Como obtener becas para estudiantes internacionales interesados en cursar sus estudios universitarios y de postgrado en USA? Claudine Vainrub, College Counselor o Consultor Educativo y Principal de EduPlan hablar acerca de este tema con Mercedes Soler en CNN – Notimujer.
Graduate Admissions Event
The Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants – AIGAC is hosting the worldwide event
Graduate Admissions Virtual Summit:
“Discover how you can position your application for Success”
Learn from Expert Graduate Admissions Counselors on how to get ahead of the game in Grad School Admissions.
Our own EduPlan Principal, Claudine Vainrub, will be hosting the webinar directed to Spanish Speakers
Click on the links to visit the event page and register for the conference.
Don’t miss out on this special event!
Congratulations to our Wonderful Students!
To this year’s EduPlan superachievers – Yes! This means you!
We are so proud of your successes! You worked hard to achieve your best, and we are thrilled that colleges and universities all across the U.S. recognized your talent! Full rides and partial scholarships recognize to an even higher extent that you led this process while giving the best of yourself!
We know you will be successful in the next stage of your life, as you were throughout the college and grad school admissions process. It is now time to breath and think, where do I fit in best? Which school can support me best in achieving most professional goals? We know that your choice will be the right one, and are here to help you make this tough decision successfully. We are in awe of your accomplishment! Here are a few of the schools recognizing the talent of EduPlan students, not only with admissions but also by granting full and partial scholarships…
- Amherst College
- University of Pennsylvania
- University of Michigan
- Penn State University
- Georgetown University
- University of Miami
- University of Florida
- Emory University
- Eckerd College
- Florida International University
- Hofstra University
- Suffolk University
- Ivey
- New College of Florida
- University of Central Florida
- Fordham University
- Wagner College
- Lynn University
- Yeshiva University
And so many more…
Congratulations undergraduate classes of 2014 and graduate classes of 2012!
Maximizar ROTI al Buscar Trabajo
A continuacion nuestro programa radial semanal con Eli Bravo en Actualidad 1020 AM, acerca de como tener el maximo retorno del tiempo invertido en la busqueda de trabajo.
Sorry folks, only in Spanish…
Job Search ROTI
Maximizing ROTI – Return on Time Investment when Looking for a Job
By Claudine Vainrub, Principal of EduPlan
As we prepare for the economy to get back in shape, jobs are becoming every day more available for professionals seeking for new opportunities. The question is: What strategies can we use ensure landing a job soon? How do we achieve the best return on our job search time investment? In the following series, we will discuss the impact of several strategies, bringing today one of the most relevant when looking for ROTI in job search.
Networking:
It is by far, the preferred strategy nowadays to get effective on finding a job. Over 60% of all jobs are sourced nowadays through networking, as reported throughout. Networking, however, has taken a new meaning with social media at hand. LinkedIn, MySpace and Facebook are the most widely known in the US, especially for job search and personal socialization. However, we can be surprised with the many alternatives that are available worldwide, networks of over 60MM users, some like Orkut, popular in Brazil and increasing in India, as Wikipedia reports, with over 180MM users. Other specialized networks include PartnerUp, a social networking site for entrepreneurs and small business owners. These are important tools for job seekers, who will gain an advantage when trying to connect with professionals that have things in common, and can appreciate their assets. Check out some of the hundreds of social networking sites available here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_social_networking_websites
Just sitting in front of the PC screen eight hours per day will almost surely not do the trick. Getting “out there” is another way of networking, sometimes even more effective. Face time is valuable, and being able to get in front of a decision maker or at least a reference, can make a big difference in landing the opportunity. A good idea of how to get in front of people you believe can make a difference in your job search is given by the book “Never Eat Lunch Alone” by Keith Ferrazzi. Inviting people that can make a difference in your life to have lunch with you can help you in growing personal relationships. These one-on-one rapports can have an impact when someone is in the position to talk well about you, and truly “sell” you to a fellow employer. It might end up being somewhat expensive, and even fattening! But it is certainly effective when creating a connection and a recall of your personal brand in other people’s mind.
Volunteering is another effective way of networking. It is also an opportunity for a professional to prove that he/she has management skills and many other skill sets that are worthy and unique, and needed in the workforce. This strategy will also keep your mind busy with work, and away from the worries of not finding a job. It will provide food for thought and even bring ideas on enterprises and ventures that could be profitably launched. Managers and/or coworkers could end up becoming employers or even partners.
