Education | Admission's Advice

Is the GMAT Prep Course Worth the Work?

Have you ever wondered what the point of all of these different tests that people have to take to get where they want in life? For almost every mile stone there is some kind of big test that can make it or break it for the person taking it.

Sure, testing is frustrating. And many people say that it is unfair. A lot of people have trouble with testing. Here’s the thing, though. A lot of people have trouble with life. Life is unfair, and it can be quite challenging. These tests, though maybe not the absolute best indicator of anything, can be helpful for gauging what a person is capable of. Most especially the GMAT Prep Course. If you want to be in an MBA program in many countries, you have to take, and pass, the GMAT test. Otherwise known as the Graduate Management Admission Test, this is needed to be accepted into most MBA programs. This test actually does not test your book knowledge; it is meant to test your intelligence, and how you work under pressure.

The reason this test is a great idea for those going into business is that those are the things that you need to succeed and thrive in the business world. You need to work well under pressure. You need to be able to think critically and make informed decisions. It’s a pain, but in reality, this test is important for those who want to pursue an MBA.

Next time you wonder the point of testing realize that it does more than score a person’s knowledge, but can be an indicator of their intelligence and capabilities as well.

Filed Under: Appliations, Education Tagged With: Education, Graduate Management Admission Test, Master of Business Administration

Admission Essays

Many four year universities require students to submit an essay as to why they would like to attend that particular institution. The purpose is not always as clear cut, and many students worry that there might be a secret agenda to eliminate students from the university’s student pool. However, universities are looking for some specific information when requesting essays. For instance, they want to know that a student can write a clear and concise thought. This is imperative for college and most of the work involved is through writing. Universities can also tell if a student will be able to handle the course work by looking at the way the essay is put together, what points are elaborated upon, and what type of verbiage is used. If a student is using very basic wording, the grammar structure is lacking, and there is not evidence of proof-reading, it could be indicative of a student that will struggle with higher level learning.

Many times however, universities are looking for the personal investment into their school and programs. This means that they essay should be a direct reflection of how the student is going to treat the program of study. If a student writes that they like school, and their classes are going to help them learn a lot, this does not tell the university anything about their goals, aspirations, how they will handle the course work load, and why that school is so desirable for the student. These are all aspects that a university wants to see because they want to make sure that their incoming students can handle the programs so that their school can maintain a high success and completion rate. Many schools are ranked based on completion rates, and when students fail or drop out, the school can be reviewed. The reviews tend to not be a positive reflection, so therefore many schools are proactive about curbing any type of student that could be a poor reflection on the institution.

Filed Under: Appliations, Education Tagged With: Education, Essay, Student

FASA

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FASA) is a required document that opens the door to financial aid for college. The FASA form is time consuming and tedious but must be completed before pursuing grants, scholarships, and loans. Personal taxes should be filed prior to completion of the form in order to provide accurate information regarding finances. Filing the FASA form at the earliest time possible will guarantee access to financial aid early in the application process. Many types of funding are awarded on a first come first serve basis. The competitive aspect of grant an loan awards make it necessary to be prepared.

There are several grants available to students who have completed the FASA process. These grants include the Federal Pell Grant, Federal National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant (SMART), Federal Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG), Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), and the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grant (TEACH).

A Federal Pell Grant are awarded to undergraduate students once a year. Award amounts depend on the program funding of the participating college. The Federal Academic Competitiveness Grant provides awards of $750.00 dollars to first year studies and $1,300.00 for second year students. A SMART grant provides up to $4,000.00 for students majoring in science and math. The funding awards provided by FSEOG vary between j$100.00 and $4,000.00 dependent upon a number of factors. Students who intend to teach can be awarded up to $4,000.00 through the TEACH grant.

Each of these grant opportunities can provide a foundation of financial support for the pursuit of a higher education. Awards require the completion of FASA by potential students, making this form an important aspect of obtaining a college education. The FASA document is available online and should be a first step in the process of college readiness.

Filed Under: Education Tagged With: Education, Pell Grant

Academic Degrees

There are many types of degrees to pursue when choosing a college education. A certificate program is another option for students seeking a short term educational program in a specific field. Certificates may be offered without prior college attendance or as a supplement to a degree. College degrees include an associates, bachelors, master and doctorate. Each of these degrees are pursued in steps with an associates or bachelors degree being the first step in the educational progression. Completion of all areas of study will be dependent upon a students desire and financial resources. Pursuit of a masters and doctorate degree are beneficial in the area of career advancement.

