ORLANDO National College Fair A guide to higher education Advertising Supplement to Orlando Business Journal Register now at www.gotomyncf.com Saturday, December 10 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. Orange County Convention Center West Concourse, Hall D-1 PAGE 3 PAGES 4-5 PAGE 6 PAGE 7 Nation’s Largest Medical School offers Innovative and Affordable Education College Listing & College Map Making the most of your visit to a National College Fair Using High School Courses and Activities to Prepare for College
Transcript
ORLANDONational College FairA guide to higher education
Advertising Supplement to Orlando Business Journal
Register now at www.gotomyncf.com
Saturday, December 10 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. Orange County Convention Center West Concourse, Hall D-1
PAGE 3 PAGES 4-5 PAGE 6 PAGE 7
Nation’s Largest Medical School offers
Innovative and Affordable Education
College Listing & College Map
Making the most of your visit to a
National College Fair
Using High School Courses and Activities to
Prepare for College
About NACACThe National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), founded in 1937, is an orga-nization of more than 15,000 professionals from around the world dedicated to serving students as they make choices about pursuing postsecondary education.
NACAC is committed to maintaining high stan-dards that foster ethical and social responsibility among those involved in the transition process, as outlined in the NACAC Statement of Principles of Good Practice (SPGP).
A member-directed organization, NACAC is gov-erned by its voting members; an Assembly of dele-gates elected by voting members in NACAC’s state and regional affiliates and by an elected Board of Directors.
The Board of Directors sets the strategic direc-tion for NACAC. Additionally, 10 standing com-mittees, ad hoc committees, and an Affiliate Presi-dents Council lend their expertise and experience to the issues, programs and governance that keep the association vibrant in its service to members, the profession, and students.
NACAC’s award-winning publications and other media resources, professional development pro-grams and practical research efforts have all been designed to give counseling and admission profes-sionals the tools they need to improve the counsel-ing services they provide to students.
12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m. How to Navigate the College Fair: Pre-Fair college fair workshop and walk through 12:35 p.m. – 1:25 p.m. I Love my HBCU’s: The Historically Black Colleges and Universities Experience 1:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. So You Want to Be a Collegiate Athlete? (NCAA)
2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Your Best College Essay 101
3:15 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Building College Readiness with the SAT Suite of Assessments
12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Show me the money: Financial Aid
1:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Show me the money: Financial Aid
2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Show me the money: Financial Aid
3:15 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. 10 Application Tips to Get into the School of your Dreams
2016 Orlando National College Fair LOCAL ARRANGEMENTS COMMITTEEStacy Spencer, Rollins College - CHAIRPERSON Daphne Olsen, Trinity Preparatory School Victor Collazo, Retired from Valencia College Benet Bondi, The University of Alabama Suzanne Dukes, Boys and Girls Club of Central Florida Lynn Stewart, Lake Highland Preparatory School Beth Gillam, Orange County Public Schools Arlene Outerbridge, The Master’s Academy Elizabeth Costello, University of Central Florida Jon Baucom, Rollins College Upward Bound Mentor Gina Paul, Lake County Public Schools Shronda Caudle, Former Lake Highland Preparatory School Parent Jackie Donaldson, Orange County Public Schools
2 National College Fair Guide | www.gotomyncf.com Advertising supplement to Orlando Business Journal
INSIDE2016 Orlando National College Fair
WORKSHOP SCHEDULE
NACAC would like to thank the following sponsors to the Orlando National College Fair:
3 Nation’s Largest Medical School offers Innovative and Affordable Education
4-5 College Listing & College Map
The benefits of online student registration
6 Making the most of your visit to a National College Fair
7 Using High School Courses and Activities to Prepare for College
Tips for Attending a NACAC National College Fair
Answer the following questions to help determine what kind of school would be best for you.
