Wednesday, February 23, 2011
You Deserve a Break Today!
Due to the fact that many schools have winter recess this week, I will not post an article today. I would not want my regular readers to miss an installment. I hope that you are somewhere warm and fun! If you've brought your laptops along, there are plenty of posts in the archives which would be worth your time if you haven't read them already. I will return on Wednesday, March 2 with a post you won't want to miss! (It's really not all that, but I'm going for suspense here!)
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Unigo Revisited
In a blog way back on December 1, 2010, I raved about a website, www.unigo.com, founded by Jordan Goldman who partnered with The Wall Street Journal to provide a free service where over 30,000 "college students tell you what colleges won't". If you aren't familiar with the site, it's definitely worth your time to explore it.
In the previous post I wrote about the interesting videos of panel discussions featuring college admissions personnel and administrators that are available on the site. They also provide rankings as to which schools, according to their findings, are the safest, most political, most intellectual etc. As part of the discussion on choosing a college, I'd like to revisit Unigo to discuss its college match and college search features. If you search a specific college by name, you will see an updated college profile containing information about size, cost, etc. and student reviews.
The college match feature is especially interesting. In less than thirty questions, the search seems to cover all the bases regarding cost, size, entrance difficulty, location, etc. but also addresses safety and social issues such as drugs and drinking. Questions are written in a very conversational style. A portion of one such question follows:
-Looking for a fresh start someplace new? Which of these fake communities seems to be calling your name?
o Carbon Copytown. Everyone here is very much alike. Blending in will be easy.
o Eclectic Falls. This quaint village is as diverse as it is fun and exciting.
Your results are updated as you answer each question. You're given a percentage of how well you match specific colleges which meet the criterion the question addressed. To keep your interest, the questions are sprinkled with little "factoids" like, "More women graduate from high school but more men have bachelor's degrees". Some questions allow you to select more than one answer. You can also find colleges by state and majors.
I presented the first post specifically addressing college search and matching tools in mid-January. That article focused on the search and match features on The College Board site, www.collegeboard.com. If you take one or, better yet, both of these inventories, you'll come away with some very good leads as to colleges that will meet your needs. Many schools have some kind of winter break coming up soon. Juniors should plan to use at least some of that time productively to advance their post high school plans.
In the previous post I wrote about the interesting videos of panel discussions featuring college admissions personnel and administrators that are available on the site. They also provide rankings as to which schools, according to their findings, are the safest, most political, most intellectual etc. As part of the discussion on choosing a college, I'd like to revisit Unigo to discuss its college match and college search features. If you search a specific college by name, you will see an updated college profile containing information about size, cost, etc. and student reviews.
The college match feature is especially interesting. In less than thirty questions, the search seems to cover all the bases regarding cost, size, entrance difficulty, location, etc. but also addresses safety and social issues such as drugs and drinking. Questions are written in a very conversational style. A portion of one such question follows:
-Looking for a fresh start someplace new? Which of these fake communities seems to be calling your name?
o Carbon Copytown. Everyone here is very much alike. Blending in will be easy.
o Eclectic Falls. This quaint village is as diverse as it is fun and exciting.
Your results are updated as you answer each question. You're given a percentage of how well you match specific colleges which meet the criterion the question addressed. To keep your interest, the questions are sprinkled with little "factoids" like, "More women graduate from high school but more men have bachelor's degrees". Some questions allow you to select more than one answer. You can also find colleges by state and majors.
I presented the first post specifically addressing college search and matching tools in mid-January. That article focused on the search and match features on The College Board site, www.collegeboard.com. If you take one or, better yet, both of these inventories, you'll come away with some very good leads as to colleges that will meet your needs. Many schools have some kind of winter break coming up soon. Juniors should plan to use at least some of that time productively to advance their post high school plans.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Pardon the Interruption!
