 
# Latino  
College Assistance  
Guide

by Bob Howitt

Executive Director, WKBJ Foundation

Published by Bob Howitt at Smashwords

Copyright © 2015 Robert Howitt

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

## INTRODUCTION:  
How This Book Can Help You

This book is for Latino high school students who are thinking about going to college. Maybe you already know what college you want to attend, your major, and what your career will be. Or maybe you're still undecided about college and how to pay for it. Or perhaps you're thinking about pursuing another option, like training for a specific marketable skill or signing up for the military.

Whatever your situation, this book will help you decide whether college is for you. If you choose to go, this book will show how to select the right one, how to pay for it, and how to achieve academic success once you get there. But college may not be the best choice for everyone; this book may help you decide why another path may be better.

What makes this book different from other books about college is that it contains the voices and experiences of Latino students who are currently in college or who have graduated from college. They faced and overcame many of the same worries and challenges that you are facing in making the college decision. Throughout this book, you'll hear about their experiences with choosing and paying for college, doing well academically, campus life, and preparing for a career.

After each chapter, there are lists of websites to help with your research. In working with students for many years, I have found that, regardless of the amount of college-related information that is on the internet, almost every student wants to have a meaningful conversation with a person as well. Take advantage of both websites and people.

Finally, this book is not just for you—we encourage your parents and guidance counselors to read it and discuss it with you.

I began my career working on Wall Street, but eventually became interested in problems facing young people. I was a volunteer in a homeless shelter in New York City for several years. Quite often I stayed overnight at the shelter to help people in the morning. Then I had to put people out on the street with all their possessions in a shopping cart; after, I donned my expensive suit to work on Wall Street. And that got to me. I realized that one reason why people became homeless was because they lacked educational opportunities, and I decided to do something about it.

I raised money to start a program to help disadvantaged young people achieve their educational dreams. We started the program in Dover, New Jersey, a town near to where I live. Dover is a low-income town with a large Latino population. Through the programs I started, I came to know the culture, problems, and dreams of young Latinos. My experience in helping them go to college inspired me to write this book.

As a Latino, you may face issues that students from other backgrounds may not face:

■ You may have attended a below-average public high school.

■ Be in a family with below-average income.

■ Be the first in your family to attend college.

■ Be especially concerned about the cost of college and going into debt to pay for it.

■ Have language issues that make college seem a difficult choice.

■ Be relatively new to and perhaps not fully adjusted to the United States.

■ Have documentation issues, which affect every aspect of your life.

My belief is that the Latino student has particular needs:

■ A greater need for information about higher education options.

■ A greater need for help in how to apply, finance, and graduate from college.

■ A greater need for remedial and/or English language courses in college.

■ A greater need to understand the importance of advocating for yourself.

■ A need to be aware that lesser known colleges can be as good as the big names.

■ And, when necessary, help in becoming documented, a hugely important issue.

Looking for the right college can sometimes feel overwhelming. For Latinos this challenge can be much more difficult, because you have to take into account a college's diversity and commitment to minority educational advancement. Given the historically low higher education achievement rates for Latinos, it is crucial for Latino youth to become smart consumers of education. This book will help you become such a consumer and save you a lot of time and headaches, by giving you the tools and information to make the right choices about college.

While Latinos face challenges, they also have great advantages and opportunities in college and the work world. The U.S. is becoming increasingly Latino. The country's Hispanic population grew from 14.6 million people in 1980 to nearly 53 million in 2012.

In 2025, nearly 25% of all college-age Americans will be Latino, up from 19% in 2010, according to Excelencia in Education (www.edexcelencia.org). Yet, while millions of Latinos are college-age, not enough of them are completing college degrees. Only 13.9% of Hispanics held a Bachelor's degree or higher in 2010, compared with 39% of whites and 21% of blacks. By the year 2043 Latinos may be one-third of the workforce; educational attainment must rise dramatically to fully participate in this growth.

Guillermo Reina understands the importance of education for Latinos. He came to the U.S. from Colombia in 2002 and attended Farleigh Dickinson University, where he earned an MBA in marketing. In his home country he knew lawyers and engineers, and one of his dreams was to earn a Master's degree outside his country. "Coming to the U.S., I had to start from zero. I knew I wanted to go to college. That wasn't something I had to really think about. It was a question of how to make it happen.

"Your life changes when you go to college. Your world becomes bigger. In high school you might want a career in computer science or biology or law, but until you go to college you still don't have a clear idea of the big picture, the big dream. By going to college you will meet people from other countries and connect with the world.

"Nelson Mandela said, 'Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.' I truly believe in that quote. Latinos are a growing population in the United States, and we need to be well educated for the challenges that we're going to face. By earning a college degree, you become an asset for change.

With the U.S. undergoing great demographic changes, the educated bilingual, bicultural Latino will have an increasingly important role to play in the American and global economy of the 21st century. College-educated Latino students will have an advantage in finding attractive careers in today's workplace, as companies expand products and services to the growing Latino population.

Another positive of a college education is that Latino students have the opportunity to move themselves and their families up the income ladder. Someone with a B.A. degree earns over a million dollars more in his working life than someone with just a high school diploma. Even with the high cost of a college education, a college graduate will still come out ahead of someone who doesn't have a college degree. And there are benefits to a college education that go beyond what you earn: according to the College Board, college graduates are more likely to volunteer and vote, and are even healthier.

I hope this book helps you determine if college is right for you, and to achieve success whether you choose that path or another kind of education after high school.

Bob Howitt

## CHAPTER ONE:  
Should You Go to College?

Whether to go to college can be a hard decision to make. Today, college costs are very high and you may be wondering whether the price is worth it. You may be wondering whether you need to go to college to get a good job and earn a good salary. And if you are headed for college, you may have no idea how to go about choosing one, applying for admission, and doing well once you get there.

To make your decision, you need to ask yourself some important questions: "Since there are many challenges about getting into college and paying for it, why should I bother? Is it really worth it? What are the benefits of going to college?"

To help answer these questions, let's hear about the experiences of Latinos who are either in college or who have graduated from college. By listening to them, you may find your decision easier to make.

### What Students Say About Whether You Should Go To College

Carolina Poveda started college in her native Colombia and came to New York in 2002 at age 21. She then finished college at Montclair State University in New Jersey, majoring in economics. She's now getting an MBA degree at Fairleigh Dickinson University.

"Your income increases significantly after you go to college," Carolina says. "You can make three times what someone makes who doesn't have a college degree. A lot of times it's a requirement for a job interview. College also makes you a better person, because you learn to analyze things from different perspectives and question them rather than take them at face value. I've never met anybody who has said: I wish I hadn't gone to college. But I have heard the opposite."

Amanda Maldonado, 22, graduated from Iona College in May of 2014; she majored in mass communications. She wants to be either an actress or a film/TV show producer. Amanda went to high school in the Bronx and always knew she wanted to go to college.

Amanda and her parents were born in the U.S. but her grandparents were immigrants. Her mom's side was from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, and her father's side was from Puerto Rico and Spain.

"My mom always wanted me to go. She told me, 'You need to get a bachelor's degree so you can survive in this world.'

"I chose college because I've always enjoyed learning new things and it's very hard to get a good paying job without a college degree. I've worked for the minimum wage and it's very hard to pay for rent and everything else.

"Leave your options open and explore college as one option. Once you get to college, you can discover your true passion. A lot of kids are unsure about what they want to do when they grow up. But that shouldn't scare you--you have enough time to find out."

Deep Shah, 19, is a sophomore at Rutgers University majoring in computer science, with a minor in business development and administration. He wants to be a programmer and eventually open his own business. Deep was born in India and came to the U.S. with his parents when he was 11. Although he isn't Latino, he understands the challenges of going to college as an immigrant.

"I would say to all high school students that they should definitely go at least one semester. And if you really don't like it, then switch to another college or do something else. But if you choose college, it's going to help you find a higher paying job. College isn't just about learning, but also about improving yourself. It's a way of learning how to live with other people and make friends."

### College Leads to Higher Paying Jobs

Choosing not to attend college may be a good decision for some people, as I will explain later. There's no doubt that college is expensive. But, as Carolina and Deep point out, one important advantage of a college education is that your income will be higher.

Take a look at these figures, which show how much money you can earn over your lifetime, based on your education:

Here's another way to look at the earning power of a college degree. Here is what you can expect your annual salary to be, based on your level of education:

The message is clear: annual earnings rise significantly with each additional level of education. A person with a Bachelor's degree earns more than twice as much annually as a high school dropout, and almost $22,000 more per year than a person with just a high school diploma. And the more education you have, the higher your annual salary.

Here's another fact to keep in mind.

According to one government estimate, a four-year degree, an associate's (two-year) degree, or at least some college will be required for 66% of all new jobs, while only 34% of new jobs will require just a high school diploma or less education. And most of those jobs that won't require some college education will be low-wage or minimum wage jobs, which make it very hard to earn a living.

Below are government estimates for the fastest growing job categories. What do you notice as you read this chart?

You'll see from this chart that there are basically two types of jobs that are growing fast:

■ High paying jobs that require a college education,

■ Low paying jobs that don't.

For example, there's a great demand for home care aides, but the job pays only $20,280 a year, which is very hard, if not impossible, to live on. In contrast, a biomedical engineer makes $82,550 and someone who works in computer network systems makes $76,560. Those jobs are growing fast, pay well, and require a college degree.

The answer is clear: the best paying jobs of the future require a college education.

Diego Gonzalez earned his B.A. in 2005 at New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark (NJIT), majoring in electrical engineering technology. He currently works for PSE&G as a contractor. He attended the County College of Morris for two years, and then finished his college degree at NJIT. Born in Colombia, Diego came here when he was 11 years old, entering the fifth grade.

"One of the reasons my parents left Colombia was because the country was going through a civil war. So I think the opportunities are here and the doors are wide open. And it doesn't matter whether you're Latino, whether you're black, whether you're Asian. It doesn't matter where you're from.

The opportunities are there in front of you. It's up to you whether you want to grab them or not.

"I think a lot of Latinos don't see the benefits they will gain by going to college. They brush it off, and then later on when they're older and have kids, that's when they realize that they should have gone to college.

"In the countries Latinos come from, someone can earn a college degree but never get hired because there are no job opportunities. But that's not going to happen here. Even in the harsh economy we've been having, companies are looking for engineering and medical professionals. Here there is opportunity and you have to take it."

### What Various Jobs Pay

Here's another chart that identifies the top 15 jobs, to give you an idea of what the best jobs pay, how fast they're growing, and how many job openings occur each year. Every job on this chart requires a college education.

Below is a list that shows what various jobs pay annually. Again, the higher paying jobs require a college education.

Over $100,000

Business executives, Lawyers, Doctors, Financial managers

$100,000 to $70,000

Operations managers, Sales managers, Computer engineers, Software engineers, Management analysts, Sales reps, Computer systems analysts, Computer programmers, Occupational therapists, Financial advisors, Police, Firefighters

$70,000 to $50,000

Registered nurses, Accountants, Mail carriers, Loan officers, Supervisors, Teachers, Paralegals, Network security specialists, Social media specialists

$50,000 to $40,000

Administrative assistants, Industrial mechanics, Plumbers, Electricians, Insurance agents

$40,000 to $30,000

Clerks, Secretaries, Dental assistants, Welders, Inspectors, Social workers, Carpenters, Correctional officers, Automotive technicians, Maintenance workers, Customer service reps, Machinists, Bill collectors, Truck drivers

$30,000 to $20,000

Pharmacy technicians, Security guards, Cooks, Hairdressers, School bus drivers, Recreation workers, Nursing aides, Shipping clerks, Janitors, Landscapers, Construction laborers, Receptionists, Office clerks, Bank tellers, Home health aides, Telemarketers

$20,000 to $15,000

Waiters, Fast food cooks, Cafeteria workers, Bartenders, Vehicle cleaners, Childcare workers, Dishwashers, Food preparation workers

One last chart—for this section anyway—which shows that the better job you want to have, the more you need a college education.

### Upward Mobility

An additional significant reason to attend college is that your entire family benefits. What this means is upward mobility. According to one report (the Pew Charitable Trust's Economic Mobility Program, <http://www.economicmobility.org/>), if you come from a financially challenged family and attend college, there is an 84% chance that you will earn more than your parents and only a 16% chance that you will not. But if you come from a poor family and don't attend college, there is a 45% chance that you will remain in that position.

To close this chapter, let's hear from our current and former college students.

Danny Rossello, 21, graduated from the University of Scranton in 2014, having majored in business administration. He had this to say: "In the end, it's better overall to have a college degree than not. You might regret not going to college later when you have a chance to get a better job, but then realize you don't have the proper requirements. In the long run, a degree is worth much more than getting a job and making money right after high school."

Emily Diaz graduated in 2013 from the University of Scranton. She majored in International Business and Hispanic Studies and is now working full-time.

"Sometimes Latino students forget what an asset they are to the college community. In my experience, being Latina and knowing how to speak Spanish opened many doors for me. It allowed me to have a work-study job. I tutored a professor's son in Spanish.

"I went to a college where minority students were only about 14% of the student body. So I definitely stood out, but my knowledge of Spanish, my culture, and my background really helped me. It made me realize that I had so much to offer. Maybe I didn't have the same upbringing as other people, but it didn't make me anything less."

Diego Gonzalez has this last piece of advice:

"College is a serious commitment that you're making to better yourself. During those four years you're not going to dedicate yourself to your friends or to yourself. Instead, you need to dedicate yourself to college. And if you're fine with that, then you can go ahead and make that commitment.

"The benefits of college are tremendous. You'll learn things that you never knew before. As soon as I came out of college, I had good job offers. A college degree really gets you in the door. When a company hires you, they understand that you had to sacrifice a lot to get that degree."

### Helpful Websites

Assists low-income students  
BREAKTHROUGHCOLLABORATIVE.ORG

Key Resource  
COLLEGEBOARD.ORG

Getting to College  
COLLEGEINSIGHT.ORG

American Council Education  
COLLEGEISPOSSIBLE.ORG

Access for underserved  
CSOCOLLEGECENTER.ORG

Colleges that Change Lives  
CTCL.ORG

Educational issues, links  
ECS.ORG

U.S. Dept. of Education  
ED.GOV

Getting Latinos into college  
EDEXCELENCIA.ORG

College Coach program  
GETINTOCOLLEGE.COM

Information on colleges  
PETERSONS.COM

## CHAPTER TWO:  
How to Prepare for College While in High School

In high school, you should start preparing for college:

■ By thinking about what you might want to do as a career.

■ By understanding how college can help prepare you for that career.

■ By taking those classes in high school that will best equip you for college.

The first thing you can do is look inward, to understand yourself, your likes and dislikes. "Know thyself" was said by somebody smart a long time ago and it applies to the aspiring college student. By knowing yourself, you can find out what you want to do in life and how college can help you reach that goal.

The goal of a college education is to help you establish a core competency—something you do well and that you can make money doing. A college degree by itself guarantees nothing but it opens doors to various jobs. Beyond that point, the outcome is dependent on your hard work and commitment, and persistent networking. But the first step is getting some idea of what you want to do in life.

### Choosing a Career

If you're thinking of college, you should give some thought to a career.

As Diego Gonzalez says: "I think you need to make that decision before you go to college, otherwise you'll be wasting a lot of money. Before you even make that first tuition payment, you should really know what you're going for. What do you like to do? What are your strengths? Where do you want to be in the future?

"Because college gets expensive. If you change your major, you might have to take five or six more classes, which could cost you $5,000 or $6,000 more. So you need to decide what you want to do before you make that commitment."

Carolina Poveda agrees with Diego.

"Your last year of high school should be the time when you get a good idea of what you want to do. A career adviser could help you get a real life experience of what certain careers are like. For example, some of the parents of your high school classmates may be working in jobs that interest you. They may be able to let you visit their jobs to give you a work experience for a few days. Then you can do more research about what a profession is like."

Other Latinos who are in college or have graduated from college have a different view. They believe you can be unsure about a career when you get to college. In their view, the great thing about college is being able to take lots of different classes to find out what you really love.

Amanda Maldonado: "It's okay to be unsure. I was torn between acting, TV and film producing, and being a psychologist. It was by taking college courses that I discovered that I had no passion for psychology at all."

Deep Shah: "Go to college, take classes, and see what you're really passionate about. You definitely want a career that has a future and where you can get a good job, but don't jump into field unless you have a passion for it. Take classes and see what you like. You don't have to declare a major until your junior year." (There of course can be extra costs involved in this process, unless the "experimentation" lends itself to a "minor" to go with your major.)

Guillermo Reina feels that you can choose a career path after you get to college.

"By taking different courses, you'll find out what works for you. Many colleges offer self-assessment tests and career development programs that help you choose a career path. Based on your personality and learning style, you might be more into computer programming than working in human resources management. Your might prefer education over working in research. There are resources online that can help you determine your learning style and how that applies to a career path. Try to think about what you love to do, what gets you excited and passionate.

"If you take a course in college and you're disappointed, don't worry about it. Try different courses, and finally you will find your vocation. Today, education is very flexible and you need various skills. You can study something for two years in college, and then switch to another major and bring along those skills that you learned during your first two years."

Considering the cost of college, you should give some thought to a career while in high school. But if you are undecided, don't worry. You'll find out what you want to do by taking college classes, perhaps limited by the extra cost involved if there is a sharp change in direction.

### What Job Is Best for Your Personality?

Guillermo Reina mentioned that certain personalities are attracted to certain kinds of jobs. Take a look at the list below, which looks at the personal characteristics associated with various professions.

REALISTIC

Mechanical capabilities, not big on social skills.

**Personality** : Conforming, frank, honest, materialistic, natural, persistent, practical, modest, shy, stable, thrifty.

**Occupations** : mechanic, aircraft controller, surveyor, electrician.

INVESTIGATIVE

Math/science skills, not big on leadership ability.

**Personality** : analytical, cautious, critical, curious, independent, intellectual, reserved, methodical, introverted, precise, rational.

**Occupations** : biologist, chemist, physicist, anthropologist, geologist, medical technologist.

ARTISTIC

Creative, not big on clerical skills.

**Personality** : complicated, imaginative, nonconforming, idealistic, intuitive, expressive, emotional, impulsive, disorderly, impractical, original.

**Occupations** : composer, musician, stage director, writer, interior decorator, actor, actress, Internet-related creativity.

SOCIAL

Social skills and talents, not big on mechanical and scientific.

**Personality** : convincing, cooperative, friendly, generous, helpful, kind, responsible, sociable, tactful, understanding.

**Occupations** : advertising, physical fitness instructor, recreation worker, teacher, religious worker, salesperson, fundraiser, counselor, clinical psychologist, psychiatric caseworker, speech therapist, social media marketer and/or publicist.

ENTERPRISING

Leadership and speaking abilities, not big on scientific ability

**Personality** : adventurous, self-confident, attention-getting, energetic, optimistic, pleasure-seeking, popular, impulsive, ambitious, sociable.

**Occupations** : salesperson, manager, business executive, television producer, sports promoter, buyer.

CONVENTIONAL

Clerical and arithmetic ability, not big on artistic abilities.

**Personality** : conforming, obedient, unimaginative, inhibited, calm, conservative, practical, persistent, conscientious, orderly, efficient.

**Occupations** : bookkeeper, word processor, computer operator, financial analyst, banker, cost estimator, tax expert.

This list can help you determine what kind of career fits your personality, so you can choose the right college and major.

### Understanding Job Trends

Guillermo Reina, who came to the U.S. from Colombia in 2002, encourages young people to think about what they're good at and enjoy doing, and how that can be matched with current job trends.

"Trends are very important—economic trends, and changes in communication and technology. Each trend creates job opportunities. As the United States moves more into clean energy, that will create green job opportunities with solar energy, with environmental science, and with sustainable development.

"If you like science, that can be applied to sustainable development projects in countries that are concerned about water, natural resources, and so on. If you like math, you can do something with programming and technology. If you like theater, try broadcasting.

"If you're aware of trends, you can learn skills that are in need. For example, many states have a shortage of nurses. If you really love taking care of people, there's a big job opportunity right there.

"And there are huge opportunities in the non-profit sector. The idea of working for corporate America doesn't have the same appeal for a lot of young people today."

### More on Preparation

The other major way to prepare for college while in high school is to take the right courses and tests.

One study found that only 28% of high school students learn about preparation for college, including the application process, from their school counselors. Asked what was important for getting into a good college, the students surveyed had these responses:

■ 93% said grades or grade point average (GPA)

■ 35% mentioned the SAT

■ 16% knew the importance of extracurricular activities

■ 7% knew the importance of Advanced Placement (AP) courses

■ 7% knew the importance of letters of recommendation

Except for grades, each of these factors is much more important than realized by the students. SAT scores, extracurricular activities, Advanced Placement (AP) courses, and letters of recommendation are as important as grades when it comes to college.

One way to prepare for college while in high school is to seek help from guidance counselors. But guidance counselors are overburdened. They have multiple responsibilities and cannot keep track of every student on their rosters. You can get advice from them if you're persistent and speak up; be politely pushy.

