In the News…

Turner Chapel AME Church College Fair

September 22, 2013

The Turner Chapel AME Church’s 4th annual college fair is an excellent opportunity for students and families to learn what it takes to get into college and how to avoid incurring thousands of dollars in student loan debt.

High school seniors should come prepared:

  • Bring your résumé, transcript, SAT/ACT score reports
  • Many colleges will waive application fees for applications submitted at the college fair
  • Learn about institutional grants, scholarships, financial aid, and the HOPE scholarship

All of other students should come and learn:

  • What it takes to get accepted into top colleges
  • What type of classes you should be taking in middle and high school
  • What type of SAT/ACT scores will get you full scholarships
  • What type of leadership, community service, and activities will qualify you for top scholarships

Parents:

  • I [Mychal Wynn] will be conducting a session on “Scholarships, financial aid, and Making the Right College Choice”
  • The Georgia Student Finance Commission will be conducting a session on the HOPE scholarship and other Georgia scholarships and grants
  • Other sessions will provide information on 529 savings plans, college admissions, SAT/ACT prep, and more…
  • Resources include the Gates Millennium Scholars program, Posse Foundation program, Questbridge program, fraternities, sororities, the Turner Chapel Education Ministry, and more…

Click here to watch video from the 2011 College Fair…

Learning for Life Career Explorer Programs

September 7, 2013

Learning for Life offers seven programs designed to support schools and community based organizations focused on character development and career education. The Career Exploring Program is for young men and women who are 14 (and have completed the eighth grade) or 15 through 20 years old. Youth are introduced to 12 different career fields.

Watch a video about the various programs…

What is Exploring?

Following are some of the Explorer Programs offered in the Atlanta area:

Some of the organizations offering scholarships to youth who participate in Explorer Programs are:

The learn more about Explorer programs or scholarships in your area, perform an Internet search on “Your area (i.e., city, county, state, or community) + Explorer Programs.

AP Courses: Good or Bad?

August 30, 2013

The U.S. is spending a lot of money on expanding AP course taking. The article, “Louisiana gets federal money to help poor kids take AP tests for free,” notes that Louisiana received $158,085 to cover the costs of administering advancement tests to low-income high school students. This was part of $28.8 million in grants to 42 states to cover fees charged low-income students for taking advanced placement tests.

The Politico article, “Advanced Placement classes failing students,” notes that taxpayers have spent hundreds of millions of dollars in recent years to nudge more students into Advanced Placement classes, but that test scores suggests much of the investment has been wasted.

Based on the data contained in the annual College Board report, “AP Report to the Nation,” students from certain racial groups and socioeconomic backgrounds do not perform well on the AP exams. While there are many possible explanations, the undeniable reality is that students who attend high poverty schools or schools with high minority student populations (which are typically high poverty schools) have teachers who are not as experienced in teaching AP courses or preparing students to score highly on the AP exams. Another problem is that the students themselves, may not have adequate preparation for AP level course work nor do they have experience achieving high scores on the AP exams. After all, how do students perform well in college-level course work if their regular high school teachers are less experienced and their regular high school classes are less rigorous?

Additional components that are missing are:

  • Lack of adequate support from teachers and fellow students to transition from the normal course requirements in their high schools to the necessary level of academic rigor to perform successfully on AP exams
  • Lack of study groups to support learning beyond the classroom
  • Lack of adequate preparation for AP exams
  • Lack of supplemental materials

The problem is not that AP classes are failing students, but that schools are engaging in inadequate planning for how to ensure student success in such classes. Perhaps, as President Obama is attempting to hold colleges accountablefor their results, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan should hold states accountable for their AP exam performance results. The Sacramento Bee article, “Math, science program sees big improvement on AP tests,” provides an example what why must accompany the push to enroll students into AP courses:

“The pass rate on rigorous Advanced Placement tests went up by 72 percent last year at high schools that took part in a National Math and Science Initiative program that trains teachers and gives students extra help.”

The article goes on to note that the program includes extensive teacher training, a mentor for each teacher throughout the school year and help for students in Saturday sessions. The article also notes that the pass rate on AP math, science and English exams for participating schools increased by 72 percent compared to 7 percent nationwide.

