Some November Notes

1. Just a reminder:
* Your best search engine to find college/university opportunities is the internet. Type in the university that interests you; almost every higher-ed institution has web pages now.
* If you want to get some up-to-date information on career research and planning, (What's the major for you?, Where can you study it?, What can you do with this major?), I have several VERY LARGE books you may peruse. The Enhanced Occupational Outlook Handbook and the CollegeBoard Book of Majors are at your disposal.

2. If you're considering attending Washburn University of Topeka, KS, think about taking the Garvey Scholarship Exam. This is an excellent opportunity to earn a scholarship ranging from $500 to $2,000. To take the exam, students must have a minimum cumulative GPS of 3.25 and complete their applications for admission by December 17. The 2010 Scholarship Exam dates and locations are:
9 am Saturday, November 20 at Washburn University, Topeka, KS
9 am Saturday, December 4 at Sternberg Museum, Hays, KS
6 pm Wednesday, December 8 at Washburn University, Topeka, KS
For more information, call the Admissions Office at 785-670-1030 or 877-281-BODS (2637), or email admissions at http://www.washburn.edu/.

3. If you're heading towards Bethany College of Lindsborg, KS, you may be interested in competing for a full-tuition scholarship. To be eligible, seniors must meet two of three criteria:
* hold a 3.5 GPA
* score 25 or higher on the ACT composite;
* rank in the top 25% of their graduating class.
Students will be asked to write an essay and interview with faculty as part of the competition. The competitions will be held on February 5 or February 12, 2011 on campus.

4. Southwestern College of Winfield, KS is known as the "Laptop College". Students receive a Dell laptop computer when they arrive in the fall and, after two years, trade it in for another new one. The school is known for its strong leadership opportunities. In addition, they have three fifth-year master's programs that allow students to complete graduate degrees in business administration, leadership, or specialized ministry in one additional calendar year.
Interested? The college catalogue is online at www.sckans.edu/student-services/registrars-office.

5. The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) is offering a new, totally free, online college guide called "WhatWillTheyLearn" at http://www.whatwilltheylearn.com/. This unique resource was launched as an independent, non-profit site dedicated to academic excellence.There are approximately 718 schools on the website. This is a forum to verify that your college-bound student will leave with the basic knowledge and skills, (eg. college-level math or American history and government), they need to be successful after graduation from a given college. After all, you're paying for it, so check out the details here.

Mid-October notes

1. Sunflower Bank's Community Ambassadors is now accepting applications from high school seniors graduating in 2011.
The Community Ambassadors program encourages student leaders to consider their hometown community as a viable place to live and work after higher education. It is administered locally at area Sunflower Banks, with sessions featuring guest speakers and discussion topics centered around community leadership and entrepreneurship. Each class will award a $1,000, $500, and $250 scholarship at the commencement of the program. Also, all ambassadors throughout Kansas and Colorado are invited to compete for three grand $1,000 scholarships awarded by Sunflower Bank.
Each Commuity Ambassadors class will consist of at least nine participants. Program membership is limited to a small group in each market, with applicants evaluated on current class work, community activities, and a series of short essay questions.
Students may pick up applications in the guidance office, at Sunflower Bank, or apply at http://www.sunflowerbank.com/.
The extended deadline for applications is quickly approaching. Applications need to be in hand by Friday, November 19th.

2. If you have welding on the mind, check out the Missouri Welding Institute, Inc. of Nevada, MO. You can become a master pipe welder/fitter through their course. Check them out online: http://www.mwi.ws/.

Full Meal Deal

You know, I post a lot of information regarding: preparing for college, saving money, finding scholarships, and taking entrance exams. Interestingly, we need to take a breath and remember that this all has the ultimate destination of finding a good job in an interesting field. In other words, college isn't the end result; real life is. So, we need to pursue whatever path that is before us, job or college, with the same verve. Because the end result will be the same - becoming a financially independent person in an area of interest to us.
For those who choose to go directly into the work force after high school, remember to keep challenging yourselves to go bigger and better. Learning doesn't end when the school doors close; every experience that comes into your lives adds to your repertoire of knowledge. And, if you find later on that you need some college hours, don't hesitate to go forward. Take that deep breath and the next step.

