As many of you know, the College Board changed the SAT in 2005 to add a writing section to the required test. There have been many criticisms of the new writing test since that time and many colleges either don’t consider it or give it limited consideration. Several new studies, however, indicate that the writing test is actually a better predictor of college grades than the critical reading and math tests from the SAT. The studies come from the College Board and the University of California. The writing test was originally added to the full SAT at the insistence of the University of California which had threatened to stop using the SAT unless changes were made.

Although I think there are still substantial concerns about the validity of the writing section of the SAT, it appears that with these new studies more colleges will reevaluate their usage of the writing section.

Post from: College Admissions Counseling

Source: College Admissions Counseling

School is almost out for summer, which is great unless you are graduating from high school and you do not have a plan of what you will be doing next. Maybe you never finished figuring it all out yet, just watched as your friends applied to colleges and universities or joined the military. Or maybe you do not plan on going to college, which is fine as it is not for everyone. Plus you can find jobs without a college degree, many times ones where you can earn a decent living.

However, even if you do not plan on attending a regular or more traditional college you should still not rule out getting some career training or going to a trade school. If you plan on only getting a high school diploma chances are pretty good you will not make a decent living unless you find a job where you can learn some skills and the employer will teach you.

If you think career training or attending a trade school might be just what you need, guess what? It is not too late to apply! Unlike many traditional colleges that you have to apply for way in advance, you may be able to sign up for a career school or a college that offers some form of a career training program and get started relatively quickly.

Of course if you did just graduate high school or will be you may want to take off some well deserved time and spend the summer with your friends, which is very understandable. But don’t let months turn into years and years turn into decades without a plan to find a decent paying career. In only a little bit of time you can contact several schools with career training options right now and get some ideas of what types of opportunities are available.

There are so many jobs available now that do not require a four year degree, but that do require some form of education and which pay a decent wage. Some examples of jobs in demand that you can get training for in less then four years, maybe even less then two year, are in the medical fields. Think of all the assistants and techs who work in hospitals and doctors and dentists offices. Or if the medical field is not your cup of tea what about computer or office related careers. Many of those type training programs can be completed in just months!

So enjoy your summer, but don’t put off contacting some career schools to find out what they have to offer.

Source: college

If you have ever wanted to know what it is like to attend an Ivy League school like Yale, Harvard or Boston College, you may get that chance sometime soon. These learning institutions are coming around to the "distance learning" mindset of today's student body. So here are a few things to know about taking online courses at Ivy League schools.

Yale was the first one to venture into the distance learning arena a couple of years ago. Harvard has followed suit progressively. But there is a twist you need to understand before trying to apply for these courses.

Ivy League colleges have taken the step towards online education, howbeit carefully. You are able to get the benefit of a partial education. However, as of this date, there are NO completely online courses available at these institutions.

What you can get from Harvard or Yale or any Ivy League institution is access to videotaped lectures and even class materials. The catch is that what you learn is not transferable to a degree program. Some schools have added online coursework for undergraduate and graduate credits. This is not a full degree program and probably won't be for some time, so taking a Harvard online course or a Yale online course is not completely what it sounds like.

You can apply as you normally would for any higher education school. If you are serious about taking an Ivy League online course, tuition will be the biggest block. Some schools have payment programs and accept Pell grants and other financial aids. But there is always a portion that you pay out of pocket. For the most part, if you don't have the FULL payment out front, you will not be granted access to Ivy League courses.

Source: Online College Courses

School is almost out for summer, which is great unless you are graduating from high school and you do not have a plan of what you will be doing next. Maybe you never finished figuring it all out yet, just watched as your friends applied to colleges and universities or joined the military. Or maybe you do not plan on going to college, which is fine as it is not for everyone. Plus you can find jobs without a college degree, many times ones where you can earn a decent living.

However, even if you do not plan on attending a regular or more traditional college you should still not rule out getting some career training or going to a trade school. If you plan on only getting a high school diploma chances are pretty good you will not make a decent living unless you find a job where you can learn some skills and the employer will teach you.

If you think career training or attending a trade school might be just what you need, guess what? It is not too late to apply! Unlike many traditional colleges that you have to apply for way in advance, you may be able to sign up for a career school or a college that offers some form of a career training program and get started relatively quickly.

Of course if you did just graduate high school or will be you may want to take off some well deserved time and spend the summer with your friends, which is very understandable. But don’t let months turn into years and years turn into decades without a plan to find a decent paying career. In only a little bit of time you can contact several schools with career training options right now and get some ideas of what types of opportunities are available.

There are so many jobs available now that do not require a four year degree, but that do require some form of education and which pay a decent wage. Some examples of jobs in demand that you can get training for in less then four years, maybe even less then two year, are in the medical fields. Think of all the assistants and techs who work in hospitals and doctors and dentists offices. Or if the medical field is not your cup of tea what about computer or office related careers. Many of those type training programs can be completed in just months!

So enjoy your summer, but don’t put off contacting some career schools to find out what they have to offer.

Source: career training