Using your summer vacation wisely is definitely important even if you are unsure of your career goals. One thing I have noticed about my classmates is that many are applying and planning on doing internships over the summer. They did all kinds of internships before college also.

I was busy during my high school summers also. I volunteered at my church. I worked at my high school for the testing coordinator. BUT no one told me about summer internships, but NOW I KNOW!!!

Because I am interested in becoming either a vet or a doctor, I am making plans to explore both fields. Right now, I plan to volunteer at either the vet or medical hospital while still here at Penn, and over the summer, I plan to do an internship at the Los Angeles Zoo and get hands-on experience as well as decide whether or not the veterinarian field is where I want to continue.

It is, without doubt, imperative that college students, as well as incoming freshmen, start exploring fields they’re interested in and start building a resume for applying to grad school.

So find places to

…volunteer

…do internships

…work

So don’t sit still during the summer.  Your future is just around the corner. And colleges love busy, active students.

Today, I’d like to talk to you about planning your own semester, particularly in terms of testing.

When I was a junior, I took the SAT in March with full intentions of retaking and beating my score in October. After studying and taking the March SAT, I evaluated my scores and set a reasonable goal for the next time I was to take the SAT.

As SAT classes can be expensive, I went to my local bookstore and library to peruse prep books.

If you choose to do what I did and take the SAT in March, be sure to take advantage of the College Board online SAT score reports, which was particularly useful in guiding my studies between March and October. You can use fee waivers to take the test twice at no cost.

The deadline for the March 12 SAT is February 11.  So, you have time. There are no SAT Subject Tests that date.

The other spring dates are May 7 (Register by April 8th) and June 4 (Register by May 6th).

Sign up to take the SAT now!!!

http://sat.collegeboard.com/register/sat-dates

Gabriel in Action

About ten weeks ago I started my first year, and quarter, here at UCLA. I was nervous and a little scared, yet once I got started there was no looking back. I was faced with many challenges along the way, one of which was reading several scholarly level texts that I frankly had no clue what they were about. As time when on I discovered that even though it may seem impossible at times, you can actually do it. I remember reading the same paragraphs over and over, but once I understood it the feeling of self-accomplishment motivated me to go on.

I stayed up several nights reading, writing papers, and rehearsing choreography, but at the end of the day I knew that it would all be worth it. My hard work and sleepless nights paid off because I was able to succeed in all my classes. When my papers were handed back to me, looking at the A’s and B’s showed me that all my efforts were paying off. I was getting the grades that I wanted it was gratifying to see what I have accomplished.

Although college can be stressful at times, it does have a fun side. Living on campus was the best decision I ever made. My floor is really social and I have met the greatest people ever. Whenever I am feeling stressed I usually go to the lounge to relax and have funny conversations with my friends. My floor is really diverse and I have met and befriended many people of different races and ethnicities. We all share things about our own cultures with one another like different foods and even language. I am trying to teach my roommate Spanish and one of my friends is trying to teach me Mandarin. You are all probably wondering about the frat parties and to that I say, GO!!! Have fun and enjoy yourself, responsibly of course. It is always a good idea to let loose every once and a while to relieve some stress.

Now that the ten weeks are over, it is amazing to see how fast it went by. I have made so many memories with my new friends. The theme song for when my friends and I go out is “Memories” by David Guetta because we know that we will always have a blast on our random/spontaneous adventures. The quarter seems to go by in an instant, but the memories you create will last forever.

Low-income, latino males, Arthur and Jesus shares their reasons for applying to private four year colleges. Arthur shares financial reasons, while Jesus shares experiential reasons. Going away doesn’t mean they won’t come back and enrich their communities. Even students with grades that are not the top can great full scholarships to great private colleges. They are looking for diverse students.

Martin gives his advice about going to college fairs. He talked with college representatives, made contacts, and even found the college he attends this way. Go to college fairs and tell your story. Start a conversation!!! They want you!!!

