college

Six Important Steps to Take in Order to Prepare High School Students for College

Posted on by patweso

Zeke and sterling at gradCongratulations!  You have a student in high school and you are approaching the end of a journey!  You want your students high school years to end well and, in order to do that, you need to be aware of available options.  Even if your student does not plan to go to college, that could change, so it is better to be prepared for college, and not go — rather than to not plan for college and then find your student has changed his mind! Do not wait until the spring semester of the senior year to make post-high school plans (especially if your student will attend college). Waiting too long can cause stress, failed plans, and a loss of scholarship offers.

Step one in planning for the high school years is to choose which subjects are needed to prepare your student best for life after high school.  An article that discusses many options along with advice on how to choose what subjects to include can be found here. The subjects you include will be influenced by what you discover in step two, so keep that in mind as you plan.

Step two is to help your students determine their talents, giftedness, and passion.  Begin 1M0A0342editedhaving your students participate in opportunities that will help them figure out if they, in fact, love a particular interest or, as is often the case, are not as enamored once they gain experience.  For instance, if your child is interested in journalism, find a journalist that they shadow or intern with in order to see firsthand what all is involved with this career.  If your student knows ahead of time (before college) what he wants to do career-wise, it will help you plan the high school years in such a way that they gain experience before heading to college. If your student has no clue, then taking career assessment tests may be helpful. The Career Services director at Bryan recently conducted a workshop on how to help students discover their interests. A summary of his workshop is found here.

Step three is to make plans for additional opportunities during the high school years including, but not limited to, conferences, programs, camps, ministry opportunities, internships, and community service.  I put together a free e resource for planning the high school years and it includes a time line of events that you may want to consider including in your students’  plans.  Feel free to download that resource here. We had our children attend numerous conferences (many were free) as well as debates (so that they would be challenged to think deeply about issues that matter), pregnancy center banquets (to hear the speaker), campaigns, and more. They also began working at summer camps when they were 12.  We made sure our children joined us when we volunteered for community service or ministry related projects.  As a result, our children are very quick to respond to needs without being asked.  One year, when a hurricane hit Florida, several of our children spent days with the Salvation Army providing meals for the evacuees.  Some programs and camps may seem quite costly, but we found that it was worth sacrificing (or working harder to earn the money required) for certain programs. In several instances I was able to barter services for the required fees (cooked at a camp, taught classes, babysat, etc.). There are numerous opportunities that will advance your child’s interest whether it be music, theater, politics, business, or almost anything else!  Some opportunities will be easier to find image1 (1)than others.  Ask for referrals from your friends.  When my daughter wanted to gain experience as a videographer I asked our homeschool support group for suggestions and my daughter ended up with two internships, both of which provided invaluable experience in her field. To read more about the varied paths my nine children have taken since high school, go here.

dsc_4089Step four involves narrowing down your college choices to 2 or 3 schools.  Look for colleges that have majors that interest your students.  Yes, I know, this may change.  It often does, but start out with current interests.  Personally, it is important to my husband and me that our children attend a college that teaches classes from a biblical worldview when possible.   For this reason several of our students attended Bryan College (which happens to be where I am the Homeschool Specialist). Of course it would make sense that I highly recommend Bryan College if we have the major your student needs.  Begin your search by looking on-line and by asking for referrals from friends.  Visit the colleges of choice in person when possible.  Most colleges have specific visit days, but many encourage you to visit at any time that is convenient to you. Visiting while classes are in session is the best time to visit because if your students are allowed to sit in on classes, they will gain a first-hand experience.  If you are going to be in the area of a college of interest at a time when classes are not in session, it is still worth scheduling a visit so that you can tour the campus and talk to admissions and financial aid counselors.  If your student is a senior then check with the colleges of interest to see if they offer special scholarship events for seniors in high school.  Bryan College hosts two scholarship events each year, one per semester.  These are for seniors who have been accepted to Bryan College.  The events are free and are by invitation according to college exam test scores.  Each student attending receives an additional scholarship between $200 and $2,000 based on an academic interview. Students can also participate in an essay contest and one winner receives four years tuition!  Additional scholarships are offered for music, theater, martial arts and more.  You are not limited to how many colleges your student can apply to and, in fact, it makes sense to apply to your top 2 or 3 choices so that you can better compare apples with apples once the financial packages are awarded.  There are times throughout the year when application fees are waived (applying to multiple colleges can get costly) so check with the colleges of interest about this.  Colleges often offer incentives for applying (or depositing) that reward the student with free products such as t-shirts, mugs, etc.  Plan to attend college fairs that are within driving distance to your home.  Do some research to find out about virtual college fairs as they are gaining in popularity.  Ken Ham, with Answers in Genesis, has a free college fair every November and each high school student receives a free ticket to the Creation Museum and a chance to win a $500 scholarship.  The FPEA, in Florida, hosts a homeschool college fair in November.  Many homeschool curriculum fairs include vendors in the exhibit hall who represent colleges.  HEAV has a separate college vending area at their annual conference in Richmond, VA, as does the NCHE conference that takes place in Winston-Salem, NC. One more word of advice, find out if a college you are looking at offers something unique to that college. Students who attend Bryan College after high school and graduate with a 3.5 GPA can then earn their Master’s degree tuition free!

