How Am I Doing? Ask, Just Ask

By now the daily grind of this term on Planet College has settled into - OK, yes, a daily grind.  The daily aspect for your college career as a grind has one advantage. It is regular and reliable; class, work, friends, party, class, work and so on.  The reliability of this can lead to a kind of sleepwalk and this sleepwalk may produce regrettable results.

In order to assure that you are working toward, even sleepwalking, toward graduation it is important to occasionally get a fix on your real progress. The best source, immediate source, of your real progress is your instructor for any class but in particular a class which is unusually challenging.

To make this determination find a time when the instructor is free. Clearly, just before or just after class session is workable.  At this time, approach her and ask if she has time to talk.  If she says, 'Yes." then identify yourself and the section of her courses you are enrolled in.  Tell her you are checking on your progress in her course and you would like to know if you are up to date or if there are any assignments due. She may take a moment to check or she may say, "I'll let you know.'  What ever she says pay careful attention.

Then do it. Follow through on exactly what she says.

This contact has two advantages.  First, you get first hand knowledge of your real status in a class which may be more difficult and require more attention than you have been providing.  Second, and this is a significant point, you have established yourself in the mind of the instructor as a student who cares about this course and their progress.  Instructors often view favorably students who have demonstrated care about their course.  Come grading time this can be a distinction which works to your advantage.

Right now, go find out how you're doing.

Do I Still Have To Pay The Money Back?

Dana is a student worker on campus who is working part time in the financial aid office this term, mostly answering calls from students. Most of those calls are about money, as you might guess, specifically; Where is it.? Where is my money? That is what most students want to know.

Dana is used to these calls by now and due to having been trained for this position has learned the procedure for informing the student if or when their money will be released.  While searching the student's record she can further determine if the student is lacking anything in their file which could be causing a delay. After a few weeks Dana has gotten used to these calls and, being a student her self, she appreciates the concerns of the caller.

But, Dana was not entirely prepared for the call that came to her one afternoon recently. The caller was a student who had received a letter informing her she had been dis-enrolled by the university due to failing grades.  At Dana's school dis-enrolled means kicked out. The student now had one thing on her mind.  She asked Dana, " Do I still have to pay the money back?"  By this the student meant the loans she had received to pay for her schooling while she had been attending.  After checking the record Dana's reply was, "Yes."  Yes, that caller ,who had completed three semesters, did owe the money.

This incident illustrates one basic, simple and critical factor about your higher education. Whether you complete your schooling or not, if you have accepted loans for college you will have to pay those loans back. You will.  They are loans and loans must be repaid.

Quit, kicked out, didn't go back, just forgot about it. For whatever reason you cease to attend college you will be responsible for your school loans until you have paid them back.

If college attendance has become no longer possible ,before you leave, stop by the financial aid office on your campus. Have the worker ( it probably won't be Dana) go over your file with you. Learn for your elf, first hand, how much you actually owe.  There are now in place, Planet College can assure your, tools to manage your debt while you become financially stable. But ignoring it or pretending it's OK is not one of them.  It is NOT  OK. They won't go away until you pay, so sooner or later you got to do something.  Make it sooner.

Studying Abroad? Get your Gillman On.

Planet College has endorsed and encouraged studying abroad for students since this site was founded.  Planet College is always eager to share resources for students to allow them to pursue overseas studies. If you are an undergraduate foreign language major who has been considering studying abroad but has found the cost prohibitive there may be help. As noted in the posts linked above The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, is a scholarship intended to assist students from the USA who are studying a foreign language and wish to further their studies in another country outside of the United States.  According to their site the requirements are fairly simple.  To be eligible you must be enrolled in higher education in the USA. You must be studying one of the languages listed on their site and also you must have received a Pell Grant.   Applications are still available for Spring, 2014, and will be, according to their site, until October 1, 2013. The complete deadline list is here.  Give their site a look. You could end up studying overseas for hardly more money than you are paying to study in the USA. Pretty Cool.

Term Reminder: Easy A

Several semesters back Planet College posted an entry titled Easy A.
That entry is here.  Often when planning a term schedule students seek a course which will guarantee them a high grade with little effort.  The entry noted the term 'easy', as in Easy A, is often a seductive illusion. If you are still looking to add and trying to find an 'easy' course, read the entry. If your schedule for this term is set and you have included an 'easy' course click on the link anyway. You might learn something. And that would be good.