholarships

http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/the-scholarship-coach/2015/01/15/kick-off-2015-with-8-college-scholarships?int=95a608

Obtaining a US driver's license

Please see link about getting your US driver's license if you are an international student

http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/international-student-counsel/2015/01/06/follow-these-steps-to-obtain-a-us-drivers-license