S U P CAM agazine
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contents 2 .........................College Foundation of NC 4-5 ............... Don’t Let The Economic Crisis Derail Your College Plans 6-7 .................Haywood Community College 9 .............A-B Technical Community College 10 ........... Five Steps In Choosing a College That’s Right For You
11 .........................................South College 12 .................. Mayland Community College 13 .......... Southwestern Community College 15 .................................... Mars Hill College 17, 20 .............. Western Carolina University 18-19 ......... Blue Ridge Community College
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CAMPUS connection magazine 2009 | 3
Don’t Let the Economic Crisis Derail Your College Plans By: Sharon McLaughlin The current economic crisis may have students and families thinking that a college education is out of grasp. But before you give up on your plans to pursue a college education consider the following strategies: 1) Develop A College Funding Plan: College planning really is a family undertaking. Families should be having open and honest discussions about college plans, career interests, what the parents can reasonably contribute to college expenses and what contribution the child may be expected to make starting when their child is a high school junior. Make it clear if the child is expected to work during the summer and/or school year to pay for college or take out student loans. Will the parents be willing to assist in the repayment of those student loans? Revisit the plan annually or as circumstances change. This is particularly important in an economic environment such as we are experiencing now. 2) Meet & Greet with the Financial Aid Director: When there is a sudden change in the family’s financial situation, such as a loss of a job, foreclosure or bankruptcy, the family should make an appointment with the Financial Aid Director or Associate/ Assistant Director (the decision makers) at the college the child will be/is attending. Financial Aid Administrators have the ability to make professional judgment adjustments with documentation, which will take in to account these circumstances. Often this provides the student additional financial aid or makes a student eligible for aid who may not have originally qualified. I have many times used professional judgment for such circumstances, as a Director of Financial Aid. In the case of a job loss the family would need to provide a copy of the layoff letter and provide a copy of any anticipated unemployment ben4 | CAMPUS connection magazine 2009
efits. When a family has experienced a foreclosure, the family would also need to provide documentation showing the foreclosure. 3) Consider Attending College In-State: Families struggling with finances whose child was planning to attend an out–of-state college, may want to work with their child to find a college that is in -state and within commuting distance, thus saving on room and board costs. 4) Strike A Deal With Your Child: In cases where the child is really determined to attend his or her first choice college, I have known parents who have worked out agreements, where the parents will pay for the tuition and require the student to take on the responsibility of paying for room and board, through financial aid, scholarship and part-time jobs. Many colleges have student employment offices that assist students in finding on-campus and off-campus employment, in addition to work-study jobs that students may be awarded as part of their financial aid package. 5) Go Public: Another option is attending a state college or university for the undergraduate degree. This is a particularly savvy financial move, when a student intends to pursue a graduate degree. Here again parents and the child may work out a plan where the parents pay for a bachelor’s degree at a state college and the child pays for the graduate degree. Keep in mind that community colleges are a great bargain and the credits are generally transferrable to a 4 year public or private college. 6) Adopt A State: Thinking of attending an out-of-state public college? If you establish legal residency in your “adopted” state by registering to vote or getting a driver’s license, you could qualify for in-state tuition. Find out from the citizen-times.com
financial aid office the in-state residency requirement to get the in-state tuition rates. Generally you need to live in the state for 6 or 12 months prior to qualifying for in-state rates. This requirement is differs in each state. 7) Read Your Employee Handbook: If a student plans to pursue a graduate degree part-time while working full-time, a good way to fund it would be through the student’s employer. Most employers will pay for courses that relate to the employee’s career. So if you work in accounting and want to earn an MBA or pursue CPA certification, the employer would generally assist with those courses. Some employers will pay for other courses, but at a reduced rate. Most employer education benefits are paid as reimbursements once you successfully complete the class. So you would need to come up with the tuition at the beginning of the semester. Applying for a Federal Stafford Loan would be the best choice, if you did not have the funds up front. You would be reimbursed once you submit an official copy of you course grade. Check with the HR department at your company for specifics on the company’s program.
10) Take A Sibling to College: If two or more family members attend the same college (siblings, spouses, or parent & child) some private colleges offer family discounts for each additional family member that are enrolled in the college. Check the catalogue or with the Busar’s Office on campus. 11) Consider A Career (Or At Least A Job) In Education: One of the advantages of working for a college is that they provide educational benefits not only for employees but for employees’ dependents (spouses & children). So if you or your child is considering attending a local college, consider a job change.
8) Make It a Family Affair: In some families, grandparents (or other relatives) have stepped up and assisted children with some of the college costs. I would counsel relatives in this situation to consult with their financial planner or tax consultant before pursuing this option to minimize tax liability. 9) Go Virtual: Students may also be able to reduce college costs by taking some of their courses online. Many private and public colleges are offering online courses and degree programs. citizen-times.com
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At Haywood Community College we are giving our students the power to change… their minds – their lives – and our world. Changing your mind isn’t easy. It takes knowledge. HCC is committed to real learning to solve real problems. Students gain hands-on experience with the latest state-of-the-art equipment and technology. At HCC, we strive to make the college experience fun, affordable, and most of all, empowering. With over 50 degree programs, students have the options they need to shape their futures and take control of their lives. Unique areas of study including Fish and Wildlife, Forest Management, Film and Video Production and Professional Crafts, can prepare a student for a career based on environmental awareness or a lifetime of artistry. Our Golden Leaf Advanced Machining Center and other technology programs such as automotive technologies, welding, and building construction help students develop technical skills to serve them and our community for many years. At HCC a student can obtain the first
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two years of a Bachelor’s degree at an affordable price with friends and family nearby. The Associate in Arts or Science degree will enable a student to transfer as a junior to any of the 16 University of North Carolina campuses. And we give our students the ability to do something amazing – change the world around them. At HCC, we have embraced sustainable technology on campus as well as in the classroom. New programs under development include Green Building Technology, Sustainable Site Development and courses in Biofuels. HCC students are involved in the community around them. They receive hands-on training through service learning projects for area non-profits. Most students leave HCC with a renewed sense of commitment to helping others, a more global focus on environmental issues and a desire to impact our community in a positive way. For more information about HCC please contact us at 828-627-4500 or visit us at www.haywood.edu online.
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class of 2008: About 3,303,000 high school students are expected to graduate during the 2007-08 school year, including 2,988,000 public school graduates and 315,000 private school graduates. Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2007)
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Mary Warren started at A-B Tech to earn her GED, which she received in 2006. She enrolled in the Criminal Justice Technology program at the College and received her degree with honors in May 2008. “I always had a passion for teens at risk. I became concerned about teens when I visited my son’s school. I saw teens that were in trouble and no one came to their rescue,” said Mary who volunteered through A-B Tech’s Service-Learning program. Now she has her dream job working for Caring For Children. In addition to Criminal Justice Technology, A-B Tech offers 60 programs of study, including two new programs -
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Entrepreneurship and Medical Assisting. Associate degrees, diplomas and certificates are offered through four academic divisions – Allied Health and Public Service Education, Arts and Sciences, Business and Hospitality Education, and Engineering and Applied Technology. High school students who want to get a head start on college can earn credit tuition free. Students enroll in classes their junior and senior years and earn high school and college credit at the same time. Registration for the Spring Semester begins Dec. 8. Classes start Jan. 12. For additional information, call 254-1921 or visit us on the web at abtech.edu.
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Five steps in choosing a college that’s Right for You
By: Amelia Turner education is one of your valuable investments because it will affect your future. Your lifestyle may affected by the type of education and the level of degree you earn and use to start your future career. Hence, you need to choose a college that’s right for you which offering an education program that meet your needs. Here are 5 simple steps to help you narrow down your selection before you decide the one that best fit your career goal. 1.choose Your Future career: What type of career you are going to choose when entering workplace? Although sometimes ambition and reality are two different things, but if you know what you like and don’t like can help to determine your area of study. You may have many careers in mind that you like to be when you start your future career. List them down and narrow your scope to a few careers that you like the most. If you like to know your strength and tendencies, then doing a career assessment test can help you to reveal the best careers that fit you. You can easily find those career assessment tests on Internet and do the assessment yourself. 2. matching courses with colleges Once you know what you are aiming for your future career, you will know what subject to major in your college degree program. The next thing you need to do is find and list down colleges that offer you targeted degree programs. You may end up having over 20 colleges on your list. One important factor that you need to ensure for your short-listed colleges is they might be fully accredited by national or regional accrediting agency. Other factors to consider are the college’s graduation rates, and its reputation.
