SNI College and Career 9-7-22

The college application process involves several steps,many of which begin well before an applicant is ready to sign on the dotted line. These facts and figures can help applicants and their families gain a better understanding of what goes into the college admissions process.

 College admissions teams view a potential applicant as more seriously inter ested in the school if they know he or she has visited. Interested parties can go above and beyond taking the Open House tour by auditing a class or even spending a night in a dorm.

facts and figures

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Due in large part to COVID-19 disrupting SAT and ACT testing schedules and potentially setting an uneven playing field for those who tested and those who could not, many colleges are now test-optional schools Despite that, guidance counsel ors may urge students to test and submit strong scores to test-optional schools because those scores can help unlock meritbased aid

 The College Board indicates the av erage financial aid award per student is $15,000.

And the National Association for College Admission Counseling says 43 percent of all institutional aid funds are

merit-based.

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The Common App is one tool used to apply to colleges in today’s digital age. The same application can be used to apply to more than 400 schools. However, some schools may still supplement the application with essays or questions as part of their individual admissions processes.

The Huffington Post reports that students who have a first-choice college should apply to it early decision, as early decision has been shown to increase an applicant’s chance of admission by up to 25% over regular decision admission rates.

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Applicants should seek recommendations from people who know them best and can provide detailed reasons as to why they are the right fit for a school.

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The Princeton Review says the top admissions factor at schools is a student’s GPA, underscoring the importance of getting good grades.

College applicants feeling the stress of the waiting game can rest assured. According to the Cooperative Institutional Research Program at the Higher Educa tion Research Institute at UCLA, more than three-quarters of college applicants get into their first-choice schools.

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JOE SHEARER, COUNCIL BLUFFS DAILY NONPAREIL An Iowa Western Community College student walks across campus on Oct. 16, 2019.

UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA AT KEARNEY Discovery Hall at UNK blends modern and industrial design to create a 90,000-squarefoot space that’s inviting, interactive and visually stunning.

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The 150-year-old campus of Peru State College features this 1905 building with castle-like turrets that houses the college library.

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The earlier families fill out the FAFSA, the better their chances to receive the more than $112 billion in aid because most is awarded on a first-come, first serve basis.

Now’s a good time to MODERNIZE YOUR RESUME

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Businesses, especially small firms, are struggling to find employees to fill vacancies within their companies.

Qualified job seekers can take advantage of the lack of competition to land theirdreamjobs.Priortobeginninganewjobsearch,seasonedprofessionalsmight want to consider some strategies to modernize their resumes and improve their chances of finding a dream job.

Reconsider your resume template.

Ifit’sbeenawhilesinceyoulookedfora new job,chances are strong the design of yourresumecouldbeviewedasoutdated. Fairly or unfairly, an old template could give prospective employers the impression that your skills are as outdated as your resume.The website jobscan.co/resume-templatesoffersahostofMicrosoft Word-compatiblefreeresumetemplates.

Prominently display your abilities.

The job-seeking experts at Jobscan in dicate that the average recruiter spends around six to seven seconds glancing at a typical resume before deciding if an applicantcouldbeagoodfit.Withsuchlittle time to make a strong first impression, applicants will want to emphasize their skills at the top of their resumes.

Avoid information overload.

If HR professionals and recruiters are only spending a few seconds scanningeachresume,applicantswill want to keep job descriptions short and sweet. Condense responsibili ties into bullet points, ideally using just a single line for each point. Avoid listingtoomanybulletpointsforeach job,as that could affect the likelihood that the resume will get more than a passing glance.

Remove outdated information.

The online jobs resource Indeed notesthatseasonedprofessionalswho havebeen with theircurrent employersformorethanfiveyearscanremove certainsectionsonaresume.Sections likeinternships,awardsreceivedearly in a career, volunteer gigs from years ago, and pre-college educational backgrounddonotneedtobelistedon experienced professionals’ resumes.

