Most Common College Admissions Mistakes & How to Avoid Them (PART II)

A few weeks ago we outlined some of the most common college admissions mistakes and how you can avoid them.  In part II of this series, we will outline a few more mistakes that can be detrimental to your applications.  Remember, if you take your time and do things right, applying to college doesn’t have to be as complicated as it seems.  You should begin your applications well before the deadlines and never leave anything to the last minute.

Here are a few additional application and admissions mistakes to avoid:

Asking the Wrong People for Letters of Recommendation:  Colleges typically ask for 1-3 letters of recommendation.  In most cases, they want you to ask your academic teachers.  They want to know about your character and about your performance in the classroom.  The best teachers to ask are those who you’ve had for more than one year and in more than one subject.  It’s also great to ask a teacher who you’ve had in a subject closely related to your intended major (some colleges and/or programs actually will require this).  Do not ask a teacher that you had back in 9^th grade that you haven’t spoken to since, even if you got an A in the class and they loved you back then.  They don’t know you well anymore – they know you as a 9^th grader.  If you know someone famous, say the governor of your state is your uncle’s girlfriend’s brother’s best friend, don’t be tempted to have them write you a letter.  Typically, admissions officers don’t like this.  They really just want someone that truly knows you well, can speak to your character, and that has detailed evidence and personal knowledge of how you work as a student.

Forgetting to Send Test Scores: Don’t forget that sending your test scores to your prospective colleges is your responsibility.  This is done separately from the application.  If you have SAT, SAT Subject Tests, or AP scores to submit, you send your scores through CollegeBoard.org.  If you have ACT scores to submit, you will do this through ACT.org.  This is a very important part of the application process; don’t assume that your guidance counselor or someone else will submit your scores on your behalf.  Look into the testing policies of your potential schools.  Most schools want you to submit all of your test scores and will only take into consideration your highest ones.  Additionally, some schools will require SAT Subject Tests and some won’t.  Make sure you know the exact testing policy of your colleges.

Applying Early Decision When It’s Not The Right Choice:  Be careful, here.  Don’t apply Early Decision only because you think it will be your ticket for admission.  Early Decision is a binding agreement that must be taken seriously.  If you are accepted through an Early Decision agreement, you are legally required to attend the college.  Typically, schools that offer acceptance through Early Decision will not give out generous financial aid packages because they know that you are obligated to attend.  And, you are unable to compare financial aid offers from other schools before making your decision.  Also, many students will change their minds about their college preferences throughout the process as they do more research and go on visits.  For these reasons, we typically do not recommend Early Decision.

Not Proof Reading Application & Essay:  The revision process (of both the application and the essay) is a critical part of the application process.  Spelling and grammar mistakes do not belong anywhere on your application.  It’s a huge pet peeve of admissions reps reading your application.  Steer clear of any text-lingo, too.  It can be habit when you are used to texting, but it has no place on your college applications.  Ask someone with a fresh set of eyes to proof read both your application and your essay before you submit.

Rely on Rankings in Magazines:  Do not confuse college rankings with quality.  Just because a magazine says that a particular college is number one on their list does not mean that it’s a good fit for you.  You may even find that the college of your dreams is ranked number 1 or number 10 or not at all depending on which list you’re looking at.  Colleges can be ranked very differently on different lists due to the different criteria used, not the actual characteristics of the school itself.  Ultimately, be careful.  College rankings can be a good starting point for researching different colleges and can even help you to discover schools that you haven’t heard of.  However, make sure not to confuse rankings and/or selectivity with quality.  You need to do your research and spend some time on campus to decide if it’s right for you.

Remember, the more you know about the process and the more research you do, the better off you’ll be. Using tools like our Admissions Assistance component or our Student Positioning component can make the process a breeze and really help to eliminate unnecessary stress. Take our advice here and you’ll be well on your way to admission as your top choice college. Until next time, best of success!

About Smart Track™ Toolkit: The toolkit is a web based service that assists families with everything from admissions and test prep, to student athletics and financial aid. Our intuitive software and on-demand workshops are key components to making sure students find their top choice colleges, and families can afford to send them there.

About the author: Laura Guarino is the Student Services Coordinator with the College Resource Center, LLC. Laura has a Bachelor’s degree in Human Development from Boston College and a Master’s degree and license in School Guidance Counseling.  She also holds a certificate in College Admissions Counseling.  Laura is at the forefront of the college admissions process for the families of The Smart Track™ Toolkit.

Connect with us

http://www.facebook.com/smarttracktoolkit

http://twitter.com/uchoosecollege

Do We Need College?

Do we need college?

This is a question that many are asking these days. The cost of college has risen over 1200 percent in the past thirty years, bringing it far out of reach for many families.   Often, families without means struggle to send their high-achieving students to the best universities despite the sacrifices they must make, and financial difficulties can often prevent these students from graduating.

As a teacher, I find myself in the midst of the reality of this firestorm.  I firmly believe that a college education can set people apart in their career, when done right, but when students do not consider all the options, they can end up with a lifetime of crippling debt that cannot be forgiven with bankruptcy.  Many experts feel that the student loan bubble will be the next strain on the nation’s economy.