8 Balancing Act: Tips for Adults Returning to College
College Categories
WORKSHOP ROOM W221 A-B
WORKSHOP ROOM W221 C-D
College of Medicine • School of Pharmacy • School of Dental MedicineSchool of Graduate Studies • Masters/Post Baccalaureate
LECOM Main Campus, 1858 West Grandview, Blvd., Erie, PA 16509
WELCOME TO OPPORTUNITYThe Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine can help students interested in becoming a physician, pharmacist or dentist get an early start! LECOM has developed affiliation agreements and early acceptance programs with over 100 colleges and universities around the country. These affiliation programs give qualified students a provisional early acceptance to LECOM for the College of Osteopathic Medicine, School of Pharmacy or School of Dental Medicine on our campuses in Erie and Greensburg, Pa. or Bradenton, Fla.
To learn more about our early acceptance programs, visit LECOM.edu.
@1LECOM • LECOM.edu
NACAC Orlando 2016.indd 1 9/7/16 3:55 PM
The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) is the nation’s larg-est medical college. The College with Millcreek Com-munity Hospital and the clini-cal practices of Medical Asso-ciates of Erie is at the core LECOM Health America’s only osteopathic Academic Health Center. This highly innovative medical education system is preparing the next genera-tion of physicians, dentists and pharmacists at campuses in Erie and Greensburg, Pennsylvania, and in Braden-ton, Florida.
LECOM has more than 4000 future health care professionals preparing for the Doctor of Osteo-pathic Medicine (DO), Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD), Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD), Master of Health Services Administration, Master of Science degrees and a Post-Baccalau-reate pre-health preparation program.
The College maintains one of the low-est, private medical school tuitions in the country, while maintaining the highest standards in medical educa-tion. LECOM offers unique student-centered educational pathways that match the individual learning styles of its students including three-year degree programs in medicine and
pharmacy. For high school students consider-
ing careers as physicians, pharmacists or dentists, LECOM has partnered with over 100 undergraduate col-leges and universities across the country. These institutions accept students as early as their senior year of high school allowing them to inter-
view directly with LECOM and reserve a future seat in LECOM’s School of Pharmacy, School of Dental Medicine or College of Osteopathic Medi-cine. In some cases, these programs will permit the stu-dent to start at LECOM after their third year of undergrad-uate study at an affiliated col-lege or university. For more information on participating colleges and universities along with program require-ments please visit our website www.lecom.edu.
U.S. News & World Report ranks LECOM among the top ten medical colleges for grad-
uating primary care physicians. And, graduates consistently score high on national licensing board exams. At a time when health care is fundamen-tally changing, the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine continues to build healthier communities, one graduate and one patient at a time.
3National College Fair Guide | www.gotomyncf.comDecember 10, 2016
Nation’s Largest Medical School offers INNOVATIVE AND AFFORDABLE EDUCATION
Bradenton, FL
INTERNATIONAL
John Cabot University ..................................604
Old Dominion University...............................516
Sweet Briar College .......................................510
Virginia Military Institute ..............................325
Virginia Tech ...................................................609
WASHINGTON DigiPen Institute of Technology* .................102
WEST VIRGINIA West Virginia University Institute
of Technology* ...............................................623
College Listing
Colleges marked with an asterisk (*) have voluntarily begun using the U.S. Department of Education’s Financial Aid Shopping Sheet as the method they will use to let you know about your financial aid package. You will be able to make direct, clear comparisons between financial aid award letters for colleges using the Shopping Sheet.
For more information about the Shopping Sheet and the colleges using it, visit the NACAC web page at www.nacacnet.org.
4 National College Fair Guide | www.gotomyncf.com Advertising supplement to Orlando Business Journal
COLLEGE LISTING
Using the Shopping Sheet!
1. Pick up a bag and a fair directory.2. Visit with colleges and universities which you feel meet your criteria.3. Talk with a college counselor at the Counseling Center if you
have any questions or need help with your college search. 4. Attend a workshop.
AT THE FAIR...
AFTER THE FAIR ...Be sure to watch the videos about preventing anxiety during your college search and financial aid options at www.nacacfairs.org.
