After an hour of exhaustive hunting in the grocery store, you turn the shopping cart into the check out line. You have been working all day and just want to get home, put your feet up and get started with dinner. As you pull out your credit card to pay for everything, you are greeted by two of your students. One of them even asks you about completing her FAFSA. Is there no escape?
One of the best aspects about being an adviser is diving right in with the local ways. Whether you have to catch public transportation or drive 25 miles through farmland, your area is unique and each person has their own story to tell. Being an adviser is not a drop-in job; you will see students, teachers, and parents in stores, gyms, gas stations, movies, you name it. Simply waving or saying hello is a great way to show the community you are not a stranger or a foreign object. You are committed to the local way of life! Don’t hide out in your apartment too often; if there is a home tennis match or Arts Night, try to swing by, even for 15 minutes; let the entire community know you are invested in them!
Some advisers even volunteer as coaches, athletic assistants, chaperones at school dances, gate keepers, etc. These positions put advisers on the front lines where groups of families and friends have direct access to you. This also creates stronger bonds with students and enables them to converse with you more than between classes or after tests in school. I carry business cards in my wallet just in case I meet a new parent or a local business owner; I am often asked what subject I teach, which enables me to pitch what a college adviser does without sounding like an advertisement.
Sometimes it is nice to turn things off, relax, go back and visit college, and of course you do not have to be Mr. or Ms. College Adviser 24/7. Part of the job is asking people to understand the importance of higher education in their lives, and understanding the culture and ways of your community will also help you understand where they are coming from. Expressing interest in the community allows you and others to open up and trust one another, listen effectively, and create healthy networks within the community to share important information quickly and broadly.
So when is that next track meet? Great, I’ll be there!
About Jake:
I am excited to reprise my role as a college adviser for a 2nd year at North Surry and the Surry Early College High Schools in Surry County. I attended Person High School in Roxboro and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in Durham.
In college I could be found singing in my a capella group, planning numerous events for my residential community (I was an RA for three years), or in the recording room as a sound engineer for various plays. I found a natural passion when I began tutoring and peer mentoring my junior year. Being a part of the National College Advising Corps allows me to continue down the path of higher education while helping others discover more about where they want to go and how to get there.
“I am here to show students what they are capable of achieving by increasing access to higher education. Sharing with students the resources I was fortunate enough to have will help them find their voice.”
Paying for college-one of the biggest, scariest obstacles current high school students (read: parents) face when applying to college. There is the application fee, $25, $40, $80… but what about tuition, room and board, travel, fees, and “other expenses?” When I meet with families, I let them know the very first place to start is the FAFSA. I often noticed one of two looks; one of confusion and one of skepticism.
When faced with families who are confused about the FAFSA, I start from the beginning. These are often families who have never heard of the FAFSA (The FAF-what?). I read my audience and figure out how to best relate with them; I relax, I break each piece of the FAFSA down to nice bite-size chunks, and I pause for them to take notes and ask questions. I always start with “FAFSA stands for FREE Application for Federal Student Aid. It is first and foremost FREE!” This is a great hook because (hardly) anything is free. If I have access to a computer, I display the website and explain what the screen will look like every time the student logs in, as well as the sections the application requires to complete. I also cover potential scam websites to avoid.
When faced with families who are skeptical about the FAFSA, I tread lightly. These are often families who have experience with the FAFSA (We didn’t get anything when we applied last time, why try now?) or who are uncomfortable with the idea of reporting their finances to the government (don’t they already know how much I make?). In both cases I verify the safety of the website (www.fafsa.ed.gov) and note that many scholarships require a completed FAFSA for eligibility. Additionally, colleges use the FAFSA when matching students with their institutional money; without this, a student is not considered for need-based aid and even some merit-based aid. Regardless, since it is free the only thing a family has to lose is time. This year the FAFSA can be completed in less than 30 minutes.
The more knowledgeable and comfortable I am, the more financial aid information I can share with families. These are some useful tips I added to my tool box for quick reference (with examples and suggestions):
- Each college has a different priority deadline (help families find them!)
- Eligibility requirements (must be a citizen or eligible non-citizen!)*
- The online form saves at each page; it does not need to be completed in one session (so let’s get started today!)
- Under ‘Browse Help' -- 'Before you Apply’ there is a page that lists all documents needed to fill out a FAFSA (we can print it right now!)
- PIN=Personal Identification Number (make it memorable because…)
- FAFSA is an annual process (don’t forget to do it next January!)
- SAP=Satisfactory Academic Progress (lose eligibility with bad grades!)
The more explanation and understanding I showed with families, the more comfortable and diligent they were in completing the FAFSA. Encourage parents and students to ask questions, and follow-up difficult questions and unknown answers with contact information of someone who does know the answer.
*A huge obstacle for students who are from an undocumented family or who are undocumented themselves occurs with citizenship status. Before explaining all of the rules of FAFSA, know that some students will not be eligible to apply. As of today, most students who are undocumented cannot complete a FAFSA. Utilize financial aid directors and advocate groups as much as possible. The link below is a great reference point for teachers, counselors, and college advisers.
http://professionals.collegeboard.com/guidance/financial-aid/undocumented-students
About Jake:
I am excited to reprise my role as a college adviser for a 2nd year at North Surry and the Surry Early College High Schools in Surry County. I attended Person High School in Roxboro and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in Durham.
In college I could be found singing in my a capella group, planning numerous events for my residential community (I was an RA for three years), or in the recording room as a sound engineer for various plays. I found a natural passion when I began tutoring and peer mentoring my junior year. Being a part of the National College Advising Corps allows me to continue down the path of higher education while helping others discover more about where they want to go and how to get there.
“I am here to show students what they are capable of achieving by increasing access to higher education. Sharing with students the resources I was fortunate enough to have will help them find their voice.”
Walking down the hall on my first day brought back memories of my own high school experience, only now I wasn’t a student, and this wasn’t my school. Everyone seemed to stare at me, confused; who was this student-looking teacher? I had to figure out how to get started in a school that never had a college adviser.
I jumped right in with faculty and staff. The counseling department and I formed an excellent team, and on the first day we covered expectations and goals. I learned what was already in place, projects on which I could collaborate, and how to impact the entire community. These were important conversations I continued to have with the counseling department throughout the year as we developed trust and mutual respect for one another.
Later that first day, the entire senior class was called together so I could introduce myself (a little scary, but pretty cool). Immediately students found me; they were loaded with questions and ready to go. Other students were unsure how to start the conversation. Sometimes I did not know what to say, so I told them “if I do not know the answer, let’s work together to find one.”
Advising Corps mentors told me the first year at a school is the time to “Plant the Seed” of higher education in the minds of students, families, and communities. From the beginning, I learned hat teachers, counselors, and administrators were already hard at work helping students make plans for life after high school. I wanted them to know I was here to help, but not to judge or stop their efforts.
Working closely with parents and teachers created a solid foundation for future advisers while visibly impacting current students. I will not meet one-on-one with every single student, but I have strengthened the college-going culture in my community and I look forward to seeing that further develop in the years to come.
About Jake:
I am excited to reprise my role as a college adviser for a 2nd year at North Surry and the Surry Early College High Schools in Surry County. I attended Person High School in Roxboro and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in Durham.
In college I could be found singing in my a capella group, planning numerous events for my residential community (I was an RA for three years), or in the recording room as a sound engineer for various plays. I found a natural passion when I began tutoring and peer mentoring my junior year. Being a part of the National College Advising Corps allows me to continue down the path of higher education while helping others discover more about where they want to go and how to get there.
“I am here to show students what they are capable of achieving by increasing access to higher education. Sharing with students the resources I was fortunate enough to have will help them find their voice.”