This is why it’s so important for students and families to truly understand the college admissions process. As with any other major life decision or purchase, colleges and universities must justify their value to you.  You must consider the return on investment. 

All too often, students bring me letters that seem like honors and awards, but they are really thinly veiled predatory loans masked in beautiful marketing.  It’s college application season now.  I see people prepared to saddle themselves with fifty to sixty thousand dollars of debt a year if they don’t get aid.  Does that sound like you? That’s the price of a house if you graduate in four years. The trend today is to take five years or more, and while high schools collect statistics about graduation rates, getting penalized if they’re low, colleges do not get punished. In fact, the longer you stay, the more money they make. 

Students are encouraged to study areas of interest, take semesters off, and go where the heart leads them. While this is good advice in the realm of learning, it often leads to heartbreak when choosing an expensive university and a career path that cannot pay back those loans. At graduation time, students find themselves in the position of having to chase the dollars to pay back the bank anyway.

I have been thinking about this a lot lately, as I watch parents and students warm up their pens to sign huge loans that will become their best friends for years to come.  I wrote a post on my blog called “College or a Ferrari?” because I feel it’s critical for students to really analyze their college choices once the aid packages are delivered, and to think about the return on investment for each potential major.  Also, students must commit to maximizing the benefit of college. Sure, you should have fun, but if you’re not ready to hit the books, consider taking classes at a local community college, or enlisting in the military--who, by the way, will pay for your college while you serve your nation. It’s the school of life, and it’s very effective. 

I made a Learnist board dedicated to helping families make these decisions. You cannot make a decision which has the potential to cost $200,000 based on emotion--you must consider the facts… college can be worth the investment, but the decision is no different from buying a house or a car. I've recently done both. There were things I would have loved, but they were just out of reach and not practical for the lifestyle I lead. In the end, I got a practical car that can handle the potholes my area that will never be fixed, and a house where I can live simply and get off the grid, like I've always wanted to do. No mansion. No Ferrari. And I’m just as well off for it. 

If you are going to college next year, do your research, work hard in school, and get your ducks in a row. And when the mailman comes with all your acceptance letters--and hopefully your financial aid, don’t forget to really think of colleges that will serve you for a lifetime, not just four or five years.  

About the Author:

Dawn Casey Rowe

I teach Social Studies at the William M. Davies Career & Technical High School in Rhode Island. My passions include research, writing, history, sustainability, fitness and social justice. I'd love to see tech innovations to level the playing field in education. I'm a big fan of our local farmers, sustainable agriculture, and all things natural and tasty. I blog and run in my spare time.

Vermont Colleges Trip Part VI

Friday, April 27, 2012

Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT

Middlebury was another one of my favorite schools simply because it was SO beautiful. Middlebury is a very highly selective liberal arts college with an international and global scope.  Middlebury was larger than we’ve seen at a nice size of 2,450 students, although just by walking across the campus you may think that more students attend due to the size of the space that the campus sits on.  The campus is stunning, the buildings are beautiful and the overall space is just very attractive.

Middlebury is renowned for its leadership in language instruction and international studies and is also nationally known for its programs in environmental studies.  As I mentioned, Middlebury is very selective.  Out of 8,533 applications that were received in the 2010-2011 year, only 1,500 were admitted for September and another 156 for February.  Students who are admitted to Middlebury are usually in the top 5-10% of their class with straight A’s in high level rigorous courses.  Even so, Middlebury simply only has so much space and will still reject some top students.  So, what do you need to get in (besides high GPA, SAT/ACT, etc)?  They said that they are impressed by candidates that show “passionate engagement” – not students who are involved in 15 different clubs and organizations, but are involved in a few things and are truly engaged and show leadership in those.  A remarkable essay can certainly help and they look for students who distinguish themselves by thinking outside the box and showing entrepreneurial thinking and leadership skills.

Middlebury actually encourages students to do a half year or full year off between high school and college to do some type of gap year program and they have recently begun a new initiative to encourage transfers from community colleges.  They accept students into both the traditional fall term, and also into the college at the start of their February term.  They believe that students who take the half year off and enroll in February typically bring more to their college experience and, as a result, derive more from it.  These students also hold a higher number of leadership positions on campus and, on average, perform better academically.  Middlebury believes that students benefit greatly from the opportunity to travel, work, or pursue other interests, and all of those options can help contribute to an even more enriching college experience.  Students who enter their freshman year in February are called “Febs.”  While Middlebury encourages this gap period, they do also recommend that students go through the college admissions process during the normal time their senior year and once admitted, then consider gap year options that are available.

www.middlebury.edu

University of Vermont, Burlington, VT

UVM was by far the largest school we saw at about 10,000 undergraduates.  At over 100 majors, they have a wide variety of programs to choose from.  They are split into 7 different colleges – Arts & Sciences, Agriculture and Life Sciences, Engineering and Math, Education and Social Services, Business Administration, Nursing and Health Sciences, Environment and Natural Resources.  Like many colleges we visited, they have a hands-on, experiential learning style and are committed to the environment and social justice.  They were actually one of the first colleges to ban plastic water bottles on campus! 