A good guidance counselor is someone who (a) knows you well, (b) knows about different types of colleges, (c) is connected to people who either are alumni of those colleges or work at them, and (d) can give your application materials a thorough review. You're lucky if you have such a guidance counselor. If you feel your guidance counselor isn't providing you with these services, you can seek help from a teacher, a college graduate, a mentor, your parent(s), or the parent(s) of a friend.

Let's hear from current and former college students about how to prepare for college while in high school.

Deep Shah: "Even in high school you can do research into what majors are. Find people who majored in the field and ask them about their jobs and what their typical day is like. If you're interested in a particular college, find people who went to that college and ask them about their experiences. What kind of opportunities did they have after graduation?

"That's the only way you're going to get the right answers. It's much better to ask people who attended that college. Or do your own research.

"I was always interested in something computer related. I took a computer programming course in high school, really liked it, and decided to choose computer science. And I've always wanted to open my own business, so I chose business administration as my minor. That's going to help me in the future to get a great job and then start my own business."

Amanda Maldonado: "Take advantage of SAT prep courses to prepare you for the exam. My prep courses weren't that great, so my SAT scores weren't high enough to get into the school that I really wanted to get into. And in the courses that you like the most, try to absorb as much information as you can."

Carolina Poveda: "I wasn't the best student in high school in Colombia. I definitely had to study hard in college in the U.S. to make up for all those basic things I didn't pay attention to in high school.

"So take advantage of what's available to you. Seek out tutoring, teacher assistance, and people willing to help. And there's a lot of information online. YouTube shows a video on everything you can think of."

Carolina knows that many Latino high school students attend below-average high schools, and she gave advice on that.

"If you're in a good high school, take advantage of it and make the most of it. If you're not in a good school, do something about it. Go online or try to find a local group that will help you. There must be a good teacher somewhere in your school. Try to reach out to that person and see if they can help you. If not, then you should really try to prepare for college the summer before you start. Try to buy the books ahead of time, start reading, and see if you can get some kind of tutoring help."

Emily Diaz encourages you to study as hard as you can, even though she knows how difficult that can be.

"Whatever your high school offers you, do it. They have free SAT prep courses. And take high school seriously. I know it's difficult. You get that senioritis where all you care about are the football games and pep rallies and of course everyone says, 'If I knew then what I know now.' Everyone goes through that. So take advantage of everything your high school has to offer. Maybe you can take a marketing course or an Italian course. It's hard for me to tell you to hard work, because I know you don't want to. But take it seriously, because this is your future and you don't want to look back in 10 or 20 years and know you could have done so much more with your life if you hadn't been lazy for a few months. Have fun, but take school seriously."

Suzy Gonzalez, 20, attends County College of Morris. Her major is business administration with a focus on forensic accounting.

"If you know what you want to do for a career and what your college major will be, take courses in high school that will get you ready for college. For example, I took a lot of business classes in my high school. They helped tremendously."

Here are results from another survey that show that most high school students aren't preparing for college. This statistics may be worse for students who attend really low performing high schools, as many Latinos do.

■ Only 18% of college-bound high schoolers took a math course after their junior year.

■ Only 70% of seniors wrote as many as three papers of five or more pages.

■ Only half of students said they put much effort into their studies.

■ Only half said they were challenged academically.

■ Less than half said schoolwork made them curious to learn.

■ Only one-third said they were excited about their classes.

The process of getting ready must start early. Students who do well on tests in eighth-grade are more likely to enroll in college and graduate, no matter what their ethnic or income background.

### The Importance of Reading

Reading for pleasure is strongly related to academic achievement. Not surprisingly, readers score better on reading and writing tests than non-readers. Students who read have higher GPAs and more general knowledge than non-readers.

Starting to read now can benefit you in college. A study by professors at the University of California found that 21% of high school seniors did not read for pleasure, a number that grew to 35% in their senior year of college. Not getting into the habit of reading now may make it harder to begin in college. Many college courses require lots of reading.

Jennifer Calcedo was in high school when she wrote about the importance of reading:

"Reading has always been a passion of mine, ever since I nestled on my parents' laps under dim lamplight as they taught me how to read those Little Critter books by Mercer Mayer right before it was time for bed. My parents never went to college, but they helped me develop my love for fiction.

"Reading is truly liberating. When I open an amazing book, I am instantly absorbed into it. For example, as I read the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, it was as though I was at Percy's side under an ominous gray sky, my face covered in dirt and sweat, facing my enemy with a weapon in hand.

"Through reading I imagined going around the world, discovering cultures I had never been exposed to, in hopes of learning more about myself. Good books made me want to get on a train, go somewhere, and search for something that I was destined to find.

"But of course, my family's resources were limited and the farthest we ever traveled from home was 20 miles. But through reading books, my parents and I traveled in a far greater way—hundreds of pages of suspense, elation, sorrow, and frustration are a wonderful alternative to real world adventure."

### How to Prepare for College During Each Year of High School

Getting to college means mapping out a plan during high school. Many students discover the logic of this approach later, like in college, and regret not acting sooner. Here is a guide about how to prepare during each year of high school, adapted from a 2013 article in U.S. News and World Report. An additional checklist will be coming later.

Freshman Year:

Push yourself to take hard classes early; do not wait until your junior or senior years.

Although it may seem early, now is the time to start thinking about and researching colleges and scholarships.

Sophomore Year:

Start thinking about colleges and careers that might be a good fit.

Career and college fairs are good places to start, but it's never too soon to set foot on a college campus.

Participate in extracurricular, leadership, and volunteer activities. This will help increase your chances of a scholarship.

Junior Year:

Seek out internships, job shadows (where for a day you follow someone around who works in a field you like), and summer jobs related to the career of your interest.

College entrance exams, such as the ACT and SAT, should be taken.

Senior Year:

Spend the start of senior year visiting campuses.

Narrow down your list and send out applications.

Don't take it easy during your senior year. Don't take PE classes when you're not doing well in math. Look at academic areas where you need improvement and take classes to help you in those areas.

### The SAT and ACT: What They Are and How to Prepare for Them

Most four-year colleges require the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the ACT, while two-year community colleges do not require them.

The first step is the Practice Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT), which allows you to practice for the SAT. Then there is the SAT itself, taken by students in their junior and senior years of high school, more than once if desired. There are also subject SAT tests in specific academic subjects, such as math, literature, history, etc., which are required by some of the more selective colleges.

The ACT is an alternative to the SAT and is being accepted by more colleges than ever before. (The PSAT version of ACT is PLAN.) More students are taking both the SAT and the ACT. Latino students may have to take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), required of students who have been in the United States less than four years.

Colleges use SAT results to help decide which students they will accept, but the SAT is certainly not the only factor in this decision. Many students get stressed out taking the SAT and the test is controversial. Critics of the test say its questions are unfair to a diverse population of students, favoring those who come from more educated, higher-income households. The SAT has been revised and changed in recent years (and will be again in 2015), but whether fair or not, it's probable that you will have to take this test, so you should know how to prepare for it.

The SAT has three sections—math, critical reading, and writing—each with a maximum score of 800. Many people feel that a student has to score at least 1000 on the combined math and critical reading portions of the test in order to get into and graduate from college. The writing portion of the SAT is ignored by most colleges, even though a high score on this part is a good indicator of overall academic success.

The table below shows how four factors—SAT scores, class rank, GPA (grade point average), and ACT scores—can determine what kind of college you get into, from least competitive to most competitive.

Some colleges no longer require the SAT, but the vast majority still do. Some colleges have made adjustments in how they view SAT scores. For example, in 2012, Seton Hall University, a well-regarded New Jersey school, announced that if a freshman applicant scored at least 1200 on the combined reading and math sections of the SAT (but not less than 550 on either section) and graduated in the top 10% of his high school class, he would receive a two-thirds reduction in tuition. The lower rate is guaranteed for four years if the student maintains a 3.0 GPA.

### What Colleges Want to See From You

According to multiple surveys, students will need three skills if they are to thrive in a knowledge-based economy:

■ Critical thinking and problem-solving skills

■ Effective communication skills

■ Ability to function both independently and collaboratively

None of these are directly taught in most high school classes, but they can be learned at school and at home.

To evaluate whether you have these skills or the potential to develop them, colleges look at a combination of factors. In order of importance in terms of looking at applications, they are:

■ Quality of courses taken in high school

■ Grade point average (GPA)

■ SAT/ACT/TOEFL scores

■ Recommendations from teachers

■ Personal essay on the college application

■ Interviews with college admissions officers

■ Extracurricular activities while in high school

Taking quality courses is crucial for getting into and succeeding in college. If you have to take remedial reading when you arrive on campus, you have only a 33% chance of earning a Bachelor's degree. If you don't need remedial coursework, your chances of earning a degree rise to 75%.

### Advanced Placement (AP) Courses

Advanced Placement (AP) courses in high school are considered college prep classes. Each year, approximately 1.8 million students take 3.2 million Advanced Placement tests, which cover 30 different subjects. Major revisions in these exams are underway, with less emphasis on memorizing facts and more emphasis on analytical thinking.

Latino students often have trouble gaining access to Advanced Placement classes in high school, if in fact they are offered. You and your parents should push for these courses. It's better to have a "B" in a tough class than an "A" in an easy one.

Jennifer Calcedo benefited greatly from AP courses: "My experience in AP classes in high school exposed me to even more types of literature than I would have read on my own. At the end of sophomore year, I chose not to take AP classes because I felt as though I didn't have it in me to go through with it. However, that mindset changed at the beginning of junior year when I realized that not taking AP classes would deny me the academic challenge I always wanted. It would also deny me the opportunity to explore different types of literature. Therefore, I wrote a letter to my principal and the AP teachers to explain how I wanted to be in AP classes. They set goals for me to be admitted to AP classes. I met the goals, and was admitted into AP classes for the second quarter of junior year.

"In AP Literature and Composition I spent countless hours immersing myself in books, which exposed me to the brilliant minds of authors who often held contrasting beliefs. I absorbed their ideas, which molded me into a liberal and perceptive individual. My longing for travel grew; I realized there is so much more in the world to explore."

As a final word of advice, Diego Gonzalez encourages students to challenge themselves while in high school.

"The best way to prepare for college is to take the hardest classes in high school that you can. Don't take the easy electives.. Don't take a study hall. During my senior year I took a study hall, which I regret. I had finished my junior year with a trigonometry course, so I could have taken pre-calculus my senior year.

"I think if I'd had taken a pre-calculus course that year, it would have been a great benefit for my engineering degree. There are also high school courses that you can take for college credit. Not only are you learning, but you're saving money on future tuition. So look into that."

Remember—it's never too early or too late to prepare for college while in high school. Even in your senior year you can push yourself to take courses and seek resources that will help you in college. The better you prepare in high school, the greater success you will have during your freshman year of college and beyond.

### Helpful Websites

Information about ACT  
ACTSTUDENT.ORG

Latino business leaders organization  
ALPFA.ORG

Guidance on careers, college paths  
COIN3.COM

College preparedness  
COMPLETECOLLEGE.ORG

Preparation for SAT, etc.  
KAPLAN.COM

Preparation for SAT, etc.  
NUMBER2.COM

Preparation for SAT, etc.  
POWERPREP.COM

Preparation for SAT, etc.  
PRINCETONREVIEW.COM

Online tutoring worldwide  
TUTORVISTA.COM

## CHAPTER THREE:  
How to Choose a College

### A Good Match Between Student and College

Academic success, healthy independence, and the creation of life-long relationships result from a good match between you and your college. In short, you want a college that is enjoyable and affordable, because these characteristics make it more likely you will be successful and graduate.

You may be attracted to a college because it has a famous, recognizable name. A lesser-known but excellent school may be an equally good or better, for a variety of reasons.

One way of understanding the college selection process is that colleges are businesses that work hard to attract you—the willing buyer—into paying for their services as a student. Therefore, you want to be a smart buyer and get the most for your money.

An important part of selecting a college is understanding its degree of competitiveness. Colleges labeled as "most competitive" accept one-quarter or so of their applicants. "More competitive" colleges accept one-quarter to one-half of applicants, while "less competitive" schools accept almost anyone who applies.

Carolina Poveda gave this advice: "Make a list of the top five things that are a must for you in college. For example, the location and size of the school. If you want to study engineering, you would want the latest technology. If you are into sports, you would want a really nice gym and training facilities.

"It would be great to get everything on your list, but then you're paying for it. I would pick your 'must haves' and go by them. And also search online. There are a lot of blogs about college and people share everything online these days. Research the school. Try to find someone who has attended the college and ask them how it was, what they liked and didn't like about it. Try to take a class at the college before you graduate from high school, to get an idea of what the college is like. If you're interested in architecture, take a class in architecture 101. You'll get to experience the school, the style of teaching, and you'll learn something as well."

Andres Arce, 21, will graduate from the University of Tampa in 2015; he is majoring in international business with a focus on management. Andres was born in Colombia and came to the U.S. with his parents when he was 2 ½. He gives this advice:

"My advice is to start college research the year before you apply. I talked to a couple of friends in researching colleges, but the majority of my research was on websites. What really helped me were the college fairs at my high school. There was an Hispanic College Fair, where you needed a GPA of 3.00 or higher to attend. That's where I met one of representatives from the University of Tampa, and through them I applied."

Let's take a look at what factors are involved in choosing a college. These include:

■ Academic quality

■ Diversity

■ Cost and financial aid (to be discussed in detail in Chapters Six and Seven)

■ Four-year college vs. two-year community college

■ Family issues: do they support your decision?

■ Location: stay close to home or go far away?

■ Campus characteristics

### Academic Quality: Understanding College Rankings

Various organizations rank colleges according to academic quality. These rankings take into account various factors, such as graduation rates (for a four-year school, the rates are given for four, five, and six years from the time of enrollment), how selective the college is in admitting students, and the quality and reputation of the teaching staff. While you can consider rankings in selecting a college, they are subjective, not scientific. Based on your interests and needs, you might find a college ranked 75th in the country to be a much better choice for you than one that is ranked much higher.

That's because the most important factor in choosing a college is whether it's a good fit for you. Enrolling in a less expensive state school might be a far better choice than enrolling in a more expensive out-of-state college that has a "big name."

Guillermo Reina has some wise advice on this issue.

"I went to Columbia University, a very expensive private college, for one class. I liked the university and the program, but it was a little bit intimidating for me. Everybody was talking in almost perfect English. And while there were people from Chile, Argentina, Colombia, and other Latin countries, they didn't look Hispanic.

"I visited Princeton twice, another very expensive private school. I walked across the campus, went to their beautiful cathedral, and saw Albert Einstein's statue. But I didn't feel comfortable there.

"Then I visited Rutgers, a public university, and the classes were too big. With my listening skills still being developed, I wanted to be close to the teacher. At Rutgers there were 80 students in the classroom. So little by little I narrowed my college choice to something that was around the corner, and it was Farleigh Dickinson University.

"I could ride my bike to the college. The campus was small, the classes were small, and I connected with the teachers. The diversity of the classes was great. There were students from all over the world. And that was great for me, because I wanted to work with people from different cultures, backgrounds, disciplines, and beliefs. Everybody had the same level of English.

"So you have to find the college that's the best fit for you. Your goal has to be measurable, attainable, attractive, and realistic. How you are going to fit in? Are you really going to be comfortable with the people around you?

"All of these issues are as important as the name of the school. Yes, Harvard has an amazing network and lots of connections with various industries. But a Harvard education is no guarantee of success and you may not be comfortable going there. It's not the university, but rather how you make your college degree work for you after you graduate."

Guillermo makes very good points. Columbia and Princeton are very expensive and very selective Ivy League colleges, and are ranked much higher than Farleigh Dickinson. But Farleigh Dickinson was the best fit for Guillermo for a variety of very good reasons. Therefore, how high a college ranks is only one part, and sometimes a very small part, of your decision about what school to attend.

### Diversity

For many Latino students, a big question is diversity—should you attend a college that has large numbers of Latinos and other minority groups, or is this not a big concern?

Let's first listen to our current and former college students.

Amanda Maldonado prefers diversity; she said it makes college a more open experience.

"My college doesn't have a lot of diversity. In every class it's usually me and just one other person who is Hispanic, Black, Indian, or another minority. It's hard finding people who can relate to you. People are more close-minded and reluctant to say hello to someone who's not in their same group.

"I have light brown skin and no one would ever guess that I am Hispanic. My dad has light skin and hazel eyes, and he's Puerto Rican. My mom is Dominican and Puerto Rican. She has dark brown skin and that's where I get my mixed complexion, my curly hair, and my dark brown eyes. People always ask me if I'm Black or Indian. Most Hispanics can tell I'm Hispanic, but sometimes even they forget there are dark Hispanics.

"It seems that the majority of the students here have not been exposed to dark Hispanics, so they assume I'm every other nationality but my own. The truth is, stereotypes push us to believe things that aren't true. Looking back, I should have chosen a college that had more diversity."

Danny Rossello agrees with Amanda that diversity is important.

"My school is mostly Caucasian and there are not many minorities. I felt isolated when I first arrived on campus because a lot of people are ignorant. They would say stupid stuff about Latino culture and heritage. Some students thought Latinos were lazy. Some students had stereotypes about the way I spoke.

"My roommate and I are both Latino and people always got our names confused. At first we didn't really care. But after it went on for a few months, we were like, 'Alright, come on, we're two different people.' Stuff like that. So it was weird at first. The first two months were a little rough, trying to find friends."

Diego Gonzalez had this to say: "I think it's very important to choose a diverse college, because the United States is a melting pot and we're all different races, all different cultures, all different ideals.

"When you're in college, it gets lonely. You might not have a connection to somebody. You might be an outcast. But if you go to a diverse university, you'll have different people from different cultures. And more likely than not you'll meet somebody you can connect with. Aside from your parents, you need other people to rely on in college."

For Emily Diaz and Suzy Gonzalez, diversity was less important.

Emily: "I think it might depend on the individual. I was okay being in a college where everyone was mostly Caucasian, but some students may not be. They might want to go to a school where there's a larger Latino population.

"If diversity is an issue for you, then research college websites. You might find a Latino women's club or some other group where you feel you can be active and make a difference. And you can also talk to your guidance counselors about diversity."

Suzy Gonzalez: "It wasn't an issue in choosing a college. In high school I was the only Hispanic in a class of 24 kids. Where I grew up, the majority of the population was Caucasian and it never bothered me. So that was never an issue for me."

### Diversity Data to Consider

The chart below shows enrollment patterns at a sampling of private and public colleges. Information like this can be helpful to the Latino student in choosing a college.

For example, at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 2011, 36% of the student body was composed of minorities, up from 26% in 2006; 14% of students were the first in their families to attend college; 8% were from foreign countries, and 89% were from out of state. Some 20% of students received federal financial aid in the form of Pell grants. In comparison, the student body at Bucknell University was only 9% minority.

A good source of information on diversity is the U.S. News & World Report Campus Ethnic Diversity index, which is available online (see website listings at the end of the chapter). The ethnic diversity index is scored from 0 to 1; the closer a college is to 1, the more diverse it is.

But the best way to determine true diversity is to visit a college's classrooms and cafeteria, or to talk to people who have attended the colleges you're interested in.

According to the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (<http://www.hacu.net/>), half of Hispanic undergraduate students at four-year schools are in Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI). These colleges have student bodies that are at least 25% Hispanic.

If you're the first in your family to attend college, an HSI can be an attractive choice. But you need to choose carefully; just because a school is an HSI, it does not mean that automatically it is the best match for you.

### Four-year College vs. Two-year Community College

You may be undecided about whether to attend a four-year college and earn a Bachelor's degree, or attend a two-year community college and earn an Associate's degree. A four-year Bachelor's degree is a requirement for many jobs and can lead to higher earnings, but there can be advantages to attending a community college. It can help you find out if college is right for you. As Carolina Poveda suggests: "If you want to go to college but you're not sure what classes you like, I suggest starting part-time at a community college and take the basic classes that everyone has to take, like Writing 101, Composition, and Public Speaking."

You should attend a community college if you are:

■ Undecided about college or your major, and would be paying a high price to find out at a four-year college,

■ Unable to afford anything else for the first two years of your education, or

■ In a family situation that demands that you stay close to home.

We will discuss community colleges in detail in the next chapter.

### Family Issues

When it comes to college, Latinos sometimes face family issues that are unique to their backgrounds and situations. You and/or your parents may be recent immigrants and not understand everything about college education in the U.S. Your parents may prefer that you find a job after high school to help support the family instead of going to college. Or you may be the first in your family to go to college, which may make it difficult for your parents to give you the advice and support you need in making your decision. Your parents might want you to pursue a course of study and a career that you don't like.

Let's say your father wants you to be an accountant. This job is always in demand, because there's always a need for somebody to keep the books. Parents often want their children to pursue the safest career path. However, you hate the idea of working with numbers all day.

Or let's say your father wants you to be a doctor, but you can't stand the sight of blood and are already determined to become a lawyer and help the immigrant community.

If you have no passion for a particular career, you will find it hard to negotiate with your parents about where you want to go to college; there is normally no money to be wasted.

When you understand what you want, and when you are passionate and informed about your goals, you'll be better able to have your parents understand your point of view.

Guillermo Reina went through this experience with his father.

