1. College Lecture 1: The Dream
EQ: Where and why do you want to go to college. What influences a student’s decision?

2. College Begins With a Dream!
Table Discussion
What is your dream college?
Why do you want to go there?
Why do you want to go to college? What do you expect to get out of college?

3. … A Dream and A Belief
It’s one thing to dream of going to college; it’s another thing to believe you can.
So, Who Can Go To College????
People Like Me Video
Click on link to show video from AVID.

4. Quotes and Brief History
“Fathers send their sons to college either because they went to college or because they didn’t.” – LL Hendron “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.” -- Andy McIntyre “I have a degree in Liberal Arts. Do you want fries with that?” -- Author Unknown, as seen on t-shirt
Briefly explain the origins of the university system….cathedral schools, guilds of academics, there is a cool story about a bar fight in Paris that established that university (probably not true, but super-interesting).

5. What are some reasons people go to college?
Why Go To College?
What are some reasons people go to college?
Get an education
Make more money
Quality of Life
Find a Spouse (Ring by Spring, or Your Money Back)
Prestige
Requirement for Job

6. Activity: Create a poster of a “College Ready” Student
College Begins With a Dream But Takes a Lot of Preparation to Become “College Ready”
Activity: Create a poster of a “College Ready” Student
As a group, draw and label a person who is ready for college admission and success.
Think about the skills, knowledge, mindsets, habits, etc. that a student would need in order to succeed in college, starting day 1.
You must have at least 7 labels.
10 minutes, then quickly have each group share out.

7. College Begins With a Dream But Takes a Lot of Preparation to Become “College Ready”
Not only that….there are a bunch of hoops a student and family must jump through in order to be eligible for college acceptance.

8. College Begins With a Dream But Takes a Lot of Preparation to Become “College Ready”
Take the right classes (A-G)
Get the right grades
Take the right tests (SAT/ACT)
Meet the right deadlines (Nov. App.)
Develop the right skills (time management, deep reading, note-taking, help-seeking, organization)

9. Who Influences the Children?
Parents (throughout the process) -- #1 influence!
Peers/friends (throughout)
Colleges (search, proximity, choice)
High schools (AVID)
Brainstorm as a class first, then reveal

10. So why doesn’t everyone go to college?
What are some reasons students don’t go to college? What scares them away?
Class discussion

11. Yeah, But…. #1
“It costs too much!!!” (UC=$23,000-28,000 per yr., CSU=$8,000-20,000 per year)
Sticker cost vs. true cost
Work study
Grants and scholarships
Low interest loans
The variations account for whether you live on campus, or with parents. What are some excuses or reasons students give for not going to college?

12. Yeah, But…. #2
“No one in our family ever went to college, and we did OK.”
This is often a true statement
Examine your reasons carefully
Income gap is increasing – masters degree is becoming the new bachelor’s degree
None of the people pictured finished college, and they are doing ok in life……but transcendent talent is the exception, not the rule.

13. Yeah, But…. #3
I’m not smart enough/too lazy, what college is going to accept me?
3600 colleges in the USA
You may not get into Harvard, but you can get in somewhere!

14. What’s Your Criteria? How do I know what college is right for me?
You have to know yourself before you can really answer this question.
If you apply to 5 colleges, and only one college accepts, you don’t have much of a choice.
If all 5 accept you, now you have to make a decision….but how?
Complete the College Interest Survey
Pass out and have students work on the College Interest Survey. The College Interest Survey will take a while to complete and can be assigned for HW. An interesting side assignment would be to have students discuss their responses in their Tutorial group Thursday, rather than completing a traditional Tutorial. They would have a discussion around the answers to their questions.

15. Where to Go? Fit, Not Trophy
Factor
Score
Location
Close or Far?
Where Your Friends Go
Climate/Weather
Sports Programs
School Size
Big, Medium or Small?
How Prestigious the School Is
Cost
How Good the School Is In Your Preferred Major
Urban or Rural Setting?
Other…What did we leave out?
Have students rank each on a scale of This can be done before the College Interest Survey, or en lieu of it.

16. What Steps Can I Take As I Decide?
College visits (there are at least colleges within a ½ hour from Colton) to get the feel of what it’s like
Research Colleges online
As a table, predict the top 5 colleges in America (check out
Visit college fairs
Have tables come up with their top 5 list, then click on the link to reveal the results. How many of the top 20 have students heard of? Thumbs up for yes, thumbs down for no.

17. The End