Community College is not Always the Safest Choice

In the last couple of weeks, I have been conducting college information/recruiting sessions as various high schools in the Baltimore City and County school districts. In addition to operating as a college advisor, I am also an alumni recruitor for my alma mater, Fisk University, and use this as a method of entry to gain access to high school students.  At almost every school I speak at, I question the students about how they've made their choice in developing their prospective college list.  And the answer that always confuses me the most, that I've heard it so often thus far, that I'm not suprised anymore about, is the decision to stay at home and attend a two-year college. Not as a last result, not as a "if nothing else happens" choice, but as a first and only choice. Reasons for defaulting to community college vary. Cost as a factor tops the list, but I have heard it all from needed to mature close to home, grades, friend choices and general indicisiveness. Before I continue, please let me state that this is in no way a bash against community colleges  and the educational opportunites they present. Heck, I had a semester at community college when  I was waitlisted for U of MD- College Park. What I am trying to address is why there is fault in a students decision to "default" to community college, as it seems so many students are now doing.

 I came across an article entitled "Why Baltimore Doesn't Finish College" which addresses this exact issue. Although it offers no direct solutions, it causes listed for the influx in community college enrollment, are money related.

College Planning Timeline for Seniors-December

December is a crucial month for seniors in the college application process. You should be taking the SAT and/or the ACT in December, with possible plans to take the test(s) again in the spring.Most colleges want your tests to be taken by December, and some want them taken even sooner, so check with the colleges to which you are applying to make sure you are taking your tests on time. December 1st is the first application deadline for many schools. Being aware of all your prospective schools application due dates and staying on top of these deadlines will help reduce some of the anxiety and stress that is inevitable about this process. Make sure your transcripts, recomendations and all necessary additons are ready for submission when needed. Keep your eyes and ears open for admission representativess visits to your school or the area. A lot of schools use the first of the month as a last push for admissions counselors to get out information about the school before application deadlines approach. Also use this time to start reseaching scholarships, although these too may have December or close by deadlines. Use the resources and guidance of your school counselor or college plannning advisor. As the holidays approach, be mindful of the impeding application fees and ask relatives to sponsor your application costs as gifts.

If more help is needed, services like one on one assistance can be coordinated with College Can B 4 More for a low program fee of $99 for 5 sessions For more information, email collegecanb4me@gmail.com.

Making College a Possibility

College Awareness-It's Never too Early

As I go around probing youth and their parents about their college goals and planning strategy, you'd be suprised at how many parents and students alike tell me how "it's too early to be thinking of college" and their student is already in high school! I always quickly recover and inform them that its never too early to make the expectation of college evident with your children. Research supports the most simplest of concepts in college awareness: the early you begin planning and setting expectations, the more likely college attendance and eventutal graduation will occur. There are many ways to introduce college to your child, even as early as kindergarten!! Here are a few ways to get the college conversation started:

• If you are a college graduate, taking your child(ren) back to your alma mater for events (Homecoming, graduation, etc) will provide exposure early on. Wear your college shirts so that your children are familiar with the school you attended as well as reminding them that their parent attended college. It also serves as a conversation piece to engage other children in the interest in college by offering yourself as a resource.
• take advantage of the free and low-cost  community programming colleges offer in your area. Both the student population and the universities/colleges offer programming aimed at increasing the community outreach to the local and surrounding areas.
• Attend a college sporting event. The ticket costs are cheaper than a professional sports league game and way more exciting!!
• Take your child to a college fair. Allow them to ask questions and take home college information.
• Point out famous college graduates and talk about their college pursuits in their current success.

Making college a conversation piece with your child early on is one of the key ways to implement how important early college awareness is in your family. "For students to set higher-education goals, they must have exposure to, and encouragement for, post-secondary learning experiences." (Islandinstitute.org)

Making the Committement 4 Change for Academic & Athletic Excellence

This past Friday, I had the pleasure of speaking with over 175 football players, ages 7-17 at the Committment 4 Change Football camp http://c4c2010.eventbrite.com/, organized by NFL player Aaron Maybin of the Buffalo Bills and retired Keion Carpenter,formerly of the Atlanta Falcons. Held at Woodlawn HS, the boys were introduced to NFL players, celebrities also participated on workshops ranging from personal hygiene, career planning and college preperation. How fortunate for College Can B 4 Me! to serve asthe facilitator of the college prep workshop. The conversation with the older boys was drastically different than the talk with the boys 7-12. With the older guys, we spoke about making the decision to be a better student and not just an athlete. Colleges look to recruit and scout athletes that can maintain themselves in the classroom also. That means making the effort to balance working hard on the field and also in the classroom. The younger boys and I primariy talked about starting a good academic reputation and NOT FIGHTING . As young men, they were encouraged to learn to ignore taunting and name calling that may insight fighting. Our conversation also included how to talk out their problems before they reverted to fighting.

One of the main pieces I tried to drive home with the boys was staying true to their goals for succcess. Boys ,especially athletes are often overwhelemed by all of the outside influences in their lives, not always positive. As parents, we have to begin encouraging our males to succeed in the classroom as well as succeeding on the playing field. The path to professional sports has to included an outstanding academic record. College is almost certainly a step in the process, but more often than not, an athlete will play its hardest on the field, then slack in the classrom. When he isn't scouted or recruited, more often than not, the reason is that he was unable to meet the academic requirements to be admitted to the school. Why devote yourself on the field, weight room and at camps, to be ineligible to play because of your grades. Parents and coaches need to also realize that athletic talent is NOTHING without the education component. There are no scholarships awarded to the guy with the most yards ran but with a 1.2 GPA and low SAT scores. Scholarships definantly aren't awarded to the dead basketball star that was murdered because he couldn't shake the lure of the dangerous streets.

As adults; parents, mentors, coaches, we must resolve to continuously encourage and provide opportunities for our students to WANT to go to college. Personally, I don't think the choice should even exist. Just as obvious as it is to need to eat and sleep, to survive in present days terms, a college education is a necessity. We all have our stories of successful people who made it without college but those numbers are fewer and further in between everyday.

Its time to weigh our priorities and make sure college goals become  a priority in our children's lives if we truly want them to have a chance.

Black College Tours During Spring Break

The easiest and most rewarding way to introduce a child to college is to actually get them on a college campus. Too often I hear from students that they have never left the confines of the city, let alone have spent any valuable time on a college campus. So, to start of slow, College Can B 4 Me is offering students in grades 8-12 the chance to leave the state AND visit 2 colleges on their choice of 2 one-day tours . Of course as an HBCU advocate, we are also going to experience the history and culture of OUR Black colleges. Tour A will visit the two oldest HBCUs, Lincoln and Cheyney University in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, April 19, 2011. On Wednesday, April 20, we will head south to the Richond/ Petersburg, VA area to visit Virginia Union University and Virginia State University. Each tour will offer the students the chance to tour the college, meet current students and administration and also to eat lunch in a school's dining facilty. each tour is $40 per student, which includes all meals, transportation and a gift bag.

For more information or to register, call Nakeisha at 443-415-3013 or email collegecanb4me@gmail.com. Registration is first-come, first-served. Reserve your seat with a $15 deposit. Payment plans available.