5National College Fair Guide | www.gotomyncf.comDecember 10, 2016
Orange County Convention CenterWEST CONCOURSE, HALL D-1
p Students are easily able to elaborate on special interests, extracurricular activities, and accomplishments.
p Eliminate the need for college contact cards!
Register NOW at www.gotomyncf.com
There’s no better place to explore your options than at a NACAC National College Fair.
Admission representatives from schools across the country are all gathered in one place. Their goal: To encourage you to learn more about their institutions, and help you sort through the qualities you’re looking for in a college.
Take advantage of their expertise, and make the most of your time by following these simple steps.
BE PREPARED.
Before the big day, visit nationalcol-legefairs.org and scan through the list of colleges and universities that will be represented. Make a note of the schools that interest you the most, and plan to visit their booths at the fair.
Are you looking for colleges that are close to home, or those that are far away? Are you interested in small, private schools, or large, public universities? Which of the institutions in attendance offer your
projected major?“Planning
ahead can help you stay focused,” said Cyn-thia Kaan, a Ferris State University (MI) admis-sion officer. “If you have certain schools you know you are interested in, don’t limit yourself, but make learning about those schools your priority.”
MAKE YOUR QUES-TIONS COUNT.
Like so many other things in life, a suc-cessful visit to a Nation-al Col-lege Fair is marked by quality, not quantity.
In other words: Rath-er than focusing
on collect-ing a brochure
from every college booth, make it your goal to have
in-depth conversa-tions with a few of
the college reps on hand.
“I encourage students to not just stop by the
table and pick up a brochure, but
rather engage the representative with a few ques-
tions,” said Valencia Hamman, co-direc-
tor of college coun-
seling at La Jolla Country Day School (CA). “That means you want to come into the fair with a list of questions so you’re ready for that opportunity.”
Don’t waste time on softball que-ries, such as “Is your nursing pro-gram good?”
“That’s not a good question because it gets you nowhere … no one is going to tell you that their program is terrible, or that it is struggling,” Kaan said. “If you’re interested in a specific program, like nursing, ask college reps what sets their program apart from other colleges, or ask them to compare their nursing program with one at another college that you’re consid-ering.”
KEEP AN OPEN MIND.
Take time to do a little exploring. Yes, it’s important to plan ahead
and select a few colleges you know you want to visit.
But each fair draws representa-tives from 175 to 400 campuses. The schools are located throughout the US, and from around the globe.
You owe it to yourself to follow-up with colleges that catch your eye.
“Do your research, but also have an open mind,” Hamman said. “Sometimes students take time to talk with a representative from a school that they really hadn’t con-sidered before and it becomes a part of their list.”
Chatting with representatives from a variety of colleges can also help you cement your own prefer-ences, Kaan noted.
“It’s just as important to figure out what you don’t want as it is to figure out what is really attractive to you,” she said.
LEARN ABOUT THE PROCESS.
What’s the deal with college entrance tests? What do admission officers look for in a college essay? How can I find out if I’m eligible for financial aid?
No matter where you end up enrolling, you’ll likely encounter at least one of these questions during the college application process.
Use your visit to a National Col-lege Fair to get a head start. Check out the fair’s education sessions, covering topics ranging from col-lege costs, to student athlete eligi-bility and college selectivity.
Each fair also includes a counsel-ing center, oftentimes an invaluable resource for students with special-ized interests.
Do you love hands-on learning? Counselors can help you pinpoint colleges that provide research opportunities for undergraduates.
“There are resources available and there are people available who can help answer very individualized questions about the college search process,” said Dana Lambert, a counselor at West Milford Township High School (NJ). “Take advantage of their expertise.”
FOLLOW UP.
Ask college reps for their contact information and be sure to follow up.
“Not always, but often, the repre-sentative that is attending the col-lege fair is the representative that will end up reading your applica-tion,” Hamman said. “Keep in touch with them; reach out with thought-ful, intelligent questions. That dem-onstrates interest.”
For the colleges you want to know more about, schedule cam-pus visits.
