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!Wednesday, December 22, 2010
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!
Monday, December 13, 2010
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!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
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
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
Monday, November 22, 2010
Worcester Afterschoool Program Guide 2010-2011
Thank you to Community Build and Worcester Public Schools for this great resource. Posted with permission of Worcester Community Connection Coalition through Dawn Johnson 11/22/10.
After School Listing
After School Listing
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
November’s Career of the Month
Child Life Specialist
Would you like to work in a hospital setting without having to perform medical procedures? Do you love children and love to play? Then a career in Child Life Therapy just might be the career for you!
A Child Life Specialist works with children primarily in an in-patient pediatric setting to promote effective coping though play, education and self-expression activities. Child Life Specialists also provide emotional support for parents, siblings, and other family members. They act as a liaison between healthcare professionals and pediatric patients, playing a vital role in providing education and resources about the needs of children under stress.
Child Life Specialists work as part of an interdisciplinary team that includes doctors, nurses, social workers, and other hospital personnel. Some examples of typical duties are:
• To ease a child’s fear and anxiety through therapeutic and recreational play activities
• To conduct pre-admission hospital tours for children and their families and answer questions about the child’s upcoming hospitalization
• To support families confronting grief and bereavement issues
• To engage and energize children in the hospital by providing special activities and events
Education required:
Minimum of a Bachelors degree in Psychology or a related field, that includes courses in child life and other relevant counseling and psychology classes.
Certified Child Life Specialists must complete a minimum of 480 hours of child life clinical experience under the direct supervision of a certified Child Life Specialist.
Salary:
The median salary of a Child Life Therapist is $43,000 but actual salaries will vary depending on the geographic location of the job.
Child Life Specialist
Would you like to work in a hospital setting without having to perform medical procedures? Do you love children and love to play? Then a career in Child Life Therapy just might be the career for you!
A Child Life Specialist works with children primarily in an in-patient pediatric setting to promote effective coping though play, education and self-expression activities. Child Life Specialists also provide emotional support for parents, siblings, and other family members. They act as a liaison between healthcare professionals and pediatric patients, playing a vital role in providing education and resources about the needs of children under stress.
Child Life Specialists work as part of an interdisciplinary team that includes doctors, nurses, social workers, and other hospital personnel. Some examples of typical duties are:
• To ease a child’s fear and anxiety through therapeutic and recreational play activities
• To conduct pre-admission hospital tours for children and their families and answer questions about the child’s upcoming hospitalization
• To support families confronting grief and bereavement issues
• To engage and energize children in the hospital by providing special activities and events
Education required:
Minimum of a Bachelors degree in Psychology or a related field, that includes courses in child life and other relevant counseling and psychology classes.
Certified Child Life Specialists must complete a minimum of 480 hours of child life clinical experience under the direct supervision of a certified Child Life Specialist.
Salary:
The median salary of a Child Life Therapist is $43,000 but actual salaries will vary depending on the geographic location of the job.
GEAR UP Major of the Month: Emergency Management
Emergency Management is the discipline of dealing with and avoiding risks. This field involves preparing for disaster before it occurs, disaster response (evacuation, quarantine and decontamination), and supporting and rebuilding societies after natural or human-made disasters occur.
One of the Massachusetts' State schools, Massachusetts Maritime Academy, currently offers a Bachelors Degree in Emergency Management. The Emergency Management program's educational coursework has been developed for each of three key concepts; hazard, risk, and disaster. The program component for hazard and risk (risk management) consists of a framework that explores four states in assessment and management including Risk Assessment, Control Analysis, Strategy Section and Implementation and Evaluation. In the case of disaster, the students will study the different temporal stages in a disaster cycle, including; Mitigation or Prevention, Preparedness, Response and Recovery. The program's depth and range of practical coursework and experience, provides an EM graduate, the skills for a smooth transition from college to a profession in the emergency management field.
To learn more about Emergency Management at Massachusetts Maritime Academy click here http://www.maritime.edu/index.cfm
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Salem State University Spotlight
Salem State University is not requiring letters of recommendation or an essay for admission this year. If students have an I.E.P. they can attach a copy in their application to waive any high school language requirements. Any student who meets the Massachusetts State Sliding Scale is admissible.
Sliding Scale for Freshman Applicants to a State University
Weighted High School GPACombined SAT-I V&M Must Equal or Exceed
(ACT Equivalent in Italics)
2.51-2.99 920 (19)
2.41-2.50 960 (20)
2.31-2.40 1000 (21)
2.21-2.30 1040 (22)
2.11-2.20 1080 (23)
2.00-2.10 1120 (24)
Click here to apply http://www.salemstate.edu/admissions/
Sliding Scale for Freshman Applicants to a State University
Weighted High School GPACombined SAT-I V&M Must Equal or Exceed
(ACT Equivalent in Italics)
2.51-2.99 920 (19)
2.41-2.50 960 (20)
2.31-2.40 1000 (21)
2.21-2.30 1040 (22)
2.11-2.20 1080 (23)
2.00-2.10 1120 (24)
Click here to apply http://www.salemstate.edu/admissions/
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