Because UVM is the largest school we saw, naturally class size is going to be larger – at about 31 and student/faculty ratio a little higher, at 17:1.  The most popular programs are business administration, biology/biological sciences, psychology, English, nursing, animal science, political science, environmental sciences, history, and mechanical engineering. 

A great part of UVM is that it offers undergraduate research opportunities for students.  Students assist faculty in research in a wide range of fields.  Several programs even provide research grants for undergrads.  UVM was one of the few colleges we saw that had Greek life – there are 16 fraternities/sororities (about 8% of students are involved).  Also maybe the only school to have Division I sports – 18 of them.  Housing is available at UVM all four years and about a little over half of students are residential. 

Because UVM is located in Burlington, students have the opportunity to be in a city-like atmosphere, with options for shopping, dining, museums, outdoor activities, etc.  While some of these other campuses are located in such rural areas, it is difficult to get that same college town feel that Burlington gives.

http://www.uvm.edu/

Overall Impressions

While Vermont has the highest number of colleges and universities per capita in the US, there is very little competition among the schools.  The admissions staff of the colleges works more on a collegial basis, making sure that each student has a good fit with the college.  For example, if a student applies to one college and the admissions counselor realizes it’s just not a good fit, he may call up an admissions rep at another college in VT and speak to why this particular student might be a great fit for another college.

Overall, Vermont is a gorgeous area.  There is a beautiful view from almost anywhere you are in the state.  At almost every college the landscape was just stunning.  It’s a completely different feel than being in a major city.  Most of the colleges, with the exception of UVM are small – fewer than 3,000 students and most are very small – under 1,000 students.  If you are looking for a small college where there is a small average class size, small student/faculty ratio and where professors know your name, provide support, and are accessible, Vermont may be perfect for you.  Many students at various schools told us that they “didn’t want to be just a number” and got the personal attention they needed and didn’t feel lost in the crowd.  Another thing I picked up was that almost every school had a very hands-on, experiential style of learning – the students learn most by doing and there was an emphasis on internships, community service, social justice, and an active student body.

There’s a different culture in Vermont.  People seem to be more laid back and friendly.  At many of the schools we saw students were just walking around campus barefoot – it is just a way of being that embodies many of the schools.  Because it’s Vermont and Vermont lacks diversity in general, many of these schools lack diversity, although they all seem to be trying very hard.  So, if you are looking for diversity among the student population, make sure you know what you are getting at the schools you choose to apply.

There is a huge outdoor culture in Vermont.  If you don’t like the outdoors, snow, and being active outside… you should probably re-think Vermont.  There is a huge ski / snowboard culture and many of the colleges give discounted rates and passes to the local mountains – of which there are many – Sugarbush, Stowe, Bolton Valley, Smugglers’ Notch, Jay Peak, Killington, Mount Snow, Stratton… etc.

http://vtcolleges.org/why-vermont/ski-areas.htm

You’ve really got to love the outdoors if you decide to go to Vermont.  There are so many different activities that you can be involved in and many students are – hiking, cross country skiing, snowmobiling, horseback riding, bicycling, climbing, whitewater boating, snow shoeing, mountain biking, rock climbing, fly-fishing, canoeing, camping, swimming….

Ultimately, YOU NEED TO VISIT (and spend the night if you can) to really understand what these colleges and communities are all about.  I had an idea of what I thought a few of these colleges were about, and you just can’t get a good picture from reading the website and brochure.  Even the virtual tours, while they do provide a good place to start, you need to actually step foot on campus and talk to real students to see what the college is all about.  This was such a fantastic experience, I am so grateful for everything I learned and all the wonderful people I met!

Any additional information to share about these colleges?  Leave your comments!

About Smart Track™ Toolkit: The toolkit is a web based service that assists families with everything from admissions and test prep, to student athletics and financial aid. Our intuitive software and on-demand workshops are key components to making sure students find their top choice colleges, and families can afford to send them there.

About the author: Laura Guarino is the Student Services Coordinator with the College Resource Center, LLC. Laura has a Bachelor's Degree in Human Development from Boston College and a Master’s Degree in School Guidance Counseling.  She is also enrolled in a certificate program in College Admissions Counseling.  Laura is at the forefront of the college admissions process for the families of The Smart Track™ Toolkit.

Connect with us

http://www.facebook.com/smarttracktoolkit

http://twitter.com/uchoosecollege

Vermont Colleges Trip Part V

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Green Mountain College, Poultney, VT

Green Mountain College is a small (750 students) environmentally based college with a strong focus on affordability.  In terms of the actual campus, there is a nice balance between the typical esthetically pleasing college buildings and the farm.  Green Mountain also has a satellite campus in Killington, VT for a 3-year Resort and Hospitality Management program where students work at the resort as part of their program (very cool!). 