We were blessed to have Oklahoma Wesleyan University send admission counselor, Mr. Danny Velez, to talk with our juniors and seniors. Make note of what he said!! Among other things, he stressed the need for five schools to have accepted you and the importance of doing ACT's/SAT's, college/scholarship applications, etc., early, so that financial packages could be in the works. Don't lose out on money options by waiting until the last minute! Hmmmm, Mrs. Gassie didn't just make this up!

A quick reminder to juniors that the PSAT is this Wednesday, October 13th. You need to be well rested and eat a good breakfast to keep your brain cells functioning! Some protein snack bars during break times are also useful.

There are scholarships offered through the McPherson County Community Foundation. One is the Kansas American Tooling Scholarship. It is for candidates living within a 60-mile radius of McPherson. Candidates must intend to work in the plastics industry as a production worker, machinist or toolmaker, engineer or technologist/technician, business manager, or teacher of metal working tradesman. One $600.00 scholarship will be awarded to the selected candidate. The awards must be used during the 2011-2012 school year. You may get your application form from Mrs. Gassie. Applications must be postmarked no later than January 31, 2011.

To finish off these comments, I want to remind all of you that there should be no fear for your future plans. As long as you put the Lord first in your decisions, (even if the path isn't clear), the steps you take will be the right ones.
The error comes when we decide to fall on our own devices to bring a light to our decisions. The disposition of sin is not immorality and wrong-doing, but the disposition of self-realization--I am my own god. This disposition may work out in decorous morality or indecorous immorality, but it has the one basis, my claim to my right to myself. - Oswald Chambers
Thus, in these final high school years, don't be afraid to check out all options that are available to you. There is Someone who cares 100% about you; let Him have the right to yourself.

Tidbits of College Info

*Check out the Free Christian College Resource Center online. Visit http://www.christianconnector.com.

*Discover a Christian education through Hobsons. Go online at http://www.collegeview.com to learn more about Christian schools that meet your needs. Visit schools that interest you and search articles on topics such as student life, athletics, and academics.

*You may apply for The Prudential Spirit of Community Award if you have performed volunteer work over the past year. Ask Mrs. Gassie for information. Interested students can get an instruction sheet, apply online at http://spirit.prudential.com and then follow the instructions. The application deadline is November 1, 2010.

*Wendy's High School Heisman Award is for seniors who have 'at least' a B and play a school-sponsored sport. The online application is due by October 3, 2010 and can be found at: www.wendysheisman.com. Each student applicant must have their online application reviewed and confirmed online by a school representative.

*Are you active in your community? Have you led a project that benefits others? Have you overcome personal challenges? You may qualify for an AXA Achievement Scholarship. Learn more and download an application at: www.axa-achievement.com. Application deadline is by December 15, 2010.

*If you are a truly motivated, dedicated, involved high school senior, the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation is awarding $3 million a year in scholarships to 250 deserving students just like you. Apply online. For additional information and application, go to www.coca-colascholars.org. Deadline to receive completed applications is October 31, 2010.

*Are you considering a Career Technical degree program? If you plan on enrolling full-time (12 credit hours) in a designated vocational program in Kansas, you may apply for the Kansas Vocational Education Scholarship. Registration and testing for this program is process by the Testing Center at KSU. Information and applications are available at the Kansas Board of Regents website: http://www.kansasregents.org/resources/PDF/640-applicationbrochure2011.pdf. The test for this scholarship is given on November 6, 2010 and March 5, 2011 in multiple sites across Kansas. Application deadlines for these tests are: October 15, 2010 and February 28, 2011.

*An exciting opportunity for young women to receive a scholarship is available with The Miss Kansas Teen USA Pageant. Applicants must be single, never married nor given birth to a child, a United States citizen and at least a six-month resident of Kansas. They must be between the ages of 14 and 18 as of February 1, 2011. Complete and enclosed information sheet, (see Mrs. Gassie), submit a recent photo, and mail the completed form by October 1, 2010. For more information, visit the web sit at: www.misskansasusa.com.

*Do you know a high school senior looking for college scholarships? Elk's National Foundation, 2011 Most Valuable Student and Legacy Awards applications are now available! MVS applications, available to all high school seniors who are U.S. citizens, are due on December 1, 2010, to the Lodge nearest the applicant’s home. The student needs to list all his/her honors and awards (major ones), leadership and extracurricular activities, and exhibits of articles/photos to substantiate what has been included. For more details and to download an application visit www.elks.org/enf/scholars/mvs.cfm.