The bottom line…

If your high school offers AP level courses, selective colleges and universities are going to hold you accountable for taking the classes to demonstrate your willingness to challenge yourself. If your AP teachers are not very good, then you are going to have to find a tutor and supplemental materials to ensure your success, as the colleges you apply to are either going to know your AP exam scores or question why you did not submit them if the AP classes are reflected on your high school transcript.

Here is exactly what will happen:

  1. Colleges that you apply to will request a high school profile from your high school counselor. The profile will list the types of classes offered in your high school (which includes any AP classes), along with average SAT and ACT scores.
  2. Colleges will ask your counselor if your course taking was highly rigorous, rigorous, or on level.
  3. Colleges will compare the number of AP classes you took against the number of AP classes offered in your high school.
  4. Colleges will review your course grades in your AP classes and your AP exam scores.

Colleges, however, will not ask you if your AP teachers were any good, if the classes that you took in preparation for AP level classes were any good, of if the students in your AP classes were any good. So the bottom line is that you will have do what you have to do to be successful, which may mean:

  1. Identifying a tutor
  2. Identifying supplemental materials
  3. Creating study groups
  4. Taking personal responsibility to ensure that you are adequately prepared to score 3 or higher on the AP exam for each AP class that you take

You may view this as being unfair, however, it is what it is.

International Students Pursuing STEM-related Majors

August 30, 2013

The Inside Higher Ed article, “Brazil Scholarship Program Grows,” illustrates how international countries recognize that the world is flat and that more students need to pursue STEM-related majors if their countries are going to compete in the technology economy. Brazil has expanded its Scientific Mobility Undergraduate Program, which funds a year of overseas study for Brazilian undergraduates, primarily in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields. Additionally, approximately 60 percent of the scholarship recipients have completed a summer internship either at a company or in a university research lab. Tom Farrell, vice provost for global engagement at the University of Nebraska notes:

“I think this is strategically important for both countries, so I really appreciate the way the Brazilians are managing and developing this talent pool.”

While international companies are encouraging and supporting their students in pursuing STEM majors at U.S. colleges and universities, U.S. students are shying away from such majors.

Top schools for Brazil’s Scientific Mobility Undergraduates at U.S. universities are:

College of UniversityNumber of Brazilian Students

University of California Davis

118
Illinois Institute of Technology

99

University of Nebraska-Lincoln

91

Western Michigan University

89

University of Utah

74

Arizona State University

73

University of Kentucky

72

University of Colorado at Boulder

72

Tennessee Tech University

63

Montana State University

63

The National Foundation for American Policy Brief (July 2013) notes that international students account for the majority of graduate students in 87 percent of Electrical Engineering programs and 76 percent of Computer Science programs at U.S. colleges and universities. The following table illustrates the percentage of graduate school students in STEM-related fields:

FieldPercentage of International Students
Electrical Engineering

70.3

Computer Science

63.2

Industrial Engineering

60.4

Chemical Engineering

53.4

Materials Engineering

52.1

Mechanical Engineering

50.2

Mathematics & Statistics

44.5

Physics

43.7

Civil Engineering

43.7

Other Engineering

42.1

Chemistry

40.3

 

 

 

 

 

 

I Got Caught Reading

August 30, 2013

In an article for UCteen, high school student, Anthony Turner, discusses how he was “caught” reading by a group of students from his high school. Anthony, who is African-American, notes:

“Recently I was ‘caught’ reading at McDonald’s by a group of kids at my school. I say ‘caught’ because many of my peers consider reading to be a lame activity. They think it’s something that only geeks do.”

Anthony went on to share the encounter with one of the students:

“One girl name Tiffany walked up and said ‘Is that a…’ she rubbed her eyes and acted like she couldn’t believe what I was doing…book?’ she finished in a sarcastic, incredulous way.”

Anthony provides a critique as to why developing high levels of literacy is important and goes on to provide insight into a common cultural construct among urban youth in general and African-American youth in particular:

“Black youth culture prizes guys who play ball, bag girls, dance, and rap. Simply reading a book is considered passive or introverted. Or it’s considered a ‘white thing’—something black kids, especially black boys, shouldn’t be caught doing if they want to be popular.”

