What do I want to do?

Getting yourself ready for what lies ahead

Why do I need to plan now?

• Scholarship opportunities

• Registration and College Entry Essays

• Avoid the mid-college switch

• Get the most out of your time

What are my options for school?

• 4-Year Degree

• Associate’s Degree

• Master’s Degree

• Ph. D.

*http://www.geteducated.com/

Associate’s vs. Bachelor’s

• “A two-year degree, meaning that for most people, it takes two years of full-time study to earn this degree. When you have your associate degree, you will have completed your freshman and sophomore years of college.”*

• 60 Semester Credits (approximately 20 college courses)

• Takes half as long, cost half as much

• Many Technical and Trade Careers only require associate degrees for entry and advancement

• “A four-year degree. It typically takes four years of full-time study to earn. In these four years, you will complete 120 semester credits or about 40 college courses.”*

• Usually more than half consists of general education or liberal arts classes (English, critical thinking, psychology, history and math)

• Approximately 30 – 36 credits focus on your major area of study

• You cannot attend a professional graduate school in law, medicine or teaching unless you have a bachelor’s degree

Trade Schools

Beauty School

Business School

Design

Health Care*

Media Arts

Culinary School

Skilled Trades*

Beauty Schools

• Cosmetology

• Nail Technician

• Esthetician

• Make-up Artist

• Hair Stylist

Business School

• Accounting

• Administrative Assisting

• Event Planning

• MBA

Design Schools

• Interior

• Fashion

• Graphic

Health Care*

• Dental Assistant

• Dental Hygienist

• EMT / Paramedic

• LPN (Licensed Practical Nursing)

• Massage Therapy

• Medical Billing

and Coding

• Personal Trainer

• Pharmacy Assistant

• Phlebotomy

• Physical Therapist Assistant

• Registered Nurse

• Substance Abuse Counselor

• Surgical Technologist

• Veterinary Assistant

• X-Ray Tech

http://penncommercial.edu/?id=37

Did you know?

The projected percentage increase of jobs requiring a post-secondary vocational award is 13.6% and those requiring an Associate's Degree is at 18.7%?

Media Arts

• Film/Video Producer

• Graphic Design

• Music Producer

• Video Game Designer

• Web Design

• Web Development

• Culinary Arts

• Baking & Pastry

• Hospitality Management

• Restaurant or Foodservice Management

Culinary School

Skilled Trades

• Auto Body/Collision Repair Technician

• Auto Mechanic

• Carpenter

• Diesel Mechanic

• Diving

• Electrician

• Environmental Careers*

• HVAC Technician

• Motorcycle Mechanic

• Plumbing

• Underwater Welding

• Welding

http://howcanihelpsandiego.com/green-pages/jobs/

Environmental CareersGreen jobs are either:

1) Jobs in businesses that produce goods or provide services that benefit the environment or conserve natural resources.

2) Jobs in which workers' duties involve making their establishment's production processes more environmentally friendly or use fewer natural resources.

Colleges and Universities

“A university training is the great ordinary means to a great but ordinary end; it aims at raising the intellectual tone of society…It is the education which gives a man a clear conscious view of his own opinions and judgments, a truth in developing them, an eloquence in expressing them and a force in urging them.”

― Cardinal Newman

In-State vs. Out-of-State

• Residence Tuition

• Familiar with the location

• Close to home

• Fewer options

• Close to home

• Pick anyplace you’d like

• Expand Network

• Larger pool to choose from

• Higher Tuition

• Travel Expenses

Careers Requiring College Degrees

• Engineers

• Teachers

• Market Research

• Advertising

• Personal Financial Advisor

• Software Engineer

• Social Workers

TRUE or FALSEI have to know what I want to major in when applying for college

FALSE!“Most college students declare their major toward the end of their sophomore year of college.”

- Eric Furda, dean of admissions, University of Pennsylvania

Take new classes and explore new options.

High school students should not feel compelled to have their intended major selected for their college applications. Most college students declare their major toward the end of their sophomore year of college. This sense of 'undecidedness' or 'undeclared' can come from a strong interest in multiple fields, so you may want to speak to those interests or check multiple boxes on the application. Most faculty and departments in the liberal arts and sciences will encourage you to explore your interests by taking courses not even offered at most high schools and you may discover new fields of interest, even if you "know what you want to study." Feel free to keep your mind open and work with advisers once you are in college to explore the curriculum.

- Eric Furda, dean of admissions, University of Pennsylvania

Be open to new possibilities and be ready to change

Some colleges admit by major; others allow you to be undecided or change later. Most estimates say 80 percent of college students will change majors at least once. That flexibility is one of the best features about our education system. I had a college friend who was in the hospital for a long time. Bored, he read the course catalog from cover to cover. When he got out, he changed his major from computer science to sociology, because those courses sounded most interesting. Having a major in mind is fine, but be open to new possibilities and be ready to change.

- Ralph Figueroa, director of college guidance, Albuquerque Academy

It's okay not to know what you want to study in college but…

You should be aware that when you commit to a major on your application, colleges will pay particular attention to your grades in the academic areas most associated with that major. You want to major in architecture, but you're a consistent "C" student in standard level math courses and you haven't taken any drafting or CAD courses even though you could have. This is a problem. If your transcript does not demonstrate that you are adept in these areas, then your candidacy may be seriously questioned. If you're not sure, don't force it. It's still OK to apply as "undecided.“

-Don Fraser Jr., Director of Education and Training, National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC)