On March 17th, 10:00 AM in the WA Cafeteria, Challenge Success invites you to start your weekend off with some golden advice and join us for a talk with Maria Furtado of Colleges That Change
Lives.
We are not handing out pots of gold -- but whether you are parents of high school students, middle school students, or even younger -- come so that you can de-stress the process right from the beginning! Why not start right now? Pencil us in on your calendar as part of a fresh new perspective for 2018. Check out their website ctcl.org where you can find more information.
For instance, consider the following:
“MISPERCEPTION: Employers and graduate schools won’t be seriously interested in a
graduate from a school they haven’t heard of before. A degree from a name-brand
institution means more to employers and graduate schools, and attending a well-known
school puts students ahead of the curve and guarantees them successful, meaningful
lives.
REALITY : Employers and graduate schools are looking for skills and experience, not
evidence of an elite academic pedigree. CTCL graduates frequently outperform their peers
at some of the nation’s top graduate and professional schools because they’ve done more
with their time in college — they’ve become campus leaders, taken on internships or
tackled life in another country, completed graduate-level work, and developed the kinds of
critical thinking skills necessary for a meaningful life of learning.”
(https://ctcl.org/common-myths-in-the-college-search/
CS BOOK CLUB
Also, if you’re interested in pairing this talk with a good read -- join
our Challenge Success Book Club and read Frank Bruni’s “Where You Go Is
Not Who You Are.” Some copies will be available at the J.V. Fletcher Library
soon and you can find a time that fits your schedule:
❖ Tuesday evening, March 20th [TBA],
❖ Sunday morning, March 25, [TBA],
❖ Thursday March 29th, 7:30 pm 101 Russell’s Way.
Look for sign up information to come or email Pamela Tricca @
pam.tricca@verizon.net for more information.
Monday, February 26, 2018
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
Building College List Like Buying A House
Building College List Like Buying A House
September 19, 2017
September 19, 2017
Buying a new house always starts in your
imagination. A bigger yard for the kids to play in. A brighter kitchen.
Another full bathroom. A quieter neighborhood. More storage space
(always more storage space). We build the ideal house in our heads and
set out to see which ones match up.
Then reality sets in. Or rather, the realtor sets in. She shows us houses that have the yard and the bathroom, but not the kitchen. The storage space but not the yard. The kitchen but not the neighborhood. And we see the great things we hadn't even thought of: The finished basement in one, the sunroom in the other or the fireplace in the master bedroom. Yes, I want that! I'll give up the closets for the sunroom! And so we negotiate with ourselves and our spouses, comparing the pros and cons of each place until we narrow the list down to one or two choices.
As we proceed, we realize that we're not just choosing elements we
like, we're setting out priorities. Deciding a yard is non-negotiable
makes it a priority. Needing an extra full bathroom puts any house with
that feature near the top of the list. After seeing a number of brick
and mortar places, you can sort them according to what have become your
priorities. (Even if you had a list before, it's more than likely
changed as you realized what you could give up to get something else. No
place is going to have 100% of what you want.)
Building a college list is remarkably similar. Students start with an ideal college, perhaps one they've visited or that a friend attends and likes. It just feels right or fits the image of "college" in their heads. Perhaps they know they want a big school with all the social and athletic bells and whistles. They want it to have a great advisory system and lots of options for majors. Or they want a small school with good student-faculty relationships.
As a counselor, I try to listen to what students and parents tell me when we first meet. Sometimes they have no particular ideas at all, but in conversation, I hear about an interest in business or a love of theater that gives me clues about what schools to recommend. Sometimes, I hear things I know are incompatible, such as the time one student told me he wanted a "small liberal arts school in the woods" with a "library like Regenstein." He didn't know it at the time, but he was trying to merge two incompatible things: Small colleges don't have the massive research facilities of a University of Chicago. That was his introduction to creating priorities.
From the first meeting, I take what I hear and construct a list that encompasses what I've heard. With this particular student, I started with research institutions and small colleges so he could see the differences in more detail. After visiting several and seeing the realities for himself, he decided his priorities were based on having good research facilities, so the smaller colleges were off the list.
We volleyed back and forth as he defined his understanding of what he wanted. He liked the dorms but not the location; the majors but not the core curriculum; the location but not the condition of the labs. I showed him different "properties" that had as many of his desired options as possible and we narrowed the list down to a reasonable eight or so. None was 100% but all were well within the range of what he'd determined his priorities to be. (Of course, we also considered admissibility when we got right down to it, the same way you'd have to qualify for a mortgage to buy that "ideal" house.)
Building a college list is as much about defining your priorities
as it is about finding a place for your post-high school education. And
sometimes you don't know what those really are until you look at what's
available. That's the reason I always advise students to take notes
about what they don't like as well as what they like when researching a
school. Getting a clear view of both helps clarify your vision and
define what's important to you. Often, students surprise themselves when
they realize what they thought they wanted wasn't even as important as
they thought it was. In the end, though, the likelihood of a good fit
and, ultimately, college success, comes through the give and take
between the ideal and the real.
Then reality sets in. Or rather, the realtor sets in. She shows us houses that have the yard and the bathroom, but not the kitchen. The storage space but not the yard. The kitchen but not the neighborhood. And we see the great things we hadn't even thought of: The finished basement in one, the sunroom in the other or the fireplace in the master bedroom. Yes, I want that! I'll give up the closets for the sunroom! And so we negotiate with ourselves and our spouses, comparing the pros and cons of each place until we narrow the list down to one or two choices.
Building a college list is remarkably similar. Students start with an ideal college, perhaps one they've visited or that a friend attends and likes. It just feels right or fits the image of "college" in their heads. Perhaps they know they want a big school with all the social and athletic bells and whistles. They want it to have a great advisory system and lots of options for majors. Or they want a small school with good student-faculty relationships.
As a counselor, I try to listen to what students and parents tell me when we first meet. Sometimes they have no particular ideas at all, but in conversation, I hear about an interest in business or a love of theater that gives me clues about what schools to recommend. Sometimes, I hear things I know are incompatible, such as the time one student told me he wanted a "small liberal arts school in the woods" with a "library like Regenstein." He didn't know it at the time, but he was trying to merge two incompatible things: Small colleges don't have the massive research facilities of a University of Chicago. That was his introduction to creating priorities.
From the first meeting, I take what I hear and construct a list that encompasses what I've heard. With this particular student, I started with research institutions and small colleges so he could see the differences in more detail. After visiting several and seeing the realities for himself, he decided his priorities were based on having good research facilities, so the smaller colleges were off the list.
We volleyed back and forth as he defined his understanding of what he wanted. He liked the dorms but not the location; the majors but not the core curriculum; the location but not the condition of the labs. I showed him different "properties" that had as many of his desired options as possible and we narrowed the list down to a reasonable eight or so. None was 100% but all were well within the range of what he'd determined his priorities to be. (Of course, we also considered admissibility when we got right down to it, the same way you'd have to qualify for a mortgage to buy that "ideal" house.)
Friday, February 9, 2018
Summer Programs and Upcoming Open Houses/Information Sessions
Reynolds Young Writers Workshop at Denison
The workshop is an eight-day residential program that incorporates small creative writing workshops, group sessions with Denison creative writing faculty and notable visiting writers, and much more.
June 17–24, 2018
Financial assistance is available to families who need it, and information about the program is online at reynolds.denison.edu.
Applications must be submitted no later than Sunday, March 4, 2018, at 11:59 p.m.
OPEN HOUSES/INFORMATION SESSIONS
UMass Lowell Music Department Annual Shadow Day
Anyone interested in attending should complete the online registration form. Shadow Day will take place on February 22 and 23.
UMass Lowell Music Department offers degrees in:
Music Performance
Music Studies (Education)
Music Business
Sound Recording Technology
If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please email us at admissions@uml.edu.
