How to Pick a College Financial Literacy Program

According to recent reports there is a financial crisis sweeping the country has affected everybody, but college student have been some of the hardest hit. Many people forget to consider is how it will affect their children's college education.

Now days it is tough to get a student loan and this is even affecting many current students. Unfortunately, more are more students are dropping out of college due to financial reasons. Many universities have made cuts to their class schedule which forces many college students to stay in school for several more years to earn their degree. This often leaves them with a large college debt bill when they finally do graduate.

One of the best things one can do in a climate of economic challenge is to get a college education. For many high school students, a college education is something they were working towards for many years. Yet when many do graduate high school they are unprepared for the financial challenges that await them in college.

Since financial education is not required in most high schools and many parents are not able to teach this to their children either - it is up to colleges to give them a financial literacy program they need to succeed. This not only will help the students but also the colleges themselves. College financial literacy programs will help them retain students, boost their graduation rate and earn a highly respected reputation.

Providing a college financial literacy program will help your students be responsible with their money and this is a crucial part of preparing them for college and beyond. One great way to do this is through college financial literacy programs and we'll take a look at how these programs can make a difference in your student's college success.

College Scholarships For Latino Students

The Latino community is one of the largest minority groups in the United States. Surveys also show that there are many students of Hispanic origin who fail to finish college due to lack of income from their families and less opportunities provided to them. Like so many minority groups, the Hispanic community has been offered limited choices when it comes to free college education.

But with the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, more and more Latino students have been able to make it through college despite their lack of financial backing or the increasing rate of college tuition costs. Among the avid supporters of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund is the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Created by the Microsoft founder and his wife, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation aims to provide academic opportunities to the promising members of the minorities through the Gates Millennium Scholars initiative. Apart from Hispanics, the program also caters to Asians, Eskimos, Native Americans, and African-American students who show potential as future leaders in their chosen fields.

The Hispanic culture in the United States is rich and well-cultivated. In an effort to keep the Hispanic tradition alive, many private organizations have invested in funding various academic programs to help students with Hispanic origin to succeed in college. Among the well-known scholarships for the Hispanic students include the ExxonMobil Scholarship, the Atrisco Heritage Foundation Scholarship, and the Wells Fargo Scholarship.

Many Latino students have succeeded through the help of these programs, although there are a large number of Latinos who drop out of college. If you want to succeed in life, a college degree is one of the things that could help you out. If you believe you qualify for such endowment, then do not hesitate to apply and take charge of your life.

High School Superstar - College Nobody

The superstar athlete who has received every award, all the praise from fans and admirers and hangers-on now has to live up to all of the hype and produce at the college level. Many great high school players sometimes do not make the transition to college superstar status. In high school, many of these superstar athletes were the best on their teams, they showed great athletic ability, superior athletic skills and, at game time, no one could compete with them.

These athletes stood alone; they were unmatched because there was no competition for them to worry about. As these athletes compete, they gain confidence knowing that they are the best in their city and in their community. They shine head and shoulders above everyone who plays their sport. The transition to college, in their minds, will be easy because they have had it easy their entire athletic career while in high school.

These days, athletes receive so much coverage from so many places; magazines, website message boards, they are written about on blogs and talked about on TV as though they were the greatest athlete to have ever played. This type of hype can be dangerous when dealing with teenagers who have no life experience and may not be able to handle the pressure.

All of their athletic lives, they felt no pressure and they've dealt with very little adversity because, as a superior athlete, everything is given to you--everything in the sport world is easy. The transition to college can be difficult for many student athletes who have never lived away from home or dealt with the adversity because once you are at a college athletic program, all the players are good, all the players were also the best at their respective schools therefore, the competition is greater than many of these athletes has ever had to deal with--ever.

For every Lebron James who was a superstar basketball player, there are millions more who wish to be like a Lebron James but fail to achieve any level of success. All over the country, student athletes from all sports believe in their minds that they too will be a success at the college level; they believe college athletics will come easy to them just like it did in high school. Ego plays a large part in athletic failure.

College Student Success Strategies

Succeeding in college is not all that difficult. Freshmen enter the "Halls of Ivy" with optimism and trepidation. They soon learn that it isn't always the smartest students who do the best.

The keys to success in college can be categorized into a few principles:

PERSISTENCE
Often it is the "last ones standing" that walk down the aisle to receive their diploma. Life happens along the way. Health problems, financial difficulties, family problems, etc., are common. Most students are trying to balance work and school, and many are raising a family, too. And, a large number of students today are single parents. It's easy to get discouraged when so many stressors are competing for our time and attention. The simplest solution may appear to be to drop out. However, it seldom is.

So, hang in there and realize that endurance is the most important factor in getting your degree.

PATIENCE
Be patient with yourself and your instructors. Patience will help avoid the escalation of trivial matters into major problems. Most of all, be gentle with yourself. Take matters in stride and you will not experience the degree of stress that leads to impulsivity and poor decisions.

FLEXIBILITY
In college, as the rest of life, things happen. Schedules change, instructors change, rooms change, curricula change, grading standards change, textbooks change, classmates change, etc. Don't let these changes "throw" you.

Many students get frustrated or upset at frequent changes. Yet, their education is intended to help them successfully navigate an unpredictable world full of frequent and profound change.

One of the major difficulties for many students is adapting to the different teaching styles, personalities and manner of the faculty. All students have their "favorites."   They expect faculty to adapt to them, instead of them adapting to their instructor. Just as in the workplace they will have to adjust to, and satisfy the expectations of their superiors (bosses); in the classroom they will have to adjust to the style and expectations of their teacher. In the business world if they fail to meet the standards for performance set by their employer, they will receive poor evaluations. In the classroom these evaluations are called GRADES.