Martin is a sophomore at Villanova college. He has a Presential Scholarship!!!

This is a tough year for CSU admissions. More students than ever are applying, the November 30 application deadline for freshmen and transfers is fixed, and you need to make sure your application is correct and complete. Here are ten tips for getting readying for the October 1 launch of the application system for the Cal State’s 23 campuses.

1. Have a working email address:  Check your email often as the CSU campuses will only communicate with you via email.
2. Collect high school and college transcripts: Get a copy of your high school and/or college transcripts.  Make sure they are correct. You need these forms to complete the CSU application.
3. Make sure you have completed the Cal State Golden Four classes by the end of spring 2011.  To transfer, you need to complete your golden four classes (College English, College Math, Critical Thinking, and Speech). There are no waivers for these four classes so make sure you finish them with high grades by spring 2011.
4. Know your schedule for the rest of the year. You need 60 transferrable units. You need to have completed the majority of your GE classes and the classes required for your major. So look at your transcript and pick your classes for winter term and spring so you can complete all your classes by then. Go meet with a counselor now to double-check. You will need to put these classes into your application.
5. Investigate impacted majors and programs:  Many campuses have too many students in particular programs so you may need to find out which ones are limiting enrollment. Here is a link to the list of impacted programs by major and campus. http://www.calstate.edu/sas/publications/documents/ImpactedProgramsMatrix.pdf
6. Use the CSU Planner: Use the planner under Planning for College. You can fill it out anytime and it will transfer right into your application when you are ready.
7. Gather financial information: Collect your family’s financial information. You will need your family’s income if you want a fee waiver for the CSU applications and plan to apply for EOP, a great support program for low-income students.
8. Share your residency status:  Remember, AB 540 student can get admitted to the CSU system but you cannot qualify for a fee waiver or formal financial aid. You need to state your residency status honesty.
9. Follow all deadlines: The Cal States are no longer flexible with deadlines. They will not count any classes you take next summer before transferring, they will not waive registration and transcripts deadlines, so develop a list of deadlines and keep to them.
10. Start looking for scholarships: There are many scholarships out there for transfer students. Look at the Hispanic College Fund. Look at the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. Campuses have scholarships for AB540 students.

College is definitely not the same as high school! You might’ve thought you got away with putting in half the effort in high school, but college will take 200% of the effort. These are some tips that will help in this transition from high school to college. Some of these I’m sure you’ve heard, and some you probably haven’t, but either way pay attention!

1. Attend a summer bridge program! These are programs during the summer before your freshman year that help under-represented students like us get ready for college. Just about every college has them. Once you get accepted, you may automatically be accepted into one. If not, contact the admissions office and ask about them. The lengths and activities of them vary and some colleges have more than one, but just go to one. Summer bridge programs help you familiarize yourself with your future college: some offer academic classes, college readiness and study skill workshops, and social activities. If THAT doesn’t convince you, at least go so you can get a head start on making new friends. THAT’S A BONUS. Oh, and don’t worry most colleges offer some type of financial aid for them.

I personally did not go to a summer bridge program, and I regretted it all through my first quarter and still do! The worst part was that many of the people I met already had a lot of friends since they had attended a summer bridge program. Also, some programs allow you to earn units so you can get a head start. If I had a second chance, I would definitely want to attend a summer bridge program.

2. Choose first quarter or semester classes wisely. Make sure that you’re careful when choosing your 1stquarter or semester classes. REMEMBER this is your transitioning quarter or semester, so don’t try to jump into college head first! Try to make sure your schedule is evenly rationed in reading, writing, math, etc. and don’t’ think you HAVE TO start your quarter off by taking all major requirement classes as those are usually intense.

I made the horrible decision of taking all intense classes my first quarter thinking I didn’t want to waste any time and this resulted in me having a horrible and stressful first quarter. All of my classes were intense and rigorous, and I was not yet ready for that much so my attitude towards the school and my grades reflected that.

