Planet College Job Search Alert

Work is so important on Planet College that Planet College has devoted a number of posts in the past year to just this subject. You can find many of them here. Planet College is not the only site concerned with student employment. Because the continuing health of the now global economy depends on educated work force publications of all kinds but particularly those dedicated to business and finance regularly publish articles like this one from Business News Daily. The author, Nicole Fallon, cites two or three authors and business writers who provide some general guidelines for graduates.

Planet College brings this to your attention because whether your graduation is pending this term or still in the future it is important for you to continuingly update your knowledge of the market for your skills as a graduate.  Focusing your active job search significantly increases your chances of finding a suitable position after you graduate.

What Have You Missed So Far?

The day to day business of college life is fully underway by now on your campus. Your activites, courses, social life and just hanging out has now slotted in to the familiar pattern you've established.
This is a Planet College question for you.  What class have you skipped so far? Is it a boring lecture, an 'easy' lab you can make up 'anytime' or a section which is just to early for your partying body clock to adjust to?

This is a Planet College suggestion. Before this skipping  becomes a habit. Return to the class. Talk to the instructor or the TA.  Ask what you need to do to make up for the missed class or classes.  Then do it. You probably enrolled in this course for some purpose, essentially,  you need it.

The road to an abandoned college career is paved with skipped classes. And it always starts with just one. This time skip skipping, go back, attend and graduate. That is how it is done.

Fees Again Or How Do You Get Your Money?

Planet College has consistently maintained a vigilant approach to student accounts, money, your money.  By this time in your college career you have probably learned that money is even more difficult to hang on to than it is to get.  Planet College again reminds you about one of the basic and enduring drains on your funds, fees. There is a comprehensive post here. This is a Planet College update about your money and your fees.

First think, how do you get your money?  Most all campuses have a student account for each student. Whether you are aware of it not. The traditional college student account system is detailed here and here. Read those entrys if you are unfamiliar with your campus's student account program and policy.

For a while some colleges and university's have issued debit cards in the name of the school but actually sponsored by an outside financial institution. These cards often charged students fees for using ATMs which were not operated by the issuing bank.  If you have had such a card you may have had the frustrating experience of hurrying to the nearest ATM for some quick cash only to find that you have been pretty seriously dinged for a relatively small withdrawl.

 This situation had come to the attention of financial regulators.  Michael Stratford, who writes for InsideHigherED, has published a report about these fees and other matters relating to student financial regulation here.  Mr. Stratford reports The Department of Education is carefully examining the relationship between banks and colleges and the agreements they have concerning these student debit cards.

While these institution confer and decide their policies regarding what is essentially your money there are now steps you can take to preserve your precious dollars.  Simplest among them is locating the nearest no-fee ATMs. While the relative savings may be small the habit of saving or at least spending carefully can add up to a significant sum for you over the term.

Ask Your Freshman Self.

Planet College presents virtually endless possibilites for growth, social, intellecutal, emotional and even physical. Most of these occurr gradually in small increments. The end of the term or school year with the arrival of finals and grades demonstrates your growth in the academic department. Other areas are not so clearly defined. If you look back the changes in you and your life have happened steadily but without much fanfare.

So here's a method which will no doubt clearly show you how you have grown. Interview your freshman self.  That person who arrived on campus during welcome week or move-in day or even at Summer Bridge has a lot to offer you about the changes you have personally experienced on Planet College. Take a few minutes and remember that freshman self. Ask him what he expects from this experience. Ask him what he hopes to accomplish. Carefully consider his reply. Have you experienced what he anticipated. What advice would you give your freshman self? What can you tell him now that you did not know then.  Your reply, that is your advice to your freshman self is essentially what you have learned, about you, school and the world. It is very, very valuable. It is based in what you have lived. And worldwide, on or off campus, there is no teacher like experience.

Stuck Sucks So Get Help ASAP

Planet College veterans often feel stuck. Stuck in school, stuck with a sucky job or just stuck. Stuck sucks. And  this feeling of inertia, not getting anywhere, that can be overwhelming and discouraging.  The results of this feeling is clearly reflected in graduation statistics. Overall the statistics show only about half of those students who attempt a college program actually complete the requirements. f This is understandable because it is simply so difficult for an average student to stay focused through the entire process. Unavailable courses, work demands and changing family pressures among other things contribute to students slowing down, getting bogged down and giving up.

 Because this trend has become nearly a fact of college life some community colleges have insituted a program to assists students toward graduation.  One such program, termed ASAP, has been implemented by the City University of New York.  You can read a more detailed description of this program and the results here.

The significant thing about this program is that in order to receive the help and support available the student is required to enroll full time.  With this level of commitment the results are clear. This suggests that possibly your best tactic for success in your program is full time enrollment. Although this potentially sounds drastic, 12-15 units of coursework, it may be the challenge you need to get out of the nearly terminal suckiness of stuck.

If you are nearly terminally stuck on Planet College give full time enrollment serious consideration. This definitely will take some planning so it might not be possible this term. But, for next term, look over your work schedule, double up on earnings and save this summer and try full time next term.

It is worth a try just to get out of the suckiness. Stuck sucks.

FAFSA Renewal Time.

One of the tasks which should be on the top of your list right now before this term gets real busy is renewing your fafsa. If you are not back on campus yet you can renew your fafsa from home.  From where ever you re-new the basic information you need is here.  This is what it says.

You must apply for federal student aid for every school year that you attend. To reapply, you should submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). If you submitted a FAFSA last year, and you are eligible to complete a Renewal FAFSA, you may choose to have most of the questions pre-filled with the information you provided. Simply updating the information for the new school year on a Renewal FAFSA may be faster. However, the Renewal FAFSA is available solely for your convenience. If you prefer to start fresh with a new FAFSA, you are free to do so.
To reapply, click Login on the home page to log in to FAFSA on the Web, and then click FAFSA Renewal.
Note: If you are eligible to complete a Renewal FAFSA, you will be asked to provide your PIN, as well as answers to income, asset, and tax questions. You must also update any information that has changed since last year.

There it is. So, go ahead, jump on it, right now. No time like now. Get on it.

Find A Seat

The new term is starting and it is time to find your class rooms and once there find your seat.
You probably , by now, know your way around campus and also probably know your way around most of the classrooms, labs or lecture halls classses are usually held in on your campus. In fact, by now, you also know pretty much where you will sit even before you've found your class. And your seat is the subject of this post.

Surveys have shown that the farther from the lecturer a student sits the lower their average grade. And the closer a student sits the more likely they are to get a higher grade. With this in mind, now, where will you find your seat? Close or far. Your choice. Your call. Your education. Your career.

Planet College Suggestion. This term sit where you can do yourself the most good.