Nashua Community College Career Discovery Day
Thursday, April 5th from 8 am until 1 pm
This will be an amazing opportunity for students to learn about different careers! They will have the option to choose three different careers to check out, including hands on experience! They will be attend Breakout sessions with program chairs and hopefully they will discover possible options for them, as the approach high school graduation in the years to come!
Northern Essex Community College
Haverhill Campus
College for a Day, April 11, 2018
8:45am check in (or earlier)
9:00 am Classes start!
No Fee Community Event
Your students will have the opportunity to be a student in a college classroom or attend a workshop based on their selection from the list of college courses or presentations offered starting at 9am and ending by 2pm!!
Over 60 academic degree programs to choose from! “College for a Day” participants may select to attend up to four (4) classes and/or presentations, and have lunch during “College for a Day” at Northern Essex Community College.
SUMMER PROGRAMS
Boston University's Academy of Media Production Summer Program
The application deadline is March 31, 2018.
Sign up today!
Program Dates:
July 9 - August 3, 2018
Program Information & Application Materials: bu.edu/amp
Questions should be directed to buamp@bu.edu
Cornell University Summer College Programs for High School Students
June 23 - August 7
Subjects ranging from architecture, business, hospitality, and engineering to international relations, science, social change, and veterinary medicine—and many more.
Three week and/or six week programs for rising 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students
https://www.sce.cornell.edu/scl
University of Dayton Summer ProgramsENTREPRENEURSHIP 101 – June 17-29
Rising high school juniors, seniors and first-year college students will learn more about entrepreneurship, the idea-generation process, elevator pitches and more. Through engaging lectures and class activities, site visits and guest speakers, students will have the opportunity to earn three credit hours and compete for up to $10,000 in UD scholarship dollars in an elevator pitch competition — all while living on campus and experiencing life in Dayton.
Learn more at go.udayton.edu/entrepreneurship101.
LEADERSHIP 101 – June 17-29
What makes someone a great leader? Open to rising high school juniors, seniors and first-year college students, this two-week experience will help students gain an understanding of the foundations of leadership, assess their leadership behaviors and preferred leadership style, discover the five practices of exemplary leadership and create a personal leadership development plan. This highly interactive session includes extensive discussion and collaborative exchange of ideas, leadership assessments, class and individual exercises, guest speakers and site visits.
Learn more at go.udayton.edu/leadership101.
Foresight Prep at Oberlin College
Social Justice | Climate Change | Leadership
July 15-28, 2018
Foresight Prep @ Oberlin is an intensive, pre-college institute for high school students passionate about social equity and the environment. We facilitate hands-on seminars designed to empower motivated high school students to take action on urgent issues, and a year-round network connecting alumni with real world changemakers for ongoing mentorship.
Visit the program website to learn more and apply: https://www.foresightprep.org
Early Bird Deadline: February 19
Apply by February 19 for the Early Bird Deadline: 25% discount for accepted students, and priority consideration for need-based financial aid.
New England Center for Investigative Reporting Pre-College Summer Journalism Institute, based at the Boston University College of Communication, provides students an opportunity to improve their journalism skills and develop as storytellers.
Students have the option of living on campus to have the full Boston University Terrier life experience.
Our three, two-week workshops begin on June 25 and run through August 3. During each session, students will also attend guest lectures from experts and local journalists; visit historic sites and museums such as Fenway Park and the Museum of Fine Arts; participate in group community service; receive unofficial tours of local colleges, and more.
For more information about our program, visit our website: http://studentprograms.necir.org/pre-college-summer-institute/
University of Vermont Summer Pre-College Courses
Go to http://www.uvm.edu/~summer/precollege to learn more.
Additionally, UVM’s Summer Academy program is open for enrollment for 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students, providing them with the unique opportunity to earn 3 college credits through intensive 4-week courses (2 weeks on-campus followed by 2 weeks online).
This year’s Summer Academy course offerings include:
Health and Medicine: Students can discover their interests, learn about the latest advances in bioscience and molecular medicine, and develop an understanding of diverse medical and health science career paths that might be right for them.