Brainwave Entrainment Is a Beneficial Way to Cope With The Stress Of Going To College

It is no surprise that college students find life very stressful. High expectations, from parents, the college, and themselves, being away from home for the first time-sometimes very far away from home, and trying to enter the adult world in a mature way, can sometimes leave a college student feeling overwhelmed. Being stressed can leave them feeling depressed and unable to cope or function, which in turn, leads to feelings of despair and possible suicide.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students.

The Associated Press and mtvU, a college TV station, conducted a survey that found that four out of ten college students reported feeling stressed often, one out of five reported that they felt stressed most of the time, one out of four students, experienced daily stress, and one in ten had thoughts of suicide.

Why Students Feel Stressed
In the beginning of their school career, they work hard and the energy needed to succeed is at a high. As time moves one, they lose some of that energy and start to slow down. When that starts to happen, they start procrastinate and stop doing all of their course assignments. They are unmotivated, at this point, because they are mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted...the ultimate of being stressed out.
There is a great amount of pressure to do better than "well."
The amount of school work is gigantic, and not like in high school, they are pretty much left on their own on how they are supposed to digest the vast amount of information.
Because it all seems overwhelming, they may even start skipping classes, the guilt of which (especially if their folks helped pay for their education) incapacitates them.
There is a strong need to be socially accepted. Going to college generally means that they had to leave some of their friends behind so they need to find new friends. If they are not confident with social situations, this alone in itself, can cause them to be over-stressed.
To feel accepted by their new group of friends, they may do things to their mind and body that they know aren't good for health's sake...like drinking, partying, or doing drugs. This kind of action makes it hard to go to class in the morning or to write exams, or to study.
They can get homesick...a loneliness of the heart, that is very real and has physical symptoms.
They are cut off from their family, in a sense, most of the time because they are so far away. Problems that may be developing at home are out of their control, so they may be worried about their loved ones and feeling guilty because they cannot be there and help.
After a while, there doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day so they sleep and eat less, and don't socialize anymore because they're failing or getting way too far behind...and don't even talk about getting fresh air and exercise...there isn't any time.
The pressure to succeed in their school work eventually causes them to feel defeated and hopeless.........they "burn out." They are depressed and may drop out college or out of life, if they don't do something to help themself.

It Takes Grit to Be Successful in College

Angela Duckworth, professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, says that college students need "grit" in order to succeed in college. Duckworth defines grit as "the ability to stick with things over the long term." Duckworth is right: in order to be successful in college, a student must persevere.

Duckworth explains that, in general, people are interested in the novel and new-when things are exciting. But as the newness wears off, that interest/hobby/project becomes routine and requires practice, effort, and dedication to continue. Those without grit lose their staying power, effectively derailing themselves from mastering whatever the new interest was-tennis, piano, a foreign language. If that new and novel interest was college, the student without tenacity may quit trying, may let social activities overtake studies, or may just stop showing up for class. It takes a gritty college student to successfully stick-it-out through those boring required classes, and to successfully figure out time and priorities.

Just how does a college student "get grit?" It should come from his or her living and learning environment, both school and home. Of course, not all environments promote tenacity, not even some well-meaning school environments. Duckworth studied some high-performing charter schools that are successful at raising their students' achievement levels, but she found that high performance did not necessarily transfer to college success. Many of these charter schools hold a "no fail" policy, which means teachers and administrators provide a scaffolding to keep their students from any failure while under the school's care. Teachers may tell students to call them at home, at any hour, if they are struggling with an assignment, or teachers may meet with students outside of school hours, at the student's convenience, to work through math problems or a writing assignment. When these same students get to college, they often collapse, unable to figure out how to succeed academically on their own, unable to figure out the college bureaucratic requirements, or unable to deal with roommate conflicts.

Why Latino Men Aren't Getting Their Fair Share of College Degrees

"Education can be a catalyst to achieving a wide variety of goals," says University of Phoenix faculty member Dr. Chris Mendoza. Mendoza's life story is testament to that statement: Though he graduated high school reading at a "seventh or eighth grade level," through application and hard work he moved up the educational ladder, earning a college degree (University of Texas at El Paso, 1981), an MBA, and a doctorate in business administration (University of Phoenix, 2007). He is now a successful executive who heads the recruiting and marketing department for a division of a Fortune 200 financial services company.

Stories like Mendoza's are becoming more common as Latino immigrants come to the U.S., make a better living, and send their children to college. Though the situation is improving, Latinos still have yet to catch up to other ethnicities in educational achievement. Latinos are the least educated major population group in the nation, with Latino males only having an average of 10.6 years of schooling, compared with an average of 12.2 years for black males and 13.3 years for white males.1 Only 11% of Latinos ages 25 and over have a bachelor's degree, versus 29% of whites and 25% of other non-Hispanics.2.

The problem is not that Latinos are failing to attend college, or that they lack understanding of the value of an education. In fact, only Asian high school graduates attend college at higher rates than do Latinos.3 Nearly 9 out of 10 (88%) Hispanics ages 18 to 25 say that college is important for getting ahead in life, and 77% say their parents think going to college is the most important thing they can do after high school.4 The issue of concern is that too many Latinos are leaving college without earning a degree.

Also of interest is the fact that Latino women are outpacing Latino men in terms of educational attainment. In 2006, for example, only 41% of Latino undergraduates were male.5 This disparity is all the more startling given that the gender gap seems to be leveling off for males of other ethnicities.6.

