Why Going to College Is Important

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From the course by University of Pennsylvania

How to Apply to College

46 оценки

University of Pennsylvania

How to Apply to College

46 оценки

How to Apply to College will empower learners of all backgrounds to demystify and better understand the college search and selection process, combining the expertise of an Ivy League admissions office and a leading college access and success organization. Led by expert educators, including Eric J. Furda, Dean of Admissions at the University of Pennsylvania, and Dr. Sean Vereen, President of Steppingstone Scholars, Inc., this free course will help students, family members, college counselors and any inquisitive learner to navigate each stage from the start of the college search process through the transition into a college environment. Through dialogue with students applying to and currently in college as well as campus advocates, How to Apply to College also aims to close the information gap for students who may be the first in their family to attend college and students who are underrepresented in higher education. A range of video and web resources are provided through a collaboration with a number of educational partners including The Common Application, with nearly 700 colleges on the application platform, and Raise.me, which provides a new way for high school students to earn money for college starting in 9th grade based on their achievements in school and life. Other resources and tools featured in the course include Naviance, College Greenlight, College Scorecard, BigFuture by the College Board, College and Pell Abacus, ZeeMee and Federal Student Aid.

From the lesson

Starting the Journey to College

This module provides an introduction to the course and overview of the college application process , financial aid, and why college matters. Dr. Vereen will discuss the range of two-year to four-year colleges and levels of selectivity will be discussed to better understand potential college options for students.

Welcome to the Course3:17

Why Going to College Is Important5:01

Meet the Instructors

Eric J. Furda
Dean of Admissions
Dr. Sean Vereen
President
Steppingstone Scholars, Inc.

[MUSIC]

As we go through the course on college admissions, we really want to thank about

the audiences that are interested in the topic.

Whether you're a student, a parent, a guidance counselor,

a CBO director, we feel that we add value for

you through the introduction to the college admissions landscape.

The discovery and application process.

We'll go over campus visits and financial aid.

And we'll also dive into the evaluation process.

What do admission officers actually look for and how do they review an application?

And then we'll step into the enrollment process.

What happens once you get into school?

How do you compare financial aid packages?

And really think about those next steps.

Since education is a primary force for social mobility in the United States,

Penn has also partnered with Steppingstone Scholars in Philadelphia.

Steppingstone Scholars prepares young students,

starting in the fourth grade, to get accepted to college and

succeed by going through college prep in Philadelphia.

Leading educators and students from Steppingstone will share their experiences

with you, throughout the course.

We'll get student dialogue,

as well as educator dialogue, to help you consider your choices in college.

The first week of the course, we will take a look at the college landscape, and

some key terms about the college admissions process.

>> So we've made this course for a wide range of students.

But we are particularly interested in students who have not had an experience,

or families haven't had experiences in going to college.

I mean, think about this.

75 years ago college was considered for the elite.

Only a tiny sliver of the population actually went to college.

People thought college was for a particular race and

ethnicity and class background.

But after World War II, we as a society made a massive commitment to expand

opportunity and choice in education.

Millions of people who had never had a chance to go to college went.

But thinking beyond policy, and most importantly for what we're doing in this

course, millions of individuals made a choice to go to college for

the first time in the whole history of their families.

Because they saw college as a part of the American dream.

Now in this century at this moment, we are at a same inflection point.

As a society, we have a chance and

a necessity to educate a very diverse population of students.

Now, we could spend a whole course talking about all the policy

issues that need to be taken care of for that to happen.

But this course is about you.

It's about providing insight into how you navigate

the complexity of having 4,500 different colleges and

universities and post-secondary institutions to choose from.

It's about really how you use the college application process to find your way,

to realize your dreams, to use your talents to find a way to a better life.

[MUSIC]

>> So I'm going to start with Bridget and Akeem.

Why is going to college important to you?

>> Why was going to college important to me?

Well, going to college was important to me because

I know how much my family sacrificed.

Like I said, I'm first generation Liberian immigrant.

Nobody else in my family went to college.

My family came to America to give us a better life.

And so, understanding that my parents sacrificed so

much for me to get the kind of education I did, for me to

do the type of things that they never did, and never would have imagined doing.

I feel like me going to college was showing my appreciation to them.

And me saying what they did was not done for nothing.

>> Okay, Akeem?

>> Well, as for me, college was always seen as my ticket, my way out.

In the islands, we compete in school essentially.

We're ranked in our classes based on who's the smartest, or who has the best grades.

And then when you get to the college level, there are very few

opportunities to go to college and little to no opportunities after that.

So, you have to compete and

then the one that's sort of at the top, has a chance to get a scholarship.

So the country itself would fund them to go out and

pursue education elsewhere in some greater colleges.

So that was always a dream of mine.

That was sort of my way out.

And my mom always emphasized that, she always says the same quote.

She says,

the heights of great men reached and kept, were not attained by sudden flight.

But, they, while their companions slept, were toiling upwards through the night.

And she posted those words on my room door.

And she says, I want you to live by these words.

And the first step is going to college.

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