In would be enough to applaud Anthony for his brilliant critique on youth culture, however, Anthony provides insight into current research:

“I think some kids hold themselves back academically for those reasons. I know I feel slightly wary in school after hearing my peers say that people who read have no lives.

African-American and Hispanic males have the lowest high school graduation rates in the U.S. We need to step up our performance in order to compete. With the economy the way it is, the chances for black youth to succeed can look pretty slim, and if we don’t like to read, those chances get even slimmer. So, the next time you’re killing time by updating your status on Facebook or watching TV, think about reading a book instead. It helps more than you know.”

Read the entire article and view a video of Anthony…

For those youth, parents, and educators who might consider Anthony a nerd, consider the following questions:

  • How many college scholarship opportunities are there for students who play sports, watch hours of television, play hours of video games, or accumulate hundreds of hours updating their Facebook or other social media pages?
  • How many college scholarship opportunities are there for students based on the high school GPA, course taking, SAT/ACT scores, and AP exam scores?

Despite the national hype and highly publicized athletic scholarships, few students receive such scholarships and the amount of such scholarships pale in comparison to the amount of private scholarships and institutional grants (both merit- and need-based) available to students as a result of their GPA; SAT, ACT, PSAT, and AP exam scores as outlined in my book, “Show Me the Money: A Quick Guide to Scholarships, Financial Aid, and Making the Right College Choice.” However, as you ponder these questions, consider the following research from the U.S. Department of Education’s report, “The Condition of Education: 2012.”

Black students have comparable postsecondary aspirations as students from other racial groups (Figure 35-1):

  • 61 percent of White students have plans to graduate from a 4-year college
  • 59 percent of Black students have plans to graduate from a 4-year college
  • 50 percent of Hispanic students have plans to graduate from a 4-year college

However, despite such aspirations, there is a huge gap in the graduation rates for Black students from 4-year colleges and universities when compared to the graduation rates of other racial groups (Figure 45-2):

  • 62 percent of White students receive their 4-year degree in 6 years
  • 50 percent of Hispanic students receive their 4-year degree in 6 years
  • 39 percent of Black students receive their 4-year degree in 6 years

Clearly, Anthony’s focus on reading and literacy will better prepare him to achieve the aspirations that he shares with 59 percent of his peers. Perhaps, if you are a student who is being accused of being a nerd, you might share these statistics with your peers so that they might consider whether their current attitude toward education and learning is consistent with their future aspirations. Anthony’s classmates might also be interested in knowing that only 10 percent of Black males are proficient in reading by eighth grade suggesting that Anthony’s peers might view him as doing what 9 out of 10 of them should be doing. His peers might also like to know how they compare to other college-bound students who took the ACT in 2012. If the students are not interested then certainly their parents, coaches, teachers, and counselors should be!

Finally, the last table, “Probability of Competing Beyond High School” shows that those students who are developing their, “Athletic SWAG” are likely to have far fewer college/career options and opportunities than those students, like Anthony, who are developing their “Academic SWAG!”

 

 

 

President Obama Wants to Hold Colleges Accountable

August 26, 2013

The New York Times article, “Obama’s Plan Aims to Lower Cost of College,” outlines President Obama’s ambitious proposal to make colleges more accountable and affordable by rating them and ultimately linking those ratings to federally funded financial aid. The plan is designed to rate colleges based on such measures as:

  • Tutition
  • Graduation Rates
  • Debt
  • Percentage of lower-income students who attend

It should be noted that all of this information is currently available through a variety of sources, as outlined in my book, “Show Me the Money: Scholarships, Financial Aid, and Making the Right College Choice.” However, most students and families remain confused by the complexities of the college admissions and financial aid processes. As outlined in my book, the overarching purpose of the proposal is to assist students and families in “Making the Right College Choice.”

The article notes that Ohio, Tennessee, and Indiana are moving in the direction of linking financial aid to educational outcomes. Currently, almost all of the $150 billion in annual student aid is distributed to colleges and universities based on the number of students a college enrolls, regardless of how many students graduate or how much student loan debt they incur.