At the heart of Green Mountain College’s environmental mission is a 37-credit Environmental Liberal Arts General Education Program, which all students complete.  The program combines the skills and content of a strong liberal arts course of study with a focus on the environment.  Like most other colleges, experiential learning is also central to education at GMC.  Students are encouraged to gain hands-on experiences through internships, service-learning opportunities and study abroad programs.

The college participates in NCAA Division III sports with 6 men’s and 6 women’s teams, including basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis, and volleyball.

A very cool thing about Green Mountain was their Green Mountain College Adventure Programming or GreenMAP.  GreenMAP provides low cost equipment rentals, recreational and instructional adventure programs, and the Wilderness Challenge, GMC’s wilderness orientation program for new students.  Within GreenMAP is the Trip Leader program, a leadership commitment combining structured experience development, activity specific training, wilderness medicine, mentoring, reflection, and evaluation.

Green Mountain College sits on a 123-acre campus on the Poultney River – divided into 3 regions – 39 acres of natural areas including the Poultney River buffer zone, 40 acres on Cerridwen Farm, and 44 acres of designed buildings, landscapes, and athletic fields.  This green space on the campus provides ecosystem services and is vital to education, research, and recreation.  The campus lands are essentially outdoor classrooms and field sites for projects for students and faculty.  They are used in practical application of skills learned in courses, and provide a healthy and attractive living area for the community.

http://www.greenmtn.edu

  

College of St. Joseph, Rutland, VT

St. Joseph’s is a small (400 students) Catholic career-focused liberal arts college located in the Green Mountains.  The college offers 30 career oriented majors, with most popular majors being Psychology & Human Services, Business, and Criminal Justice.  There is a focus on programs that yield licensure as well as a focus on internship and hands-on learning programs.  Their goal is for students to get the field experience they need to land a great job post-graduation.

While we were there, they highlighted the STEPS program (Students Taking an Effective Path to Success), which is a program for Vermont youth transitioning out of foster care.  The program runs through a partnership between the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation and the Vermont Department of Children and Families.  The college provides a supportive campus environment for these students so that they are able to earn a college degree, develop work skills, experience counseling and guidance, and become effective members of society.  Students accepted into the STEPS program will be provided with important services such as year-round housing and meal service as well as access to career and personal counseling.  These students must meet the usual academic requirements, including the submission of SAT or ACT scores.  STEPS students’ tuition and fees are covered by federal and state financial aid packages so the financial aid office works very closely with these students to make sure that college remains affordable.

http://www.csj.edu/

Castleton State College, Castleton, VT

Castleton State reminded me more of a typical college campus.  It’s a bit larger than what we’ve seen, at 1,900 undergraduates and houses 30 academic programs and majors, 20 intercollegiate sports (Div III) and many different clubs and activities.  The nursing program at Castleton is more selective and requires an additional review.  While the average GPA of admitted students is a 3.0, it is the minimum required to be considered for the nursing program (the only program with additional standards).  Castleton is also a leader in teacher education, where students become involved in fieldwork during their very first year.

In addition to nursing, some special programs Castleton offers are a 4+2 Occupational Therapy program and a 4+3 Physical Therapy program, in which students typically major in Health Science and then go on to a Doctoral Program.  Castleton also has a Communication program with focuses in Digital Media, Journalism, Mass Media, and Public Relations and has a pretty cool TV studio that we saw.

Like some of the other colleges have a focus on green energy and sustainability, Castleton State also has a Green Campus Initiative to improve the environment and work toward a sustainable future.  Initiatives include using “green” construction in new buildings, purchasing hybrid vehicles for the college fleet, reducing electric use by installing energy-efficient lights, and making recycling a way of life.

http://www.castleton.edu

Stay tuned for the FINAL leg of the trip!!

Coming up next... Middlebury College & University of Vermont and then an overview of the entire trip...

Any additional information to share about these colleges?  Leave your comments!

About Smart Track™ Toolkit: The toolkit is a web based service that assists families with everything from admissions and test prep, to student athletics and financial aid. Our intuitive software and on-demand workshops are key components to making sure students find their top choice colleges, and families can afford to send them there.

About the author: Laura Guarino is the Student Services Coordinator with the College Resource Center, LLC. Laura has a Bachelor's Degree in Human Development from Boston College and recently received her Master's Degree in School Guidance Counseling.  She is also enrolled in a certificate program in College Admissions Counseling.  Laura is at the forefront of the college admissions process for the families of The Smart Track™ Toolkit.

Connect with us

http://www.facebook.com/smarttracktoolkit

http://twitter.com/uchoosecollege

Vermont Colleges Trip Part III

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Norwich University, Northfield, VT

Norwich University was surprisingly one of my favorite visits and a one of a kind in terms of schools we visited.  First, it was absolutely beautiful.  Norwich is the oldest private military college in the United States.  Norwich is a partial-military school with about 2300 undergraduates, 1400 cadets and 900 civilians.  Interestingly, students who enter the university as a cadet have the option to transfer into the civilian population and students who graduate as cadets have no obligation to go into the military after.  I find this a great option for students who want a military education and learning environment but don’t want to commit to service post-graduation.  While 58-60% of students do enter the military after gradation, about 42% go into other levels, such as working for the government or other similar services.  All branches of ROTC are offered at Norwich (Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force).  Norwich is actually the birthplace of ROTC.  The staff at Norwich emphasized a safe environment with a very low crime rate, possibly due to the living honor code share by all students.

