More Than a Test Score

While many are eager to continue their educational journey at a four-year university, a rising number of students are turning to community colleges as their next step. Matthew Forrest, Zinch’s Student Ambassador at Massasoit Community College, dropped in to give us his perspective on attending a community college, and how students from all walks of life can take advantage of the services they offer.

“Community college classes are a joke. Community college provides a lower quality education than a four-year institution. Community college students are not successful in their future endeavors.”

I assure you that all of these statements are all too common misconceptions. Not only are community colleges for everyone, but their classes are often of the same exact quality that the same or comparable classes would be anywhere else, and they offer many latent benefits, such as their professors, small class sizes, free tutoring services, and an international honor society for two year colleges, Phi Theta Kappa.

Without a doubt, community colleges’ professors are unsung heroes. Because of the small class sizes (usually less than 20 students) that many community colleges offer, the professors are able to get to know each and every student on a personal level. Many professors even have a significant amount of office hours a week (often 5 or more hours) in which any of their students can drop on by and ask questions. As a result of this, professors grow to develop professional relationships with their students, and genuinely care about their success. In turn, students are often more comfortable reaching out to and approaching their professors, resulting in greater success.

At the same time, many community colleges offer FREE tutoring services. Who doesn’t love free stuff? For instance, my college offers free tutoring in math, science, accounting, writing, computers, and foreign languages. These services have been a LIFESAVER for me. My tutors have all been very knowledgeable and truly care about my success as well as the success of their other students. In fact, many of my tutors have been fellow students, making it easier for me to interact with them and discuss any difficulties that I’ve had. If these resources had not been available to me I would have surely given up and taken another path down the road of life.

Another phenomenal benefit of community colleges is Phi Theta Kappa (PTK). PTK is an international honor society geared towards students attending two-year colleges. Although I have not been a member for long it has already started to play a significant role in my continued success. PTK not only encourages excellence in academics, but also provides many other benefits including leadership training, opportunities, and alumni networks. The fact that they have over $36 million in scholarships available to their members doesn’t hurt either.

Everyone knows that community college is a cheaper option than the traditional four-year college, but that is the only fact that most are actually aware of. Whether it is the amazing professors, small class sizes free tutoring, or the opportunity to join an amazing international honor society, community college is a viable option in the world today. Ever hear of Nolan Ryan? Ross Perot? Tom Hanks? Yeah, they graduated from community college and they aren’t doing too bad.

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Steve Cohen is one of the co-authors of Getting In! and has been a publishing entrepreneur, author, and teacher for more than 25 years. He is also the founder and CEO of Brainquest.com, Multimedicus—created with Harvard and Dartmouth Medical Schools—and iCollegeBound. We took a few minutes to talk with him about the ever evolving college process many students are now entering and how some of these issues are discussed in Getting In!

How have you seen the college admissions and/or financial aid process change in the last decade?

So much has changed – but it isn’t on the surface. Look at college admissions today and it is very much like college admissions ten years ago – only harder! But scratch beneath the surface and you start to see some of the changes. And most of them are driven by technology: think back 10 years – there was no Facebook, video downloads were almost non-existent, and Blockbuster was the place to get the latest movies.

So how has this changed college admissions?

First there is the Common Application. Filling out one application online is way easier than a separate typed application for each different school. But the downside is that you are more tempted to submit more applications – it is just a click and another $100 on mom or dad’s credit card. Bad temptation. It doesn’t improve your odds of getting in. In fact, the more kids who do it, the tougher it gets to be admitted.

It’s also way easier to get noticed by colleges. There is a reason more than 850 colleges use Zinch. That’s because every college recruits students. Even if you are Harvard or Stanford – schools are looking for the best kids they can to create their well-rounded class. Using Zinch is way more efficient for colleges than traditional paper brochures mailed to thousands of kids. So students are really smart when they use Zinch to tell schools about themselves. It creates a win-win.

You lift the curtain on a lot mysteries surround the world of higher education. What’s one of the biggest misconceptions students have about the college process that you’ve addressed in the book?

Good colleges are not looking for the well-rounded class; they’re looking for the well-rounded class. That means they want a few real scholars for each academic department; athletes for each team; musicians for the orchestra and marching band; performers for the theater groups; and kids to staff the newspaper, the student government, and each club.

We also explain what positioning is and why it is important to you, as well as what the “hook” is, and how giving the admission office a credible hook improves your chances of admission.

Many high school juniors and seniors become overwhelmed with the numerous intricacies of applying to a college. What are some of the basic resources in Getting In! students can reference as a starting point?

The best advice we give is start early! You will be able to investigate more colleges more carefully – for that right fit. You’ll be able to figure out your particular hook. And you’ll be less likely to make careless, dumb mistakes on the application!

