The
Georgia Energy and Industrial Construction Consortium (GEICC) offers
scholarships to students pursuing postsecondary education in science,
technology, engineering, or math fields. The 2024 scholarship
application is now open!
In May of 2023, GEICC awarded 30 students across Georgia $2,000
scholarships.
Scholarship criteria:
A minimum of five (5) - $1,000 scholarships are available.
A GPA of 2.5 or better is required to apply.
Scholarships will be awarded without regard to race, sex, creed, national origin, or disability.
Students must submit a completed application by 5 p.m., Sunday, March 10, 2024.
If selected, the recipient grants GEICC the right to use their name and photo(s) publicly for various publicity campaigns.
Please share this opportunity with your students and encourage them to consider a career in the stable, growing, and essential energy industry! To learn more and access the application, please click, getintoenergyga.com.
The 2023-24 Robins Spouses' Club (RSC) Scholarship applications are now open!
RSC
will award academic scholarships of $250 (or more, depending on funds) to
deserving high school seniors and continuing education students from eligible
military families and eligible RAFB Department of Defense families.
A
Scholarship Selection Panel will determine the award winners based on (1)
demonstrated scholastic achievement and (2) a personal essay. Eligible spouses
and dependents are encouraged to apply, and
the scholarship application categories
are:
Electronic applications will be available starting December 1
and will be accepted through 11:59 p.m. ET on February 29, 2024 (no
submissions will be accepted after this date and time).
College students are legal adults, and as such, colleges will not
discuss academic and medical issues with parents without a student's
permission.
A PARENT'S STORY
When my son started college, I didn’t know that I wouldn’t
automatically have the right to access his educational records. As a
result of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), my son
would have had to sign a form explicitly allowing his father and me to
access certain information. (At 18, students are considered adults, and
any school that receives federal funds falls under this law.
My son “Tom” (not his real name) got into an academic bind in
college, and I believe that if I’d been able to monitor his progress, we
would have intervened, been able to help, and saved ourselves a lot of
heartache. Tom had a 3.9 GPA at the end of his junior year.
The problems started toward the end of the first semester of his
fourth year. His grades plummeted, partially because of extra-curricular
activities such as an off-campus job, and partially because of his
personality and unwillingness to communicate. Professors and advisors
tried repeatedly to get him back on track, but to no avail. He became
depressed and anxious and eventually stopped going to classes. He was
put on academic probation and then expelled.
There’s more to the story, but the crux of it is that his father and I knew nothing about this. Neither
the dean, the professors, nor the administration could notify us of his
situation because they were “bound by FERPA,” they said. We
thought we had signed a waiver, but apparently his school has two–a
financial one and an academic one. We weren’t aware of the academic one
(which Tom probably would have had no problem signing).
Since this happened, all waivers have been signed. I don’t think Tom
would have found himself in such a mess if we had access to his grades.
Stupidly, we trusted him, and did not check up on him—we never needed to
before.
We were still charged tuition for his last semester, even though he
was no longer enrolled in the school. Funny how that happened (we’ve
been reimbursed). We were even solicited by the school fundraiser who
tried to get us to donate money to the school while all this was
happening–talk about the left hand not knowing what the right was doing!
When we couldn’t reach Tom (because he was AWOL) and called “public
safety” to check up on him, he wound up showing up, so they were
recalled. We were told that unless he was a danger to himself, the
school could not notify us when he took off…and because he was not a
danger to anyone, they didn’t.
The only real way we would have found out about his situation would
have been if he wound up “dead” or in the hospital. Scary stuff!
Ironically, the law is supposed to protect the student, but in many
cases, it doesn’t. Thankfully my son’s situation ended okay–had he been
really mentally ill, it could have been a disaster.
Thankfully, Tom is a senior now.
He’s back on track, in summer school and aiming to graduate just one
year later than previously scheduled. Parents have to be aware that both
types of FERPA forms (academic and financial) need to be signed, and
colleges should tell parents about them at orientation. That’s not
always the case.