Norwich offers 20 different varsity sports at the Div III level, hockey being most popular on campus.  Cadets and civilians are integrated throughout the campus – they work together in classes, sports, clubs and extracurricular activities, etc.  They share almost every aspect of campus life except for housing.  Cadets must rise at 5:30am and have a very regimented schedule, something that Civilians simply didn’t sign up for. 

Impressively, there is a 98.1% placement rate within a student’s career field of study within 8 months of graduation. 

While we didn’t get a strong feeling of why civilians seek out Norwich, I assume that they are drawn by the university’s guiding values, integrity, leadership opportunities and structure that is provided.  Norwich is a small school and provides attention and a supportive community, much like the other Vermont schools we visited.

www.norwich.edu

Vermont Technical College, Randolph, VT

Vermont Technical is Vermont’s only technical college.  It has 9 campuses across the state and has a variety of programs including agriculture, equine studies, business, nursing, respiratory therapy, dental, auto tech, professional pilot tech, vet tech, engineering tech, computer information tech, and more.  On the main campus in Randolph which is located in the geographical center of the state, Vermont Technical has about 1600 students with residence halls for about 620. 

We were told that most students do leave campus on the weekends.  While we were assured that there are still students around and things to do on the weekends, if you are looking for a school where most students stay on campus, this school may not be for you.  Students coming to Vermont Technical should pretty much know what they want to study, as these are very specific, career oriented majors.  The college, like many others we saw, focuses on real-time, hands-on experience taught by professors who are experts in their field.

http://www.vtc.edu/

Landmark College, Putney, VT

Landmark College is unique in that it is a college exclusively for students with learning disabilities.  At a total undergrad population of 500 students, it offers multi-modal learning mostly in associate’s degree programs, although a Bachelor’s program was just approved for the fall (BA in Liberal Studies).  Prospective students must have a Learning Disability (LD), ADHD, or ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) to be considered.  About half of the students at Landmark transfer in after they have been unsuccessful elsewhere.

There are a few different entry points into the college.  Students can enter at credit level, at partial credit (reading and writing skills at 7-10 grade level), or a non-credit language intensive curriculum (significant difficulty in reading and writing).  The college has a very small student to faculty ratio at 5:1.  Students are provided with programs that are really tailored to students with learning difficulties.  As I mentioned there is a multi-modal delivery method of instruction, teaching that exposes the “hidden curriculum”, explicit skills instruction, and asynchronous materials organization.  Students have an advisor whom they meet with on a weekly basis who is also the primary contact for parents (high level of communication with parents at Landmark).  The school also provides students with different levels of assistive technology, such as Dragon and Kurziwel, and all textbooks are scanned and available digitally. 

Landmark is a highly residential campus with 98% of students living on campus. Associate programs include General Studies, Liberal Arts, Life Sciences, Computer Science / Game Design, Business Studies, and Business Administration.

Landmark is meant to be used as a stepping stone for students to discover the power of successful learning and the skills they need to be successful in their future academic pursuits.  The average stay for a student at Landmark is about 3 semesters.  There is a full transfer office to help students with the transfer process.  There is a direct correlation from length of stay at Landmark College to completion of a Bachelor’s degree program.  Of students that completed a full 2-year program, 80% go on to complete Bachelor’s degree programs.  The number one transfer college is University of Denver in Colorado but students go on to a variety of different places.

While Landmark is a bit pricy at $58,000, the entire amount can be tax deductable as a medical expense.  Families can also deduct travel expenses and book supplies.  Landmark is currently working towards making their college more affordable.

http://www.landmark.edu/

Stay tuned for the next leg of the trip!!

Coming up next... Marlboro College, Southern Vermont College, Bennington College...

About Smart Track™ Toolkit: The toolkit is a web based service that assists families with everything from admissions and test prep, to student athletics and financial aid. Our intuitive software and on-demand workshops are key components to making sure students find their top choice colleges, and families can afford to send them there.

About the author: Laura Guarino is the Student Services Coordinator with the College Resource Center, LLC. Laura has a degree in Human Development from Boston College and recently received her Master’s degree in School Guidance Counseling.  She is also enrolled in a certificate program in College Admissions Counseling.  Laura is at the forefront of the college admissions process for the families of The Smart Track™ Toolkit.