In part, the difference in Latinos' and Latinas' educational achievement can be explained by the fact that more Latinas go back to school as adults (ages 25 and up). But many other factors-cultural, societal, and economic-intertwine to explain both the gender gap and why Latinos are not earning postsecondary degrees at a rate proportional to other ethnic groups. Many Latino Men Feel Pressure to Enter the Workforce Rather than Pursue a Degree.

Most Latino students are nontraditional students: Many are over 25, attend school part-time, opt for two-year programs rather than four-year ones, and have parents, children, spouses, or other family members to support.7 The selfsame factors that make a student nontraditional, however, have been identified as risk factors for degree noncompletion by the U.S. Department of Education.8.

And a large number of these students work while attending school, which may be one reason why they opt to attend school part-time. In many low-income or working-class immigrant families, young people feel a responsibility to contribute to the family's income as soon as they are old enough to work. A sizeable proportion of young immigrants drop out of high school in order to work full time. (Second-generation Latinos ages 16 to 19, in contrast, are four times more likely to be in school and not working at all than immigrants from their same age group.)9 Nearly three-quarters of 16- to 25-year old Latinos who had ended their education while in or shortly after high school say they did so in order to support their families.10 This emphasis on work may be one reason fewer Hispanic men than women attain college degrees.

Good Writing Skills Are Essential to College Success

College students are expected to use writing to show in-depth knowledge. To be successful writers in college, students need strong skills in documented research writing, and they must practice editing and revision. Students are supposed to learn how to write in elementary, middle, and high school, but not all students are adequately prepared to write a well organized, logical essay. For whatever reason, in many of today's middle and high schools, students graduate without ever being required to write a formal paper complete with footnotes or in-text citations, bibliography, and a well-organized presentation of the material. Without good writing skills, those students who go on to college will struggle to succeed academically.

In fact, Dr. David Conley, Professor of Educational Policy and Leadership in the College of Education at the University of Oregon, stated in one of his many papers on college readiness: "The ability to write well is the single academic skill most closely associated with college success..."

Often, middle and high school teachers feel pressed just to cover the required material, much less assign a documented research paper. It takes a long time to grade 80 to 130 multiple-page essays and give adequate feedback for the student. Sometimes teachers have to choose between assigning a paper and covering all the required material for a unit.

When middle or high school students are assigned a paper, they sometimes take several weeks to write it; the teacher often takes them through the process step by step. Even so, many student put off any writing until the last minute, then rush to get the assignment done, and seldom proofread or edit-unless that process is covered in class-a process that definitely will not happen in college. In college, students are often given multiple papers to write per semester in more than one class. College students must write in an academic style that requires critical thinking with ideas and supporting detail clearly expressed, all grammatically correct at the time it is turned in. Students need to learn, while still in middle and high school, to use both spell-check and grammar-check, but understand that the computer does not catch all errors (is it there, their, or they're?). They must proofread the final document before turning it in.

One serious problem in college writing, and even in high school, is the temptation to plagiarize. Too many students are tempted by the increasing availability of papers for purchase from online sources. Students that plagiarize are cheating themselves of the learning experiences involved in developing and using his or her writing skills-skills that they will need to succeed in whatever occupation they find themselves.

College Students With Learning Disabilities - Critical Survival Skills

Are you a freshman college student with a learning disability? If so, you probably find yourself in need of a new, reliable support system. The general rule is that students with learning disabilities in college need approximately twice the support they received in high school.

In her 1991 study, Dr. Joan M. McGuire, Associate Director of the Center on Postsecondary Education and Disability at the University of Connecticut, reports that many college-bound students with learning disabilities fail to understand the demands that they are about to encounter in the postsecondary setting. Thus, they end up overwhelmed by the quantity of material and speed of instruction. Likewise, many college students with LD lack the skills and strategies that are important for managing and monitoring learning in various milieus. In order to survive and succeed in college, students must have a well-devised plan which includes an arsenal of skills and strategies, ready to use at a moment's notice.

Far too many students with learning disabilities think that that if they are interested in college and motivated to learn, they will succeed. Unfortunately, interest and motivation are not enough. According to Robert A. Carman and W. Royce Adams, authors of Study Skills, A Student's Guide to Survival (1984, 2nd edition), without proper training, a student cannot expect to succeed in college. Thousands of students in this cohort, however, actually think they can navigate college successfully despite their lack of basic skills in like reading, writing, and math.

Choosing appropriate courses and enrolling for classes can be thorns in the side of any student, but they are far more so for students with learning disorders.

College Success - 7 Steps for Succeeding in College

What does it take to be a college success in today's world? It' s the same as it has always been, work a bit longer than what others are willing to do and spend a little more time planning instead of playing and you will be successful. Extremely successful.

Here are 7 steps that will help make you a college success.

Focus on your goals constantly. Put your goals in writing and place them where you will be reminded of them regularly. Never allow yourself to forget why you are working so hard.

Create a healthy and personalized study environment. Some people need complete silence; some need background noise (instrumental music, white noise, etc.) Some work best sitting at a desk, some lying on a bed. Build the environment that works best for you, but be honest; you can listen to your favorite band another time.

Don' t miss class! You can't pass a class you don't attend. Be in class on time, every time and sit in the front of the class for optimum learning.

Take and organize your notes. You need to take notes and keep them organized. Date and number the pages and keep them in a notebook in the order you produced them. Highlight the terms, names, and facts that seem to stand out from the rest.

Develop a study group. Form a study group with other serious students. Meet regularly to compare and exchange notes or take turns preparing an outline for the entire group.