Forecasting Financial Need for College

Although everyone supposedly knows by now that your FAFSA can't be submitted for the 2010-11 year until after January 1st, 2011 (with your 2010 tax information), there is a way to track your financial need / request earlier than that.

FAFSA4caster will help you get an early start on the financial aid process by:

• Providing you with an early estimate of your eligibility for federal student aid.
• Giving you an experience similar to FAFSA on the Web
• Allowing you to transfer all of your FAFSA4caster data to FAFSA on the Web once you are ready to apply for aid.
• Providing you the option to apply for your Federal Student Aid PIN.
• Increasing your knowledge of the financial aid process, and providing information about other sources of aid.

By going to the Fafsa4caster site, students and parents can set up an account using their 2009 tax information to get started.

Other benefits include:

• You will become familiar with the student aid lifecycle and begin to understand the roles of the financial aid players - students and families, colleges, Federal Student Aid, and banks and lenders.
• When you're finished entering your data, you can see your estimated federal student aid eligibility information, which is based on the answers you provided in FAFSA4caster. Your estimated federal student aid eligibility will help you better understand the types and approximate amounts of federal student aid for which you may qualify.
• Once you submit your data, we review your information and notify you if there are any issues you need to resolve prior to officially applying for federal student aid. This will save you time.
• We will automatically submit a request for you to receive a Federal Student Aid PIN in time for you to use when you officially apply for aid.
• Additionally, FAFSA4caster provides you with an opportunity to pre-populate a FAFSA on the Web application for the current processing year, to reduce the time spent completing the FAFSA if you choose to attend college now.

I've set up a link to this site under "Places to go...". Juniors and seniors should use this to get a head start on the financial planning for their college years.

Hey All Y'all Seniors-

1. Now is the time to do some smart shopping...those college applications can start to add up the $$$, so check out with the school on-line or call their admissions office to see if there is a free period of time to apply. (Don't ask me!) Often, September and October are less expensive months because the colleges are trying to set up their mailing list. If you do apply and are accepted, you ARE NOT required to attend that college...unless Mom & Dad say so :)! You DO need to tell that institution that you won't be attending after you've made your final choice.

2. K-State will have a representative here on Friday, September 17th during the lunch period. Please be there. Even if you don't plan on going to the university, you'll learn lots of information about choosing a college. (Remember, you're shopping!)

3. Don't forget to register for the October 23, 2010 ACT. It costs $32.00 (no writing) or $47.00 (plus writing). Registration date is cut-off on September 17, 2010, this next Friday. If you do a late registration, you'll need to pay an extra $21.00. You can do this on-line but make sure that you have your credit card ready.

4. If you want / need to take the next ACT, it's on December 11th, 2010. Registration has to be in by November 5, 2010. Most colleges won't accept a SAT or an ACT after December of your senior year; this is the cut-off date that colleges use to award scholarship $$$ and grants.

5. ITT Technical Institute may be your education for the future. It offers six schools of study: Drafting & Design, Information Technology, Electronics Technology, Business, Criminal Justice, and Health Sciences. ITT Tech will be hosting a High School Open House on Saturday, October 16, 2010. Visit http://www.itt-tech.edu/ for more information.

Keep posted!!! More information to follow!

Essay on Forgiveness

by C. S. Lewis

We say a great many things in church (and out of church too) without thinking of what we are saying. For instance, we say in the Creed "I believe in the forgiveness of sins." I had been saying it for several years before I asked myself why it was in the Creed. At first sight it seems hardly worth putting in. "If one is a Christian," I thought, "of course one believes in the forgiveness of sins. It goes without saying." But the people who compiled the Creed apparently thought that this was a part of our belief which we needed to be reminded of every time we went to church. And I have begun to see that, as far as I am concerned, they were right. To believe in the forgiveness of sins is not so easy as I thought. Real belief in it is the sort of thing that easily slips away if we don't keep on polishing it up.

We believe that God forgives us our sins; but also that He will not do so unless we forgive other people their sins against us. There is no doubt about the second part of this statement. It is in the Lord's Prayer, it was emphatically stated by our Lord. If you don't forgive you will not be forgiven. No exceptions to it. He doesn't say that we are to forgive other people's sins, provided they are not too frightful, or provided there are extenuating circumstances, or anything of that sort. We are to forgive them all, however spiteful, however mean, however often they are repeated. If we don't we shall be forgiven none of our own.

Now it seems to me that we often make a mistake both about God's forgiveness of our sins and about the forgiveness we are told to offer to other people's sins. Take it first about God's forgiveness, I find that when I think I am asking God to forgive me I am often in reality (unless I watch myself very carefully) asking Him to do something quite different. I am asking him not to forgive me but to excuse me. But there is all the difference in the world between forgiving and excusing. Forgiveness says, "Yes, you have done this thing, but I accept your apology; I will never hold it against you and everything between us two will be exactly as it was before." If one was not really to blame then there is nothing to forgive. In that sense forgiveness and excusing are almost opposites. Of course, in dozens of cases, either between God and man, or between one man and another, there may be a mixture of the two. Part of what at first seemed to be the sins turns out to be really nobody's fault and is excused; the bit that is left over is forgiven. If you had a perfect excuse, you would not need forgiveness; if the whole of your actions needs forgiveness, then there was no excuse for it. But the trouble is that what we call "asking God's forgiveness" very often really consists in asking God to accept our excuses. What leads us into this mistake is the fact that there usually is some amount of excuse, some "extenuating circumstances." We are so very anxious to point these things out to God (and to ourselves) that we are apt to forget the very important thing; that is, the bit left over, the bit which excuses don't cover, the bit which is inexcusable but not, thank God, unforgivable. And if we forget this, we shall go away imagining that we have repented and been forgiven when all that has really happened is that we have satisfied ourselves without own excuses. They may be very bad excuses; we are all too easily satisfied about ourselves.

There are two remedies for this danger. One is to remember that God knows all the real excuses very much better than we do. If there are real "extenuating circumstances" there is no fear that He will overlook them. Often He must know many excuses that we have never even thought of, and therefore humble souls will, after death, have the delightful surprise of discovering that on certain occasions they sinned much less than they thought. All the real excusing He will do. What we have got to take to Him is the inexcusable bit, the sin. We are only wasting our time talking about all the parts which can (we think) be excused. When you go to a Dr. you show him the bit of you that is wrong - say, a broken arm. It would be a mere waste of time to keep on explaining that your legs and throat and eyes are all right. You may be mistaken in thinking so, and anyway, if they are really right, the doctor will know that.

The second remedy is really and truly to believe in the forgiveness of sins. A great deal of our anxiety to make excuses comes from not really believing in it, from thinking that God will not take us to Himself again unless He is satisfied that some sort of case can be made out in our favor. But that is not forgiveness at all. Real forgiveness means looking steadily at the sin, the sin that is left over without any excuse, after all allowances have been made, and seeing it in all its horror, dirt, meanness, and malice, and nevertheless being wholly reconciled to the man who has done it.

When it comes to a question of our forgiving other people, it is partly the same and partly different. It is the same because, here also forgiving does not mean excusing. Many people seem to think it does. They think that if you ask them to forgive someone who has cheated or bullied them you are trying to make out that there was really no cheating or bullying. But if that were so, there would be nothing to forgive. (This doesn't mean that you must necessarily believe his next promise. It does mean that you must make every effort to kill every taste of resentment in your own heart - every wish to humiliate or hurt him or to pay him out.) The difference between this situation and the one in which you are asking God's forgiveness is this. In our own case we accept excuses too easily, in other people's we do not accept them easily enough. As regards my own sins it is a safe bet (though not a certainty) that the excuses are not really so good as I think; as regards other men's sins against me it is a safe bet (though not a certainty) that the excuses are better than I think. One must therefore begin by attending to everything which may show that the other man was not so much to blame as we thought. But even if he is absolutely fully to blame we still have to forgive him; and even if ninety-nine per cent of his apparent guilt can be explained away by really good excuses, the problem of forgiveness begins with the one per cent of guilt that is left over. To excuse, what can really produce good excuses is not Christian charity; it is only fairness. To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.

This is hard. It is perhaps not so hard to forgive a single great injury. But to forgive the incessant provocations of daily life - to keep on forgiving the bossy mother-in-law, the bullying husband, the nagging wife, the selfish daughter, the deceitful son - How can we do it? Only, I think, by remembering where we stand, by meaning our words when we say in our prayers each night "Forgive our trespasses as we forgive those that trespass against us." We are offered forgiveness on no other terms. To refuse it is to refuse God's mercy for ourselves. There is no hint of exceptions and God means what He says.