Due to unforeseen circumstances, I will be unable to post today, February 9. I will return next Wednesday to continue the series of posts related to choosing a college. I apologize for any inconvenience.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
The State of Boys and Girls State
I'm going to interrupt this series of blogs about choosing a college to discuss something of a more timely nature: the Boys and Girls State programs. American Legion units in 49 of the 50 United States (with the exception of Hawaii) will begin their selection process the middle of this month for these week long summer programs. This year New Jersey Boys and Girls State sessions will run from Sunday, June 19, through Friday, June 24. The goal of the programs is to teach students completing their junior year of high school how local, county and state government works. Leadership skills, as well as an appreciation of the rights and responsibilities of citizenship, are developed.
A descriptiion of the structure of Girls State, which is also that of Boys State, follows:
At Girls State, each girl, as she registers, becomes a citizen
of an assigned city. The citizens set up city governments
and elect city officials. The City Councils then enact
ordinances to govern the cities. The city officials enforce
the ordinances. Two cities constitute a county. The county
governments are organized by the election of a Board of
Freeholders, a Sheriff, etc. for each county. The elected
officers then proceed to function in all county matters, as
provided by the Constitution and the laws of the State of
New Jersey. The counties together become the state. Each girl
is assigned to one of two parties - Federals or Nationals - so
they may see how political parties function. They develop
their own party platforms and discuss issues they choose.
All of the elections are carried our according to the
existing laws of New Jersey. Following the State Primary
Elections is the General Election, when the citizens elect the
Girls State Governor. From the Assembly and Senatorial
Districts they elect the members of the Girls State Assembly
and Senate. An Inaugural Ceremony is held and the Girls
State Governor-elect and other state officials are given
their oaths of office. The two branches of the legislature
organize, author, and pass bills. The Governor decides whether
to sign the bill into law or veto them.
Wow, what a civics lesson and all in one week! Two delegates from each individual state program are selected to attend Boys Nation and Girls Nation where delegates are taught about and simulate the Federal government.
Usually schools recommend lists of eligible candidates to local Legion units. Leadership, character, scholarship, loyalty and service to school and community are among the traits that eligible juniors must exhibit. The Legion post reviews the list and interviews the candidates to select their representative(s) for the program.
I was a delegate to New Jersey Girls State almost forty-five years ago! (DON'T DO THE MATH!!!) I consider selection one of my greatest honors and participation one of the most worthwhile of my endeavors. The civics in action lessons the program taught have been invaluable throughout my life. If you are interested, go to www.boysandgirlsstate.org and see your guidance counselor.
A descriptiion of the structure of Girls State, which is also that of Boys State, follows:
At Girls State, each girl, as she registers, becomes a citizen
of an assigned city. The citizens set up city governments
and elect city officials. The City Councils then enact
ordinances to govern the cities. The city officials enforce
the ordinances. Two cities constitute a county. The county
governments are organized by the election of a Board of
Freeholders, a Sheriff, etc. for each county. The elected
officers then proceed to function in all county matters, as
provided by the Constitution and the laws of the State of
New Jersey. The counties together become the state. Each girl
is assigned to one of two parties - Federals or Nationals - so
they may see how political parties function. They develop
their own party platforms and discuss issues they choose.
All of the elections are carried our according to the
existing laws of New Jersey. Following the State Primary
Elections is the General Election, when the citizens elect the
Girls State Governor. From the Assembly and Senatorial
Districts they elect the members of the Girls State Assembly
and Senate. An Inaugural Ceremony is held and the Girls
State Governor-elect and other state officials are given
their oaths of office. The two branches of the legislature
organize, author, and pass bills. The Governor decides whether
to sign the bill into law or veto them.
Wow, what a civics lesson and all in one week! Two delegates from each individual state program are selected to attend Boys Nation and Girls Nation where delegates are taught about and simulate the Federal government.
Usually schools recommend lists of eligible candidates to local Legion units. Leadership, character, scholarship, loyalty and service to school and community are among the traits that eligible juniors must exhibit. The Legion post reviews the list and interviews the candidates to select their representative(s) for the program.
I was a delegate to New Jersey Girls State almost forty-five years ago! (DON'T DO THE MATH!!!) I consider selection one of my greatest honors and participation one of the most worthwhile of my endeavors. The civics in action lessons the program taught have been invaluable throughout my life. If you are interested, go to www.boysandgirlsstate.org and see your guidance counselor.
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