"I remember being 16 or 17 back in Colombia and saying, 'Dad, I want to be a teacher like you.' And he said, 'No, no, no, these days you need to be an engineer or a doctor or something like that.' And I said 'Okay.' And the idea of being a teacher went away. "In Colombia I tried computer science, but after one year I switched to business administration. But then I started to teach as a graduate student in college. I was already 24, 25 years old and I felt something inside when I was in front of the class. I felt like I was supposed to be a teacher."

To overcome parental objections to your career choice, ask for help from a guidance counselor, a teacher, or the parent(s) of a friend. The better you can explain your choice to your parents, the greater the chance that they will accept it.

### If You're the First in Your Family to Go to College

Another common challenge arises when you're the first in your family who wants to go to college and your family doesn't support that decision—or simply do not understand. This is a complicated issue faced by many Latinos. What can you do in that situation? Our current and former college students had a lot of advice on how to help your parents understand the benefits of college. Let's listen to their wise words.

Winans Largacha, who was born in Colombia, had this to say: "I am the first one in my immediate family to complete college in the United States. If you're the first one to go, you need a lot of guidance. Everything is new, and there's no one's example to follow, to help you avoid or at least minimize mistakes. Most of us are 17 or 18 years old, and making some of the most important decisions that will shape the rest of our lives.

"Choosing a career at that age can seem frightening, with your whole life stretching before you. If you don't have an immediate family member, close relative, or close friend who has already gone through college to help you through the process, it can be very difficult and cause you to miss opportunities. It's important that you get all the resources you can to help with these decisions."

Carolina Poveda: "I was lucky because my parents have Master's degrees and my dad has a Ph.D., so education was in my DNA since I was born. It was always clear that I was going to college. I think it's a challenge for young people whose parents didn't go. Maybe they don't get the right information about college and sometimes they need to start working to help their parents. So going to college is not an option in their minds.

"Again, I haven't met one person who said college didn't do anything for them. So I definitely think it's worth it to get the right information and find a way to go. If you need to work, maybe you can work and also go to college.

"I would recommend that you talk to the school counselor or the career adviser at school. That person should be able to bring you and your parents together for a meeting. There are professional associations for doctors, lawyers, the police, and business people. Someone from one of those groups could talk to you and your parents, to give you a better idea of what life is like in that profession."

Amanda Maldonado: "Tell your parents in a respectful way that this is your life and college is your choice. If they don't support it, you'll need to apply for a lot of financial aid and scholarships. If you don't have financial aid, you're going to have to work, and it's very hard to combine work and school, especially if you're a full-time student. It's a lot of pressure. So sit down with your parents and tell them why you want to go.

"If you don't go to college, it should be because you truly don't have a passion for it, not because your parents prevent you from going. Don't let the opportunity for college pass. If you go to work after high school and then try to go to college at 26 instead of 18, it's very hard."

Deep Shah: "I would say bring your parents to college open houses and college orientations. That's a good way to teach them about the importance of going to college and how bright your future will be. You can explain to them that you'll probably have to take out loans, but you'll get a better paying job to pay off those loans."

Diego Gonzalez: "I was the first one in my family to go to college. My parents never really had any issues with that. But for those immigrant families that are against college, you have to look at it from their point of view. They probably came from a country where the school system wasn't the best, and all their lives they had to work hard. Working was the only way they got ahead in life.

"They may look down on college because they want their children to get a job and help support the family. A high school education is good enough for them, because maybe the parents never finished school. That issue has to be discussed, because today a high school degree is not enough to get ahead in life. You might get a job paying $15 or $20 an hour and think that's great, but that's nothing with the high cost of living.

"If your parents oppose college, maybe you can find a way to compromise. If they want you to get a job and help the family, maybe you can work full time and go to school part time. There has to be a compromise, because a lot of immigrant families come to this country to better their lives. The U.S. is where everybody gets a chance to make it. And the children should have that opportunity."

Emily Diaz: "Have your guidance counselor meet with your parents to explain the benefits of college. Yes, it's a financial investment. Yes, you have to pay some money in the beginning. College is very expensive and some parents can be very afraid of that. But they also have to understand that it's an opportunity every child should have. Try to find a teacher, principal, or guidance counselor to help your parents see the importance of an education."

Another big issue in selecting a college is whether to stay close to home or family or attend a college that's far away or even out of state.

Here are some factors to consider in making your choice.

Amanda Maldonado: "I went away to college, but going away might be a little bit scarier for some people as opposed to staying at home. Going away gave me freedom and I loved it. If you feel scared about being away from family, choose a college that's not too far away, so you'll be able to get home whenever you feel like it. My college is 30 minutes away from home, so it's easy for me to visit. The experience of going away has been great. I lived in a dorm and then eventually got my own apartment. I get to experience new people and what life will be like when I'm on my own. It's made me more driven to find a job."

Emily Diaz: "Some Latino mothers may cry every day if their kids are really far away, so it depends on your family and personal situation. Sometimes it's cheaper to live at home and commute to college, because living in a dorm may be expensive. Going to school in-state may cheaper.

"I went to my guidance counselor in high school and we went through different schools. She said that both her stepdaughter and daughter went to the University of Scranton. So I went to visit for a few days and sat in some classes. I liked the university, applied, and got in. And then they gave me a special amount of financial aid. So with my parents, I decided that was the best choice for me."

Maybe one way to look at it is that the issue of going away is important, but should not by itself decide what college a student should attend.

### Campus Characteristics: Checklists to Help You Decide

From Fiske, the long-time publisher of college catalogs, here are checklists that you can use to decide what college is best for you.

Location

■ I prefer a college in a warm or hot climate.

■ I prefer a college in a cool or cold climate.

■ I prefer to attend a college in a particular state or region.

■ I prefer to attend a college near my family.

■ I want city life within walking distance of my campus.

■ I want city life within driving distance of my campus.

■ I want my campus to be surrounded by natural beauty.

Academics and Extracurriculars

■ I like to be surrounded by people who are free-thinkers and non-conformists.

■ I like the idea of joining a fraternity or sorority.

■ I want to go to a prestigious college.

■ I want to go to a college where I can get an excellent education.

■ I want to try for an academic scholarship.

■ I want a diverse college.

■ I want a college where the students are serious about ideas.

Size

■ I enjoy participating in many activities.

■ I would like to have a prominent place in my college community.

■ Individual attention from teachers is important to me.

■ I learn best when I can speak out in class and ask questions.

■ I am undecided about what I will study.

■ I learn best by listening and writing down what I hear.

■ I would like to be in a place where I can be anonymous if I choose.

■ I prefer devoting my time to one or two activities rather than many.

■ I want to attend a college that most people have heard of.

■ I am interested in a career-oriented major.

■ I like to be on my own.

### Make Sure to Visit Colleges

By now you should have a fairly clear idea about what types of colleges interest you. The next step is to visit schools, either independently or in a group arranged by a high school guidance counselor, a favorite teacher, or an outside mentor.

Traveling to college campuses costs money (sometimes colleges pick up the bill for exceptional students who can't afford the journey), but--

That first-hand look at a school is very important.

Guillermo Reina visited Columbia University, Princeton, and Rutgers before he decided on a smaller college in New Jersey. He says: "College brochures have beautiful pictures with smiling students walking across campus. But to get a true sense of what a college is really like, you need to sit in on classes and talk to alumni. If a college has an open house or an alumni association, take advantage of that. Talk to someone who attended the college. Ask them what they liked and didn't like about the school. Talk to the deans.

"Find out what kinds of clubs, sports, and extracurricular activities the college has. College is stressful and you need other activities to balance your life. College is not only about following the schedule of classes. It's much more than that."

When on your tour of the college, remember that the person taking you around is trying to sell you on the school. The colleges want you as their customer. But you have to be a careful shopper.

Ask questions of the tour leader and of current students at the college. Make sure to ask "uncomfortable" questions that can give you a true picture of the college. As a Latino, it's especially important that you get a real sense of the place where you'll be spending the next four years or more. You want to be comfortable not only with the academics, but with all aspects of college life.

Here are some suggested questions to ask during your visit:

For the College Representative Conducting the Tour

■ What is the average class size?

■ Are classes taught by professors, adjuncts, or graduate assistants? (Fewer full-time professors means less experienced teachers and suggests the college is attempting to trim costs: adjuncts/assistants are cheaper.)

■ Where are students from?

■ Is the campus diverse?

■ Can I study abroad? Will financial aid cover its tuition and expenses?

■ What internship and career planning and placement services are available?

■ What services are offered by the campus health center?

■ What services are available to help students get settled during year one?

■ How successful are the college's graduates in finding jobs?

■ What is the average homework time per class?

■ What is the availability of tutoring?

■ What is the average financial aid award?

For Current Students

■ What do you like most about this college? What do you like the least?

■ How easy is it to register for classes? Is it difficult to get into them?

■ How would you rate the quality of the classes and teaching?

■ Do most freshmen class lectures take place in an auditorium?

■ Are faculty members interested in their students?

■ Are they accessible outside of class?

■ Is the library a good place to study and do research?

■ How safe is campus? What security features are in place?

■ Is the campus computer network adequate for your needs?

■ Do fraternities and sororities dominate the social life of the college?

Questions About Campus Atmosphere

■ Are there tensions or conflicts on campus?

■ Are the residence halls pleasant and quiet enough to study in?

■ Is there adequate space and light?

■ What is advertised on dorm and classroom bulletin boards?

■ What does this tell me about campus life?

■ Would I like living in this town or city?

■ What is it like on campus during weekends?

■ Is there a lot to do outside of campus?

Questions For A Particular Program Or Department

■ How many students are enrolled in this program?

■ How does this number compare with last year and five years ago?

■ What is the dropout rate?

■ What job categories do students fall into upon graduating?

■ What other good schools offer this program?

■ When must a student decide on his specific major?

■ What are the SAT scores and GPAs of students in this program?

■ Are there tutors available?

■ What is the faculty turnover?

■ Do professors, adjuncts, or teaching assistants teach the classes?

■ Are there many scholarship students in this program?

■ What is the diversity of students in the program?

■ Is there a separate admissions process?

■ What are acceptance rates for the program?

■ Is there a possibility to take other programs in the same university?

■ Are there specific clubs for students in this program?

### Sources of Information on Researching Colleges

Here are additional sources of information on researching, applying, and paying for college. Note that each source has its positives and negatives.

### Safe, Realistic, and Reach Schools

After you have visited colleges, compared them, and reviewed the information you've compiled about them, you then begin the selection process. Carefully consider the various factors, such as academic strength, location, size, cost, diversity, etc. Continue to seek feedback on your choices from teachers who may have attended the school, current students at the school, mentors, and guidance counselors.

Then make a list of schools that fall into three categories:

■ **Safe schools** : those that you are almost 100% certain will accept you.

■ **Realistic schools** : your favorites where you have a good chance of being accepted.

■ **Reach schools** : those that are more difficult to get into.

Having this list gives you a good chance of getting into and attending a school that fits with your goals and finances. For example, if you only apply to Reach schools, you run the risk of not getting into any of them. If you apply only to Safe schools, you won't know if you could have gone to a more selective school

Now you're ready to begin the application process.

### Helpful Websites

The following websites offer a lot of information about choosing a college.

Council for Opportunity in Education  
COENET.US

Emphasis is on access  
COLLEGEACCESS.ORG

Articles about the college process  
COLLEGECONFIDENTIAL.COM

Lots of data  
COLLEGEMEASURES.ORG

Finding the right college  
COLLEGENAVIGATOR.GOV

Individual college data  
COLLEGERESULTS.ORG

Matching interests with a college  
COURSEADVISOR.COM

Virtual campus tours  
ECAMPUSTOURS.COM

Advocate for Education Reform  
EDTRUST.ORG

Lots of help  
FASTWEB.COM

Hispanic Asso. Colleges and Universities  
HACU.NET

Mentoring  
IMENTOR.ORG

On-line education materials  
KNEWTON.COM

Lumina Foundation assistance  
KNOWHOW2GO.ORG

Education, civil rights, etc  
LULAC.ORG

Tons of information  
LUMINAFOUNDATION.ORG

Another ton of informational stuff  
MAPPINGYOURFUTURE.ORG

Programs in medical field  
MEDICALMENTOR.ORG

Counseling  
NACACNET.ORG

Lots of education data  
NCES.ED.GOV

Youth leadership programs  
POSSEFOUNDATION.ORG

Student program for collegians  
QUESTBRIDGE.ORG

Sponsors for Educational Opportunity  
SEO-USA.ORG

Admission counseling  
THECOLLEGEADVISORYNETWORK.COM

Provides rankings of colleges  
USNEWS.COM

Data on diversity  
 U.S.N&WR CAMPUS ETHNIC DIVERSITY INDEX

Finding the right price  
TUITIONTRACKER.ORG

Another source of information in choosing a college is material published by state departments of education. For example, New Jersey (<http://www.nj.gov/education/>) publishes an annual report showing the number of students receiving certificates or degrees for a common list of majors at every higher education institution in the state. Nationally, for deeper research into various issues, the Education Commission of the States (<http://www.ecs.org/>) has information pertinent to every facet of education, with helpful links to websites in each state.

## CHAPTER FOUR:  
Should You Start at a Community College?

Nearly half of Latino students who go to college attend two-year community colleges, earning an Associate of Arts (A.A.) or Associate of Science (A.S.) degree. They choose community colleges for three main reasons.

■ Community colleges are open enrollment, so getting in is not normally a problem.

■ Two-year schools are more affordable than four-year institutions. This is especially important because the community college student may be working to pay both his own bills and to contribute to the household budget.

■ The traditionally tight-knit Hispanic family often pushes a student toward attending a nearby school, which is often a community college.

### Who Goes to a Community College?

Students who attend a community college tend to be:

■ From families where the parents did not graduate from college. Some 38% of students at two-year colleges have parents who did not graduate from college.

■ From minority groups. Over 40% of community college students are minorities.

■ From low-income families. According to the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, 44% of low-income students (a family income less than $25,000 per year) attend community colleges; only 15% of high-income students are at these schools.

■ Students who work; 80% of full-time community college students have jobs.

■ Relative newcomers to the U.S. who are taking non-credit English as a Second Language (ESL) courses. This affects the amount of time and money needed to get a degree, since academic credit courses can't be taken until ESL requirements are fulfilled. The issue of language is obviously large within the Latino community.

■ Young people who are undecided about their career goal, but whose parents want them to be somewhere in higher education.

■ Young people who are undecided about their major, and who want to explore their academic options at a relatively reasonable price.

■ Students who want to get two years under their belts at a price they can afford, with the intention of transferring to a four-year college when they have their Associate's degree.

■ Students who will be taking advantage of articulation agreements (for example, easy credit transfers) between community colleges and four-year schools.

■ Adults in their upper twenties/low thirties who have not yet developed a marketable skill and believe a two-year degree will improve their job prospects.

■ Older career changers. An example would be someone who worked in financial services and is now attempting to become a nurse.

If you apply to a community college, you usually have to take a placement test called "ACCUPLACER" that tests your ability to handle college material. If you're not ready, you are required to take remedial, non-credit classes. Even if you've been in the American education system for many years, you may still need remedial courses. Some community colleges may not require a placement test if you've taken the SAT and achieved a certain score.

In New Jersey, under the NJ STARS program, the top 15% of high school students can attend two-year schools without having to pay tuition (they still pay for books, school fees, etc.). This is a powerful lure, even though many of them might be better off attending a four-year college right away, despite the increased cost. (NJ Stars recipients can use their scholarship to attend a four-year college in the state; however, they can only use $2,500 per academic year.)

Whether you are documented can affect getting into a community college, what tuition you will pay, and the amount of financial aid you will receive. Community colleges should be accessible by all regardless of documentation; however, in some cases, undocumented students have a hard time getting in, a clear violation of the higher education mission of these institutions. Other two-year colleges have provided access but have charged the dramatically higher international rate. Others have provided both access and the ability to pay the in-county rate. In the overwhelming majority of cases, government-based financial aid for college is not available to undocumented students. (See the discussion of Undocumented Students in Chapter Eleven.)

### What Are the Drawbacks?

These are some disadvantages in attending a community college:

College can have the feel of being "Grade 13," meaning that many of the kids you knew in high school are taking classes and hanging out together, simply at a different location than before. You don't have "the new life" that's required when living on campus at a four-year school. This is a drawback if you want to chart a new path of independence.

Attending a community college is like shopping at the mall: you drive there, park, go inside, and make a purchase (go to class). When you're finished, you turn around and leave. There is less "school spirit" and involvement in extracurricular activities than at a four-year school, which has fewer commuter students. For example, Latino students may find it difficult to staff the United Latino Organization and create a college-wide diversity program at a two-year commuter school.

Half of the students at community colleges (80% in New York State) are taking at least one remedial course. Four-year colleges have higher-achieving incoming students, which could provide a more stimulating environment for learning.

The quality of courses and professors varies widely at community colleges, perhaps even more than at four-year schools.

Think carefully about the pros and cons of starting out at a community college. Talk to friends who attend two-year schools and take a tour to help you make your decision. If you eventually shift gears, try not to think of it as "wasted" money, but as another item on your list of productive experiences.

## CHAPTER FIVE:  
Understanding the College Application Process

Understanding the college application process isn't easy. This chapter will try to make it less confusing.

First let's hear again from Andres Arce, 21, who will graduate from the University of Tampa in May 2015.

"I was on my own in filling out the application. My dad never went to college. He can speak English but my mom can't really. The hardest part was filling in everything by myself, given that I was only in high school. It's a long and exhausting process. My advice is to reach out to someone for help in case your parents can't help you. Research the whole process with your guidance counselor.

"I had a good guidance counselor. I filled it out the application myself, but if I had questions about financial aid or something, I'd speak to him.

"I procrastinated a little bit. Start applying toward the end of the summer between your junior and senior years, so your applications can be sent out in September and you don't have to stress over them during school."

### Getting Yourself Organized

At some point in the application process you will probably have piles of college-related materials, and it all needs to be organized.

Being aware of deadlines is critically important. Set your own deadline to respond to information requests at least one week before they are actually due. If you do this, you will reduce your stress considerably.

Many high schools use the Naviance system (naviance.com) for organizing the college application process. You can access this site for free. The system enables students to:

■ Take interest or career surveys

■ Research careers or colleges

■ Write resumes

■ Keep track of college applications, and

■ Become aware of local scholarship information

Below is an organizer for the college application process, as developed by The Bottom Line, a non-profit organization that assists financially challenged and first-in-family students to enroll in and graduate from college. It has space to fill in the data for four colleges: one "safety," one "reach," and two "realistic" schools. You may not need to fill in all the information for each college, but you must know what is required for each.

Fill in the dates in each box and check them off when done. This is a great way to organize the application process.

### Application Checklist

The Bottom Line provides a handy application checklist:

Before Senior Year

■ Research, visit, finalize list of colleges.

■ Get a Social Security number if you are undocumented (See Chapter Eleven).

■ Plan your testing schedule.

■ Work on a draft of your college essay (it's never too early to start).

■ Review your high school transcript; know your GPA.

■ Prepare your resume.

■ Get ready for the SAT.

September, Senior Year

■ Avoid "senioritis"—everything you do as a senior still counts.

■ Take the most challenging courses available.

■ Review your "Reach, Realistic, and Safety" college ideas with your counselor.

■ Register for the SAT and list four colleges to receive your scores.

■ Register for the TOEFL, if English is your second language.

■ Begin researching scholarships.

■ If colleges require interviews, call their admissions offices to make appointments.

October-November, Senior Year

■ You will receive your SAT Registration Ticket a few weeks before the test.

■ Take the SAT: bring a picture ID, pencils, Registration Ticket, calculator.

■ Take the SAT again.

■ Check to see if your colleges require the SAT Subject Tests.

■ Request recommendations from your teachers.

■ Review and edit your college essay.

December, Senior Year

■ Complete college applications, as many have January 1 deadlines.

■ Know your high school's procedures for sending out applications, recommendations, and transcripts.

January, Senior Year

■ Complete the FAFSA (see Chapter Seven).

■ Persuade your parents to file their tax return as soon as possible

■ FAFSA is not only relevant to the Pell Grant and Stafford Loans

■ Numerous first-come, first-served scholarships and other aid are based on FAFSA.

■ See if your colleges require a CSS Profile

■ Find out if your colleges require a separate financial aid application.

■ Apply for scholarships.

■ Ask if the colleges require mid-year high school academic reports.

February, Senior Year

■ If over 18, young men must register for the draft to be eligible for federal aid.

■ You receive your Student Aid Report (SAR) about three weeks after filing FAFSA

■ Check the SAR for accuracy and make corrections promptly.

■ Call the college to make sure it received your application—and it was complete.

March-April, Senior Year

■ Bring acceptance or rejection letters to your guidance counselor.

■ You get financial aid award letters three weeks or so after your acceptance letters.

■ Review these letters with your family and guidance counselor.

■ Visit the colleges that accepted you; stay overnight, attend classes.

■ Evaluate your acceptances, compare the financial packages, and then DECIDE!

■ After deciding, sign the financial aid letter, which means acceptance.

■ Return the letter to the college.

May, Senior Year

■ Send the deposit required by your college.

■ Send a letter to the colleges you are not going to attend.

■ If nothing has happened, do not panic; send out some more applications.

June, Senior Year

■ Thank the people who helped.

