Accuplacer is everywhere!

Many colleges use a computer placement test to determine incoming students' academic proficiency.  In New England many institutions are using the Accuplacer.  It is important for students to understand that this is a high stakes test.  The results are used to place students into college level or remedial courses.  We thought it was important to post a list of schools using the Accuplacer as many folks mistakenly think it is a tool only used by state schools.  The test is used in many institutions and preparation is necessary.  Come see GEAR UP for practice tests.

Connecticut
Albertus Magnus College
Asnuntuck Community-Technical College
Connecticut College
Eastern Connecticut State University
Hartford College for Women
Middlesex Community-Technical College
Mitchell College
Quinebaug Valley Community-Technical College
Quinnipiac College
Sacred Heart University
Saint Joseph College
Southern Connecticut State University
Teikyo Post University
University of Bridgeport
University of Connecticut
University of Hartford
University of New Haven
Wesleyan University
Western Connecticut State University
 
Maine
Bowdoin College
Husson College
Maine College of Art
Maine Maritime Academy
Mid-State College
St. Joseph's College
Southern Maine Tech. College
Unity College
University of Maine
University of Maine at Augusta
University of Maine at Farmington
University of Maine at Machias
 
New Hampshire
Colby-Sawyer College
Daniel Webster College
Franklin Pierce College
Hesser College
Keene State College
McIntosh College
New England College
New Hampshire College
Notre Dame College
Plymouth State College
Saint Anselm College
University of New Hampshire
White Pines College
 
Massachusetts
Amherst College
Anna Maria College
Art Institute of Boston
Assumption College
Babson College
Bay Path College
Becker College
Berklee College of Music
Boston College
Bradford College
Brandeis University
Bridgewater State College
Bristol Community College
Bunker Hill Community College
Clark University
Dean College
Elms College
Emerson College
Emmanuel College
Endicott College
Fitchburg State College
Franklin Institute of Boston
Framingham State College
Gordon College
Hampshire College
Hellenic College
Lasell College
Lesley College
Massachusetts Bay Community CollegeMassachusetts College of Art
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
Massachusetts Maritime Academy
Merrimack College
Montserrat College of Art
Newbury College
Nichols College
Northeastern University
Pine Manor College
Quinsigamond Community College
Regis College
Roxbury Community College
Salem State College
Simmons College
Springfield College
Stonehill College
Suffolk University
University of Massachusetts Amherst
University of Massachusetts Boston
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
University of Massachusetts Lowell
Wellesley College
Western New England College
Westfield State College
Wheaton College
Wheelock College
Williams College
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester State College

 
Rhode Island
Bryant College
Johnson and Wales University
Providence College
Rhode Island College
Salve Regina College
University of Rhode Island
 
Vermont
Burlington College
Champlain College
Goddard College
Lyndon State College
Middlebury College
New England Culinary Institute
Norwich University
Saint Michael's College
Southern Vermont College
Sterling College
University of Vermont
Vermont Technical College

Photo Credit

Athletic Training Major

Ever thought about a career in athletics?  If you’ve ever seen a sports game on television, then you’ve seen athletic trainers in action. They’re the Rangers of sports medicine; the first ones on the field after an athlete takes an especially bad hit, falls, and lies waiting to be carried off of the field.[1]

Athletic trainers aren’t doctors, but you can bet that almost any sports doctor has one nearby.  As an Athletic Training major your primary focus will be on the injuries—the bruises, broken bones, and pulled muscles—sustained by athletes in action. If you’ve ever played a sport, or injured yourself while playing one, then you’ll know that the expertise and skills that an athletic trainer uses to help mold you back into shape are invaluable. In programs in athletic training, hands-on experience literally does mean hands on. Students learn how to advise athletes on avoiding injury, and how to assess and treat sports-related injuries when they do happen.  Athletic Training majors are trained in the art and science of healing our bruised and broken bodies. They work in high schools, colleges, and, of course, professional sports organizations.[2]

Tools in an athletic trainer's medicine box include therapeutic exercises, whirlpool baths, ultrasound, and electrical stimulation. Athletic trainers tend to like working closely with people, whether they're soccer players or health administrators, and always have the satisfaction of helping people heal and achieve their body’s full potential.

What are your options for the future with a degree in Athletic Training?  Careers could range from physical education (elementary and secondary), cardiac rehabilitation, echocardiogram technology, physical therapy, occupational therapy, physician assistant, personal training, strength and conditioning for professional sports, and corporate fitness.  There is also the option for continuing your education with a graduate degree in the field of exercise science, physical therapy, occupational therapy, physician assistant, athletic training, public health, nursing, and education.

Check out some schools with an Athletic Training Major:Bridgewater State, MCLA, Westfield State

[1] Collegeboard.com

[2] Princetonreview.com

Photo Credits

---

Perfect Attendance Breakfast Competition

Who: Everyone

When: The competition will run for four weeks (January 24 – March 4). Prizes will be awarded during the week of March 7

Where: North High School

Why: North High wants to reward students who make the best effort in coming to school, and being on time during the 3^rd quarter

How: The homeroom with the best attendance rate wins a big breakfast. Second and third place homerooms will also receive a sweet treat

January Major of the Month- Food Science

What is Food Science?

