Dr. Jeannette K. Jones, RCC

The year 2008 is quite significant as it marks my 30th year of service in an educational capacity. Trying to decide which role had the most impact on my students-- teaching Sunday school, consulting in the primary grades, corporate training, academic coaching, instructional design, or higher education faculty-- would be impossible. However, one thing that has been a common denominator in all has been the request for my thoughts on the need and process for continuing education. As a first generation college graduate, I take these requests for guidance to heart. I continue to believe that if someone knowledgeable in the topic had been willing to help me plan for college, I would not have had such a struggle finding my way (not to mention a student loan debt that I will be paying until I am 70).

As a professor, I want to provide accurate and up-to-date information to ensure student success. As a parent my hope is to instill the love of the educational experience by reducing some of the admissions, career, and cost confusions. Today, many schools have the luxury of qualified and caring guidance counselors/advisors and I encourage establishing a communication loop. However, those of us in a teaching role realize that we are generally the front line and I believe we have a responsibility to be prepared to offer some direction. Therefore, when I was given an opportunity to attend the January 2008 Berea College Gear Up training workshop in Berea, KY, I signed up immediately. What an enlightening and empowering experience.

Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (Gear Up), is a federal initiative established in 1998 intended to encourage the pursuit of undergraduate degrees by providing funds to support parents and students as the student prepares for attending college. The program funding awards focus on lower income areas, but the goal and model could be adopted anywhere. The adaptation of a college culture mindset is an important point because I have found, from working with students and parents, that misunderstanding the complexities of navigating through high school graduation requirements, testing, college admission processes, costs, financial aid, college expectations, and academic success issues is universal. This is also true whether you are a traditional student, a non traditional student, or returning for an additional degree. If workshops or funding are not available, at a minimum, with the use of the Internet, so much more information could be gathered and shared.

For example, the Eguidance Counselor website explains the unique elements of standardized tests such as the ACT and SAT. CNN has a website search engine that will look up any college by name and location and provide cost data. Many states have their own website that offers a one stop comparison of higher education opportunities such as Kentucky’s GoHigherKY.org.

Once costs are identified, figuring out how to pay for the college experience may be overwhelming. The workshop shared several wonderful and powerful resources. My favorite was Fastweb.com . This website requires the potential college student to enter in very specific details about their goals and accomplishments. Once that data is submitted, a personalized list of available scholarships that the student would qualify for is created. In addition, the website will send emails directly to the student when new scholarship opportunities are located and provide reminders of submission due dates. I filled in the information for my daughter and immediately received application data for 103 scholarship opportunities. Financial aid might also be available and that can be determined by using the Financial Aid Calculator website. If interested in learning more about financial aid in general, check out Finaid.org. Sometimes the confusion surrounds the career or future goals of the student. In many cases, being aware of the students’ interest areas can help guide in college choice and degree programs. At the One Center students can take free online career assessment tests to help identify their potential strengths. Once they have identified some areas of interest, they can check out the Occupational Outlook Handbook put out by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to find out more about the career of choice. As the interest in E-portfolios for students’ increases, some middle and high schools have started using online Individual Learning Plans (ILPs). One organization specializing in the ILP area is Career Cruising. If an educational institution subscribes to the service, students from 6th grade on can begin to develop a confidential portfolio of their accomplishments, standardized test scores, and career assessment information. The power of an e-portfolio tool is that with just a few key strokes, the student can create a resume along with other documents to aid in the college admissions process. This is particularly of interest as colleges and universities continue to move toward online application processes.

As I enter into my 30th year as an educator, I am blessed that I still get excited about the opportunities for my students. So while my own personal educational journey might have been a struggle, I will share my lessons learned so others can benefit. Now, with the information received from the Berea College Gear Up program workshop, I can provide additional resources and encourage a culture of educational growth. Please join me in doing the same.

Additional resources:
•  Berea College, Gear up - http://www.berea.edu/trio/gearup/
•  Gear Up program (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs ) - http://www.ed.gov/programs/gearup/index.html
•  Understanding and comparing college entrance testing - http://www.eguidancecounselor.com/
•  Website for finding costs of colleges nationwide - http://cgi.money.com/tools/collegecost/collegecost.html
•  Complete guide to Kentucky colleges and universities - http://gohigherky.org/
•  Scholarships - http://www.fastweb.com/
•  Everything you want to know about Financial aid - http://www.finaid.org/
•  Financial aid calculators - http://www.finaid.org/calculators/
•  Career information and preparing for a career - http://www.careercruising.com/

Schools must become members and pass on access codes. Check to see if your schools are connected. If not, encourage to do so.
•  Occupational Outlook Handbook - http://www.bls.gov/search/ooh.asp?ct=OOH
•  One Center – Free Career Assessment tools - http://onecenter.org/