Connect with us

http://www.facebook.com/smarttracktoolkit

http://twitter.com/uchoosecollege

Vermont Colleges Trip Part II

Monday, April 23, 2012

Johnson State College, Johnson, VT

Johnson State is another small 4-year liberal arts college of about 2000 students (seeing a pattern here?) located in the heart of the Green Mountains.  The college offers about 25 bachelor’s, 3 master’s, 3 associate’s, 1 certificate, and 11 teacher licensure programs.  Johnson State became well known back in the day for its teacher training programs.  In 1962, Johnson State College assumed its current name and changed its mission from teacher-training to a college that teaches the liberal arts and prepares students for a variety of different professions.  It is clear that students come from all over to major in a range of programs here.

Like many of the other colleges we saw, Johnson State has a strong community service orientation.  The program SERVE on campus offers organized service opportunities that address specific social issues and community needs.  “SERVE Fri” is a program that offers many different local service opportunities for students every Friday through the year.  “Break Away” is an alternative spring break program that gives students the chance to engage in local, national, an international community service projects.

While our tour we had the privilege to see Johnson State’s athletic facility, SHAPE, which was recently renovated and includes exercise classes and equipment, swimming pool, rock wall, and more.  The campus also has 8 miles of cross-country trails, a snowboard park, and an 18-hole Frisbee-golf course.  Johnson State offers many Division III sports.  Varsity sports include cross-country, soccer, basketball, lacrosse, golf, tennis, softball, and volleyball.

http://www.jsc.edu/

Sterling College, Craftsbury, VT

Sterling College was a bit different than the other college’s we’ve seen thus far on the trip.  Like some of the others, it’s a very small liberal arts college (only about 125 students), but it’s located in a very rural region called the Northeast Kingdom (town of Craftsbury has population of only 1,300).  It has a heavy focus on environmental studies and commitment to grassroots sustainability.  Sterling works on a year-round calendar, with 3 full semesters (fall, spring, summer) and students are allowed to take any semester off and still maintain their full-time status. 

 

Also unique about Sterling is that it’s one of the only 7 “Work-Learning-Service” colleges in the US.  All students are required to work on campus, earning a portion of their tuition fees while also serving the community.  In terms of academics, as I mentioned it has a serious environmental studies focus, the areas of study include Sustainable Agriculture, Conservation Ecology, Outdoor Education, Natural History, and Environmental Humanities.  Sterling is a very hands-on, experiential learning environment.  Frequent field trips are held and there’s a balance between the hands-on and the traditional classroom experience.  

While Sterling is a very non-traditional college with a specific focus, it’s good to know that 90% of graduates find jobs or go to graduate school within 6 months of graduation (the majority of graduates find jobs related to their field of study). 

Did I mention that Sterling is on a farm?  Components of the Sterling Farm include vegetable production, livestock management, woodlot management, and draft horse management.  The focus of the farm is to support courses in the Sustainable Agriculture major, to produce food and model what true farms must focus on (productivity), and as the work program and general farm experience for the students of sterling as it serves as a job site for many students working in the program.

http://www.sterlingcollege.edu/

Lyndon State College, Lyndonville, VT

Lyndon State was more of a traditional style college and college campus.  Similar to Sterling in that it has a focus on environmental majors and experiential learning (many of the Vermont colleges do), although nothing alike in terms of the actual campus and a much different type of student that attends.  In terms of academic programs, they emphasized their Atmospheric Sciences / Meteorology program which seemed very impressive.  Their broadcast curriculum is known to be one of the best in the country, as their Department of Electronic Journalism Arts is Emmy award-winning!  The college has a student-produced daily newscast (we saw the facilities, pretty cool!) which includes a forecast prepared and presented on camera by student meteorologists.  The college also has a Weather Center, providing live weather observations from the campus weather station.  A notable alumni of Lyndon is Jim Cantore of The Weather Channel!  Lyndon’s network of nearly a thousand alumni working across the country for organizations like Time-Warner, ESPN, National Geographic, the Weather Channel, and local affiliates of Fox, ABC, NBC, and CBS networks help guide the curriculum and place their graduates.

Another major that was emphasized was their Music Business and Industry program. Concentrations in music, business, production, or digital media provide students with the foundation for success in a variety of career fields both in and outside of the recording studio.  One of the well known faculty members of this program is Joseph Gittleman, the bass guitar player for The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, who students were raving about!  Other program Partners include Halogen Records, Tisbury Tours, Big Heavy World, Charles Eller Studios, and Tamarack Grill at Burke Mountain Ski Resort.

Because so many students go into college undecided, Lyndon has a special program called “Explorations”, which is an experiential, comprehensive program for freshman and sophomores.  This program supports students who are actively investigating a variety of undergraduate majors and career options.  They take elective courses in fields of study they are interested plus required General Ed courses in the arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences.  Ultimately, the program helps students define and redefine their interests, skills, and aspirations so that they can choose a major in confidence.

http://www.lyndonstate.edu/

New England Culinary Institute, Montpelier, VT

NECI was a different type of college, as it’s a culinary school.  It’s located in downtown Montpelier and has about 300 students.  The school has three different programs – culinary arts, baking and pastry arts, and hospitality and restaurant management.  Every resident program at NECI includes an internship in the industry that helps define a student’s future career.  At NECI, their restaurants are their classrooms, and students are expected to perform under real-life working conditions. 

