You are on your way: Step: 1) Be a pain. In this lesson you will Identify your supporters Learn to talk to your supporters about your future goals

Transcription

1 Welcome to the 4 steps to College! Service Provider: Give students the 4 Steps to College brochure. (Brochures available from Kent County College Access Network) The first lesson showed us why we should go to college, in the rest of the lessons we will look at HOW to go to college. This series of lessons will help you navigate the path to education beyond graduation. Our lessons are based on the 4 steps to College 1) Be a Pain Tell everyone you know that you want to go to college. Ask for their support! 2) Push Yourself Study hard, take the right classes, READ 3) Find the Right Fit Find a college that matches your career interests and reflects your educational goals 4) Get Your Hands On Some Cash There is money available to help you pay for college. Fill out your FAFSA, the ticket to money! You are on your way: Step: 1) Be a pain In this lesson you will Identify your supporters Learn to talk to your supporters about your future goals Let s get started on today s lesson. 1

2 Remember in these lessons, we ll often use the word college. Please know that we are using that word as shorthand. College can mean a certificate or credential at a trade school, a two year degree at community college, a four year degree at a university, or beyond. No matter what path you choose, however, you will need to take similar steps to get there and someone to help you. Service Provider Shout Out: Ask students to give an example of each category: Can you name a: Certificate or Trade School: Aveda Institute (hair), IT Technical, Everett Institute, Apprenticeships Community College: Grand Rapids Community College, Lake Michigan College, Northwestern Michigan College (Traverse City) There are 28 community colleges in Michigan 4 year college or university: it University it of Michigan, Michigan State t University, it Grand Valley State University, Ferris State University, Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan, Alma College, Albion College, Olivet College, Kettering University, Rochester College, Northwood University There are over 50 colleges and Universities in Michigan Handout: List of Michigan Colleges and Universities We will learn more about all your options in coming lessons. 2

3 ASK students to think about the adults in their life who they see as go to people or those who can be trusted and Identify who you feel comfortable talking to about your life goals and your future. It could be your parents, grandparent, other family member, a teacher, a pastor, or a school counselor. Identify someone who you feel comfortable talking to about where you are in your life now andyour career aspirations for the future. It should also be someone who you feel will support you in pursuing your dreams. 3

4 Handout Activity: Identifying Your Supporters Activity (10 Minutes) Have students fill in each part of the supports with names of people they know they can go to with their future goals and dreams and who can help them achieve those dreams. Home = anyone who lives in the house and is willing to help the you. Family = anyone in the extended family who may have some knowledge about college and who is willing to help the student. (Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins who have been through the process) School = anyone in the school district (principal(s), teacher(s), counselor(s), coach(es), academic specialist(s), etc. Neighborhood = parent of friends, pastor or youth group leader, trusted neighbor Community = any business or organization leaders you or your family is affiliated with & who know you personally. Identifying these people helps you in a number of ways: 1. You see just how many people you have to help work towards your goals. 2. Each of these people have different strengths, ask if they would be willing to help you with your college goal. 3. When it comes time to ask for letter of recommendations (to college or for scholarships), you will have a list already made of those you know you can count on! Share with the students someone who was a supporter of you and your goals. 4

5 Learning to communicate/talk with supporters Acknowledge that students may face setbacks or detours along their pathway to college. During such challenges students may feel lost or defeated and will need to rely on their friends, family and trusted adults for support and encouragement. Setbacks and detours are experienced by everyone, and facing these challenges allows us to learn and grow. Explain that one way to overcome challenges is to learn how other people have handled those situations in their own lives. We can learn by interviewing people and learning from their experiences. Handout Activity: (15 minutes) Pair students and have them practice asking and writing down answers to the Interview Questions. Sharing: Have pairs share some of the responses. Take Home Activity: Using the same handout, have student interview one of their supporters 5

6 One good supporter or go to person is your school counselor who will put you on the right path. Other reasons to set up appointments with your counselor: Review academic requirements for graduation & for college (Learn to distinguish between Semester GPA and Cumulative GPA (Reviewing your transcript) Go over transcript to review credits earned to date are you on track? Obtain information about taking AP classes, dual enrollment classes, KCTC classes. Help find volunteer opportunities Find out about tutoring services available (during school/after school hours) Review and update your Educational Development Plan We will learn more about all of this in the Push Yourself Module 6

7 A really important part of meeting with your counselor is that it helps you PLAN. One way of planning is the EDP, or your personal EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN Yes! You should have an EDP, even if you don t know it because an EDP: is required by Michigan law should be created in 7th grade should be reviewed on an annual basis and adjusted throughout your high school career. should reflect your college and career aspirations with the appropriate classes that will prepare you for your future. We will learn more about this in the lesson Push Yourself 7

8 So what is an Educational Development Plan? It s a PLAN! It helps you define where you are going, and the steps you need to take to get there. It changes when you do! It is a unique document you update throughout your time in high school. It helps you dream: It helps to identify your career goals and it helps to develop your plan of action for life after high school. Talk to your counselor! 8

9 So today was full of information to help you BE A PAIN and find your supporters to help you achieve your goal of college. Where do you want to be in ten years? What are your goals? At our next session, we will talk about how/why you need to PUSH YOURSELF! 9