I post this essay for all of us to be reminded to keep an eternal perspective on each soul that we meet. Praise God! He is Good and Merciful! He is Almighty and Worthy of all praise! - CAG

Important Meeting!

This is just a reminder that on, Thursday, Sept. 2, there will be a meeting for juniors, seniors and their parents at 7:00 pm at ECS. It will be about the folders that were handed out at enrollment. Please come with questions about college preparation, college entrance exams, financial aid, career interest, or whatever else you may want to know. We'll do our best to answer any questions, give you websites for information, and make these last years of high school move smoothly.

This is REALLY important! Please make this a priority for the evening.

Ooooopps!

Don't you just love it when you realize you publicly made an error of some importance? I'm sorta in that position right now, so now it's time to fix the problem. On the Jr./Sr. Information handout, I stated last year's dates for the PLAN and the PSAT tests.

• The PLAN will be on Wednesday, November 10th for all sophomores. Come to school at regular time, and the testing will be done through school services.

• The PSAT will be on Wednesday, October 13th for all juniors and interested sophomores. This, too, will be done through school personnel.

• As a friendly reminder to the seniors, you need to be aware that your final ACT's or SAT's need to be taken by end of December. Hopefully, you've taken several before this date, so that the college of your choice may be working on a great financial aid package for you.

And, there you go!

Enrollment is Upon Us!!!

Teachers and school personnel are scurrying around the halls trying to get those last minute details finalized before the first enrollment tomorrow. It's always exciting to think about the new school year. What amazing treasures, adventures, and relationships await us?

We look forward in hope.

The biggest thing we need to remember, is to keep our focus, our bearing strictly on the Lord. Even when events seem to make the world a shaky place in which to live, He has control of all things. We place our hope in God as we venture forth in our education, our plans, and our jobs.

See ya tomorrow, Thursday, Aug. 5th from 2:00 to 8:00 pm.

Or, on Monday, Aug. 9th from 11:00 am to 1:30 pm.

Federal Student Aid updates

The office of Federal Student Aid, U.S. Department of Education has several downloading options of their publications and booklets.

1. The new College Preparation Checklist (www.FederalStudentAid.ed.gov/collprep) is a small booklet that explains how to prepare academically and financially for college through "to do" lists aimed at elementary and secondary school students and their parents, as well as adult students. It is recommended that you use the checklist as the foundational information and outreach publication for any students who are considering college.

2. Funding Education Beyond High School should be accessed online at www.FederalStudentAid.ed.gov/guide. This site has comprehensive detail about the federal student aid programs. It is available in both html and PDF forms.

3. Students may read most of the FSA publications at www.FederalStudentAid.ed.gov/pubs or may order single copies from www.edpubs.ed.gov or from the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-4-FED-AID.

4. Seniors are encouraged to apply for federal student aid using FAFSA on the Web. The online application is going to be significantly simpler in 2010-11, so FSA strong urges all students to fill out the application at www.fafsa.ed.gov. This form needs to be filled out AFTER January 1, 2011 in order to use the 2010 IRS tax information. The FAFSA is required for any student who is applying for any grants, scholarships, or loans from the government or a college/university.

C-C-C-Courage!

"Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point." ~C.S. Lewis

"Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow." ~Mary Anne Radmacher

"It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare." ~Mark Twain

I've been thinking a lot about courage, and what it means in the face of today's people. My son, Jordan, is heading off for Afghanistan to face the rigors of war. I've heard of other mom's doing this, seeing a child headed for battle; I never thought I'd be one of them. I don't question Jordan's courage; I definitely question mine.

To me, courage is confronting an enemy in every form, and standing firmly anyway. It means that we don't think this situation that we're in is the end of all things...but rather a new door to "grow" us, to "faith" us, to "mercy" us...whether at school, at home, or in foreign lands.

On a day-to-day basis, students face fears of acceptance, fears of failure, fears of losing or letting down peers, and fears of their own education and futures in today's world. These are valid. How we react in each step of growth creates in us something marvelous, if we've used the Bible as our standard.

Psalm 46:10 says to, "Be still, and know that I am God." We are called to put our everything into God's hands. THIS takes courage...to believe that an entity beyond ourselves cares enough to do ALL things for good.

Courage is a call for faith in unseen things. It is a call for tenacity. It is a call for endurance to the end.