While NECI isn’t your traditional college offering a liberal arts degree, students are still active on and off camps.  Full-time students are provided memberships at local health and fitness centers and of course there are abundant seasonal opportunities for outdoor recreational activities including hiking, biking, kayaking, skiing, snowboarding, etc.  NECI also has many different speakers and guest lectures come to campus to introduce students to new trends in the culinary and hospitality fields, as well as exposure to experts in all aspects of the food and beverage industry.  NECI also encourages students to be active in community service events.  For example, students will cook for soup kitchens, conduct demonstrations at local schools, assist at the local foodbank, and participate in community events.  There is a Service Learning component in each program which helps foster a culture of community involvement.

In regards to admission, NECI considers the following while reviewing applications: industry understanding and experience (e.g., work experience, vocational classes), academics, essay, interest, motivation, and passion for the industry, extracurricular activities, vocational activities, online learning survey, and an admissions interview.

If you are interested in a career in the field of culinary arts, baking and pastry arts, or hospitality and restaurant management, NECI may be perfect for you.  However, make sure that you have some kind of a job in the field before you apply.  NECI wants students who are serious about a career in this field and prefer students who already have some experience.  Just because you watch the food network and think you may enjoy a career in this area, doesn’t mean a whole lot!  Get involved and try to get a part-time job, internship, job shadowing experience, etc. in a restaurant, pastry shop, somewhere you can really explore your passion and get an idea of if this field is right for you.

Oh and by the way, we were lucky enough to be treated by a 3-course meal prepared by NECI students and believe me it was delicious!

www.neci.edu

Stay tuned for the next leg of the trip!!

Coming up next... Norwich University, Vermont Technical College, Landmark College...

About Smart Track™ Toolkit: The toolkit is a web based service that assists families with everything from admissions and test prep, to student athletics and financial aid. Our intuitive software and on-demand workshops are key components to making sure students find their top choice colleges, and families can afford to send them there.

About the author: Laura Guarino is the Student Services Coordinator with the College Resource Center, LLC. Laura has a degree in Human Development from Boston College and recently received her Master’s degree in School Guidance Counseling.  She is also enrolled in a certificate program in College Admissions Counseling.  Laura is at the forefront of the college admissions process for the families of The Smart Track™ Toolkit.

Connect with us

http://www.facebook.com/smarttracktoolkit

http://twitter.com/uchoosecollege

Vermont Colleges Trip Part I

Recently, our Student Services Coordinator, Laura, had the opportunity to go on a college bus tour of 18 colleges across the state of Vermont.  New England has such a rich variety of higher educational opportunities and Vermont is clearly no exception.  Below she’ll outline her experience and give you an idea about each school and what it has to offer.  

Click here for a map of Vermont to see where exactly all of the colleges are located

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Champlain College, Burlington, VT

Our first stop on the tour was Champlain College in Burlington.  Champlain College is a small school with about 2000 students.  In terms of majors and programs, Champlain has 4 different divisions: Business, Communication & Creative Media, Education & Human Studies, Information Technology & Sciences.  The most popular major this past year was Psychology and the most popular cluster was “Digital Games” – which includes majors and specializations among the different divisions - Game Production Management, Game Media, Game Art & Animation, Game Design, Game Design & Digital Media, Game Writing, Game Programming.  Their Digital Forensic Science program is also becoming more and more popular.

Unique to Champlain, they have instituted an “upside down educational program” where students engage in classes associated with their major as soon as they enroll.  This way, they can feel that all of their classes connect and relate with one another.  They can explore their major, take on internships earlier, and determine areas of particular interest for specialization and then have four full years to develop the necessary skills that are vital for their professional success.  Champlain provides numerous internship opportunities for students beginning very early on in their college career and are available to students every year they are in college.  Because Champlain is a small school, the professors are able to provide personal attention and support to their students.  The student to faculty ratio is 15:1 and the average class size is about 18 students. 

A very important statistic is that 90% of Champlain graduates are employed in their field of study within 6 months of graduation.  Not only are most Champlain grads getting jobs, but 90% are getting jobs within their direct field of study right out of graduation.  Impressive!  A unique program at Champlain was their LEAD (Life Experience and Action Dimension) program, which is a four-year program for all students designed to help students develop practical life skills that are meaningful and useful and will serve them throughout their entire life. 

