[Octm] FW: ACT's News You Can Use -- March 2003
Weinand, Stacey
sweinand at osrhe.edu
Fri Mar 14 11:12:32 CST 2003
FYI -- This is geared more towards high school teachers and/or parents with high school students.
Stacey
-----Original Message-----
From: mediarelations at act.org [mailto:mediarelations at act.org]
Sent: Wednesday, March 05, 2003 2:55 PM
To: Weinand, Stacey
Subject: ACT's News You Can Use -- March 2003
__________________________
ACT's News You Can Use
Issue 7, March 2003
__________________________
Welcome to "News You Can Use," an electronic newsletter from
ACT's Media Relations department. The purpose of this newsletter
is to provide you with short articles you can use to inform students
and parents about college and career planning. You may use these
articles in e-mails, handouts, newsletters, school newspapers or on
your school website.
The articles are written for a student audience, but you may adapt
them for parents if that better fits your audience.
The next issue will arrive in your inbox in April. In the meantime,
we welcome any feedback and article suggestions you may want to
share. Send an e-mail with the subject line "News You Can Use"
to mediarelations at act.org.
__________________________
In this issue:
1. What do admissions officers consider?
2. Strengthen your academic skills
3. Checklist for making the most of high school
4. Financial Aid terms
5. Test date reminder
6. Work and learn through an apprenticeship
7. Focus on the World of Work Map - Technical careers
8. Myth of the month
__________________________
WHAT DO ADMISSIONS OFFICERS CONSIDER?
When looking at college applicants, admissions officers consider:
- Courses taken in high school - Students who take challenging courses
will be considered better prepared for college than students who take
the easier route through high school.
- Grades - A student's grade point average and class standing is important
to admissions officers.
- College entrance exam score - Colleges use your score to determine
your readiness for college academics and which courses you are prepared
to take during your freshman year.
- Extracurricular activities - Are you involved in high school activities,
and will you be involved on campus? Students who are involved in
campus activities are more likely to remain in college and thrive on
campus.
- College essay - Some colleges require essays and use them to judge
writing skills and to learn more about you as an individual.
- Interview - If required, it is important for you to present yourself as
someone who is bright, articulate, and interested in being involved
in the school. Be honest about yourself and let them see the real you.
- Whether the college is the right fit for you - Will you like the lifestyle
of the particular campus? Will you fit in with fellow classmates? Does
the campus have activities that match your interests?
__________________________
STRENGTHEN YOUR ACADEMIC SKILLS
If you think your skills aren't quite up to speed for college, don't give
up. Take time to prepare yourself. There are many ways to get a
college degree. You just have to take the path that's right for you.
ACT offers these tips:
- Use test score information to see where you need work. Score information
from the ACT, for example, can tell you what subjects you need help with
and what you can do to raise your skills to the next level. Remember, a low
score doesn't necessarily mean you're bad in a subject. It just means you
haven't learned the subject yet.
- Work with a tutor to learn what you don't know yet.
- Take a summer or night school class.
- Check out study aids - books, videotapes, audiotapes and computer
programs - at your public library or a local bookstore.
- Ask your counselor or a teacher about ways you can build your academic
skills.
__________________________
CHECKLIST FOR MAKING THE MOST OF HIGH SCHOOL
- Take classes recommended for college preparation. Talk to your counselor.
- Use testing information. Examine your scores and take extra courses or
get tutoring assistance for weaker academic areas.
- Establish goals for each school year. Talk to your counselor about what
you should be doing considering your college and career plans.
- Explore careers through research and experiences. Use a career
counseling program and job shadow or do internships in careers
you are interested in pursuing.
- Surf the Internet for information on education and career planning.
- Take a college entrance exam during your junior year.
- Never stop learning. Education is a lifelong pursuit.
__________________________
FINANCIAL AID TERMS
Are you running across financial aid terms that have you scratching
your head? Following are definitions of a few terms from the U.S.
Department of Education financial aid "Student Guide," to help you out.
To find out more, check out "Important Terms" in the paper guide or
check it out on the Web.
(http://www.studentaid.ed.gov/students/publications/student_guide/2003_2004/english/index.htm).
Financial Aid Package ¯ The total amount of financial aid (federal
and nonfederal) a student receives. The financial aid administrator at
a postsecondary institution combines various forms of aid (federal aid,
state aid, scholarships, etc.) into a "package" to help meet a student's
need. Using available resources to give each student the best possible
package of aid is one of the aid administrator's major responsibilities.
Because funds are often limited, a financial aid package might fall short
of the amount a student is eligible for. Also, the amount of federal
student aid in a financial aid package is affected by other sources of
aid received (scholarships, state aid, etc.)
Promissory Note ¯ The binding legal document you sign when you
get a student loan. It lists the conditions under which you're borrowing
and the terms under which you agree to pay back the loan. It will include
information on how interest is calculated and what the deferment and
cancellation provisions are. It's very important to read and save this
document because you'll need to refer to it later when you begin repaying
your loan.
Default ¯ Failure to repay a loan according to the terms agreed to when
you signed a promissory note. (*Defined above) In many cases, default
can be avoided by submitting a request for a deferment, forbearance, or
cancellation and by providing the required documentation before reaching
the point of default. The consequences of default are severe. Your school,
the lender or agency that holds your loan, the state, and the federal
government may all take action to recover the money, including notifying
national credit bureaus of your default. This affects your credit rating for a
long time. For example, you might find it very difficult to borrow money
from a bank to buy a car or a house. In addition, the U.S. Department of
Education might ask the Internal Revenue Service to withhold your U.S.
individual income tax refund and apply it to the amount you owe, or the
agency holding your loan might ask your employer to deduct payments
from your paycheck. Also, you're liable for expenses incurred in collecting
the loan. If you decide to return to school, you're not entitled to receive any
more federal student aid. Legal action might also be taken against you.