An associates degree involves a two year attendance at a community, junior or technical college. An associates degree is equivalent to the first two years of study at a four year college or university. When pursuing an associates degree, it is important to determine if the courses taken can be transferred to a four year college in the event that a student wants to continue their education. A bachelors degree is usually completed in four years with some fields of study requiring a longer period of time. The bachelors degree may be awarded with Latin honors based on grade point averages. These honors include cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude and maxima cum laude. A masters degree is pursued after completion of the bachelors degree and involves a specific field of study. Pursuit of a doctorate degree will qualify a student as a teaching expert in their chosen area of expertise.

Students may begin pursuit of a higher education with only an interest in obtaining a certificate or basic degree. This plan of action can easily transition into a higher field of study as progression is made. Research prior to beginning an educational plan will ensure a smooth transition through the academic degree process.

Filed Under: Education Tagged With: Associate's degree, Education

Choosing the Right Online University

Although you can throw caution to the wind with many things, certain decisions require careful thought and consideration. Selecting the right online school is one of those major life choices. Let’s take a look at some tools to help you make this important decision:

Decide on a Degree

Before choosing an online school, determine your goals. Once you know what you want to get out of an online degree program, look for a university that specializes in your area of interest. Review the success rates of their graduates to find out what to expect. Before making your choice, find out how many graduates are able to find a job in their field of choice.

Review All Information

See what people are saying about each school. Some things to consider include:

Is the school’s online material easy to use and is the site reliable?
Is on-site testing required?
Will a live instructor be available for questions if necessary?
Is the tuition rate affordable?
Will the credits transfer if you decide to switch schools?
Is the staff helpful if you have a technical problem?

Use Online Resources

Finding out everything you should know about an online university can be a daunting task. Instead of spending hundreds of hours scouring individual websites, use elearners.com to help make this an easier task. This type of site outlines everything you need to know to make this important decision. It allows you to read college reviews, go over the school statistics, and even see the online degree programs offered by each school. Although this process will dramatically shorten your research time, you shouldn’t cut corners on your decision making process. To save both time and money, it’s important to get this one right the first time!

By taking the time to carefully evaluate each online university on your list of choices, you’ll have a better chance of choosing the perfect school to meet your educational needs!

Filed Under: Education Tagged With: Academic degree, Colleges and Universities, Distance education, Education, Higher education, online degree programs, United States, Virtual school

Navigating Online Schooling

No one ever thought it would be a difficult decision of which online school to choose because, hey, it’s an online school. What difference is there? You’re using your laptop or desktop, you turn in your work, and there you go. There’s no difference between any two schools, right? Wrong.

While the traditional educational method required an extensive research project combining both field studies and reading up on some of the universities and what they offer, you would think all of that would go out the window when dealing with online classes. The fact is a decision to pursue an online degree is just as difficult and equally important as pursuing a traditional brick-and-mortar degree. There are just different factors to take into account.

For instance, if you don’t have the means of transportation (which is why you’d probably be searching for a reputable online university in the first place), you’d have no other way to learn about online schools other than what’s online. There’s a hefty amount of material out there, so start your searching. Starting with EarnMyDegree.com is a great way to go. Recognize that not every virtual school offers the same fields of study, so do your research accordingly. Also what you typically can do traditionally regarding learning about a university (visiting the campus), you can’t do with a virtual school. You can’t talk to other students, nor can you talk to any professors on the job. What you can do is talk to other students who have attended the online school you’re interested in to get feedback on how their experience was, thereby making a better informed decision. Another consideration is the cost of the tuition, so confirm there’s room in the budget to pay for schooling.

Don’t be fooled by the convenience of cyberspace. Choosing an online school is still just as important and time-consuming as before. So get to it! Do your research. Most of all, enjoy your studies.

Filed Under: Education, General Tagged With: Distance education, Distance Learning, Education, eLearning, online degrees, online-course, online-school, Virtual school

Tips on Filling out College Applications

All students applying for college are required to fill out an application, or sometimes several different types of them. Years ago the questions asked consisted mainly of basic topics such as your name, address and educational background. Today the applications can sometimes be quite nerve wracking, due to the intense and complicated questions that are asked. Not only do most students have to provide more personal information then ever before, but many are also required to write essays and have a verbal, in-person interview before being considered.

Filling out the application can be less stressful if you follow a few basic tips from others that have recently done the same. First, be sure you understand the question completely before writing in your answer. A scribbled and corrected application will look untidy. If you are unsure of a question, ask for help from one of the student advisors. Make sure you fill in the application thoroughly. Don’t leave anything to chance by leaving a space blank, unless that is an option.

When turning in your application, be ready to produce more documents. Many times a college or university will want copies of your high school records, along with any types of awards you may have earned while in high school. You will also more then likely need a proper form of identification, along with any paperwork that has been given to you previously, especially if you are studying and attending a school abroad.