"Tenacity is more than hanging on, which may be but the weakness of being too afraid to fall off. Tenacity is the supreme effort of a man refusing to believe that his hero is going to be conquered." ~ Oswald Chambers

Courage is the ability to put our futures into God's hands expecting the very best to occur. It is working deliberately and daily on the certainty that God will not be bested.

Sometimes, the events that occur take our breath away...this surely can't be God! But purification takes time, of which God has bucket loads. We pray to stand firmly in knowing that He is in control despite that which our eyes may see.

"Yes, before the day was, I am He; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand. I will work, and who can hinder or reverse it?" Isaiah 43:13

It's Possible to get college financial aid increased.

Here are some tips that could help get your college aid offer increased:

• Understand the process. Before you ask for more money, do your homework about how the aid process works and whether there's an appeals process in place. If you aren't working with a college consultant, read college planning books, visit sites such as Finaid.org or CollegeBoard.com, or simply Google "appeal financial aid" and you'll find plenty of information and advice. Just don't expect a bidding war.


• Cite special circumstances. While colleges abide by a federal formula indetermining your financial need, they can adjust an aid package based on unusual circumstances. Those include a parent's job loss or salary reduction, high medical costs, divorce or any other recent development that would alter your presumed ability to pay based on the previous year's tax data. In such cases, the family should contact the financial aid administrator at the school and ask for an appeal, formally called a professional judgment review or sometimes a special circumstances review.


• Show competing offers. If a comparable school has given you a better financial aid offer, use it as a bargaining chip but with caution. Many schools need to hear other reasons in order to re-evaluate your package. You might want to cite, if not one of the unusual circumstances mentioned above, another legitimate cause of increased financial stress such as a big upcoming required expenditure, costs of caring for an elderly parent or, other issues. Don't just say, "These other schools have offered me more money, what are you going to do for me?". Rather request a reconsideration. It's a matter of semantics.


• Be concise. Be polite, be concise and focus on the facts in a letter or e-mail asking if there's anything the college can do to improve the aid package. Your goal should be to get the financial aid administrator on your side by providing information, such as some of the factors described above, that any reasonable person would consider sufficient for an adjustment. Just don't ramble on.


• Don't telegraph your intentions. Consider stating in the letter that if School A matches School B's offer, your child will attend School A. Don't overplay your hand. Calling the school as soon as you get the aid package, for example, is a bad idea because it telegraphs that the child wants to go there badly. Signaling too strongly that a school is the top choice lessens any incentive its officials may have to sweeten the deal for you.

Sourced from Dave Carpenter, Associated Press, 4-7-10

Nervous about college?

You should be...
You’ll have plenty of competition from other students applying.

Here’s eight tips that give college-bound students an edge.

1. Get a job, either part-time during school or full-time during the summer, and stick with it. “It shows a good work ethic and reliability,” says Linda Metcalf, the author of How to Say It: Application, Essay and Interview Strategies to Get You the Big Envelope. “Colleges are looking for students who will stick with school and graduate.”

2. Take the most rigorous courses available.

3. Instead of giving your teachers a stamped, addressed envelope for recommendations, tell them you’ll pick up the recommendations on a certain day, which gives you an opportunity to proofread them, suggests Metcalf. This is because teachers are asked to write so many recommendations that the wrong school name or even the wrong student name sometimes ends up in a letter.

4. Instill a sense of service to others at an early age, parent Karen Doskocil suggests. That jibes with Metcalf’s advice to students to commit to some sort of ongoing community service that is meaningful to them, such as regular volunteer work at an animal shelter.

5. Try looking at schools that aren’t what everybody else is looking at, suggests Ellen Hoffman of Bright Futures College Consulting.

6. Visit prospective colleges the summer after the sophomore year, suggests parent Karen Giangrosso. It’s a less task-packed time that the summer between junior and senior year, when the college application process should already be under way.

7. Ask an English teacher to help you edit your college application essay, suggests Metcalf, but don’t let Mom hire a college coach to write it for you. “The universities said they want their essays to sound like they were written by an 18-year-old, not an adult,” Metcalf says.

