Parents Should Help High School Grads Develop an Initial Plan For College

Have you and your new graduate developed a plan for the freshman year of college? Creating an effective plan of action for the start of college requires input from parents and students working together. Involved parents can begin to shape the future of their children by helping them develop an effective plan for college.

Since most students head off to college with no plan at all, those who take the time to figure out how they plan to get started will have an immediate advantage. When the steps are anticipated, the results are improved.

To get started off on the right foot, think about three questions:

A. What does it take to generate a workable plan of action for the freshman year?

1. A good relationship between the parent(s) and the student.

2. An agreed upon direction.

3. A degree of flexibility for all involved.

B. What should the parent and student team include in their plan? Think about your goals and include the steps that will get you there.

1. Is the student prepared to select a major now or will he/she explore options by taking classes in areas of interest? Does the college allow/support exploration?

2. Select classes that support the major or help with exploration. Ask upper class students about professors and class requirements.

3. Explore the campus itself via computer and by personal investigation. Find out where every resource is located. Visit the student's adviser.

4. Students should put forth a special effort to make friends. (Dorms, Classes, Library, Cafeteria, Clubs, Activities, Sports, Work, Campus Events etc.)

5. Determine what college clubs, organizations and activities support the student's direction and goals.

6. Identify off-campus organizations and activities that support the direction and goals.

7. Participation is a key to success. Students don't become successful by remaining in their dorm rooms. Each student should try to participate in something where they can make a contribution.

8. Consider the options with regard to work. Students can work on-campus or off-campus. Investigate part-time work in your field of interest.

9. Take a look at possible community service activities. What services, causes and community needs are important to the student?

10. Study habits and academic achievement should be discussed. A CUM below 2.7 on a 4 point scale will not help all that much. A "B" average or better is expected by the most sought after employers and graduate schools. Many look for candidates with an average well above a 3.0.

11. Who are the most influential people on campus and in your field?

12. End up with a simple, realistic plan that students and parents can live with.

C. What else should parents do for students?

1. Discuss past successes and failures. But, try to spend 95% of the time on the positives. Be prepared to offer encouragement and suggest alternatives.

2. Encourage students to make most of their own decisions. Generally, your job is to offer advice and guidance, not make decisions for them. Recognize that some mistakes are inevitable. Expect them. Be prepared to address them.

3. Always be happy to talk with the student about anything that concerns them.

4. Show your support for the student. Be a good listener.

5. Stay out of most campus problems. Do not talk to a professor about an assignment, grade or something similar. That is not our role. Students must learn to handle things like that on their own.

6. Recognize that your children are not you. They will have their own needs, wants, goals and ways of doing things.

Parents and students should be looking to the future, so they can create a simple plan with a few important steps that will support their goals. In that way, parents agree on the steps, track the progress, offer support and encouragement and celebrate the milestones that are achieved. The best plans allow for changes, as the student learns more about their interests and abilities.

When parents and students work together and are in agreement, the chances of success are greatly improved and their relationship will be strengthened.

Visit Bob's web site: http://www.The4Realities.com. Bob Roth is the author of The 4 Realities Of Success During and After College -and- The College Student's Guide To Landing A Great Job.

As Graduation Comes and Goes, Student Hiring Outlook Begins to Brighten

May is graduation time for most full-time MBA and graduate students, and with it comes a whole new class onto the job market. At this time last year students were graduating into the worst job market in decades, and many were forced to settle for their Plan B job or even any job at all. Is this year shaping up to be an improvement or another year of disappointment? According to a recent survey of MBA employers conducted by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), the job outlook for this year is better than the previous, yet still significantly below pre-recession levels.

Growth has been driven in part by increased hiring from overseas, particularly in the booming Asian markets. Asian companies had previously had limited success in recruiting among American MBAs because of their inability to offer the same financial incentives as American employers. That has been changing in recent years as salaries in emerging markets have increased significantly, resulting in greater numbers of MBAs leaving the country to pursue attractive opportunities abroad.

