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The Next Step: Orientation

Now that you’ve decided on which institution you will be attending in the fall, what do you do?

Well, there are many things, but first and foremost, look into what kind of orientation program your college offers. Orientation is really important! To “orient” means to familiarize oneself with the campus, the culture of college, and how academics work at your school. For example, is your college on the quarter system? Trimesters? Semesters? This is just one of the things that you’ll want to make sure you know. Usually, at Orientation, you will have the opportunity to tour campus, meet other incoming students, register for your fall classes, and sometimes even stay overnight in the dorms depending on your college’s program. Another thing to look into is the option of attending virtual orientation. This is a great alternative if you will be attending a campus that is far away and would be too costly to visit in person before the fall. Your college admissions center would be able to give you more information about if they offer virtual or alternative orientation options if this is your situation.

If you are nervous about attending orientation, ask other college-going friends what their college orientation sessions were like so you can gain some insight. While it may feel intimidating at first, remember that everyone attending is a first-time student, just like you! You never know, you could meet a friend at orientation that sticks by you for your entire college career! Also, some colleges welcome family and parent attendance at orientation sessions as well, so look into that with your college if that interests you.

Orientation is an event in which you will receive lots of important information, but it also is about having fun and meeting lots of new people. Be sure to bring a positive attitude, a friendly smile, and an open mind!

Now, go forth and orient yourself!

Dara Anderson
College Advisor Assistant

Easing The Transition

Moving from either your hometown, high school or your familiar community college campus can be a daunting task. Most universities are comprised of a larger number of students, are located in larger cities and offer a thousand different activities in which you can become involved. Lucky for you, those numerous activities can make the transition into university life that much easier. While you most likely have gone to school with the same group of people for a number of years, a university offers a thousand new strangers to encounter. The plus comes from the fact that a thousand strangers create the potential for as many new acquaintances and friends. By getting involved on campus, you increase your chances of meeting your new best friend, as well as eliminating many of the anxieties that come with the first semester at a new school.

Student organizations are a great way to get into the university scene.  The semester or summer before starting at your new institution, begin researching what types of organizations are active on campus. Use orientation to check out the different organizations further. Student organizations can range from religious to philanthropy groups, from degree related to outdoor clubs, and even personal interest organizations like scrapbooking club, book club, film club, language club and innumerable others. Chances are that the university you plan to attend will have something for you to get involved in, whatever your interests.

If you are athletic but not eligible to play on the varsity team, there are both club and intramural groups that you can get involved in. Club sports travel and play against different universities in the area. These groups usually require a signup fee but are more official and organized than intramurals. Intramurals are sports teams organized by students or an organization on campus and played among the university’s students. These can be extremely competitive because you might sit next to your greatest Water Polo rival in Biology. Both club sports and intramurals are fun ways to interact, stay healthy and get the most out of your college experience.

Students can also get involved by joining a sorority or fraternity on campus. Most universities across the nation have Greek communities that are alive and thriving. While there are many stereotypes that surround fraternal organizations, those should not be relied upon for an accurate assessment of the Greek community as a whole. Joining a fraternity or sorority can be one of the best ways to become a part of your campus community. If your university offers a Greek recruitment session, consider participating just to get a feel for each organization and meet some new people on campus. Meeting people was the reason behind my going through sorority recruitment in the fall of 2007. Four years later, I’m a proud alumnus of UW’s Theta Eta chapter of Delta Delta Delta Women’s Fraternity. Many of our nation’s leaders have been fraternity and sorority men and women and it’s definitely something to check out.

Another means of getting involved is student government. If you have been active in your previous school’s student government (student council) this is certainly something to consider. There are often positions in each college at the university that allow you to represent the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Engineering, or the School of Nursing at a university level. Student government often has a very big influence on the way a university is run and if you want to have a voice on campus, this is your best shot at being heard.

Besides these few examples, there are plenty of other ways to get involved and become a part of your university’s community.  The sooner you get to know people, the sooner you'll feel comfortable on campus and will have created a new support system. Having an intact support system will help you achieve success at the university level and throughout your life. Good luck and remember...get involved!! 

Angela

Community College Transfer Advisor

Spring in to ACTION!

Greeting from the West side of the State! March certainly has come in like a lion for us! I am sorry to report the snow and cold is nowhere near over!

I have been telling my students, "Don't let the March lion get you discouraged! The semester is moving right along!" As seniors are deciding on their college destinations and looking for scholarships, juniors are hoping they too can get a start on the college going process. I have had a number of students approach me looking for ways to make themselves rise above the competition and stand out to a college or scholarship selection committee. Students do not want to be cowardly lions, they want to ‘eat up’ the competition. For seniors, building a resume and finding those unique activities late in the semester is a little harder than it is for the underclassmen but its not too late! Students should always be looking for ways to broaden their horizons and be well rounded both academically and in involvement opportunities. 

There is no exact list of attributes selection committees for colleges and competitive scholarships look for in students but usually they look at a student's

·         Academic Record, GPA, Rigor of Classes

·         Test Scores (ACT, SAT)

·         Activities and Leadership (Clubs, Sports, Involvement)

·         Community Service (In or out of School)

·         Work Experience

·         Content and Quality of Essays and other application materials

Being a well-rounded student is key to standing out to a selection committee. Students should also remember that quality always supersedes quantity. Showing commitment and the ability to prioritize is important and getting that RAAR! factor across to a committee is easier when you have specific and clear examples of your involvement.

