CHILLS Counseling Corner
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Maine’s Congressional Delegation and Community College System Collaborate to Preserve Heritage Industries
Senator Angus King’s monthly newsletter includes information about how the Maine delegation is working to preserve Maine’s heritage industries: lobster harvesting, logging, farming, shipbuilding. The lobster harvesting community has long sponsored its own Apprenticeship Program. SMCC and BIW have partnered to develop a program that trains high school graduates for jobs at General Dynamics. Northern Maine Community College’s Mechanized Logging Operations program prepares high school graduates to join the logging industry after just twelve weeks of additional training. Southern Maine Community College hosts a Marine Design certificate program at the Brunswick satellite site that can be completed in a year and a half. The Alfond Center for the Advancement of Maine’s Workforce continues to develop programming to make it possible for Maine’s employment-age adults to continue to live–and work–in Maine. It may not be possible to march out of high school and down to the mill to start your job like your father and grandfather did, but the MCCS system is making sure that other opportunities are available to contemporary job seekers.
The College Spy
It’s pretty rare these days to get anything for free, as in without any strings attached; truly unencumbered. And if you do, it’s typically cheap plastic crap that will just end up in a landfill someday. So you might be a bit wary when we tell you that The College Spy offers EXCELLENT free resources–yes, free and excellent–to college bound students and their families. Free. Excellent.
The College Spy once walked among us as CHILLS’ School Counseling Director, the mild-mannered Michelle McAnaney, before she left the School Counseling profession to create her Independent Educational Consultant business. She has since built an amazing practice. Sure, you can purchase her services if you are looking for a top notch College Consultant, but she gives away SO MUCH GOOD STUFF that it makes you wonder how viable is her business plan. What’s more, she often ropes other quality college experts into presenting with her, so you get even more bang for your, well…zero bucks.
If you have a college bound student, make it a priority to sign up for her email list and follow her on Social so that you are notified about her webinars, specialized Facebook groups (one for college visits, one for Engineering/Computer Science majors, one for neurodivergent students), quick hit Twitter tips, and whatever else she dreams up to give away. It’s easily a top 5 best practice to incorporate into your college process.
In order to keep the SPAM to a minimum I’m no longer going to send home information shared by the College Spy with any regularity–leaving it to you to decide if you want to hear from them directly. But before I stop I’ve just got to share Tuesday’s webinar on Campus Visits. It is must see TV!
Remember…remember…remember…remember…to sign up for FAME!
While we’re on the subject of must have resources for college bound students, the Finance Authority of Maine (FAME) is another. Whether you need help with your FAFSA/CSS Profile or finding scholarships, this is your one stop shop. They hold frequent webinars and are just a click or call away if you run into anything that you don’t understand. With the FAFSA simplification coming for the Class of 2024, we expect that they will be even more instrumental than usual. Follow them on Socials and sign up for their email list to be certain that you don’t miss anything relevant to your family’s needs.
The Elephant (and the Donkey) in the Room
While we intend to steer clear of overtly political issues, we would be remiss if we didn't address the rapidly shifting higher education landscape resulting from the rapidly shifting political landscape in the US today. The recent resurgence of State rights versus Federal rights has resulted in (sometimes dramatic) changes at the state level that have the potential to have a significant impact on the student experience.
A recent study found that nearly one in four high school seniors said they passed up, out of political concerns, a college they would have initially considered because of its state. The trend is evident among conservatives and liberals.
Colleges and universities are not islands unto themselves. There is already so much information to assimilate as part of the college process, but you simply cannot turn a blind eye to the socio-political forces that are–sometimes daily–changing the landscape of the college experience state by state.
Before you make your final choice, be sure to do your homework and #knowthestatewhereyoumatriculate.
Rejective College Update
Colby College’s Class of 2027 postmortem report shows that Colby, too, is becoming more and more selective.
“Colby has offered admission to 1,142 students to the Class of 2027, with selections made from a pool of nearly 17,800 candidates. The College admitted 6 percent of students who applied from the most competitive applicant pool in Colby’s history.”
A six percent admit rate places it among the Ivies in selectivity. It should be considered a lottery school.
Here’s the latest stats for Rejective Colleges
Diversify your college list!
Bell Curve your college list!
Don’t be a F.O.N.I. (fear of no Ivy)!
If you’re a numbers/lists person, here’s a whole lot for you to digest about the state of Selective College Admissions
Selective Colleges with High Test Submission Rates (link)
Selective Colleges with Low Test Submission Rates (link)
Colleges Where Demonstrated Interest is Important/Very Important (link)
Colleges Where Interviews are Required/Strongly Recommended (link)
The Many Flavors of Test-Optional College Admissions (link)
Colleges with Generous Merit Aid (link)
Keeping Vigil on Merit Scholarship Deadlines (link)
Class of 2027 Early Decision and Early Action Results (link)
“Prime” Opportunity to Tour Colleges From the Couch
If you have Prime and some time, check out The College Tour
No boarding pass necessary!
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