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Modernizing your resume is a good way to catch a hiring manager’s attention and can help land your dream job

Guide

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Junior year is a pivotal time in the lives of high school students. Junior year marks a transition to upper classmen, and students begin to ponder their post-high school academic careers around this time as well.

Speak with a guidance counselor to plan courses

Parents and students can meet collec tively with a guidance counselor to talk about goals and coursework Many high schools offer Advanced Placement classes or dual enrollment courses that enable stu dents to earn college credit.

Discuss extracurricular activities

Colleges and universities do not just look at grade and test scores; they consider the entire applicant. Therefore, high schoolers should dabble in various clubs, organizations and sports to make them more appeal ing to admissions departments.

Enroll in a test preparation course

Though a growing number of American colleges and universities have abandoned ACT and SAT scores as part of their admis sions process, many schools still require those scores. Learning strategies for the tests as well as seeing sample questions can remove some of the anxiety associated with the tests.

Visit schools and attend college fairs

Parents and students should make ap pointments to visit several college campuses that offer courses students are interested in. Getting one’s name in admissions departments’ databases also opens up students to emails about upcoming events and application deadlines.

Get financial paperwork in order

Applying to college and applying for financial aid (which every student should do regardless of income) are two separate pro cesses. In the United States, students will

Parents can educate themselves on the process needed for students to apply to college and guide their children accordingly

start with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.The FAFSA will help determine eligibility for grants, scholarships, federal work-study, and student loans The FAFSA requires information taken from federal in come tax statements.

Parents can help guide their students

further by following up on school tran scripts, teacher recommendations and providing application cost fees, which vary from $50 to $100 per school. The road to college may seem confusing, but a few simple strategies can make it easier to navigate.

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Workers need to know importance of ‘upskilling’

KATHLEEN FURORE Tribune Content Agency

A recent report from Preply, an online language-learning platform, shows that many employees are turning to “upskill ing” to learn new skills that they can use in their job search

Daniele Saccardi, campaigns manager at Preply, said upskilling is important for people to consider regardless of what level they’re at in their career.

“Upskilling provides added benefits both to employers and employees,” Saccardi explains “From an employer per spective, upskilling employees can help improve retention, increase customer satisfaction, attract future employees and give current workers the essential skills they need for the organization to remain competitive.”

As Saccardi notes, a survey from the So ciety for Human Resource Management found that 60% of employees believe their current skill set will be outdated in the next three to five years.

“Upskilling ensures that employees have the skills they need to be success ful as job demands evolve over time,” she adds.

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“Upskilling provides added benefits both to employers and employees,” notes one expert.

To discover upskilling trends today, Pre ply analyzed Google Trends data focused on 50 different skills relevant to American

workers. According to Saccardi, this is what the analysis found:

„ The three hottest skills are data sci-

ence and visualization, digital marketing, and data management.

„ The most desirable skill sets are coding, data management and design.

„ Programming languages like Python are the most coveted specific skills.

„ Decreased areas of interest include blockchain and cryptocurrencies, writing and editing, machine learning and artificial intelligence

„ While those tech-oriented skill sets get top billing, soft skills like manage ment and communication shouldn’t be overlooked, according to Preply

“Interest in improving interpersonal and management skills has grown by 34% in the past year,” the report says. “Similarly, with a 32% growth in interest, Americans want to improve their professional skills by learning basic business apps.”

If you’re interested in upskilling but don’t know where to start, Saccardi offers this advice: “Pay attention to the skills needed within your job position or your industry,” she advises.

Kathleen Furore is a Chicago-based writer and editor. You can email her your career questions at kfurore@yahoo.com.

EXPLORE THESE

COLLEGE SAVINGS STRATEGIES

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Enrolling in a trade school or college is widely considered the next step after a student graduates from high school. College is especially popular, as the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 62.7% of high school graduates went on to colleges and universities in 2020.