Step five is planning financially for the college years.  College can be quite expensive, butmoney there are multiple scholarships and grants that can be awarded or earned.  Dual enrolling while in high school is one of the best ways to save money and cut costs.  In some states dual enrollment is totally free, but be careful because dual enrollment is not without dangers.  I wrote about that here. In Tennessee there is a state grant for DE classes.  At Bryan College we offer an out-of-state scholarship of $200 for DE classes which makes a 3 hour credit class cost around $300.  That is an amazing price.  We offer on-line classes 4 times a year.  Bryan College is regionally accredited so our credits often transfer to most colleges.  Taking AP classes and CLEP exams is another way to reduce college expenses because it is a much more affordable way to earn credit.  Be aware, once again, that not every college accepts every CLEP or AP credit.  Once you have narrowed your students’ college choices, then find out their policy regarding transferring credits whether from another college or from CLEP or AP. Academic scholarships are often the highest scholarships awarded and most of the time the amount is determined by the scores earned on a college entrance exam. At some colleges the academic and athletic scholarships stack. If you have a student who is an athlete, planning to attend a college where the athletic and academic scholarships do not stack, if he can receive an equal amount for an academic scholarship, always go with the academic scholarship over the athletic scholarship because athletes can lose a scholarship due to injury or non-renewal based on performance. In addition to making college affordable by taking dual enrollment classes, CLEP and AP tests, and earning scholarships, most colleges offer opportunities on campus such as work study programs and becoming a residential assistant.

Step Six: Going hand-in-hand with Step 5 is this — prepare for the tests. Although I am not a fan of using college exam scores as an indicator of how well a student will do in college, the truth is that most colleges award the highest scholarships according to scores earned. In years past the ACT and the SAT were the primary tests taken by the majority CLT logoof students. Now there is a third option, the CLT! Read here to find out more about college testing. Students should seriously prepare for these exams because the higher the scholarship the less out-of-pocket money required! A word of caution if your student plans to apply for independent scholarships — set up a dedicated email account for scholarship entries or your personal email will be bombarded with solicitations.

Feel free to contact me at pat.wesolowski@bryan.edu if you have questions or if you are interested in receiving a list of resources I have created.

Being prepared for life after high school is not that difficult if you have a plan in place to take advantage of opportunities available to your students.

 

 

 

ADA Accommodations in College

Posted on by patweso

ada signBecause I often have parents asking me about accommodations for students with disabilities in college, I organized a workshop led by Bryan College’s Academic Success Center Director and ADA Coordinator, Kristi Strode. What I discovered while attending the workshop is that accommodations are regulated by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990/Rehabilitation Act of 1973 – Section 504. There are also other laws that come into play when serving students with disabilities:  the Fair Housing Act regarding campus housing needs and FERPA regarding the extremely important issue of confidentiality

The governing statutes provide many mandates for colleges; however, in many instances, the law is ambiguous and open to interpretation. Each college must interpret and incorporate procedures for assisting students with diagnosed disabilities, and Bryan College strives to not only meet the law’s requirements but to also provide services in an excellent fashion.  We purpose to serve all students with integrity and compassion in order that those students may have tools to succeed in their academics so they may become servants of Christ in the world, per Bryan College’s mission statement.