Biomedical Science and Human Disease: In this introductory course, students will expand on the knowledge learned in high school biology and chemistry to explore the biomedical sciences including Microbiology, Immunology, Molecular Genetics, Clinical Biochemistry, and Hematology.
Using Drones to Map, Monitor, and Measure Our Changing Landscape: UAS or drones, have provided us with new ways to map, monitor, and measure our changing landscape. In this course, students will learn how to operate drones and process drone data to in support of environmental mapping and monitoring.
Shakespeare in Practice: In this creative course, students will train with teaching artists of The Vermont Shakespeare Festival, a professional theater that works in collaboration with the Department of Theatre at UVM. This course utilizes Shakespeare’s MACBETH as a framework for full-bodied actor training including Technique, Movement, Voice and Speech, and Intro to Theatre Production/Design.
The workshop is an eight-day residential program that incorporates small creative writing workshops, group sessions with Denison creative writing faculty and notable visiting writers, and much more.
June 17–24, 2018
Financial assistance is available to families who need it, and information about the program is online at reynolds.denison.edu.
Applications must be submitted no later than Sunday, March 4, 2018, at 11:59 p.m.
OPEN HOUSES/INFORMATION SESSIONS
UMass Lowell Music Department Annual Shadow Day
Anyone interested in attending should complete the online registration form. Shadow Day will take place on February 22 and 23.
UMass Lowell Music Department offers degrees in:
Music Performance
Music Studies (Education)
Music Business
Sound Recording Technology
If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please email us at admissions@uml.edu.
Nashua Community College Career Discovery Day
Thursday, April 5th from 8 am until 1 pm
This will be an amazing opportunity for students to learn about different careers! They will have the option to choose three different careers to check out, including hands on experience! They will be attend Breakout sessions with program chairs and hopefully they will discover possible options for them, as the approach high school graduation in the years to come!
Northern Essex Community College
Haverhill Campus
College for a Day, April 11, 2018
8:45am check in (or earlier)
9:00 am Classes start!
No Fee Community Event
Your students will have the opportunity to be a student in a college classroom or attend a workshop based on their selection from the list of college courses or presentations offered starting at 9am and ending by 2pm!!
Over 60 academic degree programs to choose from! “College for a Day” participants may select to attend up to four (4) classes and/or presentations, and have lunch during “College for a Day” at Northern Essex Community College.
SUMMER PROGRAMS
Boston University's Academy of Media Production Summer Program
The application deadline is March 31, 2018.
Sign up today!
Program Dates:
July 9 - August 3, 2018
Program Information & Application Materials: bu.edu/amp
Questions should be directed to buamp@bu.edu
Cornell University Summer College Programs for High School Students
June 23 - August 7
Subjects ranging from architecture, business, hospitality, and engineering to international relations, science, social change, and veterinary medicine—and many more.
Three week and/or six week programs for rising 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students
https://www.sce.cornell.edu/scl
University of Dayton Summer ProgramsENTREPRENEURSHIP 101 – June 17-29
Rising high school juniors, seniors and first-year college students will learn more about entrepreneurship, the idea-generation process, elevator pitches and more. Through engaging lectures and class activities, site visits and guest speakers, students will have the opportunity to earn three credit hours and compete for up to $10,000 in UD scholarship dollars in an elevator pitch competition — all while living on campus and experiencing life in Dayton.
Learn more at go.udayton.edu/entrepreneurship101.
LEADERSHIP 101 – June 17-29
What makes someone a great leader? Open to rising high school juniors, seniors and first-year college students, this two-week experience will help students gain an understanding of the foundations of leadership, assess their leadership behaviors and preferred leadership style, discover the five practices of exemplary leadership and create a personal leadership development plan. This highly interactive session includes extensive discussion and collaborative exchange of ideas, leadership assessments, class and individual exercises, guest speakers and site visits.
Learn more at go.udayton.edu/leadership101.
Foresight Prep at Oberlin College
Social Justice | Climate Change | Leadership
July 15-28, 2018
Foresight Prep @ Oberlin is an intensive, pre-college institute for high school students passionate about social equity and the environment. We facilitate hands-on seminars designed to empower motivated high school students to take action on urgent issues, and a year-round network connecting alumni with real world changemakers for ongoing mentorship.