■ Celebrate, go to your prom.

### Understanding Your Application

The Common Application or CA (<http://www.commonapp.org/>) is the most widely-used application by students interested in four-year colleges, partly because you can submit multiple applications to the 488 CA member schools, and partly because there is a ton of useful data and approaches on this website that can help you with the process. Through CA, every year over 750,000 students file more than three million college applications, 80% of which are on-line.

Your Personal Essay

Many colleges require that you write a personal essay as part of the application process, which usually prompts the following reaction: "OMG, I have to write a personal essay—about myself!"

Far too often, a high school education revolves around answering multiple-choice questions rather than writing essays. Writing a good college application essay requires a different and more thoughtful process. It has to be well written and almost immediately grab the attention of the college's applications reader.

To add to the challenge, the Spanish language takes 25% more words to convey a message than does English, but the essay must be in English.

Relax. For relatively few dollars, you can get CollegeEssayOrganizer.com to help you. Its key point is that your essay should describe how the college will help cultivate your intellectual and personal passions. In addition, your essay should demonstrate leadership, talent, motivation, and personal character.

Being Latino might help you in applying to college. Some colleges are looking to boost their diversity numbers by recruiting minority students. Don't be shy about referring to your Latino culture and heritage in your essay.

As Andres Arce advises: "Colleges are looking for something different, so write about what's unique or special about yourself."

Here are some helpful tips about writing your essay, adapted from the website CollegeEssayOrganizer.com.

Content

■ What makes you different from your friends or siblings?

■ What experiences have shaped your personality?

■ What mistakes have you made; what did you learn from them?

■ What quality do you like best in yourself and what do you like least?

■ What is the logic behind your interests and what the college offers?

Process

■ Hook the reader at the start of your essay; keep the focus narrow and personal.

■ Decide on the message, write freely, then revise and tighten.

■ Avoid big words designed to show off; be concise; be honest.

■ Give concrete examples from your own life to back up your points.

■ End with wording that leaves the reader wanting more.

■ Read the darn thing out loud to make sure it reads right.

■ Have somebody else edit it, including comments on structure, content, grammar, and spelling; this reader should have English as his first language.

■ Pay attention to the college's essay guidelines/limits.

■ NO: slang, excessive "I" sentences, sarcasm, or resume information.

■ Make sure the only college named is the one you are sending the essay to.

As you might expect, students love to boast about their volunteer experiences in their essays, even when volunteering is mandatory in their high school curriculum. Note: it is better to volunteer in one place for multiple years than to do short-term volunteering at multiple places. This shows greater commitment on your part.

Your Interview

While every four-year college requires the personal essay, not all of them require a personal interview. Nonetheless, it is best to be prepared if one is requested. Here is the list of suggestions:

Bring your "A+" game. It's an interview, so dress appropriately, be on time, and speak respectfully. And sorry, mom or dad—your teen should go into the interview alone.

Prepare to answer questions about what you have accomplished in school; be ready to talk about goals, academic interests, and what you want from the college experience.

If you have had to overcome unique circumstances, or if there is a flaw in your academic record, this is a chance to talk about it. Perhaps a poor grade came after the death of a family member or an unexpected health issue. Or maybe you simply lacked focus as a freshman, but got it together and did what was needed to improve during the rest of high school. Everyone faces challenges, and confronting them head on will show the admissions officer you are resilient.

Bring a few questions of your own to show you have a real interest in the college. Research its website; do not ask questions answered there. If the interviewer is an alumnus, ask how the school has changed. Ask about the successes of recent graduates.

And talk about your goals as a Latino student striving for higher education.

### Early Decision and Early Action

It's important that you understand the "Early Decision" process. If you're taking this route, you usually submit your application by the end of October of your senior year and receive a decision in mid-December. In contrast, students applying "regular decision" typically submit applications by January 1 and receive the college's decision by April 1.

Early Decision is binding. If you take this route and a college accepts you, you must attend that college. About 25% of four-year colleges offer this option.

Some colleges have "Early Action." This is similar to Early Decision, but the student is not bound by the school's decision. Colleges must reply within a short period of time and you must decide by a certain deadline.

High school students who have done well academically often receive stronger financial packages by going Early Decision. However, Early Decision is not a great idea if you're not sure which college is best for you and you want to leave your options open.

### Helpful Websites

Apply, graduate from college  
BOTTOMLINE.ORG

Writing the college personal essay  
COLLEGEESSAYORGANIZER.COM

Help on writing the essay  
COLLEGEESSAYSOLUTIONS.COM

Application to multiple colleges  
COMMONAPP.COM

Application tools for college  
EMBARK.COM

Application to multiple colleges  
NATIONALAPPCENTER.COM

Wide range of information  
NAVIANCE.COM

Organizational tips for teenagers  
TEENFAX.COM

## CHAPTER SIX:  
How Much Will College Cost?

For the vast majority of you reading this book, college tuition will seem high, impossible, completely out of reach—pick the description that best fits. However, the same can be true about buying a house or a car, which doesn't mean you shouldn't buy one at a price which makes sense at the time of the decision. The same is true of a college education.

When you buy a house, you need to consider its cost, condition, taxes, insurance, etc. With college, you need to consider a long list of expenses besides tuition. You must know why you're attending one college instead of another, and why you're attending college at all instead of pursuing a different option.

In both cases, it is good to have many conversations, with different people.

### What Students Say About the Cost of College

To show you that it's not impossible to pay for college, let's hear from college students who have successfully met that challenge.

Guillermo Reina: "This is a big issue that I also faced. Students worry about whether they can afford college. They don't have a laptop, they don't have a car, and they may not have a lot of money. So they wonder how they can go. But I managed to pay for college and you can, too."

Diego Gonzalez: "Just like there are coupons for food shopping, there are coupons for college. Grants and loans can minimize those costs. Parents who are not from this country and want their kids to go to college, they're going to look at the cost and say: 'Oh my God. That's how much I'm gonna have to pay?' But there are ways around it."

Danny Rossello, who graduated in May of 2014 from the University of Scranton, says, "Don't let the expense stop you from going. There are a lot of sources of money out there. Start looking around for sponsorships and scholarships. There are scholarships especially for Hispanic students. There are a lot of things out there that can help you out. Don't give up. My college offered me a scholarship, so I won't have to pay that much."

Deep Shah, a sophomore at Rutgers, agrees: "There are a lot of different ways to get financial aid. There are thousands of scholarships that you can apply for. And remember that the education is going help you get a job in the future. If you don't go to college, or if you drop out of college to start working, you'll have an entry level, low-paying job. The people who graduate from college usually end up getting the professional jobs. It depends on what career path you choose, but after college most salaries will be higher than if you just have a high school education."

I hope that puts the cost issue somewhat in perspective. Now that you've heard those encouraging words, let's try to understand the real costs of college.

### Understanding a College's Real Cost: Using the Net Price Calculator

Students finally are getting some serious help from the government in understanding the cost of higher education.

Colleges now must publish an estimated Cost of Attendance (COA): the total expense of tuition, room-and-board, fees, books, transportation and all related costs of being a student. And they must provide a Net Price Calculator (NPC). Based on data submitted by you, the NPC is an estimate of what you and/or your family would have to pay the school after subtracting from its COA the average total of scholarships, government grants, and/or government loans received by similar students attending that college.

(Cautionary note: since undocumented students are not eligible for federal aid, the NPC data for these students must be adjusted to reflect this painful reality. See Chapter Eleven on Undocumented Students.)

The COA and NPC are big steps forward in the on-going attempt to clarify the college cost picture. However, they are not perfect, because colleges can ask a wide range of questions about you, including references to parental income or asking for the results of standardized tests you haven't yet taken, which can influence how much financial aid they offer. College websites can be unclear in explaining the NPC.

The government has introduced an improvement in the presentation of college financial information called the Shopping Sheet. In the 2013-14 academic year it was available at 300+ colleges, representing about 10% of the student population. President Obama has announced a "College Scorecard," which includes net price, graduation, and default rate data. This is available at <http://www.collegecost.ed.gov/scorecard>. There are other websites that can help you research the cost of higher education. A good place to start is http://www.nces.ed.gov/College Navigator.

When you have reliable information early in the college research process, it increases your options in applying to a range of schools. Too many guidance counselors have automatic suggestions for students based on what they think you can afford. They may say, "You can always go to the community college," or in New York State they might say, "You can always go to CUNY or SUNY." You need to have more options, no matter what your financial or academic circumstances might be. That's why it's important to understand and use the NPC. You may be able to afford more colleges than you thought.

It is equally important to remember that it's risky to pay too much for college or go too much into debt, especially if you end up struggling academically and are in danger of not graduating. It is always good to have several "financially safe schools" on your list of possible colleges.

To give you a feel for the cost of college, the table below includes their annual COA (or "sticker price") and what they estimate is their typical net or actual price (again annually) after including average levels of financial aid (this includes only grants and scholarships; loans are not reflected in these figures). In other words, you should not instantly reject schools that have a high "sticker price," as the real cost can be far lower.

In researching how to pay for college, Andres Arce recommends speaking directly to the colleges that interest you.

"I called the University of Tampa, as well as some other schools, and spoke with the financial aid office. And they explained how the whole process works. You can speak to them about tuition and about academic scholarships as well. They'll explain the process and what you are eligible for. They'll also explain other costs, such as health costs."

### What Parents Should Know About College Costs

One good thing for parents is that they can get certain tax breaks for college costs. The tax breaks can be thought of as an immediate reduction in the net cost of college and therefore should be included in the initial process of looking at different schools.

When considering financial aid for the student, such as the Pell Grant and Stafford (Federal Direct) Loans obtained through FAFSA (to be discussed a little later), the government will be looking at everything financial within the family, including any money hidden under the mattress. However, this should not keep parents from being aggressive in demonstrating the need for their child to receive financial aid from the government, the college, and/or anybody else willing to write a check.

Under the American Opportunity Credit (a modification of what was called the Hope Tax Credit), an individual taxpayer earning $80,000 or less ($160,000 for a married couple) can take up to $2,500 off their tax bill for a college student (must be attending at least half-time) whom they are supporting. Forty percent ($1,000) of the credit is fundable; the tax filer gets his money back even if he has no federal tax liability.

There is a Lifetime Learning Tax Credit, with the same income limits; here the filer can take a deduction of 20% of tuition (the latter figure is capped at $10,000 and therefore the deduction maximum is $2,000), for any postsecondary education. These credits, which are not fundable, cannot be claimed in the same year as the American Opportunity Credit. In all cases, tax credits are only available to the actual payer of the tuition; a personal income tax return cannot claim credits for outside scholarships. (Refer to tax form 1098-T; <http://www.irs.gov/>; IRS publication 970, Tax Benefits for Higher Education, 1-800-829-1040.)

A college savings system called the "529 Plan" is useful for families who have the financial capability to regularly put money aside for college, which is not the case for the typical first-in-family student. Monies transferred into a "529 Plan" are after-tax, but all income generated by investing within the plan is tax-free as long as the monies are used for college. If gift giving is possible, those monies going into the "529 Plan" can be accelerated beyond normal gift regulations. There was a total of $135 billion in "529" plans as of mid-2010, according to the College Savings Plan Network; go to savingsforcollege.com for information.

### Helpful Websites

These provide information about saving for college and tax matters related to college.

General tax information  
IRS.GOV

National Center Educational Statistics  
NCES.ED.GOV

529 Plan information  
SAVINGSFORCOLLEGE.COM

Finding the right price  
TUITIONTRACKER.ORG

Financial aid information  
Shopping Sheet

Net price, graduation, and default rate data  
College Scorecard

## CHAPTER SEVEN:  
How to Pay for College

Now that you have some idea about the cost of college, this chapter will go into more detail about the many different ways to pay for higher education. Once again, it's a challenge many Latinos have faced and overcome. Note that persevering in the face of adversity makes everything that is accomplished more valuable than if it came easily.

One of them is Guillermo Reina, who says this: "Not everything is going to be free. You are not going to have the 100% perfect scholarship. College will cost time and money.

"You have to have several resources and not just a huge loan that puts you in debt. You can work part-time or full-time, and take classes at night. You can look for sources of money in your community. How much money will come from a loan and how much from different sources? It depends on your priorities. If you don't like the idea of working and taking classes at night, then you have to take out bigger loans. It's a question of balancing your needs and your priorities."

Emily Diaz, a recent college graduate, believes there are ways you can get around the high cost of college.

"Number 1, you have to work hard. If you have good grades, it will help you get a scholarship. If you don't have much money, going to college in-state will help a little bit. You could do two years in a community college and then finish the last years at a state school. In my personal experience, I chose a private school where being a minority helped me. I also have loans to pay back, but because I am a Latina I was able to get a special grant that other students couldn't get.

"There are ways around it, but number 1 is that you need to work hard and dedicate yourself to your studies."

If your family has financial challenges, certain situations can make you second-guess your decision to go to college. If one or both of your parents loses a job, or if your car needs major repairs, or if a health crisis happens in the family, you may be tempted to return to the family and find a job to help out.

For many middle-class parents, the problems are different. They make too much money for the grants and loans that are available to those with lower incomes, but too little money to simply pay for their kid's higher education.

That's why it's important to carefully consider the cost of college. Don't be afraid of the cost or rule out college based on its expense, but do find out the facts.

### Factors Affecting College Costs

To review some information discussed in the previous chapter, beginning with 2012-13, every college has been required to include on its website the estimated total Cost of Attendance (COA) to be a student at that institution. Simultaneously, the college website must provide a Net Price Calculator (NPC). After a student enters his own information, as prompted by the NPC, the college subtracts the average financial aid award—grants, scholarships and loans—received by a similar student at that college. This will tell you the estimated cost for you to attend that college. For example, a college may have a COA of $30,000, but an NPC of $20,000.

What college will actually cost you is dependent on several factors:

■ Will you attend a public or private college? Private colleges are typically more costly, although not necessarily when the NPC is fully known.

■ Will you attend an in-state or out-of-state college? The latter usually is considerably more expensive than the former.

■ Will you be commuting, thereby avoiding a major expense, or will you live in a dorm on campus, which is expensive?

■ How much scholarship money will you get?

■ Will you be paying for a meal plan?

■ Are you documented?

■ Are you paying for health insurance or are you covered under a family policy?

■ Finally, what is your Expected Family Contribution (EFC), to be discussed below?

The answers to each of these questions will affect what you will pay for college.

According to one survey, the average college student in 2013 spent $21,000 on his or her education. Of that total, the average student earned $6,300 (30%) from grants/scholarships; parents put up $5,727; and federal loans were $8,815. (Source: Sallie Mae and Ipsos Public Affairs.)

For each student, the percentages among various sources can be quite different. For example, if your parents have a lower income and not much savings, you will have to borrow more. To deal with college costs in the last few years, some 20% of low-income students have transferred to less expensive schools, and 57% are living with family/friends while they attend college, up significantly from previous years.

Federal work-study aid, which is included in funding sources, is really payment for a job on the college campus or another job facilitated by the school. It's not any different than delivering pizzas for the local Domino's, except you work for the school.

Of course, you can also get a job on your own to help pay for college, as many students have done, including Guillermo Reina.

"I really preferred to work and take classes during the summer," says Guillermo. "It was more expensive, but I knew I would be able to finish my degree in time and then start a career. But if you decide to buy a new car and then have car payments and you can only afford to take one class each semester, then you're not going to finish your degree.

"So it's a question of priorities. What are you willing to put aside in the present in order to invest in the long run, in your future? By investing in college, you'll be much more well off financially and doing what you like in the future."

### Public or Private

Amanda Maldonado paid for her college education through loans and scholarships, and knows that you have to plan and shop carefully to limit college expense.

"Some students have high enough SAT scores to apply to very expensive private colleges and get scholarships. But always have a back up plan. You can apply to one or two expensive schools, but then also have more affordable, safer choices.

"I know a lot of students who went to less expensive schools, built up their GPA, and were able to transfer to more expensive schools and get scholarships for it. Make a list, see which ones are affordable, and really discuss it with you parents."

Carolina Poveda agrees that there are less expensive alternatives to private colleges.

"I wouldn't advise going to an Ivy League school or an expensive private college for an undergraduate degree unless you get a full scholarship," she says. "Because at that point, you may not be completely sure of what you want to do in life.

"Start in a college that's affordable and try to get scholarships or some kind of help. There are a lot of scholarships and try to take advantage of them. And try to work if you can. It's nice to have the summer off, but if you can work then you can graduate without loans. I worked during the two years I was in college here. It wasn't easy, but it paid off in the end because I was able to graduate without any loans."

Some colleges offer a fixed price for tuition, whether you take 12 credits (the minimum number to be considered full-time) or 18 credits. This can be attractive if you want to take enough credits to graduate in four years.

### Understanding College Expenses

The chart below explains college costs and ways to pay for them.

### How to File FAFSA to Get a Pell Grant

For the majority of students, the starting point in negotiating the college financial maze is "FAFSA," which is shorthand for the "Free Application for Federal Student Aid."

The information you provide when filling out a FAFSA is used by the federal government for Pell Grants and Federal Family Education Loans (also referred to as Federal Direct Loans or Stafford Loans), and by colleges in determining their financial aid programs, including what scholarship assistance you'll get. Private colleges may request that you provide more information through the College Scholarship Service

Profile (CSS), which is found at collegeboard.org. This online application is used by almost 400 colleges and scholarship programs to award financial aid from sources outside the federal government.

The government calculation of your financial need—and therefore your eligibility for aid—is determined by a formula involving household income, the number of occupants in the house, and information from your parents' tax return.

FAFSA-related financial aid is available to applicants who fit these requirements:

■ You must be a citizen or eligible non-citizen (i.e., resident alien)

■ Have a valid social security number

■ Have a high school diploma or GED

■ Are registered with the Selective Service (males 18-25)

■ Promise to use the money for education

■ Do not owe any refunds on federal student grants

■ Are not in default on any student loans

■ Have not already used your maximum support, which is for 12 semesters

■ Have not had a drug conviction while receiving federal student aid

The website for the Pell Grant is FAFSA.ed.gov and the phone number is 1-800-4-Fed-Aid (or 1-866-514-8938), accessible from 8 a.m. until 11 p.m. You create a FAFSA four-digit PIN number (<http://www.pin.ed.gov/>); this data, plus your social security number (which is verified with the Social Security Administration), name, and date of birth represent the overall password.

You should file FAFSA as soon as possible after January 1 of your senior year in high school, using the estimated income of your parents if a full tax return is not yet available. The usual deadline is June 30 for monies to be used in the following academic year; funds are normally disbursed on an equal basis for each of the two semesters.

After the government has done its financial needs analysis based on FAFSA information, the results are sent to the financial aid offices of the colleges you indicated when you filled out the FAFSA. (Note that there is aid indirectly triggered by FAFSA information; usually it is "first come, first served," so timeliness is important as colleges create their own deadlines for financial matters.)

You do not have to be enrolled in college to file a FAFSA, but the funds are not released until you are enrolled as a student. You must apply for FAFSA again each year, using the new income tax return of your parents.

When the government has decided on the Pell Grant and Stafford Loan amounts, the Federal Student Aid Program (PO Box 4038, Washington, D.C. 52243-4038) sends you a Student Aid Report (SAR). The SAR summarizes the FAFSA information and states the student's EFC; it should arrive within two weeks after you file your FAFSA. The Federal Student Aid Information Center is PO Box 84, Washington, D.C. 20044-84; 1-800-433-3243. The website is <http://www.federalstudentaid.ed.gov/>.

The calculation of your Pell Grant, which is financial needs-based, centers on the government's determination of your Expected Family Contribution (EFC). The majority of Pell Grants are to students from households having less than $40,000 in gross income, which means an EFC of close to zero.

The college financial aid office subtracts the EFC from its COA and fills in the remaining amount with the grants (Pell and others as applicable), scholarships (school-based and outside as applicable), and loan components (Stafford and private as applicable) to create the financial package they offer to you.

The Pell Grant maximum for 2012-13 was $5,550 (EFC of zero) and it is scheduled to rise to $6,900 by 2019-20, but Congress must allocate the money, which is debatable.

About 16 million students apply for FAFSA each year, but another 1.5 million students who are eligible do not do so. The most common reasons cited for not applying have been its complexity—there are too many questions—and the need for students to persuade their parents to divulge their income tax returns. A significant percentage of Latino parents whose children would be applicants for Pell Grants have not heard of FAFSA. You can explain FAFSA to your parents via the website's (<http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/>) Financial Awareness Counseling Tool (FACT), which you can access with your password/pin.

The good news is that FAFSA has been simplified in that tax information now can be transferred from a filer's tax returns to FAFSA by means of the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. In addition, if a full income tax return of your parents is not available, estimated taxes can be used, as mentioned before.

In a one-parent household, you need only to supply the income tax return of the person providing over 50% of the financial support for the student. If the income tax filer is under 24 years of age, there must be an adult signature. Without that, the student must file for independency, which is complicated.

If you're a methodical student, or simply realize that FAFSA equals money and therefore needs to be done, filling out the required information is doable, even if some questions seem unusual and intrusive to the average Latino family.

### Expected Family Contribution (EFC) Example

Here's a typical situation facing a financially challenged student.

