CHARACTER ED: MARCH 2017

Becoming College & Career Ready

Learning Target

I can begin to be College & Career Ready now by:

Learning and practicing good study habits Knowing what resources are available to help me be

successful Setting goals that are important to me now and in my

future Exploring education and career options and

information Acting on goals and dreams

Exploring Options

Asking yourself questions is a good place to start – think about your goals. Do you have short and long term goals?

Hopefully you are thinking of your future in some way, whether it’s trying out for a sports team next year, going to college, becoming a pilot, or bringing up your grades for 4th quarter. It’s never too early to start planning ahead.

Should I go to College?

This is a personal decision that every one of you will make, and one of the biggest decisions of your life. Don’t discount going to college, and don’t make this choice without doing some homework and reflecting on how it could impact your life for better or for worse.

Hopefully Career Day gave you some new ideas of what going to college might be like and some of the careers you could have if you attend college.

Benefits of attending college…

You get to meet a lot of new and different peopleContinue to learn! Getting an education helps you become a

well-rounded and informed person. A college education can help you find what you are passionate about and earn a degree in that area.

Make more money and get a higher paying job than those who do not attend college.

Being more marketable when it comes to getting a job.Gain financial responsibility. College is expensive. You must

learn to balance a budget and pay bills!Achieve independence. College can help you begin to make

life decisions making as you decide what classes to take, what degree to earn, where you’re going next, etc.

Benefits of attending college…

Get involved. College is a great place to get involved in what you are interested in academically, as well as clubs. There are all kinds of groups to get involved in.

Get a change of scenery. Going away to college is a brand new experience, and it’s nice to see what others kinds of people and experiences there are away from what you’ve known.

Attending college sporting events. If you’ve never been to a college basketball or football game… go! It’s a blast to cheer for your team.

Benefits of attending college…

Find out who you are. College years are a time of learning, personal growth, challenges, hard work and hopefully fun.

Having fun and enjoying college life. College campuses are always offering fun group activities. It’s a time of socializing, having new opportunities, trying new activities, etc. Campuses also have recreation buildings – some with pools, gyms, rock wall climbing, rentals for ski equipment, snow shoes, kayaks, canoes, etc.

Think you’re not college material?

It’s understandable that not EVERYONE wants to go to college! There are other options to continue your education if you are one of those students.

However, if you think you are not college material because you struggle with grades or homework… you don’t like writing papers, think you could never pay for college, or it’s just plain hard, there are a few things to consider:

Think you’re not college material?

Colleges have great services and resources to help students. You can talk to an admissions counselor about what you are interested in and what types of classes are required for specific programs, and what help is available.

There are writing labs with other students who work there to help give you tips on how to improve your writing and your papers.

There is supplemental instruction for all kinds of subjects. Struggle with math? You can spend extra time learning from other students to improve your skills.

Colleges offer classes such as Study Skills to help you develop the necessary skills to be successful in college.

YOU are paying for these services… so USE them as much as you possibly can!

Can I even pay for college?

Paying for college is expensive! No one will argue that. We could talk about expense all day and how student debt is hard to pay back and takes a LOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGG time. (I can attest to that!)

Scholarships and grants are ideal. There are a lot of scholarships out there, but you’ve got to be serious about your grades, and be learning and preparing for college now! Your ACT exam is factored in as well and it is very competitive.

If you are a very average student (like Mrs. Roane was…) and you don’t earn a scholarship or qualify for a grant, you can always take out a student loan. (I’ll pay mine off at the end of this year!)

Get a Jump Start…

Another way to get ahead of the game, and not pay for 4 or more years of college is to start taking college courses in high school!

AP – Advanced Placement courses can earn you college credit by passing a test at the end of the course. The key is: You must pass!

Concurrent Enrollment: These courses earn you high school and college credit at the same time, just by passing the course.

Getting involved in the International Baccalaurette Program gives you 30 college credits.

The Point Is…

If you want to go to college… YOU CAN and you should! Believe in yourself and know that it will be hard, but the pay off for working hard is well worth it! Ask any one of your teachers or others who have attended college, if they would go back and change it.

Alternate Options…

Now… for those of you who choose not to go to college, that’s okay…there are alternate options!

The most important thing to remember is, as educators, we are challenging and pushing you to CONTINUE YOUR EDUCATION… and there are a variety of ways to do that. Next week’s lesson will focus on alternate options to going to college.