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3. narrowing Your List to colleges You Are Qualified For: Normally top colleges require you to have high SAT scores for admission. If you are a student with average SAT scores, which you may not be qualified for Harvard, then you should aim to apply colleges with admission criteria that your SAT scores are qualified for. Your list can be further narrow down to colleges that meet your criteria such as fund from your parents, scholarships or grants, and available of on-campus work study if you need to earn money to support your study. If possible, narrow down your list to top five colleges of your choice. 4. Discussion With Your Parents & submit Applications: Next, consult your parents on your colleges selection, they may provide helpful opinions and guide you through in making the final, important decision. You may discard one or two more colleges from you list after your discussion with your parents. Once you get the final list, fill-out the application forms and mail them as soon as possible so that your applications arrive at the colleges before the due date. 5. Finalize A college: Within a few weeks, you will receive responses from the colleges where you sent your applications. You may get more than one acceptance letters, you need to decide and select one of them. Before you make your final decision, you probably want to visit the campuses together with your parents. Compare these colleges and select the best among them. summary Selecting the right college which offered your favorite degree program that meets your career goal is important to ensure you get the right degree to start your dreamed career. Hopefully the above tips help you in finding a college or university as you make career choices. citizen-times.com
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For more than one hundred years, South College-Asheville has been meeting the needs of students seeking a quality education. South College-Asheville began in 1905 as Cecils Business College founded by Robert Talmadge Cecil. The college soon became one of the highest rated schools of its kind in the Carolinas and was one of the first colleges to identify itself with the National Association of Accredited Commercial Schools, an organization of more than 100 of the best business schools in the country. It was also the first college to be awarded a contract under the G.I. Bill of Rights for the training of veterans. Since its beginnings, South CollegeAsheville has evolved into an accredited, private, co-educational institution enrolling students from all over the region. The
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institution is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools to offer programs at the bachelor’s, associate, and certificate levels. At South College-Asheville, students interested in earning a Bachelor’s of Science degree may pursue Legal Studies or Radiologic Sciences. Associate degree programs are also offered in a variety of fields including Accounting, Business Administration, Criminal Justice, Medical Assisting, Paralegal Studies, Physical Therapist Assistant, Radiologic Technology or Nursing. The institution has just recently begun offering the Nursing program. In addition, the institution offers a Certificate program in Surgical Technology. To find our additional information about the programs offered at South CollegeAsheville, please call 1-888-604-4071 or visit our Web site at www.southcollegenc. edu.
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Mayland Community College’s, which serves Avery, Mitchell, and Yancey Counties, transfer students outperform other community colleges as well as native UNC System students a recent study says. The University of North Carolina’s General Administration Office recently released data indicating that Mayland students do very well once they move on to one of the 16 UNC System universities. The 15 students who transferred to a UNC System school in 2006-2007 had an average Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.75 compared to other community college transfer students who’s average GPA was 2.69 after they transferred. When comparing Mayland students to those students who began their academic career at a UNC system school, the results are impressive. MCC students who have
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transferred with an Associate’s degree in 2005-06 had a higher GPA (3.21) than those native students of the 16 UNC system schools (2.82). Ralph Hise, Mayland’s Institutional Assessment and Planning Officer, says this data is significant. According to Hise, Juniors who completed their first two years at Mayland had on average higher GPAs than Juniors who completed their first two years at a UNC System school. Not only do Mayland students succeed academically once they transfer, they are saving money as well. The average student pays about $1,500 per year as a full time student at Mayland. But according to the UNC System, the average student pays roughly $3300 per year in tuition and fees. Find out more on what Mayland has to offer at www.mayland.edu.
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Want to attend the #4 community college in the nation? You can. It’s right here. According to Washington Monthly, Southwestern Community College, the College of the Great Smoky Mountains, ranks fourth in the nation. Statewide, Southwestern ranks “exceptional” and one of North Carolina’s top three community colleges in performance of college transfer students. “A degree from Southwestern carries a lot of weight and helped me land my job as a graphic artist at the Franklin Press,” said 2008 advertising and graphic design graduate Mary Heim. She joins 99 percent of Southwestern graduates who find employ ment following graduation.
“I liked the small class size at Southwestern- 12 students per class- and the support of my instructors who knew me by name,” said Heim. With campuses in Jackson, Swain and Macon County and the Qualla Boundary, Southwestern offers more than 68 majors - and many programs online. Tuition is cost-friendly- only $672 a semester, or FREE for high school students who dual enroll. Save time and gas money with Southwestern’s new innovative Spring Semester schedule that starts Jan. 7. For details, call the admissions office at 800.447.4091, ext. 352, or visit www.southwesterncc.edu.