The student files FAFSA with the Department of Education. The government uses the extensive information provided by the student, including the tax return of his parents, to make its estimate of what a family can afford to provide for their child's education.

Simplified, the EFC is based on the total number of people in the house and the total income of all those in the house. In many cases involving financially challenged students, the combination of these factors produces an EFC of 0. In other words, the family has no money for their student to attend college.

With an EFC of 0, the federal government provides the maximum amounts that can be awarded for the student's Pell Grant and for the Stafford (FDLP) Loans.

Based on the FAFSA application filed by the student, he or she would receive federal funds, which are the funds triggered directly by FAFSA. The example below assumes an EFC of 0. Note that these numbers change somewhat year-to-year.

Pell Grant $5,645

Subsidized Stafford Loan $3,500

Unsubsidized Stafford Loan $5,500

Total $14,645

At this point, assume the student is looking at a specific school.

The college tells you what its academic year costs are; for example:

Tuition $25,000

Room and Board $10,000

Books and Supplies $1,200

Fees: $1,300

Personal Expenses $2,500

Total 40,000

This means the student must find $25,355 ($40,000 minus $14,645) from somewhere, perhaps scholarship support from the college itself, which for a good student might be $5,000-$10,000, or even more. It could mean a state-based grant; the information for this is the same as that used for FAFSA.

Then there could be other scholarship sources, additional federal loans (Perkins, EOF, SEOG, or Parent Plus), private loans, or funds raised from friends and the community. In addition, the student may have saved some earnings from a part-time job. He might get some money from a federal work-study program, which as stated usually involves an on-campus job. (This award is also triggered by the FAFSA information.)

Often there is still a gap and the student has a financial problem. Depending on the location of the college, the student may then decide to commute instead of living on campus. This saves the $10,000 room and board expense, although not completely—there is the cost of gas (and maybe tolls) and whatever meals are bought on the run.

The difficulty of raising the total money necessary for college often leads students to consider a public four-year college (in New York State, the SUNY or CUNY systems) instead of a private school. Alternatively, you may think more positively about the nearby community college.

When you arrive on campus, make someone in the college's financial aid office your new best friend. That's because you'll probably be visiting the office on numerous occasions to have "pleasant" conversations about your tuition bill and whatever financial aid package you've received. Don't bother complaining to the financial aid office about the cost of food (the college deli will be charging you 70 cents for a banana) or the price tags in the school "bookstore" (which wants $30 for a child-sized sweatshirt) or housing. In setting prices, colleges often fail to consider that the under-financed student is struggling to make ends meet.

### How to Get a Grant or Scholarship

Scholarships

Students of all ethnicities should know there are many scholarship opportunities. Spend time researching them: scholarships, like grants, do not have to be repaid. Diego Gonzalez had this advice about getting one.

"If you're looking to go to college, then do really good in school and come out top of your class, because there are scholarships for you. Apply for all the scholarships that you can. If you're good at sports, you may be able to get a scholarship to curtail the costs."

Scholarship requirements are varied. They range from the conventional (you know, for the kid who has it all going on: 4.0 GPA, volunteers at the soup kitchen, all-county in basketball, president of the student council) to the bizarre (the applicant must be left-handed, under five feet tall, with red hair, and a desire to replace Jimmy Kimmel) and every combination in between.

College scholarship policies are referred to as "full-need" when they provide complete financial aid (grants/scholarships/loans/work study) to the level indicated by the cost of the college minus the EFC, which in many cases is zero. "Non-full need schools" leave a gap between these two numbers. To get a scholarship, you must keep looking and applying. Find the organizations that have a particular desire to assist Latinos in their higher education (see website list at the end of this chapter).

The single biggest source of scholarships is the colleges themselves. Many have a "standard" scholarship given to a large number of students. Virtually all have financial aid awards based on merit (your academic record), which means that the best strategy for the prospective collegian is simple—be a great high school student. The most widely publicized scholarships are those for athletes (even the most academically oriented school believes that a strong football or basketball team is a necessity), but the majority of scholarships are for either merit or unpublicized reasons.

Below are data on a representative group of colleges and their merit scholarship aid.

Non-College Scholarships

Non-college or government scholarship providers include:

■ Foundations/non-profit organizations whose mission is to assist college students;

■ Benefactors of schools who specify their monies be used for scholarships; and

■ Local good-guys like the American Legion.

Be sure to research these non-college scholarships, of which there are a great many.

Grants

Grants, like scholarships, do not have to be repaid.

Unlike scholarships, which are given out for reasons established by the scholarship provider, government grants are tied to financial need. At the federal level, in addition to the Pell Grant, grants are provided through the Higher Education Opportunity Fund (HEOF), which is a program for college students who have few financial resources and have been stuck in poor educational environments prior to college. The Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) also provides on-campus support services. Parents of eligible students must be citizens or have green cards and the student must meet both state level and specific college requirements.

If you're a particularly low-income student, you may be eligible for the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, which provides additional needs-based grants. Students must file a FAFSA as part of the application for this grant. Families wanting to maximize the amount of aid their student receives should also be filling out the previously mentioned CSS Profile. Some colleges use this set of information when making decisions about their own scholarship awards.

### What You Can Afford

Use this approach to determine the affordability of colleges you're interested in. I plugged in a couple of examples to show how the table works.

### Your Financial Award Letter

For most students, particularly those who are the first in their family to apply to a four-year college, being accepted by a college is an occasion of undiluted happiness. The prevailing feeling at that point is simply, "I'm in, I'm going to college!" Cheers!

You will then receive a financial aid award letter from the college and find that the information is complicated. It will include these specific items:

■ The Pell Grant, perhaps a scholarship from the college, and maybe some other grants: none of these have to be repaid.

■ Direct federal loans (Stafford Loans): these are the cheapest loans available, but they must be repaid under the vast majority of conditions.

■ Work-study money: this is included in the award letter, even though the money derived is no different from what a student could earn in an ordinary job.

Looking carefully at the letter, you might find funding sources that:

■ Do not completely pay for college

■ Leave you with enough debt to make you nauseous

■ Assume an EFC well above what your family believes it can pay

Students often toss the financial aid award letter in the appropriate college folder, without paying attention to its specific contents. Sorry, but the details, as always, are important.

### Helpful Websites

In addition to these sites, there are scores of others; for example, not included are websites for what would be a long list of scholarships offered by corporations and foundations.

Sources of Grants, Scholarships, and Loans

Variety of information  
AMERICORPS.ORG

Hispanic organization  
ASPIRA.ORG

Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute  
CHCI.ORG

Everything about college, including CSS  
COLLEGEBOARD.ORG

Federal government information  
COLLEGE.GOV

Huge resource  
FASTWEB.COM

Gates Millennium Scholarship Program  
GMSP.ORG

New York State Government Funding  
HESC.NY.GOV

Hispanics in Philanthropy  
HIPONLINE.ORG

Hispanic organization  
HISPANICFUND.ORG

Hispanic Scholarship Fund  
HSF.NET

Social investment fund for students  
LUMNI.NET

Latino applicants in New Jersey/NYC  
LOSPADRESFOUNDATION.COM

Loan related information  
MAPPINGYOURFUTURE.ORG

Aimed at low-income students  
MINDSMATTERNYC.ORG

Preparation for college/career success  
NAF.ORG

Has links to public records  
ONETONLINE.COM

Social investment fund for students  
PAVE.COM

Wide variety of financial information  
SALLIEMAEFUND.ORG

As the name implies  
SCHOLARSHIPSFORHISPANICS.ORG

Provider of student financial aid  
STUDENTAID.ED.GOV

As the name implies  
<http://www.federalstudentaid.ed.gov/>

<http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/>

## CHAPTER EIGHT:  
Understanding College Loans and Debt

About 60% of college students borrow money in order to attend college and hopefully earn a higher income during their lives after graduation. A typical debt level for a student graduating from a four-year college is $25,000 to $30,000. Your total financial obligation can climb sharply if you are attending an expensive college that does not offer you substantial scholarship support.

Assume $20,000 in total Stafford Loans is borrowed at 5.6%; the monthly repayment after graduation on a ten-year plan is $222, so debt decisions should not be made lightly. However, as many of the college students in this book have pointed out, it can make sense to go into some debt to attend a good college. Debt and college now go hand-in- hand for students without big scholarships or wealthy parents. The question is not whether you'll go into debt to attend college, but how much.

### Understanding Different Types of Loans

Federal student loans (Stafford, FDLP, or FFELP) come in two versions.

The "subsidized" loan means that the interest rate is fixed and the federal government pays the interest on the loan while you are in college. About 70% of those who qualify have a family income below $50,000; one-third of all undergraduates have a subsidized loan. The limit here is $3,500 to $8,500 per year, depending on whether the student is a freshman or sophomore, and several other factors. Repayment terms are usually up to 10 years, with monthly payments ranging from $50 to several hundred dollars.

In the latter part of 2013, the U. S. Senate approved a new approach to interest rates on this loan. These are the details for the 2013-14 academic year; the rates are fixed for the length of the loan and apply to loans taken out after July 1, 2013. Rates are adjusted annually for new loans to new borrowers:

■ Undergraduate student loans: 3.9% (would have been 6.8%);

■ Graduate student loans: 5.4% (6.8%);

■ PLUS loans: 6.4% (7.9%).

It is likely that interest rates on federal student debt will go higher in coming years. In that event, the loans will become more expensive. The limits will be 8.25% for undergraduates, 9.5% for graduate students, and 10.5% for PLUS recipients. Each interest rate is higher than those in the present federal loan structure.

An "unsubsidized" Stafford loan means the interest rate is not fixed and interest is being added to the amount to be repaid. The loan limit is $2,625 to $18,500, depending on what year of college you're in and the amount of subsidized loans—there is a four-year loan limit of $31,000, of which no more than $23,000 can be subsidized. Terms of repayment on unsubsidized loans are like those of subsidized loans.

To keep debt in perspective, you should try to estimate what your total debt will be when you graduate from college. You can start making this estimate when you receive your first financial aid award letter.

### Understanding Your Debt Burden After Graduation

The table below shows the amount of money you will have to repay and the number of monthly payments for certain amounts of college debt. These data represents the undergraduate level only. (You do not want to see the debt numbers when graduate school is included; save that shock for later.)

After you receive Pell Grant monies and federal loans, after the scholarships (if any), after borrowing from relatives, and after family money and your own, it is not unusual that you may still need more money to attend college. Your parents may need to take out PLUS loans for whatever additional college funding is needed.

The parents, bless their hearts, are directly responsible for repayment of PLUS loans (you are morally responsible), and usually must begin doing so only 60 days after the funds are completely disbursed, whereas you, the student, are able to defer repayment longer on your direct loans. The current interest rate on PLUS loans is 7.9%-8.5%; the fee to obtain the loan is 4%. Yes, it's sad but true: college is a big business.

Assuming your loving parents have helped out, here are the repayment numbers:

When you take out a federal loan, you must sign a Master Promissory Note and complete loan entrance counseling. You can then keep track of your debt obligations through the National Student Loan Data System. While there is some Congressional discussion about the subject, as of now federal student loans must be repaid even if the borrower has filed for bankruptcy. Student loans in bankruptcy are treated like child support, alimony, overdue taxes, and criminal fines.

Here is how borrowers themselves have reacted to their debt situations.

If all of this information is making you nervous about going to college, remember what was discussed in Chapter One—college graduates earn more than people who don't go to college. It's worth going to college, even if you have to go into some debt. The question is: how much debt?

There are two ways to figure if your debt level is acceptable: 1) if your loan repayments take less than 10% of post-graduation pre-tax income, and 2) if your total debt at graduation does not exceed what you hope to earn in one year in your chosen occupation.

### What You Can Do About College Debt

Is there a way for college graduates to reduce the impact of an uncomfortable debt burden? Yes, sort of, but it isn't simple.

Approximately one million students (an estimated one-third of those who could be involved) are enrolled in a government financial plan called "Income-based Repayment" (IBR), which was initiated in 2009. The type of debt covered by IBR includes only federal loans made to students; loans to parents or private loans to students are excluded. Students cannot be in default on federal loans and consolidation of loans is possible.

Under IBR, the monthly debt repayment can be reduced if the student meets certain requirements and his income is low. If annual discretionary income (earnings minus poverty guidelines for the person's family size) is $16,000 or below, no monthly repayment is required, but interest still accrues. Otherwise, there is a sliding scale of repayments, with the maximum being that which would be paid under the standard 10-year repayment schedule. There can be deferments for unemployment, economic hardship, or military service.

If you default on the loan while taking advantage of IBR, the cost of the loan will increase and you'll be unable to get a credit card or mortgage. There is also a little-noticed side effect of IBR: if any part of a government student loan is eventually forgiven, which may not be until the 20-year mark, the amount of the forgiveness represents taxable income.

President Obama has announced several initiatives pertaining to IBR and, later, added "Pay As You Earn" (a.k.a. PAYE), which is similar to IBR. These are the provisions:

Monthly repayments on loans taken out since 2008 now are limited to 10% (was 15%) of discretionary income, defined as an individual's earnings above $16,000 per year.

Loan balances are forgiven after 10 years (was 15) for public service employees or those serving in the military.

Loan balances are forgiven after 20 years (was 25) for those in the private sector.

Related to IBR, there is a Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. PSLF involves students who are working in public service endeavors like teaching (the website ibrinfo.org is a useful source for understanding teacher loan forgiveness programs), practicing medicine in underserved communities, serving in the military, or working full-time for a variety of non-profit organizations.

To be eligible for PSLF, the student must make 10 years (120 months) of the "right" kind of payments (in other words, the correct amount without negotiation), he must be under the IBR plan, and his PSLF must pertain to the "right" kind of loan (federal direct loans), while working in the "right" job (government or non-profit entity). This particular loan forgiveness does not generate taxable income.

Confused yet? If you do not know the exact nature of your debt or the relevance of the above descriptions to your own particular situation, which is understandable, the federal number to call is 1-800-433-3243. Borrowers can log in at studentloans.gov.

Many "Getting to College" and "Scholarship" websites have extensive information on debt financing as well.

### Helpful Websites

Advice on financial matters  
GREENPATH.ORG

Debt, loan forgiveness information  
IBRINFO.ORG

Federal government data  
LOANCONSOLIDATION.ED.GOV

National student loan system  
NSLDS.ED.GOV

FAFSA information  
PIN.ED.GOV

American Bar Association  
SAFEBORROWING.COM

Federal government  
STUDENTAID.ED.GOV

Private student loans  
STUDENTLENDINGANALYTICS.COM

More federal government data  
STUDENTLOANS.GOV

Institute for College Access  
TICAS.ORG

Finding the right price  
TUITIONTRACKER.ORG

## CHAPTER NINE:  
How to Do Well in College Once You Get There

There's a huge difference between doing well in high school and doing well in college, as Suzy Gonzalez knows well:

"You have to prepare yourself to be more independent," she points out. "If you don't go to class, there's no one calling home and saying: 'Oh, this person didn't go to class.' So it's important to prepare yourself mentally to take a giant step.

"In high school, you can take baby steps and still do well. In college, the professors are going to say: 'Read this chapter and write a five-page research paper by next Monday.' And that's all the instructions they're going to give you. Most professors aren't going to be on your back about whether you're doing the assignments. You have to take the responsibility to stay on top of your work and make sure you're doing well."

To do well in college, Emily Diaz says, "You have to want it. You need to work hard. You can't expect everything to be given to you or to be fed to you. If you want something, you need to make it happen for yourself."

Independence, of course, is two-sided. The freedom it provides must be balanced with a productive use of time for the classroom, homework, and studying, And time must be available for exercise, college activities, and socializing.

### What to Expect from College

To give you a sense of what to expect from college, I interviewed nine Latino students during their freshman years, which is usually the hardest year of college. Seven of the nine students went away to four-year colleges; two graduated from two-year schools prior to transferring to four-year colleges.

Here is a summary of what they had to say:

What is the best thing about college so far?

■ Independence

■ Meeting new people

■ Learning time management skills for starting on my career path

What are the most academically challenging parts of college?

■ Uninteresting classes

■ Lots of reading

■ Hugely important exams

■ Getting studying done without mom or teachers being on my back

What are the most challenging non-academic parts of college?

■ Drama situations

■ Deciding who to trust among new friends

■ Partying

■ Missing home cooking

■ Having a lot of responsibilities

■ Learning how to manage time

What have been the biggest surprises?

■ The amount of alcohol and/or drugs I see being consumed

■ I have no money

■ Not getting enough sleep

■ Homework is heavier than expected

■ The reading is greater than anticipated

### The Adjustment Process

Too many college students major in socializing and simply getting by in their classes. If you apply yourself and work hard, you'll stand out from the crowd. Professors will respect you, you'll attract the right kind of peers, and eventually employers will welcome you. If you don't work hard, you're wasting your time.

Emily Diaz says it well:

"A high school education is free, unless you go to a private high school. But in college, you're paying for every class you take. You have to understand the importance of what you're doing and realize you have an opportunity that a lot of other people don't have. This country has many illegal immigrants. They don't have the opportunity to go to college and take courses. Realize the value of what you're getting."

These are the attitudes you'll need for success in college (and life):

■ A positive frame of mind

■ Energy, curiosity, and passion

■ Resiliency: the ability to overcome obstacles and to recover from mistakes

■ The ability to take responsibility for, and focus on, your own success

■ The existence of strong family support

■ The creation of a positive peer group and the ability to avoid negative peer pressure

■ The determination to avoid early marriage and pregnancy

■ The establishment of good time management skills

■ Being open to feedback from others

■ The ability to advocate or speak up for yourself

The ability to overcome obstacles and problems is especially important. As Guillermo Reina says: "You may be worried that college is hard, that your English isn't that good, that your writing isn't that good. But with persistence, you will overcome those obstacles. You need to be focused on that. Persistence pays off."

Here are the specific approaches and skills you'll need to do well in college:

■ Sign up for courses as early as possible.

■ Get to an academic advisor at the earliest opportunity.

■ Know how to use the college website so you're aware of key dates.

■ Understand the prerequisites for your chosen major.

■ Have an academic plan for your entire two or four-year commitment.

■ Go to every class and participate.

■ Learn study skills: how to take notes, keep up with reading, and study for tests.

■ Find a balance between academics and socializing.

■ Learn how to stay organized. Break big tasks into smaller tasks.

■ Learn to establish priorities, goals, and timelines.

■ Finish reading and assignments ahead of time.

■ Keep a daily and weekly schedule. Review each class syllabus at least weekly.

■ Develop a routine for test preparation.

I■ f you must drop a course, make sure you know the rules so it doesn't affect your GPA. –Know the rules for withdrawing from a class before you take such a step.

■ Know about on-campus support services and how to access them.

■ Make yourself known to resident advisors, counselors, financial aid people, professors.

■ Get involved in at least one extracurricular activity on campus.

■ Eat well and stay healthy to reduce stress.

■ Use the fitness center for more than getting phone numbers.

A successful student learns the rhythms of college life, so that your classes and financial situation are not a source of daily stress.

Diego Gonzalez: "College is a commitment and you need to understand that. I had a full time job and went to school part time, but I knew my main focus was finishing my degree. Once you go to college, you go a hundred percent. You can't slack off. But you can't overburden yourself either. There will be times when you might want to take 15-16 credits to finish it quicker, but your GPA is going to be hurt in the long run. Taking it a little bit slower might help your GPA, which will look good to a future employer.

"So you definitely don't want to rush it. Do everything carefully and try to make a bond with people that have the same attitude as you, so you can make it through college with good grades."

### Adjusting to the Professors

Some professors may know their subject areas really well, but be clueless about how to teach well. Some might grade an essay without making any comments. Others will respond to student questions with an attitude or go over assignments only if asked.

On the other hand, there are professors who know their subjects well, are friendly and teach well, and will be in their offices to meet with you when needed. You'll learn from other students which professors to take and which to avoid. You want professors who grade hard but fairly—that is the best preparation for the real world.

You can use websites to find how about your professors (rateyourprofessors.com or myedu.com), but it's better to find out from students you trust. Most websites evaluating professors get comments from a small number of students who have negative opinions, so you can't trust their results.

Keep in mind that professors are most focused on their own approach to teaching; it is your responsibility to concentrate on learning the material. Admittedly, sometimes it will seem like the professor wants too much agreement with his or her point of view, and, from your standpoint, is not grading you fairly. And there will be occasions when some of the material on the test has not been covered in class or in the assigned reading, which will annoy you greatly no doubt.

Some professors ask students to use palm-sized wireless devices, which are called "clickers," to (1) indicate they are in attendance, (2) request clarification of a point being made or (3) express an opinion, which can be done anonymously. The clickers may also be used for multiple-choice exams. They sell for a modest amount and are compatible with social networking technologies. But hopefully you can keep use of clickers to a minimum, because you still need to develop interpersonal skills.

Amanda Maldonado: "Ask questions during class, and be sure to ask questions of the professor after class if you didn't understand anything. And try to participate a lot."

### Learn Time Management Skills

As Amanda Maldonado says, "Time management is very important. Because you have so much free time in college, you tend to procrastinate. I was a procrastinator and would wait until the last minute to do everything. I don't work that way anymore. I have a whole different way of studying now. So manage your time well.