The important aspect to concentrate in is that getting busy meeting people and connecting in different ways will enrich our lives, whether we are looking for a job, looking for career advancement or even retired. Making personal connections, for whatever reason, is positive. It can and will bring many productive opportunities throughout our lives.
The New Financial Aid Formula
By Claudine Vainrub, MBA and Principal of EduPlan
With the passing of the healthcare bill, the topic of education has taken a second place in the minds of the Americans. However, there are interesting news regarding financial aid as this bill was merged with the health reform legislation. Although a more conservative version of the original plan expected to pass in September, the Government is again supporting an initiative to increase Financial Aid support for college-bound students, as well as allocate new funds for other educational areas, including historically black colleges, Hispanic and tribal colleges.
As Inside Higher Ed explains, here are the differences between what was proposed in September and the new bill:
In total, it is expected that subsidies and eliminating the middleman will generate around $61 billion in savings over 10 years. Pell grants would be assigned $36 billion, raising the annual Pell grant amount to $5,975 (and a maximum of $6,400) from $5,550, and it would be linked to the consumer price index.
This is somewhat discouraging, since the original Pell grant target was $6,900, closer to the real needs of students eligible for this grant. Community colleges would get $2 billion, down from $10 billion in the original bill. $2.6 billion is allocated to historically black colleges, Hispanic and tribal colleges , which need it to ensure their survival throughout this recession. The new bill also includes a $1.5 billion initiative that would cap a borrower’s monthly loan payments at 10 percent of income, down from 15 percent.
Until now, student loans have been mostly handled through private banks and other financial institutions. As part of this process, while the Federal Government sponsors these loans, private banks offering and managing loan programs benefit from earning a percentage. This percentage is one that will soon cease to exist for the Pell grant program, as a new bill is passed in Government. The plan is for the Fed to bypass banks and private lenders to provide these loans directly to students – no middleman involved. As Inside Higher Ed explains, “The legislation (H.R. 4872) would shift all lending from the bank-based Federal Family Education Loan Program to the Direct Loan Program and use $61 billion in savings over 10 years to shore up the Pell Grant Program and for a handful of other education priorities.”
How does the new bill directly affect us?
In simple terms, the over 8 million students depending on the Pell grant program to subsidize their education will continue to be able to do so receiving most likely maximum amounts, as opposed to lesser or no grant funds, as money becomes more available for education. Cutting the middlemen in this program will support the government in being able to allocate more funds by saving money in their program that will directly end in the hands of low and middle-income students. This investment will provide relief to students that otherwise would have to abandon their college work for lack of aid. In this way, the government is taking one step ahead in their goal of graduating more college students and helping raise the level of education in the U.S. population.
Education Reform – We are Ready!
News on education reveal this administration’s interest in enhancing educational standards for high school students in the U.S. President Obama states that major changes will happen in the education field in the next few years, reform will begin soon with the passing of a proposal for new academic standards for education at elementary and high school level.
One of the new initiatives is called Common Core State Standards Initiative. The program would standardize graduation requirements throughout the U.S., comparing apples to apples, when assessing students’ readiness for college. To many Latin Americans, this initiative seems easy to understand, since this is how education is conducted in Venezuela, Colombia, Argentina and other South American countries. However, in the U.S., each state had different academic standards, which, in the opinion of many, has led to a lower standard to complete high school.
What is the purpose of this proposal? To ensure students are more prepared in Mathematics and English. Years ago, the U.S. graduated professionals in these fields that became leaders in the industry, innovators, researchers. Not as much anymore. With mathematics requirements getting lowered to graduate more students from high school, the effect has been negative in the majority of the population, who are less prepared for college and to excel in the sciences. The new base proposed for public schools will help ensure that students all over are asked to work harder and focus in learning, as opposed to just passing.
What are the implications of these initiatives? A better education standard, a less punitive system which rewards for excellence and does not punish for not achieving expectations. Lowering the bar for students and teachers will become an item of the past. Making students become ready for college and for a career, as opposed to just focusing on passing a grade is the new ideal. All these initiatives can turn around our education system, helping this nation become once again, a leader in technology and advancement throughout.