This is a scary situation for any parent and I am glad that Tom seems
to be back on track. Balancing the many demands of college while
growing up away from home is difficult for many students and even the
“best and brightest” can swerve off course.
What can make this transition even more difficult for some is
the fact that this is the age when many forms of mental illness show
themselves for the first time. Bipolar Disorder, Major
Depressive Disorders, and Psychosis have an age of onset that range from
the late teens to the early twenties – just the time when they are
trying to establish their independence away from home.
The question becomes, how do you
manage the young adult’s developmentally appropriate need for
independence with our need as parents to provide some level of safety
and supervision? Requesting that your student sign an authorization to
release academic information is certainly one way to keep an eye on how
things are going.
However, it is not so much whether your student signs this
form, but rather how you make the request and how you manage your access
to this information that is more important. Just as you may
have had access to their grades in high school or access to their cell
phone or computer data, it is imperative that your student be aware that
you have this access and that you negotiated with them when and how
often you will be “checking up on them.”
Students need to know that your preference is for them to share
information with you directly but if you have the sense that something
is off and you want to get a sense of how things are going academically,
you need to communicate to them that you will be checking their grades.
This gives them an opportunity to come forward on their own and to
start a more meaningful conversation about how things are going and what
may be interfering with their success as opposed to a difficult phone
call where the parent then confronts the student with the information
they have discovered. These conversations are rarely productive and can
cause the student to be more defensive and shut down than to produce
conversations that would lead to change.
Perhaps more important than academic access is authorization to a
student’s medical records. These authorizations allow treating providers
to contact parents should the student present in an emergency and to
answer medical questions when a parent calls.
Campuses have different boxes that
can be checked that allow the student to release certain kinds of
information, but not others. For example, you may have permission to be
notified in case the student is brought to the emergency room with a
medical emergency, but not given permission to know whether they have
sought treatment for pregnancy prevention.
If you had had access to your son’s medical records, the counseling
center would have had permission to release to you that he had been seen
and was under their care. This, in turn, helps you to facilitate
conversations with your son about how he is doing, your academic
expectations, and how to help him to get back on course.
A survey was sent out to college admissions representatives asking what bothered them most about students and parents applying for admissions. Sharing this information with you before you apply, can help you stay off the "naughty list".
The following are actual accounts of students and parents behaving badly. The responses fall into several areas:
Communication
The E-mail address is silly, stupid, or offensive such as crazysexycheerleader@____.com.
Sending e-mails that use Instant Messaging or texting shorthand “im w8ing 4 some1 2 call me.”
Cell phone voice-mail messages with 30 seconds of a student’s favorite rap song.
Answering a cell phone during an interview.
Leaving a message with just a first name and no telephone number, “Hi, this is Suzie, please call me back.”
Chewing gum during an interview.
Misrepresenting the breadth and depth of activities. Not being able
to respond to a follow-up question such as “What did you do as part of
your involvement in _____?”
Yawning or acting distracted during a one-on-one interview. Nervous
habits like hair-twirling, foot-tapping or “ums,” “likes” and “you
knows” make a bad situation worse.
Not responding to e-mails from the admissions office.
Not doing your homework
Declaring in an interview that you want to major in marine biology or some other major that the college doesn’t even offer.
Not proofing the entire application — spell check will allow typos such as “Their is no substitute for human proofreading.”
Worse yet is the very common case of sending the heartfelt essay of
“Why I want to attend (small private college)” to (big state
university).
Gimmick overkills
Baking goodies: giant cakes of the campus mascot, cookies in the
school colors, pizzas with mushroom messages of “please accept me.”
Creating life-sized sculptures with the figure holding an acceptance letter.
Delivering one sneaker — the old “one foot in the door” gimmick.
Overzealous parents
The very common comment “WE are in the process of completing applications.”
Parents attending interviews, and worse yet, speaking for their children.
Thinking that because Granddad played golf with a member of the board of trustees, Junior should be accepted.
Campus visits
Inappropriate clothing: Don’t wear high heels for a campus tour or expose too much skin.
Wearing college paraphernalia from another college to an interview.
Sitting in on a class and acting disrespectfully, i.e. texting,
talking on a cell phone, falling asleep, not paying attention, or asking
silly questions.
Essays
Writing a “boilerplate essay” and multi-purposing it for many schools without regard to the specific prompt.
Not fully answering the essay prompt. Especially the “why” part of the question.
Not identifying which essay choice they are responding to.
Writing about something they were great at in the seventh grade and haven’t pursued since then.
Using overworn cliches and generic statements that anyone could have written.
Responding to the “Why this college? essay without specific examples about why the college is a good fit.
I am sure there are others, but the college admissions folks have spoken...LISTEN CAREFULLY and avoid these behaviors!!
Before
your 18-year-old heads out the door, ensure you have the legal
documents to protect her. Accidents and illnesses happen to everyone,
including young adults, and you want to be able to speak to healthcare
providers, keep informed and help make decisions for your teen once they
leave home.
Here’s what you need to know when your teen turns 18. Three forms
facilitate the involvement of a parent (or whoever is designated) in an
emergency or other situation.
What You May Need In A Medical Emergency
1. Health Care Proxy (also
referred to as a healthcare agent or medical power of attorney, a
healthcare power of attorney, or durable power of attorney for health
care)
This authorizes someone to make medical decisions on your teen’s
behalf, giving you access to your medical records and the ability to
converse with their medical healthcare providers. By signing a
healthcare proxy, your teen is appointing you to act on your behalf in
making medical decisions in case you cannot make those decisions for yourself.
Each state has different laws that govern the execution of a healthcare proxy
(state laws differ on whether a medical proxy has to be notarized or
merely witnessed). And, therefore the legal form you sign will be
specific to the state where it will be used. In many states, HIPAA
authorization is rolled into the standard medical proxy form. In
addition, a healthcare proxy can include a Living Will, or you can
execute a separate document stating your wishes for end-of-life medical
treatment.
This is a more narrow document in that it permits healthcare
providers to disclose your teen’s healthcare information to you or
anyone they specify.
This document alone will often suffice to get information from the
healthcare institution treating your child. In a HIPAA authorization,
young adults can stipulate that they don’t want to disclose information
about sex, drugs, mental health, or other details that they prefer to
keep private. As with the broader healthcare proxy, a HIPAA release can
include a Living Will.
3. Durable Power of Attorney (Durable POA)
This enables a designated agent (in this case, a parent) to make
financial decisions on the student’s behalf. The POA can provide that
power vests in you immediately after signing the document or only if
your child becomes incapacitated.
The POA enables the designated agent to, among other things, sign tax
returns, access bank accounts, pay bills, make changes to your child’s
financial aid package, or figure out tuition problems. Durable POA forms
vary by state. In some states, the medical POA (or, as we called it,
the healthcare proxy) can be included in the Durable POA.
Each state has variations on these forms and how they can be
combined, so you MUST consult your state’s laws or speak to a local
attorney who practices in this field.
As parents, we always hope that we won’t need these forms, but it’s always better to be prepared in case you do.
When Should You Get These Documents?
You should prepare these documents ahead of time because it may take
time to get everything in order, including notarization (although not
every state requires notarization.) Once kids take off for school, it
may be hard to get their attention, so be mindful of that.
What Else Changes When Your Teen Turns 18?
When your teen reaches the age of 18,
even though you may still think of them as children, under the law,
they have now achieved adult status. That status allows them to vote,
serve in the military, serve on a jury, sign a contract, and get married
without their consent. Although they still can’t do certain things,
like drink alcohol or rent cars, their legal status is decidedly
different than it was at 17.
Although not required, this is an excellent time for your kids to register to vote.
When your children turn 18, you no longer automatically have the authority to make healthcare
decisions for them. And this is true even if they are still covered by
your health insurance, and you are paying the bill. If your child has an
accident or illness and is temporarily disabled, you may need court
approval to act on their behalf or even inform them of their medical
status.
Even though you are paying for their education, the FERPA law
says you no longer have access to your child’s grades once they turn
18. That’s right, you can call the registrar and ask to see your
18-year-old’s transcript, and they will not share it with you even
though you’re signing the tuition checks.