"Give yourself time to study. Prepare for exams well in advance, instead of trying to cram all the reading and studying at the last minute. That's the worst thing you can do."

Carolina Poveda gives this advice: "Something that I definitely learned the hard way was how to keep up with my reading and other assignments. If you do a little bit every week, it's going to be a lot easier than if you cram it all in the last week. So I would definitely make a plan or a schedule and just stick by it.

"And not just a schedule for school, but a lifestyle schedule. You can plan a schedule for all your activities, like going to the gym or participating in a sorority, so you can give your studies all the time they need. It's important to organize your time well."

Danny Rossello: "You have a lot of free time in college compared to high school, because you're not going to school from 8 a.m. to 3 in the afternoon. You might have a class in the morning, another class in the afternoon, with a three or four hour break in between.

"Manage your time and use it wisely. Don't slack off or goof around. Take it seriously, because if you don't do any of the work it'll catch up to you."

Deep Shah has this to say about developing good study habits. "I find the best way is to study for 25 minutes, take a 5 minute quick break, then study for 25 more minutes.

"If I try to study for six of seven hours straight, my brain gets very confused and distracted. It's always good to take breaks and do something else, like listen to a song or something, to distract your mind from studying. That's the best way to study. That way you can get more done."

Finally, Sapphire Aragon, who is Puerto Rican, had this to say about her efforts to learn time management in college.

"Cheerleading workouts at the break of dawn, followed by work, then classes, then more cheerleading practice that evening. This is what my college schedule looks like. There's no room to breathe. Every moment of the day is filled with something to do, with very little time for sleep. I was eaten alive by the hours in the day. I pulled all-nighters frequently and looked like a zombie on a daily basis.

"I had to pull myself together to try and fix the situation. One morning I analyzed what was going on. That's when it hit me—I was trying to satisfy others and not myself. I decided to reduce my workload, devote at least six hours to sleep, and keep my focus on classes and cheerleading. This has helped me a ton. My grades have stayed up, cheerleading has improved, and work is not so stressful. My body has started to thank me for the changes. I learned time management skills that will help me now and into the future. I'm glad it occurred now and not later on in life."

### Have a Balanced Social Life

Unfortunately, as mentioned, many students seem to major in socializing. The excellent book Academically Adrift shows how students use—or misuse--their time.

If you don't come from an affluent family and/or are the first in your family to attend college, excessive socializing comes at a high price. Wealthy students can afford to screw up academically, but you cannot; your budget will not allow it. You won't achieve your goal of graduation.

If you major in partying in freshman year, you may suddenly discover in your sophomore year that your cumulative GPA is hovering around 2.0. This will put you in danger of being placed on academic probation and you may lose whatever scholarships you have.

Carolina Poveda talks about the importance of focusing on studying, not socializing: "You should focus on what you're there for. You'll make some friends in college, but you're not going there to have a social life.

"I worked full time when I went to college, and sometimes I felt like I couldn't be part of every social activity on campus. But when I graduated, I didn't have any student loans and felt glad I didn't. You're going to college to get an education, not to socialize."

Andres Arce: "The first semester is a little rough because you have a lot of freedom. I went out more than I should have, but then I got my priorities straight. Now I spend most of my time in the library, and maybe go out once or twice a week."

Suzy Gonzalez: "Make school your absolute priority. Be ready to give up a few weekends to hit the books. Be ready to cram the night before midterms or finals. If you keep up with your homework and studies, it's really just a breeze.

"If you're going away to school, don't go away to party. Remember what you're there for. I have friends who go away to school and they join sororities or frats and they lose their identity. To fit in, they try to be like everyone else. So my suggestion would be: don't lose yourself, don't change who you are. Enjoy your college years, but work hard."

### Get Help with Academics

A 4.0 GPA (grade point average) represents an A average, 3.0 is B, and 2.0 is C. A 3.0 GPA is considered necessary for attending graduate school. If you have a 2.0 cumulative GPA for two semesters, you will have to attain a 3.33 GPA for your remaining six semesters to have a 3.0 GPA when you graduate. Quite often, your GPA improves when you get past your general requirements and are taking only courses related to your major and minor. Still, the above math shows that it's better to start strong as a freshman.

You may have had a high GPA in high school, but it's normal to have a hard time in your first college classes. This is a signal to get past your pride and ask for some tutoring,

As Emily Diaz says, "Every college has resources to help you. You're not on your own."

It's important to choose a college that has high quality on-campus support services. If your SAT scores are lower than the average SAT scores at the college of your choice, support services like tutoring can help you succeed. A school that might not seem like the right match at first can be that match if you seek help.

Many colleges provide a lot of support during freshman year, offering remedial courses in a number of subjects. Quite often Latino students must take remedial courses, because they attended an inferior high school or have had troubles learning English.

There tends to be less support after the first year, because colleges assume you've adjusted and are enjoying taking courses in your major. But courses get harder in your second, third, and fourth years of college, and you may need just as much support as a freshman, if not more.

You can seek out help, but you can also help yourself. Carolina Poveda: "Read ahead of the class and get extra stuff online. There's access to all kinds of information—free websites that give you any information you want. Sometimes you may not understand what's being taught in class. You can go online and do some research. Don't limit yourself to just what you learn in class." Google anyone!

### Keep Track of How Well You're Doing

According to Boston-based The Bottom Line (TBL), "About 3 out of 4 urban, minority students who begin college won't finish...they face academic, financial and emotional challenges...that...student support programs can't address."

To help keep track of how well you're doing in college, use the following descriptions (developed by the North Star Academy Charter School of Newark).

Which category applies to you?

■ **Thriving** : GPA is at least 3.0, well organized, good time management, resiliency in difficult situations, involved with campus life, has formed strong relationships.

■ **Stable** : on track to graduate, GPA is at least 2.5, has figured out how to handle college but has not completely mastered the process.

■ **Struggling** : GPA is 2.0-2.5; still figuring out time management, etc.

■ **Failing** : on academic probation (GPA under 2.0), poor work habits, may be trying to balance college with job and/or family demands.

Below are common reasons for struggling in college (North Star):

■ Placing undue importance on non-academic activities

■ Doesn't understand how to work hard or cannot sustain effort

■ Hasn't adjusted to the level of work or the extra effort required

■ Financial problems

■ Has not internalized a goal; does not know why he is in college

■ Does not take responsibility for actions

■ Has personal or family issues, may need counseling

■ Adapting to being away from home/family has proved difficult

■ Is abusing alcohol and/or drugs

■ Picked the wrong college

Again, the most challenging year in college is freshman year. Most freshmen struggle with understanding college work, managing their study time, producing college level work, and just generally adapting to college life. Over time, however, these problems tend to decrease as you make the adjustment.

Many problems you might face in college can be avoided by what you do in high school. If you do well in high school, the better your chances of winning substantial financial aid from the college, which reduces stress and worry about money. You can then concentrate on doing well in your studies.

### Advocate for Yourself

Advocating for yourself means being able to seek out help and make your needs known to parents, peers, professors, mentors, the financial aid office, campus services, your support group, or whoever is relevant to your particular situation. You may not have sought out help in high school, but it's an important skill to develop in college, if you want to do well.

Danny Rossello felt isolated at his college because there weren't many Latino students. But he sought assistance to deal with his situation: "With the help of the director of the school's multicultural office, my roommate and I started a group called Project Voice, to help minorities feel welcome on campus and give them a place to talk to someone so they wouldn't feel alone. That helped me a lot, because I was able to hang out with other students from my background.

"If you find yourself in that situation, I suggest you visit the office of multi-cultural affairs or the diversity office. A lot of campuses have those programs. If your college doesn't have that kind of program, then you can try to start one yourself."

Emily Diaz: "Schools have so many resources, but students don't take advantage of them. It's difficult during your freshman year, because everyone is scared and they don't really know what to do or who to reach out to. Every college has an academic counselor. They have learning centers. They have tutors. And it's up to you to say: I want to do well, I want to succeed, and I'm gonna find a way to help myself. Take advantage of everything your school has to offer because you're paying for it. People will be willing to help you.

"And if you ever feel down or that people are looking at you differently because you're Latino, speak with someone. Don't keep it in. Find a sophomore or a junior who's also a Latino. Colleges have all of these great groups and clubs to join. That's a great way to find similar people who understand you and feel the same way you do. That's going to help you with the transition to college. Thinking you can do it by yourself is probably the first mistake."

Guillermo Reina: "College can seem like this huge castle. And you don't know anybody in that castle and you are kind of lost wandering around inside. But if you have the drive, you can go to different departments and knock on doors and talk to people. You can find help, whether it's to pay for college with scholarships, work-study programs, or grants, or to get help with academics."

### Should You Work While in College?

The parents of many Latino students want their children to work because the families need the money. This is especially the case when the student's parents are undocumented and working at low-paid jobs. In fact, you may have already started working in high school. When you get to college you may be working relatively long hours and taking only 12 credits, the minimum to be considered full-time.

Can you handle college and work at the same time? Some people say that a student's credit hours at school plus hours at work shouldn't exceed 40 per week, but even that's a stretch. For example, working 20 hours a week and taking 12 credits isn't easy. Working while going to school increases stress and may affect your GPA. But given the cost of college, you may have no choice but to have a job. Establishing academics as the priority and taking 15-18 credits while not working at all increases the financial pressure in most cases. So make this decision carefully.

Suzy Gonzalez: "I found scholarships that helped me out tremendously, but I also work about 35 hours a week.

"It's hard, but I have a pretty good balance. I know school comes before work every day. I focus a lot on my schoolwork. There are days during the week when I will not work because I have school. I keep my afternoons free for getting all my schoolwork done."

### Adjusting to Independence

Adjusting to personal independence and being away from home is a huge part of the college experience.

Amanda Maldonado talks about what it was like to go home after going away to college.

"When you arrive at college, you know no one, you're in a strange place, and you can't wait to go home and talk to the friends you left behind. But after a few months you make new friends and don't want to go home because you'll miss a party or going to the movies with friends.

"When you go home on holidays or to visit, it doesn't quite feel like home anymore. Nothing seems the same. When this reality hits it's enormous, and it doesn't help that no one understands. You find that old friends have moved or don't understand how you've changed, and your parents get on your nerves even more. They don't mean to, but they do. You can't wait to go back to college.

"But the positive side is how much more independent you've become in college—hanging out in your dorm room watching movies with new friends, the deep conversations, the late-night group studying, hours spent laughing at nothing, and sad moments when a friend is hurting.

"In the end, college will be one of your best experiences. You will eventually become closer to your parents. Communication becomes more important for you and your family. And you learn to appreciate every challenge you've faced to get where you are."

There's also the financial side of independence. Let's listen to Sapphire Aragon (who graduated from a four-year college very far from home) discuss this issue.

"For several years now I've considered myself to be independent. I started working at 16 and bought my own things, paid my cell phone bill, and made sure I could provide for myself. Five years later my outlook on life has not changed. I still am my own provider. I don't ask for anything from my parents unless it's essential.

"The expenses of college, a car, food, clothes, and books come from my pocket. I don't want to depend on others. I want to control my destiny and life. My family is still supportive of me, but I like to show that I'm capable of handling growing up.

"Since I started college three years ago, I have seen a lot of students with the same attitude I have. But a lot of other students tend to just chill, act laid back, and depend on the support of their parents. These individuals are independent only because their parents can't tell them what to do or who to hang out with. But that's not true independence.

"In order to be really successful, you need to learn to depend on yourself. Every college student should work, even if only for a few hours each week, so they can get that feeling of 'I can do things for myself.' So many students simply call their parents for money or for help with minor situations. That's what parents are for, to help and support you, but not for your entire life.

"To get the most out of the college experience, all students should break free financially from their parents. It will give you the real world experience you need. If you don't get it in college, you'll have a really rude awakening when you get your first real job after you graduate."

### Avoid Credit Card Debt

Many college students run up big credit card debt. The government has taken steps to deal with this problem.

Under the Credit Card Act of 2009, nobody under 21 can get a credit card without either a co-signer or proof that he or she can make regular repayments. Nevertheless, the average college graduate accumulates $4,000 in credit card debt. If you get a credit card, use it carefully. Understand the positives and negatives of having one.

To check your credit report, call Equifax (800-685-1111), Transunion (800-916-8800), or Experian (888-397-3742).

### Seek Out Career Counseling

When you become a junior in college, with only two years until graduation, the role of career counseling becomes more important. You should be spending extra time with your advisor and at the college's career center, where information about internships, job fairs, etc. should be available.

You can get some of the help you need by contacting organizations related to your future career. Some examples are the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting (<http://www.alpfa.org/>), the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (<http://www.shpe.org/>), and LSAMP (Lewis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation). Inroads provides students with internships at large corporations. These and other organizations provide real world experience for minorities.

### If You Find Yourself in Trouble

Your goal is to graduate from college with a good GPA and as little debt as possible. You want to avoid the perfect storm: piling up debt while having a low GPA and being in danger of not graduating. If that happens, you may need to leave college until you're in a better situation, or perhaps switch from an expensive four-year college to a community college. Community colleges are less expensive with less academic pressure, and this may help you to rethink your options.

There are many organizations on and off campus that can help you achieve success in college, particularly if you're facing financial difficulties, are a minority, or are the first in your family to attend college. The first step is to speak up.

### Helpful Websites

For help with academic work, there are many websites that can provide you with a ton of information, answer questions, and in general provide help.

Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting  
ALPFA.ORG

Lots of stuff  
ANSWERBAG.COM

Part of the Wikipedia deal  
ANSWERS.COM

Answer any question  
ASK.COM

Assists students in graduating  
COLLEGESUMMIT.ORG

Get a person to answer a question  
GETHUMAN.COM

Frequently asked questions  
FAQS.ORG

Software, etc. tutorials  
LYNDA.COM

Homework help; Q&A available  
PIAZZA.COM

Questions by its participants  
QUORA.COM

Rates professors  
RATEYOURPROFESSORS.COM

Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers  
SHPE.ORG

Q&A sites  
STACKEXCHANGE.COM

Lots of stuff  
WIKIANSWERS.COM

Lots of stuff  
YAHOOANSWERS.COM

## CHAPTER TEN:  
More College Information You Need to Know

### Choosing a Major

In Chapter Two, we heard different opinions about whether you should choose a major before you get to college. Some students felt you should decide while in high school, while others felt you should make that decision after you get to college and have had a chance to take various courses and find out what you like.

Whether or not you've made that decision before you get to college, each student must eventually choose a major, and here are some factors to consider.

First, every student must take general education courses. Some upper level courses for juniors and seniors require prerequisite courses. It's also important to balance "hard" and "easy" courses (you can find out the difference between the two by talking with other students). You don't want to overload your schedule with too many courses that require heavy reading and writing. Finally, some classes give preference to upperclassmen (juniors and seniors) or fill up quickly during registration.

At a four-year school you can select your major as early as freshman year or as late as junior year. This may seem like a very difficult decision. You may wonder, "Does my choice of major determine the rest of my working life?"

The answer is "not really." Many English majors don't become English professors, but go into other careers, like law, publishing, or corporate communications.

While Carolina Poveda believes that you should decide on a major in high school, she also believes you can study a subject in college that you love, without knowing exactly what career it will lead to.

"It doesn't matter at all if you're undecided about what career you want. Having the degree is what matters. Once you have a job, most companies allow switching between departments. Companies even encourage that.

"After you get a B.A., you can go on to get a Master's degree and specialize in a particular field. You might major in education as an undergraduate, and then decide the specific kind of teaching you want to do when you get a Master's. It might be special ed or languages or maybe physical ed. If you like business, you can major in business administration, and later on decide if you want to specialize in finance or statistics or another aspect of business. If you like nursing, study general nursing. Don't specialize in oncology nursing or rehab nursing or something that would narrow down your options. You can specialize later on."

So a major doesn't necessarily pin you down to a specific job. In addition, many students change their majors while in college. Although this can be stressful, it happens all the time. You may start out an art major, take some English courses, and decide you want to study literature.

Guillermo Reina had this experience: "When I was in the Master's program, I realized that I liked to interact with others. I thought I should work in human resource management, but I wasn't sure. So I talked to my advisor, because talking to your advisor in college is key. And then I thought, 'How about international business? I'm bilingual with an international background.' But that didn't seem the right match either. So I switched my major two or three times. Then I settled on computer science and business administration."

As Guillermo's experience shows, the path to finding what you want to do in life can take a few twists and turns. If you've always known you wanted to be a lawyer, that's great. If not, college can be the place to find out what you love most.

At the same time, a difficult job market and heavy college debt has led more than half of higher education students, especially minorities, to choose a major that will give them a good chance of landing a job after graduation—science, engineering, accounting, etc.

You can do extensive research on what majors lead to the best paying and most available jobs. The Department of Labor's Occupational Outlook Handbook (<http://www.bls.gov/oco>) is quite useful.

Amanda Maldonado has decided to study her passion—acting—even though she knows it might not lead to a high paying job.

"Someone once told me, 'You're wasting your time on a career that will only lead to starvation.' Ouch, right?

"I want to be an actress and am majoring in mass communications. After years of exploring my interests, this is what I have decided. But I'm still affected by what others say, which has led me to consider their side of the argument. Although my dream is acting, I also need a backup plan, and having a degree in mass communications may allow me to find other kinds of jobs in the entertainment business.

"Thousands of people try to make it in this industry and don't. More disturbingly, the country is in the midst of an economic downturn. By the time my generation graduates from college, we will be part of a workforce that is highly competitive and incredibly unstable. But I stand firm in my decision to be an actress. Why?

"For the idealistic, simple, yet powerful reason that it makes me happy in a way that no amount of money ever could. Rarely have I found other students who think this way, and it always disheartens me to hear them trying to map out their lives based on factors other than pursuing their passions.

"Factor number one: parents. Parents definitely have a right to be involved in their children's lives, but sometimes their words create more stress than encouragement. Instead of trying to make their children happy, parents can crush their children's hopes and desires. True, being realistic about getting a job is important, but everyone needs the chance to dream in order to find happiness, and parents should understand this.

"Naturally, there is no way to predict where our paths will lead us. In fact, our ideas and plans could very well change down the road. However, at this stage in our lives when so many voices are telling us who we should be, we need to nurture our individual dreams, not stifle them, because they may be the only things left that define us.

"Of course, listen to your parents and consider the financial implications of your choices. But keep in mind, too, that you, and no one else, will ultimately have to live with the results of your decisions. And who knows—maybe I will starve because of my choice to become an actress. But after witnessing the unhappiness of those who didn't pursue their passions, I am convinced that the worst suffering of all is to not allow yourself to do what you truly love."

### The High Cost of Books

As a new college student, you'll be shocked to discover that books are not only expensive, but may not be heavily used in the classes that require them. Unlike tuition payments, which are spread out over time, books have to be purchased all at once at the start of your semester. You'll need a significant amount of cash or room on a credit card.

And you will become familiar with Amazon and Chegg, if you have not already done so.

Some basic steps have been taken to deal with the high cost of college textbooks:

■ The Student Public Interest Research Group, through Textbook Rebel, is actively protesting the cost of college books.

■ Over 1,500 college bookstores (often managed by outside entities) are now renting the most widely assigned books.

■ Used book websites are growing in number and effectiveness.

■ PDF versions of textbooks are sometimes available.

■ The use of e-books is growing.

■ There is a growing move to open courseware, where documents are available on the web for a minimal amount.

At all levels of education, more and more students are using iDevices in and out of the classroom. Instructional leaders are conflicted about whether digitizers are a positive development. On the positive side, you have a greater ability to pursue research independently. On the negative side, they can substitute for face-to-face communication and contribute to the continuing decline in attention spans.

### Will You Commute or Live in a College Dorm?

The cost of living in a college dormitory and eating on campus, together referred to as "room and board," is an important part of the college selection process for many Latino students. The cost of living on campus is typically around $10-12,000 per academic year. About half of Latino students avoid that expense by attending two-year schools, which are almost all commuter colleges and have lower tuition rates as well.

At present, many students deal with the high cost of college tuition, room-and-board, and fees by going part-time, but part-time students have a lower graduation rate. Of those attending four-year colleges, 25% go to Hispanic Serving Institutions, where the student feels more culturally comfortable and may be more willing to pay the additional cost of living on campus.

On the food side, you will find greater ethnic and serving hour diversity than was true a generation ago. Nonetheless, after you've eaten on campus for a while, you'll be bored silly. College cafeteria food is simply not as appealing as what is available at home. If you don't live in a dorm, you can avoid having to sign up for a college meal plan; otherwise, you're trapped into selecting one of the meal plans, which are not inexpensive.

Colleges believe that providing quality dormitories and food service (and other non-academic college features) are important in attracting students. However, there is no evidence of any connection between these services and student success (graduation and a decent job). The costs of these services are passed on to the students, of course. If you haven't figured it out already, college is a big business.

If MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) are the wave of the future, more students may decide not to live on campus and will "attend" college online instead.

The expense of college is a fact you can't avoid, but the successful student realizes what elements of the college experience he can control and what he cannot. Whether to live on campus or not is a decision you have to make, taking into account how it will affect your personal goals and success beyond graduation.

### Will You Pursue an Internship?

An important part of college is "networking," or making contacts that can help you get a job after graduation. A survey found that 20% of college students who were employed after college were interviewed by or hired by somebody who attended their college.