City of Burlington

Champlain is one of the three colleges we visited in Burlington, VT.  For a student that wants their higher educational experience to be located in Vermont but also wants to be close to a city-like atmosphere, Burlington is perfect.  Burlington was close enough for students to walk into town to find entertainment, shopping, restaurants, the Lake Champlain water front, etc.  Burlington has the look, feel, charm and friendliness of a small town but the lifestyle, music, food, and arts of a larger city.

www.champlain.edu

Burlington College, Burlington, VT

The second school we saw, also in Burlington, was Burlington College.  Burlington College is a very unique, non-traditional, 40 year old progressive liberal arts school.  With only 200 students (50% being from Vermont), Burlington College is a very small school where students can create their own major and program of study and have a lot of input on their learning goals within the curriculum.  Burlington College attracts somewhat of an older student (average student age is 23), as many of their students are transfer students who go to large colleges and then transfer to Burlington to find the comfort and support of a very small college with intense academic advising and support from professors.  Currently, the entire college is housed in one large brick building, almost like a high school, so definitely make sure you want that intimate feel.  When asked where the library was, they said they had some books in the gym… this was probably due to the fact that they are currently renovating a large part of the building which used to be an old orphanage, where they will house their new library.  Housing is also a little different at Burlington – there are only 45 spots on campus and are for first year students only.  It is not, however, your traditional dorm style living.  There is also no dining hall or meal plan on campus.  Students need to go grocery shopping and cook for themselves, so make sure that you are aware and ready for that kind of non-traditional first year (and beyond) experience.

In terms of programs, the most popular program is their Cinema Studies and Film Production program that houses about ¼ of the students.  An individualized major that the student creates themselves is also very popular along with Photography, Writing & Literature, Human Services, Psychology, and Wood Working.  Internships are a requirement for graduation from all programs.  The grading system at Burlington is also less traditional.  60% of students don’t receive letter grades for their work in class.  They will either receive credit, receive low-credit, or a low-pass.  Burlington College does see the functional need of traditional grades and a more traditional GPA system for financial aid, admissions to graduate school, and other regulations that are based on GPA, so they are moving towards a more traditional system.

It should be noted that for first generation college students (and other college students) who find the entire college admissions and application process completely overwhelming, Burlington College feels as though they work very well with these types of students, giving them a lot of support during the admissions process.  While Burlington College is so very small, they do have plans to grow to about 300 students as soon as possible and then eventually grow to about 500-750 students, although they are committed to being a small school on a small campus that caters to the needs of its students.

If you are interested in Burlington College, I highly suggest that you go visit it.  It is a very small, non-traditional school like many we saw on our trip.  You can only get a good idea of what it will be like being a student there if you actual step foot on the campus (although this applies to any school).

https://www.burlington.edu/

Saint Michael’s College, Colchester, VT

Saint Michael’s College, or “St. Mike’s”, is a small (or large compared to what we saw all week!) Catholic college of about 2000 students only about 7 miles (less than 10 minutes) from Burlington.  It is unique in that it is a fully residential college, meaning 100% of students live on campus.  This makes for a very tight community and a close-knit feel across campus.  The college is very service-oriented, which a lot of Catholic schools are.  More than 70% of students at St. Mike’s participate in some kind of service project through their MOVE program (Mobilization of Volunteer Efforts). 

A selling feature for St. Mikes is that it provides research opportunities to its undergrads.  Students can choose from course-based research for academic credit, independent research with faculty, summer research, or summer research through the Center for Social Science Research.  Internships are also available to all students.

Another cool part of St. Mike’s is the online blogs that students follow.  They post quite often and prospective students can get a feel for what the community life is really like there.  This is the blog from our tour guide, Marci - http://marcismcbloggers.blogspot.com/p/about-me.html

The majority of students come from somewhere in New England (80%) with the largest percent coming from Massachusetts (27%), which I thought was interesting.  So if you are from outside of New England, you have even more reason to go see what it’s like and make sure that you will feel at home there.  In terms of academic programs, students have the ability to choose from 30 different liberal arts and science majors as well as Pre-Law, Pre-Med, or Pre-Pharmacy. 

From what I got from our tour guide and other students, the student population is very active on campus.  There are about 40 different student organizations and 25 intramural teams (in addition to 21 Div II Varsity sports).  Our tour guide and other students we spoke with were involved in many different clubs, sports, and organizations on campus.  While we only saw the main campus, there is another campus called North campus that is less than a mile away and houses student residences and studio arts facilities as well as a dining hall.

An interesting thing that they did on our visit was that they didn’t show us any dorm room or housing option – instead they played a video for us that showed us all of the different kinds of housing available to students, since all 4 years are guaranteed and expected that students will live on campus.  This should link you to the video we saw of all of their housing options, cleverly called “SMC Kribs”: Click here to view

http://www.smcvt.edu/

Stay tuned for the next leg of the trip!!

Coming up next... Johnson State College, Sterling College, Lyndon State College, New England Culinary Institute...

About Smart Track™ Toolkit: The toolkit is a web based service that assists families with everything from admissions and test prep, to student athletics and financial aid. Our intuitive software and on-demand workshops are key components to making sure students find their top choice colleges, and families can afford to send them there.

About the author: Laura Guarino is the Student Services Coordinator with the College Resource Center, LLC. Laura has her BA in Human Development from Boston College and MS in School Counseling from Fitchburg State University.  She is also enrolled in a certificate program in College Admissions Counseling.  Laura is at the forefront of the college admissions process for the families of The Smart Track™ Toolkit.

Connect with us

http://www.facebook.com/smarttracktoolkit

http://twitter.com/uchoosecollege