Visit the program website to learn more and apply: https://www.foresightprep.org
Early Bird Deadline: February 19
Apply by February 19 for the Early Bird Deadline: 25% discount for accepted students, and priority consideration for need-based financial aid.
New England Center for Investigative Reporting Pre-College Summer Journalism Institute, based at the Boston University College of Communication, provides students an opportunity to improve their journalism skills and develop as storytellers.
Students have the option of living on campus to have the full Boston University Terrier life experience.
Our three, two-week workshops begin on June 25 and run through August 3. During each session, students will also attend guest lectures from experts and local journalists; visit historic sites and museums such as Fenway Park and the Museum of Fine Arts; participate in group community service; receive unofficial tours of local colleges, and more.
For more information about our program, visit our website: http://studentprograms.necir.org/pre-college-summer-institute/
University of Vermont Summer Pre-College Courses
Go to http://www.uvm.edu/~summer/precollege to learn more.
Additionally, UVM’s Summer Academy program is open for enrollment for 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students, providing them with the unique opportunity to earn 3 college credits through intensive 4-week courses (2 weeks on-campus followed by 2 weeks online).
This year’s Summer Academy course offerings include:
Health and Medicine: Students can discover their interests, learn about the latest advances in bioscience and molecular medicine, and develop an understanding of diverse medical and health science career paths that might be right for them.
Biomedical Science and Human Disease: In this introductory course, students will expand on the knowledge learned in high school biology and chemistry to explore the biomedical sciences including Microbiology, Immunology, Molecular Genetics, Clinical Biochemistry, and Hematology.
Using Drones to Map, Monitor, and Measure Our Changing Landscape: UAS or drones, have provided us with new ways to map, monitor, and measure our changing landscape. In this course, students will learn how to operate drones and process drone data to in support of environmental mapping and monitoring.
Shakespeare in Practice: In this creative course, students will train with teaching artists of The Vermont Shakespeare Festival, a professional theater that works in collaboration with the Department of Theatre at UVM. This course utilizes Shakespeare’s MACBETH as a framework for full-bodied actor training including Technique, Movement, Voice and Speech, and Intro to Theatre Production/Design.
Scholarship Opportunity
Lowell
Women’s
City Golf Tournament and Kelly
A. Brooks Scholarship Application
The application is available on Naviance. The scholarship is open to female
seniors from local high schools who are involved in high school athletics and
golf.
Application deadline: April 13, 2018
Submit application to:
Lauri Welch
678 Andover Street
Lowell, MA 01852
Thursday, February 8, 2018
College for Kids at Middlesex Community College
College for Kids
It's not too early to start planning for summer!
Middlesex Community College will open enrollment for College for Kids 2018 at 8 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 20.
College for Kids offers one and three-week summer programs for children, ages 8 to 17, that run July 9 through Aug. 16, on the Bedford and Lowell campuses.
These fun and engaging summer programs provide children with unique opportunities to explore careers, learn new skills, meet new friends, and boost self-confidence.
Programs are taught by public-school teachers or by professionals who are experts in their field. Most College for Kids offerings run Monday through Thursday, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Programs explore topics such as film production, aviation, writing, science, veterinary medicine, technology, culinary arts, fashion design, Minecraft, web design, LegoMindstorms and fitness. This summer, programming in Lowell will be expanded. And new College for Kids offerings include "Medical Laboratory Science," "Golf," and "Exploring Monotypes & Collages."
For the complete 2018 College for Kids schedule and registration information, visit https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/collegeforkids/ or contact Lauren Ellis, Program Manager, at 781-280-3663, 781-280-3669 or email: ellisl@middlesex.mass.edu
Middlesex Community College Foundation
P.O. Box 8681 Lowell, MA 01853
Phone: 978-656-3027| Email: MCCFoundation@middlesex.mass.edu
It's not too early to start planning for summer!
Middlesex Community College will open enrollment for College for Kids 2018 at 8 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 20.