You can no longer manage money for your children once they turn 18.
Although this post was written for families in Virginia, it is applicable to our Westfield families.
The Northern Virginia area is well-known for having great school
systems, and that means a lot of competition when it comes to college
applications. On top of academic endeavors, ambitious high school
students join sports teams, student councils, art and special interest
clubs, and pour hours of their time into volunteering throughout the
community, in part to stand out on college applications.
But what do colleges really want to see when it comes to extracurriculars?
Ultimately, these activities are a way for colleges to gain a holistic understanding of each applicant.
Juan Espinoza, associate vice provost for enrollment management and
director of undergraduate admissions at Virginia Tech, says that the
school measures non-cognitive attributes, meaning that a student’s
characteristics and experiences are considered as well as academic
factors.
“These non-cognitive factors essentially serve as predictors in not
only how the student is going to do in college, but how they’re going to
do in life,” Espinoza says. “And they get a lot of these key
experiences from that extracurricular activity. And so, it can become
critical, especially in our process.”
In a study of four-year colleges during the 2023 admission cycle, the National Association for College Admission Counseling
found that 44.3 percent of colleges consider extracurricular activities
to be of moderate importance in the admissions decision. That’s less
significant than grades and strength of curriculum, but still a factor
that could make a difference.
While academics are the primary focus of admissions, a resume that
demonstrates out-of-school involvement and personal identity could be
the deciding factor between two academically qualified students.
Motionshooter/stock.adobe.com
Prioritize Passion
Students shouldn’t feel the need to join clubs they’re not interested
in just because they think they’ll seem more impressive. Schools just
want to know who their applicants are, what they’re passionate about,
and how they spend time outside of the classroom, experts say.
That can take many forms: The Common Application,
an application platform that over 1,000 colleges use, accepts
categories like academic clubs, musical and art clubs, sports, jobs and
internships, community service, and family responsibilities.
“There’s no one formula you have to do. You know, ‘You have to do
this particular activity, because that will be viewed favorably by the
college.’ They really need students of many different interests,” says
Maureen Kim, a college and career specialist at Fairfax High School.
Different colleges may have specific attributes they look for in
prospective students, like dedication to community service or the arts,
but it’s best for applicants to be clear about their genuine interests
and priorities rather than trying to conform.
“Every college sets its own institutional priorities. So what
impresses one college may not be the thing that is so important to
another college — which is why I always default to what’s important to
you,” the student, says Hannah Serota, an independent educational
consultant and founder of Creative College Connections.
Carlos Barquero/stock.adobe.com
Quality Over Quantity
The Common Application leaves a space for up to 10 extracurricular
activities. Does that mean students need to find the time to join 10
clubs? Not at all.
“It’s not [about] quantity, never been about quantity. It’s about
quality,” Espinoza says. “Find something you’re really excited about,
and you’ll be amazed about the opportunities that will arise from that
sort of involvement.”
Colleges would much prefer to see students who are engaged in a
handful of activities that they are committed to than for them to be
loosely involved in many activities. Sticking with activities for a long
time, rather than jumping to a new endeavor every few months, can
demonstrate hard work, dedication, and enthusiasm.
Multi-year involvement can develop into really valuable experience.
If a student joins the high school newspaper, they may start out writing
just a few articles here and there as a freshman, then write every week
sophomore year, help show younger students the ropes in junior year,
and eventually take on a role as an editor as a senior.
Of course, many teenagers don’t have set interests, especially when
they first start high school. It helps to experiment with activities
early so that there’s time to course-correct later, if the activities
aren’t something they enjoy.
“Just try to start in ninth grade. And then hopefully by 11th and
12th grade, maybe you’re going to have more established interests and
you could take on a leadership position in an institution,” Kim says.
Craig/stock.adobe.com
True Leadership
Leadership is an important characteristic to demonstrate, but only if it’s authentic — not just a title.
“We make sure that we don’t evaluate leadership in those traditional
terms of class president, team captain. Those roles are great, but we
often find, too, that leadership comes in many forms,” Espinoza says.