When students with disabilities come to college and seek services through the college’s ADA Services department, they can expect to receive reasonable accommodations in classes.  While changing class requirements is never considered a reasonable accommodation, there are other ways of providing students with tools to succeed (accommodations) that will help.  The traditional and typical accommodations for students with disabilities are as follows:

  1. Extended testing time
  2. Quiet testing area
  3. Tests read aloud
  4. Audio text books (when available)

worryIf students are not satisfied with the services they receive through Bryan College’s ADA Services, there is a grievance procedure in place. On our campus, an ADA Compliance Committee is charged with weighing any grievances that come forward.  Kristi has also developed a manual for compliance with the ADA mandates.

At Bryan College, there are an average of 25 students at any time who have diagnosed disabilities and are receiving services. For a student to receive accommodations, the diagnosis must be official, coming from a professional qualified to evaluate the disability. The student’s disability needs to have been diagnosed within the past two to three years. Disabilities may include (but not be limited to): anxiety, depression, ADHD, dyslexia, behavioral health issues and PTSD.

The paperwork required to receive services is as follows:

  1. The application for services
  2. An ADA Informed Consent Document
  3. Applicable releases of information for faculty, staff, and family members
  4. A letter from a diagnosing professional

The letter of diagnosis should:

  1. Be explained on letterhead stationary
  2. Be signed by the professional making the diagnosis
  3. Include the diagnosis
  4. Explain the current treatment as well as on-going treatment necessary
  5. Include recommendations for classroom treatment
  6. Be dated with a date that is within two or three years of the student entering college

Kristi StrodeOnce a student on campus has met with Kristi and figured out a plan for accommodations, then that student must present the needed accommodations through what is known as a Syllabus Addendum to their professors. Kristi promotes self-advocacy, but she will work with both the students and professors.

Also, Kristi can provide a potential listing of professionals who are able to test and diagnose disabilities for $75. Her phone number is as follows:  423-580-2284 (cell)

 

 

College, yes or no? If college, what major?

Posted on by patweso

student on sidewalkNot every child will attend college. Helping your child plan for life after high school should, however, include discussing whether college is the route to take, or not. If college is on your child’s radar, but he/she does not have a clue of what major to choose, that is not uncommon.

College comes with a cost and students often graduate with college debt. (I will address avoiding college debt in another blog.) In order to make a wise decision regarding whether your student needs to go to college, or not, there are many areas to discuss.

  1. Students typically graduate with an average of right around $40,000 in debt. In 2016 Bryan College was ranked #2 of the top 50 private colleges with the least amount of debt. The average debt of graduates at Bryan that year was around $11,000. What will it cost your child to graduate college?
  2. There is an opportunity cost to consider for students heading to college. Four years of full time wages will be lost. In light of that, consider what your child will be doing for the rest of his/her life. Will the time and expense of college be recouped? Is college necessary for your student’s future plans? Some career choices require degrees (teachers, attorneys, doctors, nurses, etc.) while other careers do not (videographer/photographer, mechanic, etc.). However, even if your children’s career choice does not require college, if they plan to be employees than oftentimes a degree brings a higher salary and an increased chance at promotions. And, if your students plan to be self-employed then gaining the connections and skills college affords may be worth the time and cost in the long run.
  3. If your student’s talent, passions, and skill enable him/her to begin working after high school at a job that will provide for the family with the possibility of moving up the ladder without a college degree, then college may not be necessary.
  4. Sometimes children have no idea what they want to do for the rest of their lives, so college may help them make a decision. And, as is the case with one of my sons, he went to college so he could continue to play baseball. The degree was a bonus. Beginning college makes sense especially when scholarships and grants cover most of the expenses.

moneyAs Christians, the decision to attend college should never be based strictly on financial concerns. Jesus certainly cares about your money and how you spend it, but if your child is doing what the Lord wants him/her to do then He can provide financially for your student’s future. If you had asked me, before our oldest daughter came to Bryan College in 1998, if we could afford it (having 8 other children at home), I would have said, “No way. Not without a miracle,” yet between the scholarships and grants we were able to afford her tuition!