Another way of making contacts for a future job is through internships. They are not necessarily easy to get but are valuable beyond the classroom. An internship gives you the opportunity to take a semester away from college to work at a company or non-profit related to your career interest. A positive internship experience can help you make the decision to pursue a particular career, and could lead to a job offer after graduation. A negative internship situation can cause a re-think about a prior career thought. In general, you should eagerly pursue at least one internship while in college.

According to the College Employment Research Institute (<http://www.er.org/>), about three-quarters of college students will have some internship experience before graduating.

About half of college internships are unpaid; instead, you receive college credit. If an internship is paid, you typically will not earn college credit. An unpaid internship may not seem attractive to you, but in addition to earning college credits, you make contacts that will help you in the employment world.

Winans Largacha, a college graduate who is originally from Colombia, had this to say: "Everyone talks about working during the summer, but make it worth something and related to your field by doing an internship. Do it early in college, so you can figure out if you want to stick with your major or change it. You won't make much or perhaps any pay during an internship, but it will pay off immensely when you graduate."

The "who you know" factor will not automatically get you a job, but it can lead to a job opportunity in a way that an anonymous resume does not. An internship allows an employer to judge your personality, enthusiasm, skills, and work habits. You will learn a lot about the work world while you're still in college—and that's invaluable.

You can find out information about internships at your college's career center or some other office. The website Internships.com also lists internships.

Emily Casiano, whose ethnicity is Puerto Rican and Scandinavian, completed five internships while attending Northeastern University.

"What advice do I have for students just starting out? Patience. Know beforehand what to expect. As an intern, you will most likely never be paid. Moreover, it is quite possible that your work will not be acknowledged, praised, or appreciated. Your tasks will be trivial much of the time. For example, I have become a pro at fixing printers, stuffing envelopes, printing labels, making cold calls, and scheduling meetings. Interns get the busy work, the stuff that the paid employees do not have time or cannot be bothered to do. Many times interns are not trusted with any work above this level.

"However, this doesn't mean that you should avoid taking an internship. Today no one will hire recent college grads who do not have work experience beyond being the cashier at the local Sears or the ticket collector at the town movie theater. Employers want to see that you've stepped out of your classroom and into some sort of office environment. Basic skills—like how to properly send an email, complete a mail merge, finish a report, or create a presentation—are not learned in the lecture hall. And they probably won't be taught to you when you start your first job after college.

"So, to get a head start in the work world, go for that internship. Once there, make a name for yourself—but not as the one who always leaves dirty coffee mugs in the sink, spends the day with headphones plugged in, shows up in jeans and wrinkled shirts, or arrives two hours late every day. Look for a project that you can take ownership of. An easy example? Our generation possesses an innate knowledge of social networks and computer software that most older colleagues do not have. If the company's Facebook page is looking a little lame, offer to spice it up and propose a way to boost the number of fans. If you see that something can be done faster or more efficiently, find an opportune moment to suggest a solution."

Based on her internship experiences, Emily offered this additional advice:

■ Make it known that you want to work. If you do not have anything to do one day, speak up and ask for a project, preferably something that you can pick up and put down over the course of a few days or so. Slowly you will start to stand out from the never-ending stream of interns that the company gets every year. They will remember you as the intern who did "x," fixed "y," or was always available to help out.

■ Keep a record of your accomplishments. First, no one at the company will remember which intern did what. Second, at the end of the internship, it will help you group together the things you did into several bullet points for your resume. It is important to be able to quickly identify the value you added to the company when you apply for your next internship or job.

■ Before leaving the internship, secure one or two recommendations. Ask the two people with whom you worked most closely if they are willing to be listed as your references. Afterwards, stay in touch with them (and not via Facebook) so they don't forget you.

■ Always notify your references when they should expect a phone call from a prospective employer. Send along your list of accomplishments with that notification to refresh their memories of what you did during your internship. And always send a thank you letter.

Emily has this final advice: "The bottom line is that internships are invaluable experiences. Sure, you may have to fetch coffee and your boss might call you by the wrong name. But remember that the goal is to gather experience, references, and land that elusive first job. Work hard, play it safe and do everything with a smile. Who knows? That supervisor who called you by the wrong name for the first month might someday offer you a job or refer you to a friend at another company."

### What If You Want to Transfer?

According to some estimates, up to one-third of college students change schools prior to earning a degree. This number, which seems high, includes:

■ " **positive** " transfers: when you graduate with an Associate's degree and move on to the pursuit of a Bachelor's.

■ " **negative** " transfers, when you go from a four-year college to a two-year school, which can be for financial or academic or other reasons.

■ " **neutral** " transfers, when you go from one four-year school to another.

Students make "neutral transfers" for a variety of reasons: changing a major, dissatisfaction with classes or a school's atmosphere, changes in the student's family situation, or loss of scholarship support or financial aid.

Although each college has its own rules for transferring, here are some things to think about if you're considering it:

The new school may not accept all your credits, even for courses that seem identical. You may lose up to 10% of the credits you accumulated at your original school. (To catch up on credits—or even to get ahead, there could be a chance to take classes in the Summer or during the Winter break period, but still your total education bill is higher than if the right match had happened at the beginning of your college experience.)

Transfer students may not be eligible for merit aid.

You may be at the bottom of the list for preferred dorm rooms.

You have to start all over in terms of making connections with students and professors.

If you lose credits, try not to think about the money you invested in them. After all, what you learned is still with you. And your new college may have a specific National Honor Society for transferees.

If you lose your scholarship at a four-year college because of inadequate GPA levels, you will probably have to transfer to a less expensive two-year school. Unfortunately, it is rare that a student who transfers "down" to a two-year school will later transfer "up" to a four-year school. That's why it's so important to maintain your GPA and to seek help if you're struggling academically.

If you're dissatisfied with your college and are thinking of transferring, make sure the new college will be a significant improvement, not simply a change of address. Ask yourself these questions:

■ Is the new college bigger, with more options, both academically and non-academically?

■ Is it better suited to your major?

■ Is it better positioned for great networking

■ Is there a lengthier list of recruiters at the school's job fair?

■ Does it have more international study opportunities?

■ Is it less expensive, after factoring in all costs?

■ Will the new college give you credits for such things as CLEP (College Level Examination Program), a group of standardized tests that assess college-level knowledge in several subject areas?

Transferring is a big decision and not always the best decision. Andres Arce was glad he didn't transfer: "My first semester I had to get used to college. I missed family and friends. I got a little homesick. I thought about transferring, but then thought I'd give it another shot, and I ended up loving it."

Karen Cabanilla, whose parents are Colombian, transferred from a community college near to home to a far away school in Florida. Initially she regretted the decision, but ultimately stuck it out.

"A few months ago, I made a decision that changed my life completely. I was graduating from a two-year community college with an Associate's degree and needed to continue my education by getting my Bachelor's at a four-year university. My eventual goal was to get a Ph.D. in Physical Therapy. I would be close to home, commute to work, and still see my best friends.

"But as I got closer to graduation from community college, I started thinking about a lot of things in my life. I grew up in a very large family and although I love them, I started to dislike the noise and lack of privacy. At times it was irritating to come home from a long day of school or work and not have any peace and quiet to unwind. I never had the experience of living in a dorm on campus and meeting new people.

"Also, as a personal trainer, I felt underpaid and always thought that if I worked at another gym, I would be better off. I was bored with living in a small town, where there wasn't anything to do. I love my friends, but I got tired of living in a town where everyone knows each other and their business, and where I knew I was going to see the same people every time.

"I decided to transfer to Florida International University to continue my education. They have an amazing physical therapy program, and I could live on my own and obtain the privacy I always wanted. I would find a job as a trainer that would pay me better. And I would meet new people for a change.

"A month and a half after I transferred, I felt I made a mistake. Although I love the school, everything else seems out of place. I have never missed my family as much as I do now. I feel so lonely here with no one to keep me company. Sure, I've met people, but it's not the same. The gym where I work pays me less than what I made before.

"I miss everything that used to bother me and now wish I had it back. It's not easy leaving your family, friends, and job and starting all over again by yourself. Even though sometimes I feel foolish, I know that this experience will only help me grow as a person, and I pray and hope that with time, things will get a lot better."

Karen's experience doesn't mean that you shouldn't transfer: rather, make the decision carefully, after a lot of thought and research.

### Dealing with Your Parents

Ah, the parents' role: "My baby is going to college"—a burst of pride followed by tears. Later, when the "baby" is off to school, will the parents call daily to check up on their college student? Common reasons for calling constantly include:

■ to make sure you've not been attacked ("the world is a fearful and dangerous place")

■ to make sure that you've eaten (Latino students might be starving because there is no pandebono or sancocho at the college)

■ to make sure you've had enough sleep ("Mami, I've got an exam tomorrow; can I call you later?")

■ to make sure you're still attending church ("I'm in a spiritual group now...")

There is no easy answer to how much support and attention parents should provide you. It's like holding a bar of soap in the shower: hold it too lightly and it drops from your hand; squeeze it too hard and it still drops from your hand. The trick for both parent and student is to find the point where the squeezing is "just enough."

Parents need to realize that one of the benefits of college is experiencing new people and cultures, at least some intellectual diversity, and a few activities not available before. It's a scary thought to parents that along the way you may develop ideas about life that are different from those you learned at home. Overall, though, parents need to know that students who get involved in campus life, even at a community college, become better connected to people in general and are more likely to graduate.

College is a challenging time for parents, which is why orientation day at four-year colleges typically includes advice, workshops, and/or counseling for parents. Almost always, the college's message is that parents must pull back—they can't be hovering over you all the time or prevent you from escaping essential responsibilities. Most of all, they shouldn't mistake less contact from you for less love.

Margaret Arias, who comes from a Dominican family, found college to be a lesson in communication, whether with parents, siblings, friends, or teachers. She found it was hard not only to adjust to the workload, but to find time to stay in touch with people essential in her life, including her parents. Margaret talked midway through college (she graduated in 2014) about the several different forms of communication she used at that time, and the pros and cons of each (undoubtedly there have been changes in her approach since then—whatsapp anyone!).

"Texting: the most convenient and most reliable...at least for me...but the least personal. I can send a text message at any time and know that at SOME point the recipient will receive it...and hopefully reply. It is harder to have a good conversation but it seems the fastest way to get news out. There is a difference, however, between texting adults and people of my generation. With my parents, I find this completely impossible.

"Video chatting: I prefer video chatting to anything else. But because of my technological deficiencies, maybe because of bad Internet connections, I can never exchange more than a sentence before someone freezes.

"Phone calls: As my parents procrastinate in getting a video camera for the computer, I have resorted to daily phone calls to talk to them...and it seems to work best. However, for the most part, our conversations are short and basic: 'How-are-you-what-are-you-eating-how-were-classes-goodbye.'

"Sadly, phone conversations with friends about drama seem to composed of only a few words: 'And then he...so she...and then he...can you believe it...what should I do?'

"E-mails: They get the information across, but with all that is happening, I seem to promise myself to reply later...and then later forget it too. So while I do read them, I send replies that are either short or delayed...or both. In order to change this bad habit, I've begun to dedicate Sunday afternoons to going through packed inboxes and ACTUALLY replying to those emails I need to, the ones buried with the junk.

"Facebook: I use methods 1-4 with parents and family, close friends, and anyone important. Using Facebook is only okay if you are not too close with the person.

"Hopefully, as the year goes on, I will learn the best methods of communication with specific people, so it's not as difficult as it is right now."

### Taking a Semester Abroad

As a Latino, you may have had more international experience than many of your peers. Even so, if the money can be found, you should explore the possibility of spending a semester outside of your home country, whether that be the United States or where your family came from originally.

Some 200 American colleges have international branch campuses or partnerships with colleges abroad. Usually you will receive your college credits in a normal fashion. The cost of airfare can be a major expense, but motivated students are known to engage in fund-raising campaigns for that specific purpose.

Emily Diaz spent a semester in Spain, and although she's a Latina, she experienced a great deal of culture shock.

"Upon my arrival to Seville, I realized that I would have to quickly adapt to this new country if I wanted to become one with the Spaniards. Luckily, I didn't have to struggle too much with one barrier that some of my classmates had—language.

"However, the Andalucía accent of southern Spain is something I wrestled with daily. A Spaniard in Seville speaks incredibly fast and eats the ending of every word. In the north, the accent is distinct. There were moments when I couldn't understand my host mother and sister when they talked at the dinner table. Also, some words were different from my Colombian Spanish. I walked into a bar with some friends one night and ordered a drink. When I asked the bartender for a straw, I used the word 'pitillo.' In Spain, that means cigarette.

"He stared at me for a very long time, waiting for me to correct myself. When he saw my confused look, he told me the correct word was 'cañita.' There were many other instances when this occurred.

"Another difference I quickly noticed was how important personal appearance is in Spain. Both men and women dress to impress every morning. I never saw someone walk into my class in sweats and a hoodie. Even little children were dressed properly, as if ready for a photo shoot.

"I experienced culture shock when moving to Spain, but the real challenge was returning to the U.S. and having to re-adapt. I enjoyed the Seville accent, that people cared about their personal appearance, and the life on the streets. No one was cooped up at home, but rather spent Sunday mornings walking around the Cathedral. I loved the sunny weather and walking everywhere. I fell in love with the Seville way of life and had no desire to leave that beautiful city."

You, too, can experience the beauty of a foreign culture through international study.

### Foreign College Students in the U.S.

More than 700,000 foreign students attend college in the U.S; half are from China, India, or South Korea. International students enter under an F-1 visa (with the I-20 as proof of eligibility to apply); they must fill out a SEVIS form (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) and take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language).

If you earned college credits in a foreign country and have come to the U.S. to attend college, you can get many of your foreign credits validated by an organization in New York City, the World Educational Services (wes.org). The cost is $100+ and can take time, so don't wait until the last minute.

Alejandro Sanchez is from Colombia and attending college in the U.S. He talks about the benefits of interacting with students from many different cultures.

"I have found that when I coexist with students from different backgrounds and personalities, I gain the ability to interact with people different from me, and that's a valuable skill, especially when society is growing in diversity. I'm leaning to recognize and appreciate the differences in cultural backgrounds. You can learn different philosophies and develop better communication skills, which will prepare you to work with people around the world. Learning from other cultures allows for less problems related to race, color, or other stereotypes that cause racism and conflicts.

"My native language is Spanish and I have English as my second language, so one of my goals is to learn from other cultures. A college or university contains an exciting community of people with a broad variety of backgrounds and experiences, from which any foreign student will benefit."

Organizations like the International Student Exchange Program (assehosts.com), CEA Global Education (gowithcea.com), CIEE.org, AIESEC.org, EF Education First (ef.com), and Enforex (enforex.com) facilitate international connections for students seeking a different academic and cultural experience.

### Dealing with Health and Emotional Issues

Stress

Without a doubt, the leading health challenge for college students is stress. Recognizing the need for some form of stress relief, colleges have invested heavily in ultramodern fitness facilities, not only for athletes but for regular students as well. However, you may find that you're not capable of overcoming stress by running or lifting weights.

When stress is persistent, depression often follows. Like many of your classmates, the Latino student may not be comfortable talking about being stressed or depressed with a counselor or therapist.

Depression

Depression is a significant problem that affects students all over the country. A national survey in 2009 revealed that 30% of college students experienced a level of depression that affected their functioning, and 6% of depressed students seriously contemplated suicide. These figures are startling, considering that about 9% of the adult population suffers from depression.

Depression is a serious illness that includes symptoms such as:

■ Significant sadness,

■ Low energy and motivation,

■ Difficulty concentrating, and/or

■ Loss of interest in pleasurable activities.

Severe depression can at times lead to suicidal thoughts, plans, or actions. Everyone should be familiar with the warning signs of suicide:

■ Talking or writing about dying or disappearing, or types of self-harm.

■ Personality changes: withdrawal from family and friends

■ Becoming anxious, irritable, sad, indecisive, apathetic.

■ Inability to concentrate on school, work, or routine tasks.

■ Change in sleep, including insomnia, oversleeping, and nightmares.

■ Dressing down, unkempt, and poor hygiene.

■ Change in eating habits.

■ Low self-esteem or overwhelming guilt, self-hatred, or shame.

■ Loss of hope, believing things will never get better.

Julissa Gil, whose background is Colombian and who has a Master's from Rutgers University, discusses this issue:

"Although symptoms for a major depressive episode need to be present for at least two weeks, they can last much longer. The onset of depression is usually age 18, typically coinciding with the end of high school and start of college. Effective treatment for depression can involve a combination of medication and psychotherapy.

"The growing concern about depression and suicide is not unwarranted, as suicide is the third leading cause of death for adolescents and young adults. Other studies have shown suicide rates to have increased threefold in approximately the last 60 years. Furthermore, in 2000 the National College Health Assessment revealed 16% of students said they experienced depression the previous school year, and 20% of males and 24% of females had difficulty functioning at least once because of their depression.

"While depression is a disease that doesn't know social, economic, racial, or religious boundaries, Latinas have been found to experience depression at greater rates than their Caucasian and African American counterparts, and twice as often as Latinos. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that Latina adolescents are more likely to contemplate suicide than other adolescents. Although the reasons are being debated, this is important information for universities and parents alike.

"So why does depression seem to be increasingly affecting our college students? Although college has always been considered to be academically grueling, it can be argued that today's adolescents are under greater pressures to achieve high grade point averages and outshine their peers.

"Although most universities are equipped with counseling centers staffed with licensed mental health professionals available to provide counseling, a high demand for immediate services lands many students in emergency rooms and psychiatric screening centers around the country.

"If students are found by college counselors to be a possible threat to themselves or others, they are usually transported by the school or by ambulance to the nearest hospital. Once the student is assessed by an outside mental health professional, he or she collaborates with the college to formulate a treatment plan for the student.

"An increase in awareness and a decrease in the stigma regarding depression may contribute to a greater number of college-aged kids being open to seeking treatment. This may account for a greater number of students being diagnosed with depression.

"Whether depression is increasing in college students due to increased academic and social pressures, or because of increased awareness of this disease, it must be addressed. For students, seeking professional treatment for depression through college counseling services or an outside provider is the first step towards a successful recovery and a fulfilling college experience." Maybe a break at home is a good idea, unless the environment there is actually a stress producer.

You need to know that it's normal to seek support, whether from a trusted friend, a professional counselor, or simply an older adult with whom you have a confidential relationship. Young people are more likely to seek on-campus therapy than ever before, and when they do so, they discover their concerns are not unique. Issues like anorexia or bulimia, self-cutting, alcohol abuse (particularly "binge drinking"), depression, and long-suppressed sexual abuse are now part of the conversation, supplementing the traditional college-age dilemmas of relationship issues and self-identity.

About 25% of college students seen by campus counselors are already on serious medications, which is a chilling statistic, as far more Americans die from overdosing on legal drugs than from illegal ones. Adderall, an amphetamine used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD), is so frequently used by students to stay awake longer (undoubtedly to study more!), that several colleges have their own rules for obtaining and using the drug. Many believe that excessively prescribed legal drugs can eventually lead young people to use illegal drugs.

Information about a college student's healthcare contacts is confidential. It cannot even be shared with parents, unless you state in writing that the information can be shared.

The standard college bill requires that you pay a hefty fee for health insurance. However, if you are covered under a family policy, which now can be done up to age 26, you may request, in writing, to have the college insurance requirement waived, thereby saving $1,000 or more per semester.

### Helpful Websites

Helpful resources for books, classroom materials, and on-line resources:

Videos of college course  
ACADEMICEARTH.ORG

Books, including rentals  
AFFORDABOOK.COM

Books  
AMAZON.COM

Books  
BARNESANDNOBLE.COM

Books  
BOOKSAMILLION.COM

Rentals  
CAMPUSBOOKRENTALS.COM

Publisher  
CENGAGE.COM

The leader in rentals  
CHEGG.COM

Condensed versions  
CLIFFSNOTES.COM

Share knowledge  
CNX.ORG

e-Textbooks and materials  
COURSESMART.COM

Homework help  
CRAMSTERS.COM

Photography education  
CREATIVELIVE.COM

Books  
EFOLLETT.COM

E-bay's textbook center  
HALF.COM

Internet Public Library  
IPL.ORG

Photography education  
KELBYTRAINING.COM

Video courses  
KHANACADEMY.ORG

Learning materials  
KNEWTON.COM

Library of training videos  
LYNDA.COM

e-book catalog  
MANYBOOKS.NET

Digital textbooks  
SCHOOLYOURSELF.ORG

Compares prices at sites  
SLUGBOOKS.COM

Similar to Cliffsnotes  
SPARKNOTES.COM

Digital learning materials  
STARTL.ORG

On-line courses  
STRAIGHTERLINE.ORG

Finds cheapest book  
SWOOPTHAT.COM

Rentals  
TEXTBOOKRENTALS.COM

Rentals  
TEXTBOOKREVOLT.COM

Student-run, free materials  
TEXTBOOKREVOLUTION.ORG

Organizational tool  
TODOIST.COM

Expert courses  
UDEMY.COM

Help in researching a career:

Department of Labor's Occupational Outlook Handbook  
BLS.GOV/OCO

Help in finding an internship:

INTERNSHIPS.COM

Websites relevant to study abroad:

Global Youth Leadership Development  
AIESEC.ORG

Student Exchange Program  
ASSEHOSTS.COM

International Educational Experiences  
CIEE.ORG

International Education  
EF.COM

Teaches Spanish as a foreign language  
ENFOREX.COM

International education on global issues  
GOWITHCEA.COM

Institute of International Education  
IIE.ORG

World Educational Services, validate foreign credits  
WES.ORG

Helpful websites related to mental health:

Student-run mental health groups  
ACTIVEMINDS.ORG

Mental health screening, hotline  
HALFOFUS.COM

Suicide prevention, hotline  
JEDFOUNDATION.ORG

Behaviors, attitudes, values  
MONITORINGTHEFUTURE.ORG

Suicide prevention; hotline  
SUICIDE.ORG

Suicide prevention  
TAKE5TOSAVELIVES.COM

## CHAPTER ELEVEN:  
If You Are Undocumented and Want to Go to College

If you are undocumented, you face additional challenges if you wish to go to college. This chapter gives you the basics about what you need to know. Equally important is that you talk with others: those who are in your situation, with immigration advocates, and with representatives of supportive non-profit organizations.

