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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 6 College Seminars Minnesota New York Ohio Pennsylvania |
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Facebook Changes Privacy Settings - How Will this Effect You When Applying to Jobs and Colleges? 
Facebook is the world's largest networking website for people between the ages of 16 and 28. Users set up online profiles including pictures, videos, status updates, and other personal information to share with their network of online friends. Most likely, if you are out for a night of fun with your friends, there is evidence of it the next day with wall posts, photos, and updates. It may seem like just a fun way to connect with friends, but Facebook is now being used by college admission offices and human resource departments to evaluate applicants. Many colleges admit that they will not look at an applicant's Facebook unless they come across a "red flag" in an application, such as a school suspension or anonymous tips from rival applicants. However, most colleges agree that applicants' online profiles are public information that can and should be used to protect the integrity of the institutions. This is especially relevant when choosing between applicants for awarding scholarships. Human resource departments of companies across the country are also tapping in to Facebook to check out their job applicants. During these tough economic times, there are more applicants than ever for each open position. Once a company narrows down their list of applicants to the group they wish to focus on, it is a common effort to a member of the human resource department to do a Facebook search of each of the applicants. Many people do not restrict public access to their profiles and damaging information can find a way to leak out. To make privacy matters even more tricky, as of December 10 2009, Facebook changed their privacy policies. It was once a privacy option to make your profile entirely private from everyone except for your approved friends list - no one could search for you, no one could see your comments on other pages, and no one could see your photos or videos or any other aspects of your profile. In the new privacy settings, that level of privacy has been removed. The changes treat the following - your name, your profile picture, current city, gender, networks, and pages you're a fan of - as publically available information. There is no option to block access to that information. This is problematic for several reasons. No longer can you freely put up that hysterical photo as your profile picture from a party without potential schools and employers knowing your partying interests. No longer can you join a fan page of a controversial issue, such as the group "Petition for Right to Gay Marriage," without everyone knowing your beliefs. The list goes on. It is important that users change their privacy options to be as restricted as possible from everyone's view. The new controls are available under the "Settings" link at the top right of every page. Most users will find their privacy options set as "Recommended settings" by default from the new change on December 10th. If you retain those, your information is available to everyone. To block your information from public view, you need to click through each section and restrict it to "Friends." This applies for photo albums as well, as a user will have to specify privacy for each album individually. Even once you change your privacy settings to be restricted from public view, it is advised that you refrain from including anything that could hurt you in the college admissions or job application processes. It is especially cautioned that you refrain from foul or offensive language, nudity, and photos of drinking and drug use. You worked hard to get to where you are in life; don't let your Facebook page come in between you and your goals. Check out our Blog! A co-founder of CAPlus, Paul Celuch, 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. Last updated on November 19, 2009. Families are Saving Money with CAPlus! 
We Have Saved Our Clients Over $247,700 in the Past 13 Months! We just saved Karen $72,000 over four years at Susquehanna College, and she was unaware of this college until CAPlus's database search results. Interview with a Graduate 
Editor's Note: Ben has a Bachelors of Science from University at Buffalo. CAPlus: Where did you go to college and what was your major? Ben: I went to University at Buffalo. I was originally a pharmacy major, but realized that I did not like it and entered the business department. After originally focusing on finance, my accounting professor convinced me to switch to accounting. CAPlus: Did you finish in four years? Ben: I did not. Since I changed my major I finished in 5 years. CAPlus: That must have added up financially. Did you have to take out loans? Ben: I had to pay for all of college myself, which I accomplished with loans through various lenders, totaling $100,000. CAPlus: That is a substantial chunk of change. How did it add up to that much? Ben: When I got accepted to University at Buffalo, I was awarded a full tuition scholarship. However, in order to keep this scholarship I had to maintain a 3.5 GPA. At the time I was taking Pharmacy major classes and was struggling. I was unable to maintain the GPA requirement and lost the scholarship. I think if I had known then what I know now, I would have started with an Accounting major and declined the additional money offered for being an Honor student. I'd be in a lot less debt today. CAPlus: Do you think your education was worth the money? Ben: Getting an education is definitely worth your money. Unfortunately, my education cost more than I anticipated due to my own failures and mistakes as a student. I also switched majors, which cost me a full year. However, I would not be where I was today if not for those situations, and I feel they helped make me who I am. So in a way, it was totally worth it, just not the ideal way to approach it. CAPlus: How were you able to make it financially through your college years? Ben: For my first two years I lived on campus, did not have a car, and worked summers when I was home. After that, I started working part-time at a restaurant for a few years and more time during the summers. I picked up some other jobs my senior year until I started my career. I used that money for spending money and took out loans to pay for other expenses. CAPlus: How have things been for you since you graduated? Ben: It has been a little difficult. In order to find a job I had to move from Buffalo to NYC. It has been quite a change moving away from all that I knew to a big city and starting an actual career. Finding an affordable apartment was especially difficult. I had to fund my own move because relocation costs were not covered by my new employer. The job is going well now, however, and was definitely worth the move. CAPlus: What would you give as advice to current college seniors who are entering their last semester? Ben: Don't give into that attitude of senioritis. If you have a job, do your best to work to start paying off bills. If you don't, explore every opportunity to find a job. It is never too early to start applying for one. Even in this economy you can still find something if you network, apply to as many jobs as possible, and have a strong resume. 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. • 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 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. • 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 which is vital in determining how much scholarship and grant money you will receive. High School Seniors 
• 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 incorrect data, follow the instructions in the packet to correct it. • Still undecided if you like a college? 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 and Sophomores 
• 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. • 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 Juniors 
• Put together a resume with career services at your college and apply for summer internships. Working for a summer in a position related to your career goal will look much better to potential employers after graduation than working a summer job waitressing or landscaping. • Meet with your advisor to make sure you are on track to graduating in two more semesters. It is best to find out now whether or not you are on the right track so you can take summer classes if necessary. • It is too early to start applying for jobs in your career field, but it is not to early to network! Contact local professionals in your area for informational interviews. Many professionals will have thier business contact information listed on the company website. It is always better to call than to send an email to set up an interview. • Are there professional groups in your area that match your career? For example, the American Marketing Association has regional chapters throughout the United States that meet regularly to discuss the latest news and trends in marketing. Most such groups will let college students join for free if they volunteer at the local events. It is a great way to network and keep updated on your career field. College Seniors 
• Recruiters are using connections through LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook to find candidates for open positions. Specifically with LinkedIn, by creating a good profile and joining the right groups and discussions, you set yourself up to be found by recruiters in your desired industry. However, make sure you've sanitized all of your social networking pages well before you start job hunting. You will decrease your chances of landing a job significally by posting unprofessional photos and comments. • Meet with a staff member of career services at your college to put together a clear, concise, and convincing resume and cover letter. You may have to make changes to both your resume and cover letter when applying from one job to the next, but it is good to have a strong starting point that you can build from. • Find out about local career fairs and go to as many as possible, even if the career you are interested in is not being represented. Not only are career fairs excellent opportunities to network, but you can also practice meeting professionals and attempting to "sell yourself" in a brief time for an open position. You never know what leads you might get! • Make sure to fill out all necessary commencement forms for graduation. No one is going to chase you down to make sure you graduate on time! • Get recommendation letters and resume reference approvals from college professors, department heads, and internship coordinators or bosses. Good recommendations are vital when attempting to land your first job or get accepted to grad school. 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 an Educational Consultant Near You! For a complete list of our locations, please visit our website. |
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