College Knowledge Month

Happy College Knowledge Month!

Week #1 focuses on Academic Readiness: The ability to succeed in first-year, credit-bearing courses at a technical college, a community college or a four-year college or university. 

This week's College Knowledge activity is based on the Ramp-Up to Readiness program, and it helps you to develop your Academic Readiness through reflection on the current classes you are taking, thinking about what support you need in one of your classes, and exploring Khan Academy's YouTube channel to find a video that supports your work. 

To complete the Week #1 College Knowledge Activity:

1. Fill out and submit this College Knowledge - Week 1: Academic Readiness form by 11:59 PM on October 2. You must complete all of the questions in order to be entered into the drawing to win a University of Minnesota water bottle. 

Good luck!

Welcome to the second week of College Knowledge Month!

Week #2 focuses on Admissions Readiness: The ability to meet admissions requirements at a range of postsecondary institutions.

This week's College Knowledge activity is from the Ramp-Up to Readiness program, and it helps you to develop your Admissions Readiness by exploring different schools online, their requirements for admissions, and the College Scorecard’s “Tests and Acceptance” page.

There are many different kinds of college that vary in cost, degrees offered, focus, length of time it takes to get a degree, how classes are taught, etc. 

Here are four types of college and the kinds of degrees they typically offer:

• Technical or Career Colleges (usually between 1-2 years)
  • Certificate or degree for a specific job like carpenter, mechanic, chef, cosmetologist
• Community Colleges (2-year schools)
  • Associate Degree or certificate: leads to high skill careers such as dental hygiene, law enforcement, web design, radiation therapist
• Universities and Colleges (4-year schools)
  • Bachelor’s Degree in areas like business, education, engineering, nursing, music, arts, biology
• Online Colleges--can earn up to a doctorate degree (depending on the degree pursued, can take up to 12 years)
  • Associate’s Degree or Bachelor’s Degree

To complete the Week #2 College Knowledge Activity:

1. Fill out the College Knowledge - Week #2: Admissions Readiness Google Form.
2. Submit this form by 11:59 PM on October 9. Remember, you must complete all of the questions in order to be entered into the drawing to win a University of Minnesota water bottle.

Week #3 focuses on Career Readiness: The ability to identify careers that match personal, financial, and other goals and an understanding of the skills, credentials, and experiences required to succeed in those careers.

This week's College Knowledge activity is from the Ramp-Up to Readiness program, and it helps you to develop your Career Readiness by asking you to analyze career trends to determine why some jobs have become and will become obsolete.

Obsolete is defined as no longer used or needed, or out of date. Technology has caused many careers from the past to become obsolete. Across the globe there is growing awareness that technological change is quickly causing workforce alterations. It behooves you, as students who are beginning to think about future careers to consider which jobs may no longer exist by the time you are seeking work.

Flexibility and a willingness to learn, grow, and change careers will be important in the future. It is worthwhile to note that creative jobs, relationship-based jobs, and unpredictable jobs will be difficult to automate.

To complete the Week #3 College Knowledge Activity:

1. Fill out the College Knowledge - Week #3: Career Readiness Google Form.
2. Submit by 11:59 PM on October 16. Remember, you must complete all of the questions in order to be entered into the drawing to win a University of Minnesota water bottle.

Week #4 focuses on Financial Readiness: The ability to cover the cost of the first term of study at a postsecondary institution through savings, loans, and financial aid.

This week's College Knowledge activity is from the Ramp-Up to Readiness program, and it helps you to develop your Financial Readiness by asking you to watch a video called “The Economic Value of College Majors” from the Georgetown CEW. The video explains why majors tend to be indicators of future earnings, but also states that there are exceptions as well.

Some people question whether college is worth all the money it costs to attend. The short answer is that a postsecondary degree is worth it because graduates tend to earn a good salary over the course of their careers that allows them to pay back their college loans, plus they tend to earn more money over time.

It is important to realize that there is a lot of variation across different majors, degrees, and careers. More and more jobs require additional education after high school. There are many benefits to earning a college degree, and increased earnings is one reason to strive for a postsecondary credential, but not the only one. 

Remember - never assume you will not be able to go to college because it would be too expensive. There are many ways to pay for college!

To complete the Week #4 College Knowledge Activity:

1. Watch The Economic Value of College Majors (4:05)
2. After you have watched the video, fill out and submit this College Knowledge - Week #4: Financial Readiness form by 11:59 PM on October 23. Remember, you must complete all of the questions in order to be entered into the drawing to win a University of Minnesota water bottle.

Week #5 focuses on Social Emotional Readiness: The ability to set educational goals, make and monitor progress towards them, and create relationships with peers and adults that support academic success.

This week's College Knowledge activity is from the Ramp-Up to Readiness program, and it helps you to develop your Social Emotional Readiness by asking you to watch a video about asking for help in school, and then answer a few questions about when and how you can ask for help in the future.

Asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness, but many people—young and old—find it hard to ask for help, and there are a variety of reasons why this is true.

It is wise for students to become comfortable asking for help when you need it because you will likely need to ask for help in middle school, high school, college, and in the workplace, too. Having some concrete strategies for asking for help can give you the courage you need to ask for help when you need it.

While teachers and many others are there to help you when you do not understand something in class or with other parts of your school life, it is your responsibility to start asking for help when you need it. Asking for help is not a sign that you lack intelligence–it is actually wise. Teachers want to help you - you just have to ask.

To complete the Week #5 College Knowledge Activity:

1. Watch this short video: Asking for Help in School, which discusses different reasons to ask for help when you need it. 
2. After you have watched the video, fill out and submit this College Knowledge - Week #5: Social Emotional Readiness form by 11:59 PM on October 30. Remember, you must complete all of the questions in order to be entered into the drawing to win a University of Minnesota water bottle.