One important example where leadership can be demonstrated is in
family responsibilities, he says. In addition to school clubs or
community volunteering, the student can list a part-time job or taking
care of younger siblings.
“That counts. They’re learning the same set of skills they would if
they were in leadership, or with a traditional organization that might
be found at the high school,” he says.
Even within institutional organizations, active involvement will
demonstrate leadership most effectively. If a student organized
meetings, tutored new members, or put together fundraisers, those
actions show leadership just as much as being voted in as the club
president.
Seventyfour/stock.adobe.com
Community Mindset
One way to stand out is to take interests out of the high school setting and engage with the community.
“I think that by getting out of their high school experience and
helping other members of their community, I think that that that shows
the colleges that they care about their neighbors,” Kim says.
There are plenty of ways to take a hobby, passion, or prospective
career path and turn it into a service opportunity. Nature lovers can
join park cleanups. Future political science majors can volunteer for
political campaigns.
Most schools have college and career counselors who can help find opportunities, and online resources like Volunteer Fairfax
post volunteer needs. “In the end, colleges are building communities,
so they want to have students who are going to be actively engaged in
the community,” Serota says.
Tell Them About It
Once it’s time to apply, here’s how to effectively share extracurricular experiences:
The activities section: The Common Application
provides 150 characters to explain each activity. That’s not much space,
so descriptions should be brief — not in sentences — and full of strong
verbs. Quantifiable achievements like specific dollar amounts
fundraised or the number of students tutored are helpful.
Recommendations: A coach or activity supervisor can write a letter of recommendation that focuses on the student’s extracurricular involvement.
Personal essays: If an experience was truly
impactful, it can go in the personal essay section — but only if it
can’t be conveyed in the activities section, to avoid repetition.
Feature image, stock.adobe.com
This story originally ran in our December issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine.
Simply put, colleges are trying to
gauge how likely you are to enroll if they admit you. Some schools use
demonstrated interest as a factor when making admissions decisions.
With so many applicants worldwide, it is important to show schools that
you know about them and you are serious about your intentions to
attend.
All schools offer highly effective
virtual ways to connect. If you do have the chance to visit a school in
person that is a bonus, but certainly not necessary.
How do you show Demonstrated Interest?
Request Information.
Visit the websites for each of the schools you are interested in and
register your email and other requested information. More than ever,
schools are tracking prospective students’ activity on their website.
For an in depth analysis see this 2019Washington Post article which
explains how colleges track data, Colleges Quietly Rank Prospective Students Based on Their Personal Data.
“Visit” and Connect. If colleges visit your school be sure to attend the visit (be it in person or virtually). Be sure to take virtual college tours and keep your eyes open for online college fairs this fall.
Participate in Interviews. Many schools these days offer in person and online interviews. We recommend participating in any way you can. Here is a list of schools that offer interviews BEFORE you apply!
Open Emails. If a school to which you are applying sends you an email, be sure to click on it.
Get Social:
Participate in social media interactions by joining schools’ Facebook
and Instagram pages. Like posts. Be aware, however, when you are
engaging in social media with these universities, they are not your
online friends. Interactions should be much more formal.
Be Specific.
In your supplemental essays, be sure to include information that is
specific to that institution. Use this information as it relates to your
particular interests. Scour the schools’ websites and see if there are
any classes or professors who share your passions.
Thank Everyone!
Please remember to thank everyone with whom you interact. Do not to
send anything in the form of gifts or gimmicks — your words are enough.
You do not want to cross the line between demonstrating interest and
becoming a nuisance.
Proofread all your Communications. Need we say more?
Choose Early. While
it is difficult and not always possible, the best way to show a school
your demonstrated interest is to apply Early Decision or Single Choice
Early Action.
List of Colleges that Track Demonstrated Interest
If a school tells you it considers
demonstrated interest as a factor in admissions, believe it! This list
is not comprehensive and subject to change. Please check the website of
each school. Our source of information is The Common Data Set issued by each school.