Write things down! Writing involves two additional senses beyond hearing and multiplies the retention by at least 40%. Rewrite your notes the first chance you have an opportunity to do so, this will reinforce the material in your mind and increase retention. Even write things like assignments, due dates, assigned reading, and anything else you think is important.

Believe YOU can do it. You are what you think you are. In order to be a college success you must believe that you can be a success.

If you truly desire to be a college success then you will take immediate ACTION on the above seven guidelines. It will not be easy. You must have determination, persistence and discipline. But the rewards will be great.

Tips To Help You Succeed In College

The entire college experience can seem a bit overwhelming, especially to incoming freshmen. Take control of your university education. Don't just let college happen to you, attack it with passionate curiosity. Have faith in you abilities, and have a proactive approach when it comes to achieving your goals.

Here are seven tips that'll help you succeed in college:

Be original.
Professors like original thinkers, so think outside the box. Don't follow the majority. If everyone in your class is turning in the same essay, with the same recycled points that they heard during lecture, your original paper will stick out like there's no tomorrow. That's a good thing. Be ambitious with your efforts, and tie in a bunch of different perspectives into one unique, well-argued point.

Don't be preachy.
You will see your fellow students making long speeches about topics they no little about. That's just a part of going to college. Don't get into the habit of preaching. Let the kids around figure out their own ideas. It's not your responsibility to mold the minds of your classmates. Just worry about your own business, and let other people stand on the soap box.

Become friends with your professors.
Many of your professors are cool people who possess a strong desire to help out interested and interesting students. Distinguish yourself from your classmates by having quality conversations with your professors during office hours. The more a professor likes you, the better you will perform. Don't brown-nose in these situations, just have honest debates about subjects that interest you.

Strategies in Transitioning to College

Many students think of studying in college to be scary, even traumatic. Others resort to two years in community colleges or vocational courses thinking the pressures would be lessened only to find out that they will encounter the same stumbling blocks. Even students who did well in high school had a thing or two to learn in college. The transition from high school to college brings a lot of challenges that require enormous adjustments for students.

Important factors to succeed in college greatly depend on your maturity level, capability to handle your independence and manage your time effectively. The sooner you can adapt to changes and convert the pressures into challenges, the easier you can be on your track to succeed.

There a few pointers that will help you effectively handle your transition to college.

Set your mind on your Purpose
Your primary goal as to why you're in college is to earn a degree. As your priority you have to direct all your plans and strategies towards achieving this purpose.

Do not be disoriented by the immense freedom you are experiencing, instead develop a sense of independence and take responsibility for yourself. It is crucial that you learn self discipline and independence management in college to hurdle the obstacles you will encounter.

Be organized
Develop an organization system that works for you. Make a calendar book, file researches and reports, sort and label your materials, use file cards, etc. to organize your stuff. This system will minimize the clutter in your room and you won't waste time finding something you immediately need.

Schedule
Be vigilant in making good use of your time. Classes in college offers more flexibility compared with high school classes, which are structured. You can choose the time and subjects you want. Create a schedule that suits you (for example, do not take morning classes if you perform less in the mornings or, contrariwise, schedule math courses in the morning if that is when you are at the peak of your performance). Put yourself on a schedule that maximizes your priorities and helps you use your time efficiently. Maintain a planner and try to balance academics and your social life. The best value you can get out of your college experience is maybe an 80/20 ratio of studies and social life.

A Look at the Houston Community College System

Seven Community Colleges location with the Houston, Texas area make up the Houston Community College System. These colleges work together to provide every individual within the region an opportunity to take advantage of the opportunities that are offered.

Working together the colleges have created courses and programs that address the special needs of many of the diverse population that live in Texas and attend the HCCS. In order to provide everyone with an opportunity to enter the college system and succeed the HCCS administration have made the entrance requirements for the colleges very lenient when compared to other college districts.

Students can attend HSSC through distance learning where they receive college credits. The colleges have set up ESL centers to provide students who need to learn English a positive environment to excel. Adults who want to complete high school will find an Adult Learning program designed especially for them. The faculty work diligently to encourage students from the time they first enter the HCCS system and help them to succeed.

A simple questionnaire walks every individual wishing to attend Houston Community College System through a set of questions that helps them to recognize their major interest. Students find that they may be interested in a field that they had not thought about before. One of the parts of the questionnaire asks the individual if the education is for immediate entry into the workforce or if it for higher education. Upon making a selection the individual is walked through the steps to establish a plan for meeting their objectives.

For students wishing to use their education to enter the workforce immediately the college has designed programs that meet those needs. These job training programs offer students courses that provide them with college credit as well as job training. For many students this unique programs gives them an opportunity before committing to decide that they want to do something differently.

Programs designed for students leaving high school and entering the college environment for the first time are found in the College Connection. This center helps young high school students gain the maturity and knowledge that they need to succeed in college. They are also prepared for higher education that will follow their community college experience.

College Students - Finding A Job and Success

"Everybody had one before they lost - a chance"

This is your chance. Make the most of it. It might be the best one you ever get.
It's often been said that those who do not plan for their future won't have one. You will have one of course, but maybe not the type you were hoping for. The best way to have a good future is not to become the victim of circumstances, but to do what needs to be done to be successful. This is not the time to procrastinate or to do less than you're capable of. Your future starts now. What you do today creates your tomorrows.

Success
Success is not what others say it is, it's what you say it is. Ask yourself what's important to you as you go through life and design a plan to achieve your goals. This type of planning is no different than what organizations do. It's called "organizational planning" when it's for a business or not for profit entity. In either case, it involves people working to accomplish worthwhile objectives. For businesses, the primary goal is to generate profit for its owners, and for not for profit organizations, the goal is to work toward some higher purpose.

Managing yourself is what I call "Personal Management". You need to be able to develop your own goals and to do what is necessary to achieve them. It is difficult to be a good manager of others if you can't properly manage your own affairs.

Elemental Steps To Success
Education is one of the most important keys to success. At a minimum, work to obtain your four year bachelor's degree, and obtain higher education beyond that if it's beneficial to you, in whatever career you choose. Now that you have begun your college education, don't stop until you obtain your four year degree or obtain training in a field that is in demand. Colleges have many career programs in dental hygiene, laser technology, paralegal education and others. If you do not prepare yourself in either of these ways, your life is likely to be far more difficult financially than it has to be.

Succeeding in College of Nursing

One of the most in demand careers nowadays is nursing, and for many good reasons. The pay is just among one and it's come to be a career choice that many are interested in choosing. There are more and more schools dedicated to training you to become a nurse, and the college of nursing can be one that is difficult to get through. These schools typically have higher requirements and standards from potential students. Succeeding nursing college can be easier and here are some tips to help you along your journey.

Math and Science
While enrolled you should consider signing up for as many math and science classes over the course of your high school years. If nursing is what your career choice is, this will benefit you as you will be on track when you get to college. Nursing degree programs focus on math and science, and there are even some colleges that require you to have taken certain classes before enrolling in the program. Learn what they are before you start college and try to have as much done as possible. This ensures that you are ahead once you enroll. It also makes learning new things easier as you will have a foundation.

Consider Community Colleges to Begin With
When you graduate high school, you may want to think about enrolling at a community college before going to a major university. You can earn an Associate's of Science degree which is the foundation to a more advanced nursing degree ad career choice. Many community colleges offer both a LPN and a RN program. Community colleges have smaller classes meaning you can ask for help if needed. You are going to be able to get more one-on-one time with the instructors if needed.

Choose Schedules Wisely
The one big mistake that many students make is that they overwhelm themselves with taking on more than they can handle. Try and keep classes to a minimum to allow you to focus on your classes and ensure you understand the material. Stay away from classes that require long hours in labs and having too many classes too close together. Make sure you balance out your classes over time so you are not stretching yourself too thin.

College Students With Learning Disabilities - Six Behaviors to Avoid

It is an established fact that the college graduation rate for students with learning disabilities is significantly lower than that of their peers. Is this because students with LD lack the raw intelligence to succeed in college? That does not appear to be the case. According to the McGraw-Hill Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine, a learning disability is defined as "a suboptimal ability to read (dyslexia), write (dysgraphia), perform mathematical operations (dyscalculia), or other cognitive skills in a child of presumed normal intelligence".

After thirteen years as a college Learning Specialist, this author codified six behaviors that consistently result in freshmen downhill slides. They are:

Failure to disclose - Students who choose not to disclose usually do so to shed the stigmatizing "LD" label they have worn for years. Without realizing it, they are making their first egregious mistake. In college, students with learning disabilities attend the same classes and must meet the same academic requirements as other students--no one is labeled. Disclosure is entirely confidential--only the disability services office and any teachers the student informs are aware. In high school, IEPs guarantee that students receive academic support and special services. On the college level, IEPs are non-existent. Students who fail to disclose suddenly discover they are no longer protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act and are ineligible for the accommodations/services recommended in their documentation. In other words, the student goes from having a safety net with a lot of support in high school to walking a tightrope without a net in college. This dramatic change is often overwhelming and hard to overcome.

Beginning with a full course load - Another major mistake is the assumption that if students handled five subjects in high school, they can manage that load in college. They fail to recognize that an entire textbook can be covered in a 15-week college semester. Traditionally, high school students with disabilities have little homework and no more than a few hours of studying per week. The standard formula for college students is for every hour they spend in class, they can expect two to three hours of outside work. Therefore, assuming a full-time load is 15 credits, students may have between 30 - 45 hours of homework and/or studying per week, on top of the 15 hours they sit in classes. Rather than take a full load, students should take only what they feel they can successfully handle. It is far better to start slowly and build confidence than begin too quickly and flounder. Students who start with a reduced course load are more likely to earn high GPAs (grade point averages). It is far easier to maintain a high GPA than it is to raise a low one, not to mention that a high GPA creates enthusiasm for school and a "can do" attitude. The only way a student can take a reduced course load and remain on his parents' insurance plan is if the disability services provider writes a letter indicating that "Joe is considered a full-time student with nine credits due to a documented learning disability." Call your insurance company anonymously to confirm that your child will retain coverage before doing this. Submit the letter only if the insurance company requests proof of full-time student status.

Lack of time management and organizational skills - Perhaps the single most important factor in college organization is the daily planner. While an assignment pad in high school sufficed, it is almost valueless to college students who have far too many tasks to track. They need to keep all responsibilities, academic, social and work, in this planner, so they do not double-book themselves. The best planner is an academic one, which runs from August to August, and has M/W on the cover, meaning it has weekly and monthly views. This assures that students see immediate and long-term views.

Too many employment hours - In a perfect world, students would have the luxury of not having to work while attending college. For many students, however, this is not a reality. Because of the unique challenges of college, students should work no more than 15 hours per week - the fewer the better. Students who work while attending school often lack the ability to switch gears. Remember, colleges have long winter and summer breaks when students can work full-time and accumulate money for the school year. However, maturity is required to delay gratification and live a less lavish lifestyle for the ultimate reward of a good education. Ideally, school should be considered the student's full-time job.

