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Welcome back! Holiday break is over and Spring semester is in full swing. Continue to work hard to keep your grades up! In this Issue SAT/ACT Dates Next ACT: Feb 7 College Seminars Colorado Illinois Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota New York Pennsylvania |
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6 Steps to a Healthier You! 
Eating Right in college can be a daunting task especially with the $4 large pizza coupon sticking to your dorm room refrigerator. Beat the temptations by utilizing healthier alternatives. You pay for a meal plan, so why not use it? Dining halls usually offer healthy alternatives with salad and deli bars that have fresher food than the greasy frozen burgers in the other line. Sleeping Habits are a main issue for concern because when they are at an unhealthy level it can cause weight gain and deficiency in your immune system causing you to get sick more often. With naps at odd hours between classes and late night cram sessions, college students are prone to developing poor sleeping habits. According to a study done by Laval University in Quebec, individuals sleeping too little were 35 percent more likely to gain weight and those sleeping too much were 25 percent more likely. Exercise is a key way to keeping your heart and body healthy. Every college has some sort of a gym on campus available for student use. Take advantage of it! Skip your mid afternoon nap and head to the treadmill. The endorphins you get from exercise will be all you need to keep you going through the day. Pick a Partner to tag along while you exercise or go to lunch. This is a great way to keep yourself on track. You and your friend can do it together and make sure you both are making healthy choices. Choose a hobby that you and your friend both like that combines fun and exercise. There are plenty of activities and sports that involve exercise. Pick up rollerblading or tennis; maybe even join a campus club for recreation. Getting active is one of the keys to staying healthy. There is no reason why you can’t enjoy it! Water is one of the best ingredients to a healthy lifestyle. Water comprises 2/3rds of the human body. The recommended dose is 8 glasses per day. This will keep you hydrated, give you energy and healthy looking skin, as well as aid in digestion and clean out body toxins. Check out our Blog! The founder of CAPlus, Paul Celuch, updates his blog at least once a week and discusses topics such as college loans, staggering statistics, how to avoid debt, some of the mistakes parents make, and how to make good choices. Visit his blog at http://forgiveusourstudentdebts.blogspot.com. Interview with a Graduate - Chelsea Stouffer 
Editor's Note: Chelsea Stouffer has a PhD in Physical Therapy from Ithaca College. CAPlus: Where did you go to school and what was your major? CS: I went to Ithaca college and did the six-year Doctorate program for Physical Therapy. CAPlus: Six years? That had to rack up a pretty penny. Did you have to take out a lot of loans? CS: Well I had to take out some. I did get some money in Academic scholarship which helped a lot, the hard part was all of the off-campus work. When I was placed for one of my clinicals, I got one in Rochester so I could live at home. Unfortunately, my site cancelled me and I was transferred to one in Scranton, PA. Luckily, I was able to stay with a friend down there so I didn't have to pay rent for a summer when I wasn't earning any income. CAPlus: How much off campus study were you required to do? CS: Well this program was designed to have three regular college years and then you start doing summer programs. So for the last two years I had to go all-year-round. It wouldn't have been too bad but the programs were so work intensive that I really didn't have time to get a summer job. Which was a real downfall when it came to spending money during the year. I was also an athlete which was just as demanding. CAPlus: What sport did you play and how demanding was it? CS: I played soccer for the first four years. In high school, I was always an athlete so when I went to college that seemed like the logical thing to do. I do love soccer, but the demands from the program were pretty intense. Between that and the work load I was carrying, it got pretty hard at times. CAPlus: Do you regret taking on so much? CS: I definitely don't regret it. At times I really just wanted to scream because I got so stressed. But I had so much fun and I met some great people and taking on that load really helped perfect my time management skills. CAPlus: So how much did you have to take out in loans approximately? CS: I took out about $40,000 in loans the rest was given in scholarship, and my parents helped out a lot. It was hard for them to give too much because they were also helping my sister put herself through grad school at Columbia. CAPlus: Do you think your education was worth the money? CS: I definitely feel that having my education was worth paying for, I don't know if it was worth paying that much for, but I was lucky and got a job right out of college. Also, the program I was in was perfect because it was a direct track to becoming a Physical Therapist. The good part is I get to wake up everyday loving what I do and not a lot of people can say that. I make enough where I can pay off a few months at a time and still have the means to live on. CAPlus: Where did you get a job? CS: I got my job back from my clinical I did in Scranton, PA. It's a small phyisical therapy clinic that works primarily with athletes. And the best part is that I am getting paid now. High School Freshmen & Sophomores 