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Record-Breaking enrollment College enrollment hit a projected record level of 18.0 million in fall 2007. College enrollment is expected to continue setting new records throughout the fall 2008 through fall 2016 period. Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2007)
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Choosing your personal path to a degree could make all the difference in the world. There’s a lot to choose from at Mars Hill College, including more than 30 degree programs, all grounded in community service, internships, and other meaningful work in the world beyond your classroom walls. Your studies toward a degree at Mars Hill College will be thorough, but you won’t have to leave other interests behind. Want to master a foreign language? Try out for an NCAA Division II athletic team? Kayak down a roaring stream? Mars Hill students do it all… and we encourage it. It’s a rapidly changing world. Be prepared—but be prepared to make difference. How? With the professional expertise and the practical experience it takes to adapt to new situations quickly and solve new problems creatively. With the diverse education
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you’ll find at Mars Hill College. Mars Hill College offers five degrees, with 30 majors (everything from Art to Zoology, Fashion & Interior Merchandising to Recreation, Religion to Social Work, and many more), 61 concentrations, and 33 minors. Plus, our Adult ACCESS program means working adults have the same opportunity to earn a degree: by attending night classes at six locations in western North Carolina. We have 19 NCAA intercollegiate athletics teams, plenty of intramural and club sports to keep you in shape, and more than 40 clubs and organizations. So if you want to stand apart from the crowd, get engaged in community-based service learning, and get the personal attention you won’t find at a big university, come let us help you choose your path at Mars Hill College. Check out our Web site at www. mhc.edu or call the Admissions Office at 866-MHC-4-YOU.
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tuition Fees: For the 2005–06 academic year, annual prices for undergraduate tuition, room, and board were estimated to be $10,454 at public colleges and $26,889 at private colleges. Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2007).
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ni Opportu y r a n i d r extrao ents creating for stud Western Carolina University, a campus of the University of North Carolina, is committed to providing opportunities for people who want to make a difference in their world. At WCU, you will find a wide range of award-winning academic programs as you select your major, and you will benefit from small class sizes and the personal attention of outstanding professors who are committed to your success. In addition, you can participate in undergraduate research, internships, volunteer service activities and work experiences that will let you put your studies to good use. Just as important is WCU’s unique emphasis on helping students to weave together their experiences inside and outside the classroom and to reflect on the meaning of what they’re learning. All of those elements combine to create a fuller and more complete college experience. Located in a beautiful valley between the Great Smoky and Blue Ridge mountains, Western’s small campus is booming with activity. The new Campus Recreation Center features a climbing wall and exten-
sive exercise options; a new Dining Hall in the center of campus is scheduled to open in Spring 2009; and a new residence hall is under construction nearby. WCU’s friendly atmosphere makes it easy to meet new people and lead or participate in the kinds of activities you enjoy, including student clubs and organizations, intramural sports, theatrical performances, musical concerts, athletic events, and the 300-member Pride of the Mountains marching band. And you’re never far from great places for hiking, biking, rafting and more.
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Come to Western. It’s your time to climb. Open House Dates Saturday, February 7, 2009 Friday, March 20, 2009 Saturday, April 18, 2009 Or other times, by appointment www.wcu.edu Admission: phone 828-227-7317 or tollfree 877-WCU-4-YOU Email: admiss@email.wcu.edu
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our e within s o h t f o es ing, g the liv ion, train t a c enrichin u d e rough ities reach th ural activ and cult Blue Ridge Community College in Flat Rock offers more than 100 academic credit programs leading to associate degrees, diplomas, or certificates. Transfer programs are also available with easy transfer to any University of North Carolina system school. Free tuition is available for high school students who want to get a jump start on their college career. Students interested in fine arts may choose a transfer program with an emphasis in art, drama, or music. At Blue Ridge Community College, students can find a wide range of extra curricular student activities to enhance their college experience. The Distance Learning Center enables students and faculty to broadcast and receive courses produced virtually anywhere in the world and have two-way interactive capability. More than 1400 students are enrolled in distance learning classes at Blue Ridge. The College operates the Transylvania Center in Brevard which offers a wide range
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of academic credit programs and continuing education programs. Scholarship assistance is available for eligible students. More than 200 scholarships were awarded by the BRCC Educational Foundation this fall to deserving students. Two Blue Ridge students have received the Jack Kent Cooke Transfer Scholarship, the largest scholarship in America for transfer students. Another valuable resource for students is the JobLink Career Center which offers job placement assistance for students. For six years running, Blue Ridge Community College has earned a superior rating from the North Carolina Community College System on how well the College serves its students and local businesses and industries. For more information about programs and services at Blue Ridge Community College, call (828) 694-1700 or 883-2520 or visit www.blueridge.edu
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