Nationally there are an estimated 2.1 million undocumented children/young adults. About 40% of undocumented children are in families below the federal poverty line, compared with 17% of native-born children, and only 5-10% of undocumented students make it to college.

However, on June 15, 2012 President Obama issued an Executive Order on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which created hope for undocumented students who wish to attend college.

We will discuss how DACA affects you below. First, some background.

### How Being Undocumented Affects Your Ability to Attend College

There are three things every undocumented student needs to consider when thinking about college: access, rate, and financial aid.

Access

Does the college accept undocumented students? All public colleges and universities are supposed to, but not all of them do. Check the school's record by talking with your guidance counselor (who unfortunately may be clueless about the implications of your predicament) and former students (if information even exists on the school's website, it will be incomplete). At the two-year college level, the policies can vary from "we take everybody, no questions asked," to outright refusal to accept undocumented students.

Rate

Will the undocumented student be charged the same in-state tuition rate as those who are citizens or green card holders? Or will the school call the applicant an international student and charge him or her a much higher rate?

Financial Aid

Without a green card or citizenship, you are not eligible for FAFSA-based federal funds, i.e., the Pell Grant and federal loans. Some private colleges may provide scholarship support (often generous to high-achieving students), some foundations can be helpful, and there are other sources of small amounts of funding for undocumented students.

To deal with these challenges, undocumented students should be (a) securing DACA status where eligible; it may not have any direct impact on access/rate/financial aid but nonetheless there are indirect beneficial effects and (b) doing all the homework necessary on access/rate/financial aid, including talking with multiple sources of information, to determine their next steps toward higher education and a good job.

### What DACA Means to You

Since 2012, over 550,000 students have been approved under DACA, 86% of those who have applied. As a result, they have received work authorization through a stamped social security card, and in almost all states, the opportunity to get a driver's license. Applying for DACA is a must for all those who are eligible.

DACA applies to undocumented young people who meet the following criteria:

■ Came to the United States under the age of 16.

■ Have continuously resided in the U.S. for at least five years before June 15, 2012 and were in the U.S. on June 15, 2012.

■ Are currently in school, have graduated from high school, have obtained a GED, or are honorably discharged veterans of the Coast Guard or Armed Forces of the U.S.

■ Have not been convicted of a felony, a significant misdemeanor, or multiple misdemeanor offenses, or otherwise pose a threat to national security/public safety.

■ Are not above the age of 30 (that is, had not yet turned 31 at the time DACA was implemented in mid-2012).

### The Impact of DACA

DACA is not directly related to college admission, but by providing undocumented young people with a social security card and the eligibility to apply for a driver's license, it improves their lives and, indirectly, their ability to go to college.

By being able to drive and work, undocumented students have many more job possibilities open to them. The New York Immigration Group found that "a legal work permit increases income by about 40%."

Undocumented college graduates can seek employment in their majors. According to the Migration Policy Institute, an estimated 140,000 illegal immigrants are in college now, with about half attending two-year schools.

Undocumented college graduates can apply for professional certificates.

DACA improves your ability to open a bank account and build a credit record.

While DACA is not directly related to education, it has led some colleges to change their policies and accept undocumented students.

Obama's order affects an estimated 800,000 undocumented young people. Looking further ahead, according to the Pew Hispanic Center, a projected 1.9 million individuals—70% of whom are Mexican—could ultimately benefit from DACA.

### The Limits of DACA in Terms of College

DACA does not necessarily mean anything with respect to college tuition rates.

Some colleges classify DACA students as residents; others classify them as international students. As noted, international students pay far higher tuition than resident students.

In New Jersey, a major piece of legislation important to every undocumented student was signed in January 2014. It mandated that public colleges in the state charge the same tuition rate for undocumented students as they do for legal residents of the state. Unfortunately, that is not the policy in most states.

Many DACA-eligible students have either not heard of the program or have been reluctant to move forward, fearing they will expose their parents' undocumented status. (Note that immigration advocates are pushing President Obama to use an executive order approach to provide deportation relief protection for the estimated one million parents of those who have been approved for DACA.)

DACA does not provide legal status to undocumented young people. Comprehensive immigration reform, which is stalled right now in Congress, is necessary for that purpose.

Additional information on DACA is available from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (www.uscis.gov), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (www.ice.gov), or the Department of Homeland Security (www.dhs.gov).

### Helpful Websites

U.S. Department of Homeland Security  
DHS.GOV

Dream Act Portal  
DREAMACT.INFO

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement  
ICE.GOV

Discussion of different state/federal policies  
IMMIGRATIONPOLICY.ORG

Latinas United for Political Empowerment  
LUPENJ.ORG

Latino legal civil rights organization  
MALDEF.ORG

Youth-led immigrant organizations  
UNITEDWEDREAM.ORG

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services  
USCIS.GOV

## CHAPTER TWELVE:  
If You Choose to Pursue a Marketable Skill Instead of College

Although this is a college guide, college may not be the best choice for you. And there is nothing wrong with that. Society puts great emphasis—perhaps too much emphasis—on going to college. Plenty of successful people take a different route than attending a regular two-year or four-year college. Based on your financial and family situations, and your goals, you may decide to learn a marketable skill at a specialty school, take certain courses at a for-profit college, or join the military.

Society needs all kinds of workers with many different skills. Fortunately, not everyone has the same goals, skills, money, or attitude. Considering the number of students of all ethnicities who wind up with neither a college degree nor a marketable skill, it is a disservice to Latinos or anyone else to avoid raising the issue of alternatives to college.

If you're undecided about a career goal and don't want to spend big dollars at a college to find out, you can try your hand at learning a skill. If you don't like it, it won't cost you what a four-year college would. At that point, if you change you mind, you can then choose to attend a two or four-year college.

As Diego Gonzalez says: "I don't think college is for everybody. While in high school, you should identify whether you are a person who can sit in a classroom, listen to a lecture, and learn, or whether you're someone who likes to learn things hands-on. People can direct you to some extent, but it's essentially up to you. If you're not college bound, then find something that you like and stick with it.

"Some people will prefer to take a vocational class and learn a trade. They prefer to learn hands-on first, and later on decide to go to college. And it can go the other way as well."

But like the decision to attend college, the choice to pursue a career without college must be made carefully and thoughtfully.

In your decision-making process, take a look at employment prospects in various industries and the education level required for specific jobs. One study says that:

■ 52% of future jobs will require a Bachelor's degree or higher,

■ 11% will require some college, and

■ 37% will require only a high school diploma or less.

However, the numbers are misleading as they do not cover certain job categories, like being a plumber or a cosmetologist, which have their own educational and practical requirements.

In this chapter we'll look at three alternatives to the traditional college route: learning a marketable skill, attending a for-profit college, and joining the military.

### Learning a Marketable Skill

You might prefer to learn a marketable skill without going to college, and it's absolutely possible to do that. Becoming a plumber, a cosmetician, a computer technician, or a heating/ventilation/air conditioning technician are perfectly valid career goals that can help you earn a good living. Again, the key is to choose a marketable skill that you are interested in, that is in demand and that pays well.

The expense of college is obviously difficult for students from lower income families. That's why the marketable skill option may be an attractive one.

According to one study, 27% of all students who pursue a marketable skill and get a vocational license or certificate after high school earn more than the average salary of those with a Bachelor's degree. (Center on Education and the Workforce at Georgetown University.)

Students who pursue a marketable skill will:

■ Earn their credentials faster than college students

■ Have a lot less debt

■ Start earning money faster than their friends attending four-year colleges

Some students who are attending college only because their parents want them to would be better off learning a marketable skill.

At the same time, you need to choose training in a marketable skill as carefully as you choose a college. Many surveys come to the same conclusion: "[T]oo few Americans who attend...vocational schools choose fields of study that will give them specific skills that employers are seeking."

In addition, some "trade" schools are rip-offs with highly uneven quality. There are nightmare stories of students attending trade schools after high school, going into a lot of debt for very high tuition, and ending up with training that is worthless in the work world. You must investigate trade schools carefully before spending any money on them. See the list of websites at the end of the chapter that can help you research them.

Some high schools offer students the opportunity to learn marketable skills, through programs where you earn credits by attending school in the morning and working at a business in the afternoon. Find out if your high school offers such a program. Another way to learn about marketable skills is by talking to your parents, parents of friends, or your guidance counselor about jobs that pay well and don't require college.

Here are examples of marketable skills that you can learn in trade and technical schools:

Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Repairman, Auto Body/Collision Repairman, Auto Service Technician, Bookkeeper, Carpenter and Construction Worker, Cosmetologist, Computer Repair/Serviceman; Chef, Driver, Electrician, Machine Operator, Mechanic, Nurse's Aide Nutritionist, Plumber, Radiation Technician, Sales Representative, Welder

Many of these jobs have openings to fill due to a lack of skilled workers. Since there's a demand for these kinds of jobs and they can pay well, why shouldn't you consider training for them, particularly if traditional classroom learning doesn't appeal to you.

If you're interested in learning a specific skill, you must still be able to write adequately and work productively with people. You need to send grammatically correct emails even if you're a skilled machine operator. In the same way, you may have great skills, but if you have an attitude problem with your co-workers, say goodbye to the job.

Employers hire based on the marketable skills you've learned. And those skills can be superior to an Associate's degree in getting a job.

### For-Profit Colleges

About 13% of all college students attend "for-profit" colleges. These are educational institutions operated by private, profit-seeking institutions. Many of these schools operate mostly online—nearly all your college work is done via computer.

How are they different from "regular" colleges and why should Latinos care about them?

Students working 35-40 hours per week, which includes numerous Latinos, are attracted to the on-line approach and the job preparation focus of for-profit colleges. These schools claim they prepare students more quickly for the job market in following ways:

They cut out the "extra stuff" of a college education, like living on campus and extra-curricular activities. It's much easier to work and get a college degree.

They peddle speed and flexibility—a particular course will have multiple start times in the span of a year, unlike conventional colleges, where classes usually only start in the fall and spring (summer courses are limited in number in many cases).

You can pick courses from the get-go that fit your interest in a particular marketable skill, rather than having to take some mandatory "non-relevant" courses first.

Unfortunately, for this they charge a high price, which puts added pressure on students to be sure they've chosen the right courses that will lead to a good job.

If you're considering this kind of college, you need to be cautious in your selection process. They have been controversial for a number of reasons. They:

■ Have the image that making money for investors is mission one, not education because many of them are owned by Wall Street firms or have public stockholders

■ Use high-powered advertising and marketing techniques to attract students

■ Have low graduation rates

■ Have high debt default rates: a lot of their students can't pay back their loans.

According to Education Trust, for-profit colleges have an average graduation rate of 22%, versus 55% for public colleges and 65% at private, non-profit schools, neither of which are terrific numbers themselves. The University of Phoenix, which has a 300,000 student body that is about 13% Latino, has been the subject of lawsuits and federal investigations. Corinthian, with over 70,000 students, recently went bankrupt.

On the financial side, the for-profit college sector has troublesome numbers.

■ These schools account for 47% of defaults on college student loans;

■ 96% of its students have loans, versus 13% at two-year community colleges and 48% at four-year schools;

■ The default rate at for-profit schools is over 20% in the first three years of repayment; this is double the level for public college students who take out loans, and triple the rate for private college students.

Kaplan University, another for-profit college, defends its business practices by saying that its typical student has four risk factors, versus 1.5 for the average student enrolled in a regular college. It lists the following risk factors that can prevent success in college:

■ The student is a single parent;

■ Has children;

■ Enrolled in college at a later age;

■ Doesn't have a high school diploma;

■ Works full-time and attends part-time;

■ Is financially independent.

Many Latino students have one or more of these factors. If you do, your challenge is to reduce your "risk count" as much as possible by focusing on those risks you can control, like avoiding becoming a single parent and being sure to graduate from high school.

Keep in mind too that employers may not value a degree from a for-profit college as much as a diploma from a regular four-year college.

### The Military Option

At present, Latinos are 11% of U.S. military personnel. Naturally, Latinos find it hard to understand a country that has denied undocumented students the opportunity to become fully educated citizens, while simultaneously allowing immigrants to fight and die for the American flag. The fact that a green card holder in the military can have his naturalization process accelerated does not make up for this contradiction.

Most men and women choose a military career for a variety of reasons:

■ Patriotism

■ A way to learn discipline

■ To find a career focus in life

■ To earn money for education

Objectively speaking, the potential benefits of the military are extensive—housing, training in one of hundreds of career paths, paid vacations, healthcare, and travel (though not always of the pleasant variety). In my geographical area, the major draw of the military for young people is almost always the money.

The Army National Guard spells out the financial attraction:

■ 100% tuition assistance, up to $4,500 per fiscal year

■ Montgomery G.I. Bill: up to $10,368 for college or other approved technical training

■ Army National Guard G.I. Bill Kicker: up to $12,600 for the same purpose

■ Student loan repayment up to $20,000 on pre-existing loans

■ Stipends of $625 a month for three years

The National Guard in many states offers additional tuition assistance. For example, the New Jersey National Guard pays for tuition at public colleges and views the G.I. Bill as paying for room and board. It also provides tuition assistance while you're on active duty, and Pell Grants are not reduced if you use these funding sources.

A signing bonus for joining the military can look especially good to financially disadvantaged young people and their parents, who may never have seen a single check that large in their lives.

You may have been exposed to the military in high school. Recruiters, in my area anyway, may have complete access to high school cafeterias, where they can set up shop with flashy videos featuring the money side of the deal, attractive literature, and piles of free t-shirts. They can begin talking with students at age 16, although you cannot enlist until you turn 17. Recruits do get a second chance to change their minds; you must sign again prior to going to boot camp.

Applicants to the military services must be citizens or resident aliens, and almost always must be high school graduates. They take the Armed Forces Vocational Aptitude Battery test, which is failed by about 30% of test-takers. Overall, the military says that 75% of possible applicants are not qualified because of inadequate physical fitness, insufficient education, or criminal records.

If you're a high-achieving high school student, the military should have little appeal because you can probably expect scholarship support for college. But for other students, it is not necessarily a bad way to pay for college. Only the Marines and the Army require that enlistees serve in a war zone during their initial enlistment. In these services, if the military thinks you would make a good truck driver in a war zone, wave good-bye at the airport. In contrast, the summer camp and weekend commitments required by the National Guard are easily doable; hopefully, if you're called to duty, it will be to help out after a natural disaster in your area and not to fight in the Middle East.

The major "catch" of military service is that the U.S. government owns your posterior for several years, six or eight being common. The commitment is typically two-to-three years being active and the remainder being on active reserve. The contract is real.

Again, undocumented individuals cannot enlist (they cannot fill in the correct box on many college applications either, although it does happen), but holders of green cards who enlist get their citizenship process accelerated. Some 70,000 green card enlistees have received their citizenship since 9-11-01, with another 16,000 in the pipeline.

In yet another example of the country's mixed messages to immigrants, all male citizens, including both documented and undocumented immigrants, must register with the Selective Service System (<http://www.sss.gov/>) if they are ages 18-25. (Now that women have achieved equal status with men in serving in combat positions, they may be required to register with the Selective Service as well.)

When an undocumented young man registers, he is often fearful that this action may expose his family to scrutiny by Immigration and Citizenship Services, but that is not the military's concern.

A final conflicting note: the Department of Defense is in favor of the DREAM Act!

### Helpful Websites

The following websites provide information on learning a marketable skill. (Note: The Bureau of Labor Statistics produces lists of the fast-growing occupations and the type of education they require.)

Accrediting Career Schools  
ACCSC.ORG

Healthcare aides  
ACEHEALTHCARETRAINING.COM

Accrediting Independent Colleges  
ACICS.ORG

Provides hands-on career training  
APEXTECHNICAL.COM

Lifetime career development  
ASA.EDU

Professional training  
AVTECHUSA.COM

Building trades  
BERKTRADESCHOOL.COM

National Association of Directors  
CAREERTECH.ORG

Center of Education & Workforce  
GEORGETOWN.EDU

NYC College of Technology skills  
CITYTECH.CUNY.EDU

Various disciplines  
DEVRY.EDU

Training in musical disciplines  
DUBSPOT.COM

Empire State (skills) College  
ESC.EDU

Job training in culinary arts  
FRENCH CULINARY INSTITUTE.COM

Business & Technology programs  
GLOBE.EDU

Provides job training  
GRACEINSTITUTE.ORG

Electricians union  
IBEW.ORG

Technology programs  
ITT-TECH.EDU

Jobs for the Future  
JFF.ORG

Cartooning and Graphic Art  
KUBERTSCHOOL.COM

The Long Island Business Institute  
LIBI.EDU

Fashion courses  
LIMCOLLEGE.EDU

Arts, Science, Human services  
LINCOLN.EDU

Auto, HVAC, IT, Healthcare  
LINCOLNTECH.COM

School of Allied Health  
MANDL.EDU

Master Plumbers association  
NJSLMP.ORG

Apprenticeship programs  
NYBCTC.ORG

Acting and Film school  
NYFA.EDU

Computer Skills  
PCAGE.COM

Medical, paralegal, business admin  
SANFORDBROWN.EDU

Trade, Technical, Health, etc.  
SKILLSUSA.ORG

Training of security officers  
SORALICENSE.ORG

Culinary Arts and Healthcare  
STARCAREERACADEMY.COM

Technical Career Institute  
TCICOLLEGE.EDU

University Technical Institute  
UTI.EDU

Teaching marketable skills  
YEARUP.ORG

These websites provide information on for-profit colleges.

University of Phoenix  
APOLLO.EDU

Capella University  
CAPELLA.EDU

Career Education, multiple schools  
CAREERED.COM

DeVry University, multiple schools  
DEVRY.EDU

Art Institutes and other schools  
EDMC.EDU

ITT Educational Services, etc.  
ITTESI.COM

Large number of campuses  
STRAYER.EDU

You can also consult the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools of Colleges (<http://www.accsc.org/>), the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (<http://www.acics.org/>), and the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium (<http://www.careertech.org/>) to find out information on schools which are accredited in the area of marketable skills.

Helpful websites if you're considering the military:

AIRFORCE.COM

GOARMY.COM

GOCOASTGUARD.COM

MARINES.COM

NATIONALGUARD.COM

NAVY.COM

NJARMYGUARD.COM

SSS.GOV

## CHAPTER THIRTEEN:  
A Final Word

For all of America's faults, opportunities are still there for you to create a good life.

You may have some misgivings about the quality of your current education, or the quality of the advice you're getting from guidance counselors. I know your parents may be nervous because they don't know as much about the education system, and college in particular. All they may know is that it's different from the system in their home country.

At the end of the day, though, you have the capability to overcome these challenges, as the young people featured in this book have shown. The benefits of going to college are not just economic. Yes, you will make more money and you will have the chance go beyond your parents' income. But you will also gain a lot a more than that. You will become a more well-rounded person, with a greater understanding of many aspects of life and the satisfaction of using your talents and your personality to the fullest.

Yes, there are many things which are outside of your control. However, by focusing on those things you can control, through determination, resilience, self-motivation, and focus, you can go to college, or learn a marketable skill, and earn a good living.

I wish you the best of luck on your journey.

## About the Author

Bob Howitt began his career on Wall Street. After spending several years as a homeless shelter volunteer in New York City, he became interested in helping disadvantaged youth, particularly in the area of education. He served as Interim Executive Director of The Door, a well-known youth agency in Manhattan, and founded the WKBJ Foundation in 1991 to focus on programs to help financially challenged young people attend college. Since its inception, WKBJ has had its office in Dover, New Jersey.

WKBJ was the initial funder of North Star Academy Charter School, which evolved into Uncommon Schools, a leading non-profit charter school management organization. Bob has been on the board of North Star since inception. In addition, he is a trustee of the Charles Hayden Foundation.

Bob and Jody (his former wife and on-going supporter of the WKBJ Foundation) have two grown children (Wendy and Kari) and three grandchildren (Nora, McKenna, and Callan). Three times a week, Bob plays competitive basketball with some equally passionate guys in New Jersey. In addition, he is a perpetual traveler and essay writer.