Make a list of the schools you would like to attend. Having more then one in mind is wise, just in case you are unable to enroll for some reason. Find out which schools offer the courses you need for graduation, and also check into any special areas of interest that you have to see if there are clubs or organizations you can join . Carefully filling out your application is the first step in enrolling in the school of your choice.

Filed Under: Appliations, College Essays, Education Tagged With: Education, High school, Student

Last Minute Checklist for College Applications

Filling out a college application is a highly detailed processed, designed by admission departments to make as informed a decision as possible. For the average school, out of tens of thousands of applicants it can only pick a few thousand. Which is why every college applicant should make a checklist like the one below, and like a jolly man with a white beard, check it twice.

1. Be highly conscious of the deadline. If there is one thing colleges won’t like to see from a student before even admitting them is tardiness.

2. Remember the 3 Ss: spelling, spelling and spelling. Misspelling your name isn’t the best way to impress an admissions office. Also, look for other mistakes–no matter how silly–like the wrong name of the school or other inaccurate information. Falling victim to these mistakes will have a school wondering just how serious you are about them.

3. Review the entire application twice to be certain that every field is filled as directed. Missing something that seems rather unimportant like your date of birth is grounds for other candidates to be selected over you.

4. Make sure all of the required materials are attached and in order. These can be transcripts, letters of recommendation, grades and test scores.

5. If an essay is required, thoroughly proof and edit it. Length should also be a major concern, as you do not want to write more or less than is needed. Doing that can make schools believe you are unable to follow directions or adapt your work when necessary.

Once the application is correctly completed, there are still a couple things to be certain of. If you’re going to send it through the mail, be positive that the right amount of postage is on the envelope. And if you decide to submit it over the Internet always be sure that you received a confirmation either on the screen or through email.

Filed Under: Appliations, College Essays, Education Tagged With: College application, Education, Recommendation letter

A Guide to Changing Majors During College

: Image via Wikipedia

Once you declare a major it is not written in stone. In fact, it’s not written in stone until you pass the last required course and walk across the stage to pick up your degree. This is why it’s fairly common for students to change majors during their time at college. Some students will change majors multiple times. While it can cost you in tuition by taking so many different courses, it can also cost you to graduate with a degree you’re not happy with. So, if you’re looking to make the switch be sure to follow this simple guide.

Meet With Advisors
Students should meet with academic advisors from both the department they’re currently majoring in and one from the major they are looking to switch to. This gives you the ability to plan out what you need to do to get into the your new major and administrative details for making the change. Additionally, they can provide further details about the major to see if you would actually be interested. Students will also be able to ask any questions or address concerns they have before making the change official.

Take Summer Classes
It will be a likely scenario that you will be behind in credits in your new major once you change it, usually in prerequisites or from other courses that aren’t accepted. After a change in major, you will also likely be behind in plans to graduate in four years. This is where summer classes present a great opportunity. It can be a time to play catch up.

Cut Your Losses
Students can have a hard time changing majors because they have regrets about all of the work they’ve already put into another degree. Also, some will wonder what would have happened if they stayed with their first major. If you know your new major is the right major then it’s pointless to worry. Instead be happy you found the right one.

Filed Under: College Essays Tagged With: Academic degree, Education, Student

Finding a Scholarship for a Specific Major

: Image by Getty Images via @daylife

There are literally thousands of scholarships available to college students, and it can be exhausting trying to research all of them. The majority of them are for general academic achievement and can awarded to anyone. When a student has looked through all of those it can be debilitating not winning a single one. But missing out on those just might mean that you are looking in the wrong place. The most effective area for a student to search for scholarships is in those only offered to students in your major. This way you know that the pool of candidates is much smaller and that you are much more qualified.

There are three areas students should search when looking for a scholarship offered for their major. Within each are many options, and many offering varying amounts. But, all of them can potentially add up.

Corporations
Corporations and businesses have no choice but to be invested in education. That is because that is where their future employees are coming from. With this in mind many corporations offer their own scholarships. Find large companies in the industry of your major and get writing. Some of them, with large amounts, may come with strings attached like working for them upon graduation. But what’s wrong with having a job ready when you graduate, too?

Organizations/Societies
Many organizations or societies that cover a specific industry, for everything from advertising to manufacturing, provide many tools for recent graduates and current college students. They may offer their very own scholarship or a list of places that do. Most will at least have companies or other member groups that do.

Charities and Scholarship Funds
When some wealthy people die, they choose to pass on their wealth in a way that guarantees the future of their interests or their professions. The most common way they do this is by opening a scholarship fund or charity. Students should study some of their major’s premier alumnus.

Filed Under: Scholarships Tagged With: Education, Scholarship, Student