College for Kids offers one and three-week summer programs for children, ages 8 to 17, that run July 9 through Aug. 16, on the Bedford and Lowell campuses.
These fun and engaging summer programs provide children with unique opportunities to explore careers, learn new skills, meet new friends, and boost self-confidence.
Programs are taught by public-school teachers or by professionals who are experts in their field. Most College for Kids offerings run Monday through Thursday, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Programs explore topics such as film production, aviation, writing, science, veterinary medicine, technology, culinary arts, fashion design, Minecraft, web design, LegoMindstorms and fitness. This summer, programming in Lowell will be expanded. And new College for Kids offerings include "Medical Laboratory Science," "Golf," and "Exploring Monotypes & Collages."
For the complete 2018 College for Kids schedule and registration information, visit https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/collegeforkids/ or contact Lauren Ellis, Program Manager, at 781-280-3663, 781-280-3669 or email: ellisl@middlesex.mass.edu
Middlesex Community College Foundation
P.O. Box 8681 Lowell, MA 01853
Phone: 978-656-3027| Email: MCCFoundation@middlesex.mass.edu
Friday, February 2, 2018
Middlesex Community College Free FAFSA Day
Middlesex Community College to Host Free FAFSA Day
Middlesex Community College will host FAFSA Day, a free community workshop to help students and families fill out the 2018-2019 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the federally required application for financial aid. The workshop will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday Feb. 10, in the Cowan Center on the Lowell campus, 33 Kearney Square.
FAFSA Day at Middlesex offers different options for families seeking assistance including:
· Computer support for families to complete the FAFSA online
· One-on-one assistance from financial aid experts
To prepare for the event and to allow FAFSA Day volunteers to provide you with email updates prior to the event, all participants are encouraged to register in advance. To register, visit[ http://www.FAFSADay.org ]www.FAFSADay.org.
Students and parents should EACH bring the following. Students born before January 1, 1995 do not need to bring parental information.
· FSA ID (please sign up and bring both your Student FSA ID and Parent FSA ID, available at[ https://fsaid.ed.gov ]https://fsaid.ed.gov
· Social Security Number
· Driver's License Number (if any)
· 2016 Federal Tax Return
· 2016 W-2 or Year-End Pay Stub (if didn’t file tax return)
· 2016 Untaxed Income Records
· Current Bank Statement(s)
· Current Business and Investment Records
· Alien Registration Card (if not a U.S. Citizen)
To learn more, contact Yohanka Tejada, Senior Financial Aid Counselor, at[ mailto:tejaday@middlesex.mass.edu ]tejaday@middlesex.mass.edu or call 978-656-3242.
Middlesex Community College will host FAFSA Day, a free community workshop to help students and families fill out the 2018-2019 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the federally required application for financial aid. The workshop will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday Feb. 10, in the Cowan Center on the Lowell campus, 33 Kearney Square.
FAFSA Day at Middlesex offers different options for families seeking assistance including:
· Computer support for families to complete the FAFSA online
· One-on-one assistance from financial aid experts
To prepare for the event and to allow FAFSA Day volunteers to provide you with email updates prior to the event, all participants are encouraged to register in advance. To register, visit[ http://www.FAFSADay.org ]www.FAFSADay.org.
Students and parents should EACH bring the following. Students born before January 1, 1995 do not need to bring parental information.
· FSA ID (please sign up and bring both your Student FSA ID and Parent FSA ID, available at[ https://fsaid.ed.gov ]https://fsaid.ed.gov
· Social Security Number
· Driver's License Number (if any)
· 2016 Federal Tax Return
· 2016 W-2 or Year-End Pay Stub (if didn’t file tax return)
· 2016 Untaxed Income Records
· Current Bank Statement(s)
· Current Business and Investment Records
· Alien Registration Card (if not a U.S. Citizen)
To learn more, contact Yohanka Tejada, Senior Financial Aid Counselor, at[ mailto:tejaday@middlesex.mass.edu ]tejaday@middlesex.mass.edu or call 978-656-3242.
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