Remember: Your trip to a col-lege fair is the beginning—not the end—of your college search.
“Visiting a campus is by far the most important aspect of looking for a college,” Kaan said. “There’s no other experience like it. It’s the best way to find your perfect fit.”
Making the most of your visit to aNATIONAL COLLEGE FAIR
6 National College Fair Guide | www.gotomyncf.com Advertising supplement to Orlando Business Journal
Ready to take the next step in your education?
WWW.NACACFAIRS.ORG
REGISTER BEFORE HEADING TO THE FAIR!
At college you’ll have the opportunity to make new friends, follow your inter-ests and — hopefully— find a satisfy-ing career.
However, nearly half of all students who enter college fail to graduate with a bachelor’s degree within six years.
“There are two reasons why kids flunk out,” said Amy Thompson, a counselor at York Community High School (IL). “They are either academi-cally unprepared or they are emotion-ally unprepared.”
Increase your chances for success by making the most out of your high school years.
BUCKLE DOWN IN CLASSROOM.
Taking rigorous classes in high school doesn’t only help you get into col-lege, the knowledge and skills you acquire work double-duty, preparing you to be successful in your pursuit of a degree.
Seek out honors, Advanced Place-ment (AP) or International Baccalaure-ate (IB) courses in subjects that inter-est you.
“You want to take the most demanding courses you can while maintaining your sanity and still
achieving good grades,” Thompson said.
Look for courses that require lots of writing and critical thinking—two skills you’ll be asked to use in almost every college class. Don’t panic if the mate-rial seems difficult at first. Developing good study habits and time-manage-ment skills in high school can help you persevere in college, even when times get tough.
Some rigorous courses actually allow you to jumpstart your post-secondary education. Students who do well on AP tests, for example, can earn college credit. Some high schools also partner with local col-leges to offer dual-credit courses for high school students.
GET INVOLVED.
From athletics to theater to volun-teer work—there’s a whole world of extracurricular activities open to high school students.
“It can be overwhelming,” Thomp-son said. “But the one piece of advice I give students is don’t just join some-thing to pad your resume. Pick some-thing you’re genuinely interested in.”
Your goal: By senior year, “be in a position that shows not only your
devotion to the group, but also some level of initiative or leadership on your part,” she said.
“Admission officers can see through the applicant who joins a million dif-ferent clubs in their junior or senior year,” Thompson noted. “Use your activities to show colleges who you are.”
Universities are looking for students who will make the most of the oppor-tunities available to them. A high school record that includes extracur-ricular activities helps show admission officers that you’ll be a valuable part of their campus community.
FINISH STRONG.
Your senior year of high school will be hectic.
In addition to applying for colleges, you may find yourself leading a student organization or sports team.
It can be tempting to sluff off in the classroom, but stay focused. Senior year grades and courses still count.
“You need to main-
tain your academic performance, and do at least as well—if not better—because you don’t want to have your admission offer rescinded,” Thomp-son said.
When planning out your schedule, make sure that you’re on-track to meet college entrance requirements, including at least two years of a for-eign language and four years of math, science and English courses.
“Colleges want to see that you know how to work hard, and that you have taken advantage of the courses and activities your high school has to
offer,” Thompson said. “A strong finish in your
senior year helps make you a more
attractive candi-date.”
Tips for Attending a NACAC National College Fair
BEFORE THE FAIR ...
7National College Fair Guide | www.gotomyncf.comDecember 10, 2016
Your post-high school years hold tremendous promise.
Using High School Courses and Activities TO PREPARE FOR COLLEGE
ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS to help determine what kind of school would be best for YOU.
p Discuss your college plans with your guidance counselor, family, teachers and friends.
p Research your colleges of interest on the internet and in your guidance office/library.
p Check dates and registration deadlines for college entrance examinations.
p Learn more about what happens at a NACAC College Fair at www.nacacfairs.org!
p Download and print the checklist to take with you to the Fair.