8. You can save the application fee at some schools if you apply online, says Kaprelian.

September 15, 2008
Cathy Frisinger
McClatchy Newspapers

College Grads need to make good financial habits

Since it is summer, most students are trying to make a little bit of $ to finance entertainment moments, a new vehicle, or even future schooling. ;-)
I'm just going to take a moment and remind graduates that it's a big world out there. Whether you chose to further your education or to jump right into the work-place, don't let your finances, (or lack of them) ruin your plans.
Here are some financial tips to keep ahead:
1. Put 10% or more of your income into long-term savings. (Putting 10% into the tithe box does NOT constitute life savings, hehehe.)
2. Make a budget. You can't save for a car, school, or the future if you don't know how much you're making and spending. (Online sites like Mint.com or Kiplinger.com can offer budgeting tools.)
3. Don't spend $ you don't have. Live within your means.
4. Consolidate school loans. After college, this will allow you to roll all loans together with one interest rate.
5. Build your credit history carefully. Use your credit card WISELY and only when you have to.
6. Have a health care plan. Figure out when your parents' coverage ends and be sure you have another one lined up.
Welcome to the adult world!

Many of Dad's sayings are sage advice for grads

BY GREGORY KARP

Retailers dub the coming time of year "dads and grads," a catchy phrase reminding you to buy gifts for Father's Day and graduations.

But combining the events is also an opportunity to examine the sage advice dads might give new graduates. Some is more useful than the clever retort, "Because I said so."

"Shut the door, I'm not paying to heat the neighborhood."

This joins such classics as "Were you raised in a barn?" "Who left these lights on?" and "Do you think I own stock in the electric company?"

Dad might favor energy savings for environmental reasons, but more likely he can't stand wasting money. And he knows lowering fixed costs, such as home utilities, is a great way to spend less. Once grads are on their own, they would be wise to use compact fluorescent bulbs, reduce water use and complete simple insulation and weatherization upgrades. Some of your biggest savings, however, don't come from one-time tricks but from daily habits. So, be moderate with the thermostat and, yes, turn off the lights when you leave a room.

"What part of 'No' don't you understand?"

Many dads consider it their mission to instill discipline in their children, including telling them "no." But once graduates fly the coop, they'll have to learn to tell themselves "no" or suffer the consequences. Overspending is almost a rite of passage. And it's difficult when most of the marketing messages are aimed at young people. The easiest way to say "no" is when you have a reason. So create money goals for something you want more than daily temptations: saving for a house down payment, paying cash for your next car, or saving for a wedding or honeymoon.

"Save for your future."

This is difficult for new grads, who often feel retirement is a lifetime away. "One thing my dad impressed on me was that I shouldn't waste my money on the latest gadget or gizmo; that I should save it so I could benefit from compounding returns," said Jim Wang, creator of a personal finance blog at Bargaineering.com. Wang recently published on his site a money guide for new graduates. Contribute to a retirement plan, such as a 401(k), especially if your employer matches your contributions. That's free money. And if you start early, you'll have to save a whole lot less later.

"Save for a rainy day."

This sounds like the previous advice, but it's totally different. This refers to having some cash on hand to deal with life's unexpected mishaps, from car repairs to losing your job. So start an emergency fund. Dad might be an optimist, but he knows it will rain — it's only a matter of when.

"I'm not made of money."

This might be accompanied by the rhetorical "What do you think I am, a bank?" or "You'll realize the value of money once you start earning some." Once graduates are on their own, they'll have to establish their money boundaries rather than extend them with careless borrowing, especially on credit cards. Dad is hinting at the best spending tip that dwarfs all others: "Live within your means."

"Would you jump off a bridge if your friends did?"

This might be dad's warning against the lemming-like behavior of investors. Most people follow the crowd and do the wrong thing: buying high and selling low. Slow and steady investing, ideally in index mutual funds, is decidedly boring — and decidedly better than chasing hot stocks. The paternal corollary here is "Look before you leap." Don't invest in anything you don't understand.

And, of course, dad doesn't always have a witty answer, but he does have his usual fallback: "Go ask your mother."



Read more: http://www.kansas.com/2010/06/01/1338828/many-of-dads-sayings-are-sage.html#ixzz0qHmjkQiy

Summer Vacation

Here it is June, and I'm already thinking about the new fall term. Yep, I did just take some classes, which put me in the role of a mind-numbed student...especially during those afternoon hours.
Maybe I should rethink some new mercy laws for class time...maybe...
Right now, I'm gonna set this blog up to encourage you all that summertime isn't dead-brain time.
Enjoy the sun.
Get some exercise.
Read a book, or two or 100.
Don't let the lazy days turn into brain daze when August rolls around, or it ain't gonna be pretty when your classes start.
Mueyhahaha!