New Tips to Succeed in College

Expect to be homesick. No matter how much you hated living with your family with all the rules and siblings bothering you, it is normal to miss home and feel lonely. You are in totally different surroundings, with different people and a lot of stress. Don't beat yourself up when homesickness hits; rather expect it and give yourself permission to feel sad and lonely, knowing it will pass.

Expect to be overwhelmed. It's okay to feel freaked out. Everything is new and you will feel like you are overloaded with new things. Again, don't worry about it: expect it and it won't take you off guard and knock you off your feet.

Remember that it's a totally different game with different rules

Get plugged in socially. Join a club and watch the bulletin boards for "freshman mixers" or other events that will introduce you to a lot of other people.

Find a mentor. If you are living in a dorm, there will be an upperclassman who is an RA (Resident Assistant) whose job it is to give out information and be a contact person for you. Don't be shy about going to the RA with questions, and see if you can find another upperclassman that you can go to with the millions of questions you are going to have.

For Special Education Students - Four Strategies to Succeed in College

College success occurs as a result of effective academic, communication, and social skills. This presents a challenge to mainstream students but can often cause the demise of students with learning disabilities. Fret not, however. Rather than dwell on the difficulties you experience with these skills, concentrate on practicing the strategies below to overcome these challenges. Without further ado, here are four skills you need to master to achieve college success.

Associating with Professors
Introduce yourself to your professors, so they can associate your name with a face. Make an effort to speak with the professor privately, especially, if you are struggling in the class.

Take advantage of the opportunity to utilize professors' office hours. One of the prime purposes for office hours is to help students.

Do not hesitate to ask professors for copies of old exams to practice studying. The questions may change, but usually the style of the exam remains the same..

Quickly learn to say NO to distractions of all kinds (movies, partying, overeating, game playing, etc...). It is the mature decision to avoid activities that sabotage your progress.

Daylight hours are the best time to study and retain information.

Study for short, frequent sessions to assure that your concentration remains at 100%..

Try multi-tasking to squeeze in more study time. For example, commuting time is ideal for getting in extra study time effortlessly. Keep a lecture tape in your car. Listen or use earphones when on the bus, train or car pool. While doing laundry, listen to your study tapes.

Allow 2 - 3 hours of work and/or studying for every hour you spend in class.

PRIORITIZE - Use a daily list of what you need to study; Set times for each item and keep with it rigorously.

Study the big picture, then learn the details. Memorize from general information to specific details. Picture a funnel with its wide circle down to the narrowed tip. Learn and memorize the large general concept (the whole picture outlook) and then narrow down to the details.

Cramming is a waste of time because studying is done long past attention has expired. Cramming may be sufficient to get information into your short-term memory, but that information is likely to evaporate due to nervousness that can accompany an exam. The information sent to your short-term memory will not last until the final exam unless practiced at regular intervals.

How to Succeed in College

You might think that academic success depends on natural academic talent or intelligence. This isn't the case. School success is actually more about organization, and work ethic.

To do well in school, you have to be prepared to work hard. You have to be organized to pull it off. You need to keep track of your assignments and projects. It won't work to try to work hard if you don't remember what you were supposed to do! But if you are careful to keep track and stay organized, and you are willing to work hard, you will succeed. It doesn't matter if you are not naturally academically gifted.

The following suggestions can help you succeed in school:

First, you have to show up. This sounds silly, or totally obvious, but you would be surprised what a difference it makes. And it isn't all that hard.

Here is all there is to it: at the start of the year or semester, promise yourself you will go to class every day, and on time. Even if you have teachers who don't take attendance, you need to go to class if you want to do well. This is non-negotiable.

Next, make sure you stay organized. Have a folder or notebook for every class. You might also color-code folders, so you can keep track of which folder or notebook is for which class. Keep all of these supplies in the same place, like your backpack or your bookshelf.

Help Your Child Succeed at College Lacrosse Recruiting

If your child enjoys playing lacrosse and is college bound, you might be looking into ways to help pay for that education. Colleges offer sports scholarships for lacrosse, and they have college lacrosse recruiting staff who are on the lookout for great athlete-academics. There are a few steps you can take to help your child get a winning nod from lacrosse recruiting coaches.

You can begin by helping your son or daughter with researching some colleges or universities that he or she might be interested in attending. You will want to see who the college lacrosse recruiting coaches are, and what their scholarship requirements are. Knowing what is needed to reach your goal is the first step toward attaining it.

Once your child has narrowed down the list of favorite colleges, there are other steps that can be taken on route to a sports scholarship. Since having good academics is a regular requirement for admittance to college, just making sure that your child is studying and keeping up in high school is a great start. Preparing to take the SAT is a good idea, because these areas will be looked at by college lacrosse recruiting staff as your child works through the scholarship process.

Another activity that your child can participate in is a lacrosse recruiting camp. Not only are they a fun experience, but the students are seen by a variety of college lacrosse recruiting personnel, which helps them remember the student and evaluate them on the playing field.

Lacrosse recruiting camps also give you and your child a chance to visit a college campus where he or she might wish to attend. You can sit in on actual college classes, look into the college dormitories and cafeterias, and see if the college will be a good fit for you and your child. During lacrosse recruiting camp you may also have the opportunity to watch the college lacrosse team play, and you can see how the coaching staff interact with the players.

Dropping Out of High School

There I said it. Even a lot of my closest friends don't know that about me. Most likely because I come off as an intelligent and educated person, which I am. But when you hear those badly stereotyped words "high school dropout" what do you think of? Losers, stoners, and minimum wage job workers? A lot of people that end up dropping out of high school DO end up this way but for the most part they were already that way before they started.