A major goal of the U.S. is to provide a sufficient variety of foods throughout the year to meet the energy and nutrient needs of its citizens, promote health, and export value-added food products that improve our international competitiveness and trade balance and create jobs. Our food supply must be safe and properly preserved to maintain high quality, yet must be low enough in cost for all to have access to a nutritionally adequate diet, irrespective of income. This responsibility is in the hands of the Food Scientist.

Food Scientists work on the scientific and technological aspects of processing food and related products. Using their pooled knowledge of chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, and engineering, they create high-tech foods to reduce the risk of disease and determine how safe and nutritious our food will be, and how long and well it will keep. They also explore and analyze the many questions that have to be asked -- and answered -- before a new product can go on the market.

Next time you walk into a supermarket, take a closer look at all those shelves upon shelves of cereals, fruit juices, dairy products, and microwavable convenience foods. These are some of the everyday items available because food scientists find ways to keep plant and animal products appetizing and nutritious, and to stop them from spoiling.

At the international level, food scientists play a key role in the never-ending quest for wholesome, plentiful, inexpensive food for the world's growing population. As the United States strives to remain the world's leading food supplier, food science will continue to be vital to the food industry. Technology is the answer and it will be up to the food scientist to provide this technology. *This description has been provided to you from the UMass Amherst website (http://www.umass.edu/foodsci/index.html). Check out the school and this program for more information.

Careers in this field range from Academia, Catering Technology, Environmental Health, Microbiology, Marketing, Product Development, Production, Quality Control, Research and Retail.

Financial Aid Season

Financial aid applications are available for completion as of January 1, 2011.  As you enjoy time off with friends and family during the holiday break take a few minutes to gather the documents you'll need to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the CSS Profile (an additional form required for institutional aid from some private colleges only).  The links at the bottom of this post include a list of documents we'll need to help you fill out these forms as accurately as possible.  Take a peek, have a conversation with your folks and come see GEAR UP as soon as you return from break to schedule an appointment.  If you and or your parent(s) cannot find your tax returns from last year make a call to the people that filed your taxes and request a copy.  Institutions with February deadlines know you will be estimating, better to make an educated guess than miss a deadline and thousands of dollars in aid.  Fear not, we are here to help you and your families through this process.  As long as you bring the documents we'll get you squared away.  If you have extenuating circumstances and are unsure of which adult is required to submit information stop by GEAR UP and we'll figure it out.  We'll be here to file appeals, help with verification, and interpret your award letters.  Enjoy your holidays everyone!

Additional Parent Information

Documents needed for financial aid forms

Final Push for Seniors

It's already mid-December!  If you are a senior and have not submitted your applications the time to act is now.  Gather your recommendations, essays, and anything else the schools you are applying to require.  Make an appointment with your guidance counselor and get the applications in the mail.  Over the holiday break you can dig out 2010 tax returns for you and your parents and save your last pay stubs from December.  We'll start helping students with their FAFSA and CSS Profiles after the break.  If you are anxious about the process stop in and see your GEAR UP counselor for a list of documents you may need.  If you are a foster student, have a legal guardian, or have a non-traditional living arrangement come up and have a chat with us so we can let you know which items you will or will not be required to produce.  Good luck everyone!

December’s Career of the Month is Biotechnology

Biotechnology refers to the use of living organisms or their products to modify human health and the human environment.

Biotechnology has been around since prehistoric times. The discovery that milk could be converted into cheese and yogurt and that humans could plant their own crops and breed their own animals are just a few examples of biotechnology in action. You might picture a scientist in a white lab coat developing drugs for depression or cancer when you think of this career. You would be right but there are SO many additional career opportunities in the field of biotechnology and here are a few more examples:

• Environmental biotechnology products make it possible to clean up hazardous waste more efficiently by harnessing pollution-eating microbes without the use of caustic chemicals.
• Industrial biotechnology applications have led to cleaner processes that produce less waste and use less energy and water in such industrial sectors as chemicals, pulp and paper, textiles, food, energy, and metals and minerals. For example, most laundry detergents produced in the United States contain biotechnology-based enzymes.
• DNA fingerprinting, a biotech process, has dramatically improved criminal investigation and forensic medicine, as well as afforded significant advances in anthropology and wildlife management.

Additionally, there are career opportunities that range from sales and marketing to research development to manufacturing and quality control. This is a field that is constantly growing; the number of employees in this field has increased by more than 90% over the last ten years!

Education and training requirements vary greatly depending on the type of position and the industry sector. This degree will require a substantial background interest in math and science. The education needed for specific positions varies from an Associate’s degree all the way to a Doctoral degree. While many positions require a 4 year (Bachelors degree,) a significant number of positions now require a two year degree or less.
Check out the Associate’s degree program in Biotechnology at Mount Wachusett Community College for an example of how to get started and which courses you will have to take in college. www.mwcc.edu