• Do you want to attend a two or four-year institution? Co-ed or single sex? • What size school do you want to attend? • What programs of study are you considering? • How far from home do you want to go? • Do you wish to participate in any specific extra-curricular activities or
athletics?• Do you want to attend a school in an urban, suburban or rural
environment?• Do you require any special services (i.e. tutoring, note takers, readers,
TDD or interpreters)?
These Colleges and Universities:
p Receive up to 90 percent of their revenue from federal student aid
p Operate under the demands of investors and stockholders
p Usually offer a non-traditional format
p Have come under federal scrutiny for high pressure sales/recruitment tactics
CONSIDERING GOING BACK TO COLLEGE?
You’re in good company. Nontra-ditional students now make up the majority of US undergraduates, and one-in-four college students are age 30 or older.
But although colleges are serv-ing a greater number of adults, finding the right program—a place where you can balance your educa-tion with employment and family responsibilities—is key to your suc-cess.
Here are four questions every nontraditional student should ask when researching schools.
1: What is your college’s track record with nontraditional students?
Ask some tough questions: What’s the graduation rate of nontradi-tional students at your institution? Are adult students eligible for merit aid? How much debt do students typically accrue? What’s the aver-age time to graduation?
Learning the answers can help you decide which college is right for you. It can also help you esti-
mate how much time — and money — you’ll need to complete a degree.
2: What sort of flexible learning options do you offer?
Responsibilities at home and at work can change over your course of time that you’re enrolled in col-lege.
Choosing a school that provides a variety of course options—from in-person, to online, to hybrid—increases your odds of staying on track.
“A lot of adults have full-time work schedules or child care responsi-bilities,” said Amber Harnack, student suc-cess center director of Ivy Tech Com-munity College
(IN). “They often need more flex-ibility when it comes to scheduling classes.”
Also ask about student support services, such as tutoring, recom-mends Michelle Christopherson, director of the Center for Adult Learning on the University of Min-nesota—Crookston campus.
“You want to make sure that you are going to be supported, and you want to make sure that those servic-
es aren’t going to end up costing you extra,” she said.
3: What will it take to get a degree?
The major-ity of
nontradi-tional stu-
dents have already accu-mulated some
college cred-its by the time they re-enter higher educa-tion.
Before you enroll in any pro-gram, learn whether your credits will transfer and how many courses you’ll need to complete a degree.
“You want to make sure that from the beginning you have a clear understanding on how much it will cost and what your degree pathway will look like,” Christopherson said.
4: How will your institution help me meet my career goals?
Begin your college search with the end in mind.
What’s spurring your decision to return to school? Are you look-ing for advancement options in your current field, or do you want a career change?
Ask college officials about the types of jobs landed by recent program graduates. Inquire about the services offered at the campus’ career center.
“Make sure that your goals match up with what the college is able to provide,” Harnack said. “You want to be certain that the degree pro-gram you ultimately choose is a good fit.”
8 National College Fair Guide | www.gotomyncf.com Advertising supplement to Orlando Business Journal
Balancing Act: TIPS FOR ADULTS RETURNING TO COLLEGE
COLLEGECATEGORIESAs you plan for college you have many options.
Listed below are the College Categories that describe the different types of institutions available to you.
PRIVATEThese Colleges and Universities:
p Receive funding primarily from student tuition and endowments. Some funding comes from governmental support in the form of tax breaks and student loans
p Follow the leadership of a board of trustees
p Develop own institutional plans since they operate mostly on private support
p Rely on private funds, which leads to a higher average cost
p Offer financial aid opportunities to reduce the total cost
These Colleges and Universities:
p Receive a large part of funding from state or local taxes. Some funding comes from tuition and endowments
p Follow performance standards set by the state
p Most are state-run which lowers the tuition for in-state students
p Typically categorized as two-year, four-year, research, comprehensive, or community colleges
A close examination of the academic, social and financial factors will lead you to a best-fit college. To read more on the differences in college categories, please visit our web site at www.nacacfairs.org.