What I am here to talk about is how I dropped out of high school the SMART WAY. I went on to get my Associates degree within two years and another one during my time in the Air Force. I still haven't finished my Bachelor's but that's only because I didn't play the game as intelligently as I would have liked and was held up by a few roadblocks along the way(some family, some monetary, and some that were of my own imagination). Nonetheless, if you are even a reasonably intelligent person, you can learn from my mistakes and realize this is an option for you. Especially if you have supportive parents like I had.

It all began when I realized I was just drifting through high school aimlessly. I was staying up late at night(much like I still do now), barely covering my homework, falling asleep in class and just basically half-assing it. I was an intelligent kid; I had been in academically gifted and college prep courses all my life and my family usually put me in some kind of summer activity or course here and there to stimulate me through the years. I guess I had just become disillusioned with high school and started feeling a bit distracted by this or that for whatever particular reason.

My father had dropped out of high school when he was around my age. He went on to do the same thing I was destined to do, which is one of the reasons I decided to go through with it. He dropped out, got his GED, got an Associate's from the local community college, then went on to transfer to a four-year school. He had done it, encouraged me to do it, and gave me his blessing and experience to guide me through it. He had wanted me to do it from the time I was 14 but it wasn't legally possible at that time so I always kind of kept it on the backburner of my mind for the next couple of years.

Hot Tips For Succeeding in College

High school graduation is behind you. You may not be twenty one years old but you're not a baby either. Hopefully you're doing your own laundry and paying for your own gas. but maybe not... At any rate, adulthood is staring you in the face and you can either break and run or buck up, step up to the plate, and assume a somewhat adult role. No one is asking you to become your parents. It won't be so bad. There's really a lot to look forward to....really!

Whether you're planning to attend a college, major university, community college, technical school or a business school, you will have some decisions to make. First, do you want to succeed or fail? Make up your mind right here and now because now is the time. Some people waste a lot of time and money trying to decide what they want to be when they grow up. It's OK not to be certain what your major will be yet. It's not OK to take it so lightly that you don't make the most of your time right now.

If you have chosen a full load of classes, you have to have some fire under you. You can't say to yourself, "I'm kind of tired today so I'm going to skip my morning class." You can't say, "I know I have a paper due on Friday but it's only Tuesday." You can't say. "I think I'll stay home today because Aunt Gertrude is coming from Montana." If you're tired, drink a Diet Coke. If your paper is due on Friday, it should be just about done by now. And tell your mother to go to the airport for her sister, because you have school today!!!

Are you starting to catch the vision of how serious this school business is? It must take priority in your life because you want to be somebody some day. You want to feel good about your accomplishments. You want to be an example of success and achievement. The only way that can happen is if you develop good habits today.

Study Tips You Need To Succeed at College

Why do we need the tips to succeed College? Simple, it can motivate to push yourself forward and reach the goals you have. Setting up list can keep you on track and will remind you that you must be focused and move forward. For you to get going, aside from the tips, you must as well get enough rest and sleep, and avoid hazardous drugs for in the long run, it will deteriorate your brain. Too much stimulant like coffee would be bad to the health, causing you not to sleep normally and end up unfocused with the activity and you get palpitations as well.

Now here are the study tips you may follow to succeed college:

Study regularly
This technique will help you get updated and refreshes the lessons you have just taken and was discussed by the professor or instructor. As you study regularly it helps your brain functions well and remembers things more easy and you don't have to squeeze your memory, for you are refreshing your brain keeping it acquainted with the lessons or certain activity.

Daytime study
When you study, do not prefer studying during night time for you will just end up sleeping. During day time while the brain is active, you will learn a lot more and absorb more ideas and knowledge. A lot of students cram and study during the night for the exam by the next day, they may get to answer the question but they are not learning and understanding, the purpose of that study is just for the sake knowing what to answer and not knowing what is the fact.

Group study/ Self study
You can choose either of two, which you are comfortable in doing. Group study; make sure you are choosing the right group to study with so that you can get concepts and facts and not just end up chatting. Self-study is better off when you would like to choose a silent and peaceful environment and therefore you can study the way you want it to be.

Finding the Right College Roommate Helps You Succeed in College

Joining college is a very exciting time for many young people because it marks a new phase in their life and to some comes with a sense of maturity on their part. Many parents are always hesitant to let their children go to college because of the various influences that they will be exposed to by other students or even the college that they will be studying in.

It is common to find many students who have dropped out of college for many reasons and most of them it is because they did not have a plan as to how they were going to live out their college life. This allows them to be exposed to negative influences through other students and they end up ruining their lives as they try to satisfy themselves.

One of the greatest influences that any one will have in college is their roommate as they can influence them both negatively as well as positively. This is possible because you will be spending most of your time away from class with your roommate in your room or if you have grown to be good friends then you are likely to be engaged in extracurricular activities together.

In case you have a roommate that is a party animal and you are not then you might have a bit of conflict when it comes to your sleeping schedules because it is likely that when you are sleeping they are partying somewhere and will definitely wake you up when they return as is common with intoxicated people. Their friends may also have the same behavior thereby making it hard for you to study in your room when they come to visit. This will in turn lead to you failing in your studies because you did not read adequately for your exams or your roommate can pressure you into joining her kind of lifestyle thereby seeing you abandon your studies.

How To Succeed In College With Attention Deficit Disorder

As a doctor who treats ADHD, I know ADHD college success is possible. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder can be managed and students with the condition can use the gifts of their condition to thrive. Organization is key for succeeding with and overcoming ADHD. These helpful tips can help college students manage the demands of college academics.