At Bryan College we live out our mission statement, “Educating students to become servants of Christ to make a difference in today’s world.” Our main mission is the kingdom of God. Our motto is, “Christ above all.” For a Christian heading to college, families should be asking, “Will college do the most for equipping my student for the kingdom of God?” If the answer is no, then taking a gap year or finding alternative programs (or jobs) may be something to pursue. If yes, then be careful that you do not force your child to choose a major simply because the end result is a high paying job. The world measures success, oftentimes, in terms of dollars earned, but that is not how the Scriptures define success (Joshua 1:8).

Of those heading to college, it is not unusual for a student to enter college without a definite major in mind. Bryan College is a Liberal Arts college so beginning with basics usually prepares most students well for any major. There are a few majors that may require intentional planning beginning with the Freshman year such as biology, engineering, music, and education. However, students may be able to choose those majors and still graduate “on time” depending on how many credits they need for the major they choose. Students who change majors after their Freshman year may find that they have to attend an additional semester (or two) in order to graduate. If this is the case, then taking summer classes may be a way to get caught up while saving money!

As a parent, there are ways to help your child choose a major:

  • Help them think through their interest and goals by allowing
    them to talk.
  • Have them take several personality tests/vocation tests to see
    if any patterns stand out.
  • Take advantage of visit events and encourage your son or
    daughter to meet professors and sit in classes.
  • Consider apprenticeships or internships (or job shadowing).

If they begin college without an intended major in mind, do not stress. Encourage them to take general education courses and keep a big picture perspective. If you are a believer, you can trust God to help direct your student’s path. Luke gave also gave this advice, “Expose your students to godly people who are serious about the Kingdom of God in order to help them with their choices.”  He also said, “The sovereignty of God is real so do not forget your theology as you consider the cost of college or as you consider you son or daughter’s indecisiveness. Your children are not powerful enough to mess up God’s plan for their life. So by all means, plan, but don’t forget that God is in control.”

courtney nursing groupOf my nine children, 4 of our 5 sons will graduate college (and the fifth is doing quite well as a builder and knife maker).  Of my 4 girls only 1 will graduate college as she is pursuing a nursing career. The other 3 daughters are wives and mothers who either homeschool their children, work from home, and/or work alongside their husbands. One daughter attended Bryan one year and then she met her husband. Another daughter attended a women’s discipleship program in Texas where she met her husband. The third daughter worked at a ministry one summer where she met her husband.

We want our students to be where the Lord wants them to be, whether that is in college, pursuing a career, training for a vocation, being a wife and mother (or husband and dad) or being involved in full time ministry. As you navigate these years, pray for wisdom and guidance as the Lord directs your child’s steps to a future that will bring glory to Him, and the Kingdom of God will be advanced.

 

 

College Testing: All You Ever Wanted to Know, but Never Thought to Ask

Posted on by patweso

test takingAfter homeschooling my nine children for more than 32 years, I am finally finished!  One of my regrets is not acknowledging the importance of college entrance exams and/or CLEP and AP credit for those heading to college.  For years I was convinced that:

  • College tests are not very good indicators for how well a student will do in college (that opinion has not changed, by the way).
  • Some students who are amazing students may not test well so a great GPA coupled with an impressive portfolio should be adequate for acceptance and scholarship purposed (wishful thinking, but not true for the most part).

Reality hit when several my children were not offered the scholarships that I felt like they deserved (yes, I am one of those mothers) because, whether I agree with this or not, the highest scholarships awarded to incoming college students are usually academic scholarships and those scholarships are almost always tied to test scores.  (When discussing anything related to college policies and practices, one must use terms such as “generally,” “usually,” and “it depends” liberally.)