An Image is Worth A Thousand Words – Video Applications
Remember how Elle Woods from Legally Blond supposedly got into Harvard? She made a cool video of why she was perfect for law school. Well, it looks like life is imitating Hollywood because prestigious institutions like Tufts and Yale are accepting video submissions that are usually uploaded on youtube for the delight or despair of others depending on the quality of said video. Although Harvard’s dean of admissions, William R. Fitzsimmons, fears that “students from families with substantial financial resources are in a better position to provide such materials,” the reality is that the availability of technology in the form of cellphone cameras to inexpensive video recorders, gives virtually anyone the tools they need to make a video.
Whether you’re performing a rap song, using stop-motion photography, flying the school’s mascot by remote control, or just speaking on camera, you can make a successful video essay if you follow these simple rules.
1. Focus on the story:
Almost everyone agrees that Avatar has amazing graphics, yet have you seen the movie critics complaining about the inane dialogue and the insipid story? Compare Avatar to The Blair Witch Project and Halloween, both movies were made for $50,000 and both generated over $100 million dollars. Why? Because they had great ideas that didn’t demand huge production budgets. So before you begin wasting huge amounts of money shooting a video submission that might not even get you accepted to the college of your choice, think about what you’re trying to communicate and then find a technique to get the job done.
2. Simple works:
Amelia’s “Math Dances” video illustrates that you don’t need fancy sound-recording equipment, lights, and the best camera to succeed. Her video which has been seen by over 90,000 people on youtube features Amelia dancing line graphs, y-axis, and other math concepts. But unlike those big budget movies that seem to go on and on, she gets to the point in one minute. Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNPXUWsMdIo&feature=related
3. Show, don’t tell:
Eric’s video submission shows what happens when you spend 30 seconds in front of a drum telling people what you want to do in a real monotone voice. By the time you’re family playing the drum, your audience is bored. Remember, you’re not Howard Stern so there’s no need to describe what your audience is seeing.
Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vX04xBa36u0&feature=related
4. Say it with pictures:
When Sunset Blvd’s Norma Desmond says “We didn’t need dialogue. We had faces!” She’s referring to the long gone era of silent films which forced actors to get creative with movement, facial expressions and so forth. Well, your video essay can say a lot with frozen or moving pictures and music without you having to utter a single word. Take a look at this video essay for Chapman/Dodge, the student shows his whole life without any words whatsoever. Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySbS81bQL3g
5. Say it with subtitles:
Americans don’t usually like reading subtitles, but if you write compelling lines with or without related images, you can get your point across in an original way as more than 23,000 people saw in the video “In my shoes.” Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWmU0hze4jE
6. Use a celebrity:
Student Christian Holmes took real life footage of Bravo’s Inside The Actor Studio and mixed it with video of himself answering the questions of the host. Can you imagine being interviewed by Larry King? Obama? Sarah Palin? With this technique you can “hire” your favorite celebrity for absolutely nothing.
Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57yJCm-KKIk
7. YouTube Idol: Ru Paul may want you to “lip-synch for your life,” well; plenty of students are lip-synching their favorite iPod tunes for a college education. So whether you sing, lip-synch, play an instrument, dedicate a song to a tree or use inanimate objects as instruments… You’ll find that music is the universal language of the video essay.
Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FESrDkzga58
8. Behind the Student: Like VH1’s “Behind the Music,” sometimes it’s other people that can best speak for you. So consider making a documentary about your life with the most relevant people speaking o your behalf. Keep it interesting and it just might be your ticket to college and youtube fame.
9. Show your culture:
How many people do you know that live in Aramco Residential Camp in Saudi Arabia? Samantha grew up there and made a simple video of her talking in front of the camera with the amazing Saudi Arabian desert behind her.
Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-6uwkfdJjM
10- Be Yourself!
In the end, do not loose focus on the real goal – finding a college program with the right “fit” for you. So after all, thrive at portraying yourself accurately, marketing your true essence, remembering that it is you that will have to spend the next four years of your life in the school you decide to attend. Follow the rules and create the video yourself – do not have someone produce it for you.
In the end, schools aren’t looking for James Cameron quality or even youtube hits, but they’ll be impressed if you make an effort and deliver your very best.
Further Reading:
Film Might Be the New Essay In College Admissions
http://abcnews.go.com/WN/youcollege-video-essays-arrived/story?id=9924120&page=2
Best and Worst Video Essays
http://www.urlesque.com/2008/08/13/college-video-essays-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/
A fresh pitch on ‘U’ tube
http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2010/02/21/a_fresh_pitch_on_u_tube/?page=2