Finding ways to pay for higher education has long been a goal for students and their families PrepScholar, a college testing preparation resource, calculates that, by 2033, students can expect to pay around $237,000 at in-state public universities and $464,000 at private colleges or universities for four-year degrees.

529 COLLEGE SAVINGS PLAN

A 529 is a specialized savings account for college and university costs.Most plans can be opened by a U.S. citizen or resident alien age 18 and older. The individual opening the account can be a parent, grandparent, cousin, or even a friend. The student is the beneficiary of the account.

EDUCATION SAVINGS ACCOUNT, OR EDUCATION IRA

The financial experts at Ramsey Solutions say an ESA works like a Roth IRA but it is designed specifically for education expenses. Individuals can invest up to $2,000 (after tax) per year, per child. The account grows tax-free. The rate of growth varies based on investments in the account.An ESA also can beusedtopayforK-12privateschooltuition, schoolsupplies,tutoring,ortextbooks.Italso can be transferred to a sibling if the money is not needed for a particular student.

UTMA/UGMA PLAN

ThisplanisdifferentfromESAsand 529s because it is not specifically designed for college savings. The Uniform Transfer/Gift to Minors Act is in the child’s name but is controlled by a guardian until the childreaches age 18 or21.Thismutualfundaccountcanbe used to save for college with reduced taxes, or funds can be used for other expenses, such as a car or housing.

ADVANCED PLACEMENT CLASSES

AP classes allow high school stu dentstotakecollege-levelcoursesthat can be converted into college credits. Each AP class reduces the need to pay for a class in college. This can add up to some significant savings. In addition, performing well in AP classes may make students more attractive to collegesanduniversities,helpingstu dents to earn academic scholarships.

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COMMON MID-CAREER CHALLENGES and what to do to overcome them

Challenges abound in the professional arena. Whether an individual is an executive with a lengthy track record of success or a newly minted graduate just starting out, the next challenge is never too far off And for mid-career profession als, those challenges could be accompanied by uncertainty about the direction of their careers and what their next step should be.

Around the time they turn 50, many professionals face similar challenges that can lead them to question much about their professional lives.

The following challenges won’t affect every person over 50, but recognition of them could help mid-career professionals make the most of their remaining years in the workforce.

Motivation

Professional motivation can wane by the time many professionals reach 50. At this point in their careers, professionals may have decades of experience in a given field, and some may have reached management level within their firms. That combination of lengthy experience and achievement can make it hard to stay motivated, especially for professionals who feel they’ve gotten as high up the ladder as they can get in their companies. In such instances, individuals can ask themselves what they want next. Identifying professional goals can provide the motivation to go and achieve them. That spark can reignite the passion that helped mid-career professionals get where they are today.

Hesitancy

Mid-career professionals often have significant obligations at work and at home. Individuals with a family may still have to provide for their children and save for costly college tuition. The pressure to provide for a family, coupled with responsibilities to colleagues at the office, can

make some professionals hesitant to pursue professional changes that could positively affect their lives. Individuals who want to make a change but are hesitant to do so can devote considerable effort to finding a so lution that won’t upset the apple cart. For example, professionals over 50 who feel a career change is in order can begin taking small steps to make that a reality. Doing so while continuing to work ensures personal and professional obligations are met and gets individuals on the road to change they think will provide more fulfillment than their current careers.

Underutilization

Mid-career professionals who feel they’re underutilized at work may feel helpless to remedy their situations Some might not welcome the upheaval to their routines that a career change would require, while others may question the wisdom of seeking more responsibility at their current firms. In such instances, professionals can look for opportunities to do more. Offer to help when new work projects arise or mentor younger colleagues just starting out.

Mid-career challenges unique to their situations could await professionals over 50 Recognition of these challenges and a willingness to overcome them could lead to greater professional satisfaction.

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Older workers can face challenges such as professional motivation, hesitancy and underutilization.

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