• Keep studying for the SAT and ACT tests at least 1 hour a week. Use a software program that comes with sample tests that you can learn from. • Athletes should compile newspaper clippings and video highlights of themselves. Most student athletes don't get a full scholarship, but you could pick up a few thousand dollars, especially if your talent is well-documented. • Attend college fairs at local schools or malls. If you start looking at colleges now, it will make your junior and senior years easier! • Talk to your high school guidance counselor about career profiling. This might give you an idea of what kind of career you would enjoy. • If you have money in mutual funds, bonds, stocks, and educational IRAs, you should consider talking to a financial planner about moving those assets into accounts that are not exposed to the FAFSA's formula. High School Juniors 
• Explore the Websites of the colleges that you might be interested in. Start comparing schools by the things that are the most important to you. • If you're play spring sports and want to play in college, have someone take video and photos of you now. You won't have the opportunity to do this next year, because most colleges will have already decided about teams and scholarships by next season. Now is the time to make sure your portfolio is strong. • Study for the ACT and SAT exams! The next ACT test date is April 4; regular registration is accepted until February 27. The next SAT test is May 2; regular registration is accepted until March 31. Visit www.actstudent.org and www.collegeboard.com for more information and to find testing sites. There is also an SAT prep center at the website. Better scores can mean better financial aid! • Stay focused on your schoolwork during the next few months. It's easy to get distracted, but your junior year grades are very important. They show the colleges what kind of work you are capable of, and they are used to determine how much scholarship and grant money you are eligible for. High School Seniors 
• You should have finished applying to most of the schools that you are interested in by now. If you haven't finished your applications, check the deadlines to make sure that you haven't missed any. If you have missed deadlines, look for colleges with later application deadlines. We suggest applying to about six of your favorite schools so you have a lot of financial options. • Follow up with the colleges that you have applied to. Make sure that they received all your application information, including your FAFSA, recommendation letters, test scores, and transcript. • If you haven't filed your FAFSA yet, make sure you do it before the month is over. If you already filed based on last year's tax information, go back to the FAFSA website and correct the information. Once you have filed, watch the mail (or your email) for your SAR (Student Aid Report). This should give you an idea of how much your Expected Family Contribution will be. If there is any incorrect data, follow the instructions in the packet to correct it. • Due dates for recommendation letters are approaching, so be sure you ask for the letters if you know they have not been sent to the schools yet. • If you aren't happy with your SAT/ACT scores, retake the tests. The highest combination of scores is always used, so taking the tests again won't hurt you. • Plan visits to any colleges and set up interviews that you didn't get to during the summer (or if you want to visit again). Read bulletin boards and the college paper, talk to students and professors, and try to spend a night in the dorms. Ask your CAPlus advisor for a college visit packet before you go! • You will probably start receiving acceptance or rejection letters soon. Even though it's exciting to see that colleges want you, don't make any decisions until you receive financial aid package letters and can compare them. College Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors 
• Make sure you have filed your renewal FAFSA to get the maximum amount of financial aid. It's easy to make a mistake, so have your CAPlus advisor review your form before you submit it. • Look for a summer job when you come home for spring break. While it's easy to get a service job, you should focus on finding a job that will help you in your field of study. Network around while you are home and get some interviews set up if possible. • Discuss your plans for next year with your academic advisor. Talk about whether you are on track to graduate in four years. If you haven't declared a major yet, register for general classes that you will need to take at some point. Don't get trapped into an extra semester! • Beware of credit card companies! You'll receive dozens of credit card offers in your college mailbox, some of which will offer you free t-shirts, iPods, and other gadgets. Don't sign up for a card unless you are going to pay it off each month. Credit cards do not give you "free money" that you can spend whenever you want. College Seniors 
• Remember to pay off your credit card as soon as your bill is due. Credit card companies slam you with high interest rates, and getting out in the "real world" will be much easier if you have a positive credit history. • Take some time this winter to get recommendations from college professors and department heads. If you don't know your professors or department heads very well, spend some time in the next few months to get to know them. They can be influential in recommendations and references for your first job. • If you will be home for spring break, talk to your family and friends about networking for a job. Getting a job is about networking, not applying online. Remember, you're only months away from the end of your college career! • Talk to people at career fairs at your school. This is a great opportunity to talk to people in different fields and maybe get some interviews. You never know what kind of leads you might get! What is CAPlus? College Assistance Plus assists parents in navigating the college process to make the process smoother and save money in multiple ways. This newsletter is available bimonthly and contains helpful advice for each age group. To receive the full benefit of this service, contact CAPlus to schedule a FREE consultation today! Find a Franchise For a complete list of our locations, please visit our website. |
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