While the job market remains difficult, there are signs that employers are becoming increasing positive about the near-term outlook for the economy and are therefore showing greater willingness to hire. According to the GMAC survey, 55% of companies surveyed plan to hire MBAs this year, up 5% from 50% in 2009 yet still below the 2008 level of 59%. A similar trend applies for graduates of other specialized business masters programs. Hiring is expected to pick up the most this year in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries as well as in consulting. The bad news is that companies are being more selective in hiring, taking in on average less MBAs than they did last year.

Anecdotal evidence has supported the fact that hiring is up slightly over last year, but it also varies widely from school to school. The Wall Street Journal reports that at the University of Pennsylvania (Wharton) and Northwestern (Kellogg), hiring has begun to pick up noticeably, while at other schools such as University of Texas (McCombs) and NYU (Stern), level remain similar to last year.

While in past years grads have relied mainly on their school's career center to open doors to opportunities, this year the job search has shifted from a school-led effort to a more individual search. As many employers have significantly cut back on their on-campus recruiting efforts as part of larger cost-cutting programs, students have recognized that developing contacts themselves and leveraging these contacts to find a suitable position is key to the search.

Graduate School - The New Prerequisite For Employment?

A number of years ago, when America was still depending on manufacturing, your high school diploma was your ticket to ride. When you graduated high school, you could find job that would support your family. As the country evolved into a service based economy, employers began desiring candidates with higher levels of education, and slowly but surely, it became hard to come across a very good paying work if you ever did not have a bachelor's degree. Nonetheless, in today's day and age, with a lot more men and women seeking bigger education than ever just before, even a bachelor's degree may not cut it. Much more and far more employers are enthusiastic about work applicants with a master's or bigger, producing graduate school practically important to locate employment. Thus, it really is essential to think about the gains and drawbacks of attending graduate school, in addition to the points one must look at when selecting a graduate school to attend.

First and foremost, one ought to note that attending graduate school might be tremendously beneficial. A lot of undergraduate programs today however place a high value on general education requirements. Whilst the hours you put in for your main will even now be substantial, practically a third from the time you spend in college, and in some situations, practically half of it, though be devoted to classes unrelated for your main. Graduate school has no such restrictions. For two to three years, you'll discover yourself taking classes that directly apply for your field of analyze, giving you the knowledge, and in a lot of situations, the hands on expertise, to be much more successful within your chosen line of perform. Moreover, most master's degrees will require managerial classes tailored for that specific field of analyze, generating you a far more qualified candidate for larger paying positions.

That doesn't mean that graduate school is constantly the greatest idea. For one issue, it may be incredibly high-priced, particularly for out-of-state students. If you've already taken out thousands of dollars in student loans for your undergraduate degree, as most persons in American do, you'll be adding anywhere from twenty to fifty thousand dollars of debt onto your tab, if not far more. Unless your graduate school training will prepare you to step into a incredibly high paying work, it may possibly not be worth the price tag. In addition, for some careers, expertise is however a lot more critical than a piece of paper saying you're actually smart. Though graduate school is needed for some, it really is certainly not a one-size-fits-all affair. It truly is critical to do your exploration just before you make a choice.

If you ever do decide that you happen to be enthusiastic about graduate school, you will discover a couple of steps it is possible to take to ensure that you're entering the plan that's proper for you. The first factor to think about is your understanding style. Are you someone who advantages from hours of reading and class discussion, or are you someone who prefers to learn by expertise? Some schools offer a excellent deal of study opportunities for their graduate students, and others don't. Your understanding style must be a factor within your choice. The other factor to contemplate is the length from the plan you happen to be entering. Some graduate schools provide master's degrees that should take a year to complete, and other degrees which will take practically four years to finish. You will find also accelerated programs at graduate schools where you are able to gain your master's AND your Ph.D. in one analyze plan. These are all items to think about when looking into graduate school.