Regular Student ¯ One who is enrolled in an institution to obtain a degree
or certificate. Generally, to receive aid from the programs discussed in this
booklet, you must be a regular student. (For some programs, there are
exceptions to this requirement.)
Satisfactory Academic Progress ¯ To be eligible to receive federal student
aid, you must maintain satisfactory academic progress toward a degree or
certificate. You must meet your school's written standard of satisfactory
progress. Check with your school to find out about its standard.
__________________________
TEST DATE REMINDER
The next test date for the ACT Assessment is April 12 . The regular
registration postmark deadline is March 7 and the late registration deadline
is March 21. If you register online, register early to avoid traffic.
See http://www.act.org/aap/ for more information.
__________________________
WORK AND LEARN THROUGH AN APPRENTICESHIP
If you like to work with your hands and your mind, you might want
to consider an apprenticeship after high school. More than 850 occupations
can be learned on the job through an apprenticeship.
An apprenticeship prepares you for a career through a structured program
of on-the-job learning with classroom instruction, while you work and
earn a salary. The programs can last from one to six years and you can
choose careers in areas such as telecommunications, health care, computing,
business support and the arts. The most common apprenticeships are in
construction and manufacturing.
Most apprenticeships are registered through the U.S. Department of
Labor, ensuring the program meets government standards for fairness,
safety and training. If you complete a registered program, you will receive
a certificate from the U.S. Department of Labor which proves your qualifications
for the career. Also, classroom instruction often can be used to earn a license, certification or degree.
Following are the top 10 occupations offering apprenticeships that
expect to have the most job openings for new workers (2000-2010):
1. cook, restaurant and cafeteria
2. automotive service technician, mechanic
3. licensed practical and licensed vocational nurse
4. carpenter
5. police officer
6. electrician
7. hairdresser, cosmetologist
8. maintenance and repair worker
9. welder, cutter, solderer and brazer
10. plumber, pipefitter and steamfitter
For more information on apprenticeships, visit with your guidance
counselor. You also can call America's Workforce Network toll-free
at (877) US2-JOBS. (872-5672) Operators can help you find career
counselors and apprenticeship programs in your area. You also can find
apprenticeship information at the Department of Labor's Employment and
Training Administration website, www.doleta.gov/atels_bat.
__________________________
FOCUS ON THE WORLD OF WORK MAP - Technical
(This is the fourth in a six-part series on career clusters found on
ACT's World-of-Work Map. The World-of-Work map is part of
the DISCOVER, EXPLORE, PLAN and ACT Assessment programs.)
If you're like most students, there are probably many careers you may
not have considered. That's one of the benefits of taking ACT's middle
school and high school tests. You've received career planning information
identifying career areas to think about based on your interests. ACT uses
the World-of-Work Map to show students the relationship between
interests and corresponding careers. This month we take a look at
technical careers.
This group is made up of occupations in which you work mainly with
things (such as machines, tools, living things, and materials
such as food, wood, or metal).
Examples include:
Transport operation & related ¯ truck/bus/cab drivers; locomotive
engineer; ship captain; aircraft pilot; sailor; chauffeur.
Agriculture, forestry & related ¯ farmer; nursery manager; pest
controller; forester; logger; groundskeeper; animal caretaker.
Computer & information specialties ¯ programmer; systems analyst;
info. systems manager; computer repairer; desktop publisher; actuary.
Construction & maintenance ¯ carpenter; electrician; bricklayer; tile
setter; painter; plumber; roofer; firefighter; custodian.
Crafts & related ¯ cabinetmaker; tailor; chef/cook; baker; butcher;
jeweler; silversmith; hand crafter.
Manufacturing & processing ¯ tool & die maker; machinist; welder;
bookbinder; printing press operator; photo process worker; dry cleaner.
Mechanical & electrical specialties ¯ mechanics/technicians (auto,
aircraft, heating & AC, electronics, dental lab, etc.); repairers (office
machine, appliance, TV/VCR, CD player, etc.).
These jobs are only a few of the many possibilities, and your results
may show a combination of interests. Visit with your counselor about
using your results for further research. For more information about the
map, visit ACT's website at http://www.act.org/wwm/student.html.
You can find more information on careers at the Bureau of Labor's
Occupational Outlook Handbook at http://www.bls.gov/oco/. Read
more about careers and their working conditions, training and job
outlook, among other facts.
__________________________
MYTH OF THE MONTH
"I have to have a major when I arrive on campus."
Many times by being set on a major and career track, students shortchange
themselves by not being open to other possibilities. You need to explore
your interests in high school and know what your strengths are. If you don't
know what to select as a major in college, take general classes that apply to
most majors, and take some courses to experiment and learn about different
areas of study. Even if you do have a major, keep yourself open to new
directions. Start researching careers in high school and continue in college.
Use a career planning computer program to discover more about your
opportunities. Keep involved in activities and work experiences that will
tell you more about yourself and careers of interest.
__________________________
ACT developed this newsletter to help educate and inform parents and students.
You may use these articles in your publications and communications without
further permission. You may shorten and edit the articles as long as our message
and intent remain intact. Please credit ACT as their source.
ACT is an independent, not-for-profit organization that serves millions of people in
middle and high schools, colleges, professional associations, businesses and government
agencies with programs and services that have one guiding purpose -- to help people
achieve education and career goals by providing information for life's transitions.
Copyright © 2003 by ACT.
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