Plus, we give parents a real understanding about how the financial aid system works; how there’s more money out there to help middle-class families than they probably realize; and how you have to ask for money to get any.

What messages in Getting In! are you hoping students will take away after they’re done reading it?

It is more important to find the right college, not just the so-called “best” college. And there are lots of really good colleges out there that are looking for kids like them. But you have to get on their radar screen.

For more info on Getting In! and to download Chapter 1 for free, become a fan of the Getting In! Facebook Page. If you’re looking to pick up a copy head over to Amazon where the book is currently available and in stock today!

Summer’s coming up but don’t lose focus! Angelina Modica, Zinch’s Student Ambassador at SUNY Fredonia, took some time to lay out some helpful tips for all you graduating seniors.

Three hours. One-hundred multiple choice questions. Three essay questions. One fifteen minute break. Repeat two, three, or maybe even four times for some of you. But guess what? It’s over! AP Exams are done with and now it’s time to relax, but only a little bit, because school is not over yet! Finals, final projects, and state exams are still in your future and it is your job to continue excelling in school! Here are the top 3 “Do’s and Dont’s” of the end of your senior year.

DON’T

-Don’t skip your classes. Although it may seem like the cool thing to do, going to the beach instead of going to calculus class may not be the best idea. At the end of the semester a lot of teachers prepare you for post-AP final exams and some teachers even offer extra-credit opportunities during this time.

-Don’t fall behind in your classes or let your GPA skip. Although you may be already accepted into a college or university, your final transcript is still sent to colleges. I have heard stories of people losing scholarship money or even admittance into a university because they slacked off so much in their last semester of high school. Although the warm weather might be calling your name, make sure you’re getting all of your assignments done. I don’t think anyone wants to be studying and doing final projects on Memorial Day Weekend when all their friends and family are at barbeques and are enjoy the beautiful weather!

-Don’t let end of the year finals or Regents exams surprise you! Yes, the hard part for many of you (AP Exams) are over with! But while you don’t need to pass AP exams in order to gain your diploma, you do need state-mandated exams. Although you might be ready to check out of your high school, focus for these last few exams. Your grades on these may decide which kind of diploma you graduate with!

DO

-Check your mail and email often as your future college will be contacting you. One of the most important messages you’ll get from your college is your school email address and password. It’s quintessential to check this email often because they will be sending you information about orientation, information about scheduling, financial aid, and housing information. Don’t miss out on these opportunities!

-Schedule yourself for an early orientation session. Although it might be a little inconvenient because the earlier orientation sessions are either right after high school graduation or 4th of July weekend, take advantage of these early orientation opportunities. The main reason to do so is because this is when many colleges arrange meetings with advisors for scheduling. Classes have already been available to the sophomores, juniors, and seniors for a few months and classes that you might want to take (or would be convenient time wise fill up fast!) Also, after returning home from orientation, make sure to check out textbook prices online so that you can order them and have enough time to receive them before school starts!

-Have fun and enjoy the end of your senior year of high school. Attend senior-only field trips, barbeques, picnics, proms, or whatever your school does to celebrate the senior class. A lot of people who don’t attend these events definitely regret it in the future. It’s a great way to remember the things you love about your class and maybe even talk to some people you were never close with in high school. Sign lots of yearbooks, take tons of pictures at prom, and celebrate!

All in all, enjoy the end of your senior year but make sure that school is still a priority. If you have any questions about this time of the year, don’t be afraid to ask any of the Zinch student ambassadors! They’ll be more than happy to help!

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What keeps you up night? Here at Zinch it is thinking about how to improve college admissions for our students. It is important to us that we really know how you feel about the process and the ways we might best be able to help. If you are a current high school student please take a minute to give us your scoop on your college admissions process so far.

Every year an increasing number of students are joining the list of college hopefuls who are letting admission officers in on their whole life through friending on Facebook. A recent Kaplan, Inc. survey indicated that 71% of admission officers had received themselves or knew of someone who had received a friend request on Facebook or MySpace from an applicant to their college.

Some admissions officers are all for the friendships with applicants, but others see the whole situation as having access to too much information. Before social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn the admissions process only included the application and transcripts sent by students to the college and, therefore, the admissions officers saw only what the student provided and nothing else. These days, admissions officers have many more resources & materials to utilize to make their acceptance decisions.

What’s your take? Are you going to jump on the bandwagon and go in search of the people who decide your college fate and let them know everything your friends know about you? Or are you going increase your privacy settings and hope no one important sees those photos of you from that party last weekend? Let us know what you think in the comment section.

Want to learn more about Zinch and get connected with the college of your dreams? Create a profile on Zinch and Shout Out to the colleges you’re interested in today!