coffee and calendar

As embarrassed as I am to admit this, I was not aware that the PSAT test is tied to the National Merit Scholarships and, as a consequence, I never had my children take this test.  The PSAT can be taken by students (whether homeschool, private school or public school students) as early as the 8th grade (depending on the school administering the tests). The only year the score counts toward the National Merit Scholarship is the student’s junior year.  The test is given in October of each year (several test dates available) and it is a very affordable test.  My advice would be to have your students begin taking this test as soon as they are allowed.  In the county where Bryan College is located (Rhea County), the public high school will only allow sophomores to take this test early.  In some counties the schools will allow younger students to sign up for the test.  It is a good idea to find a location for test taking in September of each year because some schools run out of test booklets.  Schools may require that your student has an official ID.  If  your student does not yet have a drivers license he/she can obtain an official ID from the DMV for a small charge.  Passports are acceptable forms of ID as well.  By the way, the difference between a National Merit semi-finalist and a finalist is not determined by scores, but rather by jumping through hoops after a student becomes a semi-finalist. The CLT (new college entrance exam, described further below) also has a CLT10 which is free for students to take on-line in April and details regarding scholarship opportunities for this exam are forthcoming. From the CLT website: The CLT10 is an alternative to the PSAT. In terms of academic rigor it is scaled back from the regular CLT (ie, no trigonometry, few level 5 questions). In addition, the CLT10 is free for all students. Although it is free, students who score above a 108 are still eligible for $2,500.00 in scholarship money through CLT’s partnership with the National Association of Scholars. 

Research shows that many students’ scores increase each time they take a college entrance exam. Part of the reason for this is because the student becomes more relaxed with experience.  Students who are intentional about preparing for (and practicing) these exams increase their scores as well.  Some colleges super score, taking the highest score of specific sections from multiple test dates.

CLT logoThere are now 3 college entrance exams: the ACT, the SAT and the CLT (new test).  Some areas of the country encourage the ACT while others encourage the SAT.  Most colleges will accept either score for admission and scholarship purposes.  The newest test, the CLT (Classic Learning Test) is now accepted at more than 70 Christian colleges.  Bryan College offers the CLT on site with admission and scholarship amounts awarded according to scores earned.  The CLT is taken on-line (no more bubbles), students can sign up without late fee penalties within a week of the test date, and the test scores are received the same day. A comparison article on the SAT vs the ACT is provided by College Prep Genius here. A comparison article of the 3 tests is provided at the CLT site is located here.

Preparing for the Tests!  There are quite a few free options for improving test scores including videos (search Youtube) and practice tests from the official test sites of each test. The books we found most helpful in preparing for the ACT and the SAT are Princeton Review’s Cracking the (SAT) or (ACT).  36 University is a very affordable on-line tutorial for the ACT.  It cost $15 per month with no contract.  When registering if you use the code “Bryan” you will save $3 per month!  College Prep Genius is a program used by many homeschool families and it is a prep site for the SAT and the new CLT as well.  I was amazed at what I learned in five minutes standing at the College Prep Genius table at a college event listening to Jean Burk give tips on the college exams. Although 36 University and College Prep Genius tutor to a specific test most of what they teach applies to all three of the college exams. The CLT has a guide for their test as well.

element5-digital-352048 (1)When should students begin testing?  That depends on the student and on the direction your student is headed.  Many students begin taking practice tests as early as 8th or 9th grade.  Because the tests are not inexpensive ($49+) most parents wait until the junior year to begin taking official tests.  Some schools require a college exam test score for dual enrollment purposes.  At Bryan College a student can begin dual enrolling after the sophomore year without a test score (transcript required showing 3.0 GPA or higher), unless they are taking a math class in which case the student would have to provide a college exam math score of ACT 22, SAT 540, or CLT 22.

Should you have your student’s test scores sent automatically to colleges?  It depends.  (Get use to this phrase because there are no die-hard, set in stone, rules and regulations that apply to anything college.)  In order to encourage my children to be more relaxed and less stressed about taking a college entrance exam for the first time, I told them that no one would see their scores.  The downside to this (at least with the ACT and SAT) is that there is a fee to have the scores sent in at a later date.  These are considerations you need to weigh and the answer may vary depending on each student’s situation.

What about CLEP and AP test credits? Although this blog is primarily addressing college entrance exams there are a few facts about CLEP and AP that you will want to know, such as:

  • Not all colleges accept CLEP and/or AP credits so check with colleges of interest
  • To receive college credit one must pass the exam (pass or fail are the 2 options)
  • Grades are not assigned to the credits earned by testing for credit so GPAs are not affected (although I did have a parent shared with me that one college assigns a “C” grade to CLEP credits and this would be a huge disadvantage to a student striving for a high GPA so, again, ask  registrars these specific questions).