Based the actions, or continuing inaction, of the current Congress, students and parents still must shoulder the responsibility of thoroughly researching colleges and their respective financial aid policies. I continue to be mystified at how many parents balk at paying $19.95 for a comprehensive guide to college admissions and financial aid planning, only to find themselves repaying thousands of dollars in student loans long after their children have left college–with or without a degree.

Writing a Great College Essay

August 15, 2013

There are many Internet websites offering to assist students in preparing college and scholarship essays. Subsequently, there is a great deal of advice as to what college admissions officers and scholarship providers are looking for in compelling student essays. University of Pennsylvania Professor, Angela Lee Duckworth, has been engaging in research regarding the qualities of successful students, which she refers to as, “Grit.” Many colleges and universities are considering her research as a component of how they assess student essays, particularly students from lower-income backgrounds who have to overcome uncommonly difficulty obstacles. See Professor Duckworth’s comments about “Grit,” which she describes as, “passion and perseverance for very long-term goals, having stamina, sticking with your future— day in or day out, not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years.”

Professor Duckworth also comments on the attributes of high achievement in any field.

Click here for a link is to an essay of a student who expressed such grit in their college essay.

In addition to demonstrating “Grit” in your essays, in my book, “Show Me the Money: Scholarships, Financial Aid, and Making the Right College Choice,” I talk about the importance of reflecting the noncognitive variables used by readers of the Gates Millennium Scholars essays:

  • Self-Concept
  • Realistic Self-Appraisal
  • Handling System/Racism
  • Long-Range Goals
  • Leadership
  • Strong Support Person
  • Community
  • Nontraditional Learning

It is important to allow yourself sufficient time to write, review, and re-write your essays many times to ensure that you tell your story in a very compelling way.

How Students are Paying for College

August 15, 2013

Sallie Mae and its subsidiaries manage or service $234 billion in education loans and administer $38 billion in 529 college savings plans. Members of its Upromise college savings rewards program have earned $625 million to help pay for college. Each year, Sallie Mae publishes a national study of college students and parents, “How America Pays for College.” The2013 report notes:

In 2013, the typical family paid 70 percent of college costs, or an average of $21,178, through the following sources (p. 6):

  • 27 percent through loans
  • 27 percent through parent income and personal savings
  • 11 percent through student income and personal savings
  • 5 percent through money from relatives and friends

Only 30 percent of college costs were covered through grants and scholarships.

To reduce the cost of college (p. 12):

  • 67 percent of families eliminated colleges based on cost at any stage during the research and admissions process
  • 57 percent of students lived at home or with relatives
  • 47 percent of students increased work hours
  • 40 percent of families eliminated schools prior to researching the university
  • 27 percent of students accelerated their course work to spend fewer semesters earning a degree
  • 20 percent of parents increased work hours
  • 20 percent of students from low-income families transferred to a lower cost college

Despite billions of dollars in available scholarships and institutional grants, far too many students and families are failing to engage in the necessary research to guide them toward making the right college choice and applying for scholarships for which students would be competitive candidates.

It is equally important for families to have conversations about the cost of college, earning potential of the degree fields students are interested in pursuing, and value of attending colleges with co-op programs that offer students opportunities to gain workplace experiences that make students more competitive candidates for jobs after receiving their college degree. Clearly, the conversations regarding college and careers must begin long before high school.

Carefully Choose Your Classes, Teachers, and Professors

August 4, 2013

Since so many college scholarships have an academic component, either as part of the eligibility requirements or as part of the evaluation process, it is important for high school students and current college students to carefully consider classes, teachers, and professors.

In addition to speaking to other students about classes, teachers, and teacher grading policies and philosophies, prior to enrolling in class, you may be able to find out information about the class, teacher, or professor at the following websites:

The ratings should be used as a guide to selecting classes and professors. Consider comments within the context of what you need to be successful and the opportunities to earn the grades necessary to achieve a certain GPA. For example, one of the professors at my son’s college has ratings dating back to 2010. Comments consistently reflected such attributes as, “down to earth and straight to the point, he class is great, she is the bomb, she is extremely passionate, she inspired me.” Whereas the comments for another professor dating back to 2008 were, “his tests are difficult and tricky, very difficult to get a good grade, he made me consider changing my major, very confusing.”

The Great Schools website provides reviews and ratings for elementary, middle, and high schools.