How to Pick Your Major/Minors

Choosing a major in college can be overwhelming, so be sure to take some time and explore available resources and gain insight about choosing your major and minor.

As the job market becomes more competitive, companies are requiring more qualifications from their applicants—this is an important reason why you should choose a college major that suits your strengths, personality, and interests. Here are aspects to consider when choosing a major in college.

• Do you work well with people and thrive in a busy, fast paced environment, or do your strengths lie in computers and technology?
• Is it important that you work in a field where you are able to help people?
• Do you enjoy hands-on work?
• Would you like to work outdoors?
• Do you enjoy working with children or animals?
• Would you like to travel?

Choosing a major in college and ultimately deciding on the type of field that you go into, so it is important that you make sure that you are choosing a major that suits you and is something you can see yourself making a career out of and doing for many years to come.

To choose your college minor, start by writing down a list of areas that interest you and areas that complement your college major. For example, if you're majoring in marketing but enjoy criminal studies or the arts, minor in criminal justice, literature or art history. Another option is to choose a minor that stresses an area you struggle with and will benefit you after graduation. If you're an English major but don't write well, tweak your writing skills with a minor in creative writing. Or, why not have fun with your college minor and choose something you enjoy that is completely different from your major --this makes the extra work seem less tedious and lets you break away from the rigors of your regular studies. Planning a minor around your future career or travel goals and picking a foreign language minor if you plan on traveling after graduation or working in an area with a high population of non-native speakers is also a great option.

Make sure to make the final decision on your own--you are the one who has to live with these choices for the rest of your life, so make them count. Choosing a major and minor in college that coincides with your beliefs, interests, and strengths is important. Good luck!

Critical Dates for The College Bound Senior High School Student

August
*Write important dates down so you do not miss any deadlines
*Meet with your guidance counselor to go over college plans and make sure your classes meet the standards of your college goals
*Sign up for the ACT or SAT

September
*Find out when the admission counselor to the college(s) or university(s) you selected is visiting your high school and meet with him/her.
*Ask teachers, high school counselors, employers and others for letters of recommendation for your college and scholarship applications. Be sure to give them at least a two week’s notice!
* Finalize your college application essay. Have a teacher look it over and give pointers and tips
*Make a list of scholarships in your community for which you wish to apply

October
*Finalize the list of colleges to which you wish to apply.
*Submit your applications for any scholarships you may be eligible for
*Re-take the ACT or SAT if you feel you can improve your score

November
*Finish submitting your college applications. Many guidance counselors kindly ask that you have all your applications submitted by Thanksgiving.
*Make a file on each school you applied to with a copy of your application, essay, and letters of recommendation you may have sent and all materials they have given you.

December
*Continue to apply for different scholarships and grants
*Enjoy a relaxing Winter Break—you’ve earned it!

January
*Complete your taxes as soon as possible

February
*Submit your completed FAFSA online if you haven't already. Valentine's Day (February 14) is a good target date to have your FAFSA completed!
*Schedule follow-up visits to your top three schools that have offered you admission. Make sure to schedule an appointment with each school's financial aid office. Consider an overnight visit to get a real feel for the school and student life.

March
*Compare your top three schools and prepare to make your final decision
*Apply for a summer job and save some of the money for college

April
*Decide what college you will be attending. Remember to consider all factors, including academic offerings, student experience and cost. Don't underestimate what feels like the best fit!
*Submit your enrollment fee as soon as you make your decision
*Notify the schools you will not be attending.

May
*Enjoy your last month of high school!!
*Sign up for a summer orientation
*Graduate!

June
*Make sure your high school has sent your final transcript to the school of your choice.
*Take your Math Placement Test before you attend Orientation
*Get a physical and fill out your important health documents as soon as possible.
*Attend Orientation.
*If needed, decide which loans you will need to take out
*Make sure you save some of your summer earnings for college.

Congratulations, you did it! Welcome to college!!

Things You Can Do This Summer To Help You Get Into College

Whether you are a senior or an incoming freshman, summer is an ideal time to boost your college preparation. Here are some easy (it is summer “break” after all!) things you can do now to increase your chances of getting into college.

Volunteer- Get involved in some community service doing something you love. Volunteering doesn’t need to be a bummer and can actually be really fun and fulfilling. Find an organization, group, or cause you are passionate about, and help them out.  

Read- Find something to read that is not required for school. Reading increases your vocabulary and gives you material to reference in college applications and interviews. Some college applications ask for a list of book that you have read, and, a typical interview question is “tell me about the last book you read?”

Contact Your Dream School- Many colleges track applicants’ “demonstrated interest”; they want to know if you are truly interested in their school. Introduce yourself, talk about your passion and interest in the school, and ask for more information. One little email can go a long way!

Brainstorm Personal Essay Ideas- Your personal essay will be a critical piece in your college applications, and the best essays are started early. Take a few minutes and write down any personal themes, thoughts, challenges, or accomplishments that you might want to include in your essay.

Visit a College- The first step to creating your college list, is to begin researching colleges. What better way than to step foot onto a college campus! Get out there and visit some colleges; take the tour, explore the campus, and ask questions. You will learn valuable information and can begin exploring what factors will make a college the right fit for you.

Teach Someone Something- Everyone has a skill, talent, or hobby, so why not take the opportunity to teach it to someone else. Your family, friends, and neighbors will be happy to learn a new skill, and this is a great experience in leadership.

Travel- Whether your budget allows for trips to Europe or trips to the next city over, travel experience is fantastic for college. Be creative in thinking about trips; some of the best trips are done by car or bus, and take place within 30-50 miles of where you live. Visit some local landmarks or historical sights, go out to the mountains and camp under the stars. Travel experience exposes you to new things and shows college your curious nature.

Five Tips for Parenting The College-Bound Child

Raising a child is the most challenging thing most people will ever do, and sending them away to college is one of the toughest parts.  Helping your teenager choose the perfect college is a great start – but how can you help them succeed there? Education is your child's first real job, and college might actually be the hardest job they'll ever do. You can't go with them and can't do their work for them, but send them as well prepared as possible with these five tips.

First, prepare your child for a big step up in academic expectations.  For the vast majority of students, college is a tremendous increase in academic difficulty.  They can expect work to get harder and grades to get lower.  If your child doesn't expect this they might become discouraged. 

Second, prepare your child for self management.  In high school, it is the school's job to see to it the student passes.  In college, it's the student's job to satisfy the college that they should be allowed to pass.  Your child has to manage their own relationships with their instructors, their own administrative matter, and their own studying.  Get them to manage these things in high school, especially in their senior year.   Your child will be treated as an adult by their college, so they should get some practice as soon as possible. 

Third, help your child learn the school beforehand.  Orientations, campus tours, literature, and talking to former students is invaluable for preparing to move away and profoundly change their lives.  Even a moderately large school has the area and population of a small city and the bureaucracy can be just as hard to navigate. The more your child knows before college starts, the less shock they will experience. 

Fourth, help your child budget.  If your child is on their own for the first time the temptation to blow through their spending money can be overwhelming.  Get the numbers down on paper and show them what they have and how it can be stretched out all year.  The last thing a young student needs come exam time is to panic over a money shortage.

Fifth, don't overemphasize post-college plans.  It's good to think about careers, but as the old sports saying goes, you have to play them one game at a time.  Your child might change their mind, change majors, or adjust any number of things, but the critically important thing is to graduate from college first. 

Your child is about to embark upon a journey of four or more years.  You can’t lead them but you can at least start them off with a map and a compass!