In order to prepare well for your student’s high school years do not make the same mistakes I made. Begin early with preparations for success with the college exams if your students are headed to college. Even if you are not sure if college is in your students’ future, it is better to be prepared even if they do not go to college than to not be prepared and discover, at the last minute, that college is the next step.  Feel free to email me if you have specific questions I can attempt to answer:  pat.wesolowski@bryan.edu

After 32 years of homeschooling I am now the Homeschool Specialist at Bryan College and I have put together a free resource to help parents plan for the high school years and it can be downloaded here.  TheJourney-Social (2) (1)

 

 

 

 

 

A Third College Entrance Exam? Yes, Please!

Posted on by patweso

CLT logoFor many years the only two college entrance exams offered to students have been the SAT and the ACT.  Oftentimes Christians have felt at a disadvantage for several reasons, to-wit:

1.  Some of the questions put the students in a moral dilemma (should students give the politically correct answer, gaining a point, or answer according to their beliefs?)

2.  The reading content often contains biases and politically charged articles that do not line up with a Christian’s beliefs

3.  The tests are aligned with Common Core and many homeschooling families as well as private schools do not teach Common Core material.

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Another disadvantage to these tests is the fact that one must register for the test more than a month prior to the test or pay a hefty late fee.

These disadvantages are remedied with the new CLT (Classic Learning Test).

The CLT is offered five times a year. Writing is optional and free.  Students can sign up for the test up until a week before the test is administered.  The test is taken on-line either with a student’s device or with a device offered by the site proctoring the exam. Scores are received by the end of the day when given at a proctored sight. If given online as a virtual test, the scoring process will take longer.

The CLT is a two hour online test. The CLT8 is for 7th and 8th graders and they can take the test at home. The CLT10 is for 9th and 10th graders and they, too, take the test from home with a parent proctor. The CLT10, like the PSAT, comes with scholarship potential for high scoring students.

Here is an article put out by HSLDA comparing the SAT, ACT and CLT.

Bryan College will proctor the CLT on our campus.

The test dates and locations are found here.

Practice the test to see for yourself what it is like!  (The practice test I took included a reading passage containing an article by C. S. Lewis!)

The PSAT and Why it is Important

Posted on by patweso

psatAs the Homeschool Specialist at Bryan College I plan to use this forum as a means to communicate information useful to parents of teens as they prepare their children for life after high school!  Let’s talk about the importance of the PSAT!

The PSAT is a test that students should take before taking the SAT and/or the ACT.  The PSAT is given only once a year (in October) and the student’s junior year score is the score that counts towards the National Merit Scholarship.  A student can begin taking the PSAT before the eleventh grade, but the only score that counts towards the National Merit Scholarship is the test taken during the junior year.  Semi-finalists awarded the NMS qualify for full tuition at Bryan College.

The PSAT is not only a “practice” test of sorts, but it is the test that determines National Merit Scholarship awards!!

The PSAT is:

1.  Only given once a year (in October)

2.  Quite affordable ($13 – $25 depending on location)

3.  Offered to students younger than juiniors (as practice)

4.  Offered at most public and private schools

5. To earn a National Merit Scholarship a student has to qualify by scores earned in addition to meeting requirements.

6.  Becoming a NMS finalist is possible for each semi-finalist (a semi-finalist receives full tuition at Bryan College) who completes additional requirements.

The PSAT covers reading, writing, and mathematics. In 2015 the PSAT was changed in a manner similar to the SAT changes.  Homeschooled students can take the PSAT at a public or private high school.  Register your student for this test in September or early October so that a test booklet will be reserved for the student. Some schools require the student to be present at registration and the student must have an acceptable form of ID. This site includes a list of schools where this test is given.

The test is quite affordable, so having high school students take this test is advantageous for many reasons.  Again, it is only offered in October of each year.  Although the score received during the student’s junior year is the score that counts toward the National Merit Scholarship, a student can begin taking this test as early as ninth grade, and perhaps even earlier, depending on the policy of the staff at the facility offering the test.