Write things down. Keep an updated wall calendar and daily planner to record all of your upcoming exams, due dates, assignments, meetings, team practices, etc.

Introduce yourself and communicate with your professors. Inform them of your challenges, and they may often accommodate you in terms of allowing you to hand in papers before they are due so you can make suggested revisions, offering additional time to complete exams, etc.

The first time living on your own is a challenge, and responsible money management is a large part of adult success. Set and maintain a budget including laundry funds, pizza runs, etc.

Manage your time by setting and maintaining a schedule including study times, medication times, fun time, laundry days, etc.

If it helps, find a study partner. Study with them, quiz each other, proofread each others papers, etc. It is mutually beneficial to both parties, and students who do this tend to succeed more than their peers.

College Success - Five Surefire Ways to Succeed in College Beyond Just Studying

Succeeding in college requires more than just studying your course content. Here are five tips that will help you navigate successfully through college.

Learn teachers' personalities, preferences and policies. Then use what you learn to plan your study time.

My botany teacher in my first year of college loved to give us definitions and on tests wanted them regurgitated back with every word and comma in the exact places as her original. It would have certain failure to summarize the definitions in your own words, so studying for her tests meant memorizing with great detail and practicing writing those definitions over and over. Not an admirable teaching approach, but that was her style.

Pay attention to gestures, body language, word choice, but especially the concepts they emphasize. If a teacher says "...and most important..." the next thing the teacher says is destined to appear on a test.

If a history teacher spends a disproportionate amount of time lecturing and discussing World War II, this is a big clue that this is an era he favors. Even on essay tests you can bet he's going to lean toward this war.

Succeeding in College - What Ensures Success and Future Achievement to Pay Off Those Loans?

Okay so, I'd like to talk a little bit today about success in college. The reason is because I had to leave college to run my business. When I left, I didn't consider it a failure, rather I considered the college a failure in their inability to answer all my questions and teach me at a pace that I was capable of learning. You see, I took 33 credits in one semester in California, and I think I might have the record for that. I had to go to two different colleges to do it and then merge the transcripts later. At the end of that semester I ended up with an AS in business and an AA in general.

The other day, I was talking to an acquaintance about all this and he rationalized that some of the greatest entrepreneurs of all time, or the most successful anyway had also had to leave college to run their companies. People like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Michael Dell, and the latest kid Mark Zuckerberg to name a few. So, it would be hard to say that succeeding in college is a prerequisite for success in the real world. Likewise, I believe that success in college does not ensure future achievement in your career, business, or even your ability to pay off all those student loans.

Many believe that to succeed in life you must go to college, and that is absolute horse dung. I can tell you that most of the local small business people who were quite successful in the various cities I've lived in did not have college degrees, but they have many people with college degrees who work for them. Further, it has always been noted that those who get a B average in college are hiring the people who got an A average to work for them. Isn't that ironic? Sure it is, but it's so typical that it's important that we state the facts.

Guide to Succeed in College

College is supposed to be one of the most vital and stimulating experiences of an individual's life. It's the first time you break out of your protective shell and into the real world. For many, college spells freedom. But a wise person once said, with great freedom comes great responsibility. If you enjoy the freedom college provides without the responsibility it demands, it can turn into the most expensive mistake you've ever made.

Amidst all the late-night parties, new friendships, odd jobs, and co-curricular activities, it can be easy to lose focus and stray from your ultimate goal of graduating on time. The longer it takes to graduate, the more classes you're forced to take, the more money you're spending, and the further away you are from achieving your goals, which can lead to frustration that may finally cause you to drop out of college.

So, how do you make sure that your college journey is a success? The trick lies in smart planning and then following that plan. As a starting point, here are some tips on how to succeed in college:

Choose Your Major Wisely
One of the biggest reasons people are unable to graduate on time is because they choose the wrong college degree. While it could be that expecting a teenager to know what he/she wants to do with their life at such a young age is probably asking too much, that's how the system works, and we need to find a way to work within it.

The primary way to successfully decide what you want to do is get in tune with your interests, capabilities,and personality. Figure out which classes you enjoyed the most in high school, stuff that you're good at, or things you are passionate about. Make sure you choose college programs that suit your personal goals rather than fit into anyone else's idea of what you should be doing. Once you've zeroed in on a college major, then you can start looking at colleges and universities offering your preferred major.

Strategies for Succeeding in College

Millions of students headed off to college this fall to attend colleges and universities all over the world. For some students they are the first in their family to attend college. For others this will be their first time away from home. College can be scary and overwhelming. Below are fifteen strategies to help students succeed in college and make the most of their experience.

Complete financial aid paperwork early.
Be sure to complete financial aid paperwork in advance. Not completing paperwork may delay the disbursement of your aid and result in you not being able to register for classes and/or purchase your books.

Exhaust all financial aid options.
When completing financial aid be sure to look into all grants and scholarship opportunities. If necessary contact your employer to see if they offer tuition reimbursement. Most employers require advance approval and a minimum GPA upon completion of the course.

Tour your campus before classes start.
Taking a tour will help to ensure that you know how to find important locations including the registrar's office, bookstore, financial aid office, faculty offices and classrooms.

Setup your dorm room or apartment.
Organize your dorm room/apartment in advance so that you are ready for the beginning of the semester. Purchase food and cleaning supplies to keep you from eating too much fast food or having to take time out to run to the store for needed items.

Get a wall calendar or daily planner.
Go through your calendar and write out important dates including Holidays, Winter/Spring breaks and due dates for projects, quizzes and exams.