Students may also be given the opportunity to join local and national honor societies. National societies like National Society of Collegiate Scholars or Who’s Who of American High School Students are just some of the organizations who invite students to pay a fee to be in their membership roster. National Honor Society is an example of a local honorary that many high schools have. Member benefits in national and local academic honor societies include:

·         Peer networking

·         Publications and member-only web content

·         Free national events for members and their families

·         Dedicated member-services staff and volunteers to assist students

·         Member communications

·         Service and leadership opportunities

·         Unique outreach from top domestic & international universities

·         Exclusive scholarship opportunities and academic competitions

·         Personalized membership certificate

·         Personalized press release for distribution to local media

·         Unique offerings through partnerships

The choice to join an honorary sometimes comes down to budget for students. If students opt to pay the membership fee, having their name on an honor list can make them look more appealing to competitive colleges and for scholarships. It is however in my experience that there are so many different ways students can get involved for free and be just as competitive and impressive. It would not hurt a student to join one of these organizations but if they choose not to, there will not be any long term regrets. Being involved, no matter what it is in, is important and most selection committees look for it at many different levels. All students can be the golden lions they want to be if they commit to being active in high school.

For more information on local and national student honor societies:

http://www.nhs.us/

http://nshss.org/

For more information on resume building, career advice, and involvement:

http://ebook.career-guides.net/default.aspx?cgid=22

Let us hope the lions of March become sweet lambs of spring soon!

Cheers!

~Liz Rader

WyCAC Advisor

Evanston High School
erader@uwyo.edu   

"The March wind roars
Like a lion in the sky,
And makes us shiver
As he passes by.
When winds are soft,
And the days are warm and clear,
Just like a gentle lamb,
Then spring is here."
-  Author Unknown

Second Chances

As the school year continues and I meet with more students I am often reminded of the pressures of high school and how they can change students outlooks on life. Sometimes there are situations and factors that are totally out of our control that can adversely effect school work. This can be anything from family issues, financial trouble, or relationship problems. These obstacles can often come into young peoples lives and take them by surprise, subsequently they may perform poorly in school or on standardized tests. While it is important to focus on grades and ACT/SAT in high school I would like to point out that those numbers do not indicate your future potential. Years from now you may look back and laugh about how you stressed over these figures. While a low GPA or test score can impede your college process just remember that anything is possible if you really try and commit. If you find yourself in this position look into conditional admittance into schools, if you are a junior or younger remember there is still time to boost those grades! You can contact your local Educational Opportunitiy Center and see if you can get a waiver to retake your ACT, or if you find yourself in your senior year and cannot find assistance look at the Thomas Foundation scholarship http://www.thomas-foundation.com/ available to students who need it. In the end remember that grades and test scores are important but if you find yourself behind dont give up, because everyone deserves a second chance.

March Madness!

Spring is in the air around here! And with that comes the rush of panic for high school seniors as they try to pull together the finals strings of their future. My office is swarming with students in a panic who didn’t get the FAFSA filed by March 1, or the ones who haven’t applied to a college of their choice! It’s such an overwhelming feeling as they drown a little every day in high school course work all while they are putting pieces into place for college and planning where to go, who to room with, and what meal plan to choose.

I keep reminding them—RELAX! Organize and manage your time! There may be a night or weekend where you can’t go out with your friends, but it’s one weekend that can and will better prepare you for the future!

As for the FAFSA, March 1 was the PRIORITY deadline, not the final and last time to EVER submit it! So add that to the “TO DO THIS WEEKEND” list! And continue the scholarship search, many deadlines are in March. That’s why they call it March Madness right? It’s the month of deadlines, cutoff dates, and crunch time if you’re behind!

Only a few more months, enjoy the ride and RELAX!

*Faith Helton

WyCAC College Advisor

Rock Springs High School

Workin' for your Education

March is nearly upon us and I hope you all have completed your FAFSA applications at this point. 

If not, get to it!

On to other news, let’s talk a little about Federal Work Study programs. Federal Work Study (FWS) can be part of your FAFSA package and can be highly beneficial in numerous ways. While filling out your FAFSA you probably noticed an option for choosing “Work Study” in the drop down box containing options for "Loans" and "Grants." FWS is a means in which to pay for your schooling by working (thus the “work” part of Federal Work Study) while taking classes. FWS is awarded based on financial need. It requires good time management skills and knowledge of how well you handle multi-tasking. Working and attending class can be difficult. However, it has numerous benefits that can make it well worth your while, besides the obvious benefit of having part of your schooling paid. Working on or off campus helps you to establish good rapport with the people with which you work. Obviously, having a job boosts your resume, showing future employers that you’re hard working and reliable. The relationships you establish with your current employers and coworkers might mean quality letters of recommendation and good references after graduation. FWS is beneficial to many students and also helps out universities by filling part time positions with willing workers. 

FWS encourages community service work and work related to the recipient’s course of study. This usually means that you can work either on or off campus. You will be working for the school if you are placed on campus or for a private nonprofit organization or public agency with a focus on public interest if you work off campus. As an undergraduate you will be paid hourly although the amount you earn cannot exceed your FWS award. Factors like award amount, class schedule, and academic progress will be taken into consideration when creating your work schedule.  Check out http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/campusaid.jsp or talk to your financial aid specialist for more information. Seeing if you qualify for Federal Work Study is just another reason to fill out your FAFSA; you never know what you’re eligible for unless you apply!

Happy Wednesday!

Angela