3. Use campus tutoring programs. Make sure to make use of your campus’s tutoring programs! All colleges have them. All you have to do is ask around or google it! The tutoring sessions are usually free, and professors and teaching assistants offer free tutoring as well. Even if you’re confident in a subject, it never hurts to review!

I have been using the free tutoring program since day one at this school and it has been a huge help! The tutoring program even offers extra classes to go over lectures and more and many give final review sessions which definitely come in handy!

4. Make a schedule. Keep a schedule of all important dates regarding school including: pass times, last day to change grade options, fee deadlines, FAFSA, office hours, last day to drop classes, etc. Remember if you miss deadlines, and withdraw from a class, a W goes on your record forever

I do this by putting reminders on my calendar in my cell phone but planners and post- it notes work too just make sure it’s somewhere you will pay attention to. This is really helpful because most of the time you will be super busy and you might not remember deadlines or office hours because time flies so make sure to do this. You don’t want to regret forgetting a deadline to something important.

5. Choose class times wisely. If you were not a morning person in high school, don’t think you can’t be in college! Choose your class times very carefully. So maybe your mom got you to high school at 8 a.m. for 4 years but your mom will not be there to wake you up in the college dorms. Try not to take 8 a.m. classes if you know you have a hard time waking up unless it is completely necessary (some classes offer different hours a day).

I thought that even though I’ve never been a morning person, since I usually made it on time to school in high school I could do it in college. I mean why not right I’ve been doing it every day since elementary school. Well I enrolled in two 8 a.m. classes and I learned it was a very bad decision. Since no one was there to push me to wake me up I would over sleep, or be half asleep in class, or sometimes not make it at all. I have definitely learned my lesson.

6. Get involved. Remember, college is about academics but it is also about broadening your horizons by making new friends and networking. Join clubs, attend events, and visit the endless amount of centers (women’s center, health center, student resource, career services). This will make your first quarter or semester much more enjoyable and will help you meet some of the older students who can give you advice on classes, professors, assignments, etc.

I joined an organization a couple weeks into my first quarter, and at first I was shy but finally I decided to attend a meeting and I loved it! The girls were a great support system when I was having a hard time academically and socializing helped to have something to do to get my mind off stressful things. Sometimes you might not be as lucky and love an organization on your first meeting, but there are many diverse clubs at every campus. You’re bound to love at least one!

7. Set boundaries. Make sure to make your boundaries clear with your roommate or roommates within the first week. This means making sure they will know what they can and can’t borrow, how to handle visitors, study and bedtime expectations, etc.

My roommate and I had this discussion in the beginning of the year and even though we still have to have many discussions it is a lot easier to do after the first one.

8. Keep family ties. Make sure to stay in contact with your family. You may think you want to be independent from your parents but you will soon learn that you will miss their support and comfort so make sure to stay in contact. They can visit you. You can visit them. They are still there for you.

I talk to my parents everyday sometimes for a minute and sometimes for about half an hour depending on how my day I going. I love being able to have someone who I know loves me listen to me.

9. Use office hours. Visit your teacher’s assistant’s and/ or professor’s office hours! These are one of the least used resources. I already talked about this a little but this is very important because you can learn a lot at office hours and ask questions that you would not be able to ask in a lecture hall. Also, you can gain an advantage over other students because if you have a more familiar relationship with T.A.’s and professors they will usually offer you more help of give you more of any idea of what’s going to be on exams.

I don’t always follow this tip, but I know that when I have visited office hours I never regret it. Whenever I have visited office hours, I have never had to wait to see the professor of t.a. because there is usually no one there! Once a teacher’s assistant actually told me what I should focus my studying on for a midterm.

10. Make friends with your hall mates. As first years you’re bound to have some of the same classes so it will help you to have people in your residence halls to study with.

I made good friends with my hall mates and found it really helpful to study in groups and to bounce ideas off of each other when writing papers. Lastly, HAVE FUN! College is what you make of it. So go in with an open mind and ready to work hard and have fun.