PayScale.com Lists Top Salaries By College Major

To see the full list of college majors, and the respective beginning and mid-career salary for each major click here.

DiversityScholarships.com Offering Monthly $10,000 Scholarships for Minority and Female Students

DiversityScholarships.com is giving away a $10,000 scholarship to a high school or college student who is 18 years of age or older. The scholarship award can be used to pay for tuition, books, housing, and more. To apply, students simply have to register online, view free information from sponsor colleges and universities, and then confirm their registration.
Applicants must have at least one parent that is an African American, Hispanic American, Asian American, or Native American. Female students of all ethnicities are also eligible. In addition, applicants must be permanent residents of the United States, and must be planning to attend or are already enrolled in a college, university, or trade school.

At the end of the month, one random winner is selected from a drawing and the scholarship monies are paid in one lump sum directly to the winner upon verification. Typically, the drawing date is around the 30th or the 31st of the month.

The organization behind the web site that provides the scholarship funds is on a mission to help as many minority and female students as possible by offsetting their disadvantaged situation. A recent USA Today article revealed that minority enrollment in college lags disproportionately because of the lack of resources and financial aid being made available.

Fast Company Introduces Dorm-In-A-Box

Just when you thought it safe to go the mall, and try to pick up all those things on your college kid's list of necessities, FastCompany.com presents to some and introduces to others a new Internet start-up called Dorm-In-A-Box. I love this name as it is self-explanatory, and I love the concept of simplifying the the lives of future college students and those students returning to college by providing a much needed service that appears to be pretty affordable for the familes of most college-bound students. Check out Fast Company's full article here.

The Accidental Nontraditional Student

According to Wikipedia nontraditional students are students that attend an higher education institution (college or university) that generally fall into two categories: (1) students who are older than the historical undergraduate student profile (usually age 18-25), whose studies were either interrupted earlier in their life; or (2) students of traditional age, but who pursue their baccalaureate studies through programs that provide unconventional scheduling to allow for other responsibilities, and pursuits concurrent with attaining a degree.

In addition to these definitions, the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) acknowledges that while there is no precise definition for nontraditional students, part-time status and age are common elements in most definitions. Other definitions of nontraditional students include those who:

• delay enrollment (or do not enter post-secondary education in the same calendar year that he or she finished high school);
  
• attend part-time for at least part of the academic year;


• work full time (35 hours or more per week) while enrolled;


• are considered financially independent for purposes of determining eligibility for financial aid;
  
• have dependents other than a spouse (usually children, but sometimes others);


• are single parents (either not married or married but separated and have dependents); or


• do not have a high school diploma (completed high school with a GED or other high school completion certificate or did not finish high school.)

As you can see being classified as a nontraditional student is not as simple as identifying one's date of birth, but rather is more complex in nature in that there are often times many reasons why people delay their pursuit of their goal earn a college degree. In fact, I had to delay my entrance into college for a year in order to complete my military training obligation after I enlisted in U.S. Army Reserve while a high school student. So, I guess that that makes me a nontraditional student according the definitions identified above. My joining the nontraditional student ranks was purely accidental--I didn't plan on being a nontraditional student when I first decided to enlist in the Reserve way back when--it just happened, and for various reasons your finding yourself classified as a nontraditional student for whatever reason, and at whatever stage of life in which you may now find yourself may have also happened accidentally. Whatever the case may be, don't fret and certainly don't sweat it because there is absolutely nothing wrong with pursuing your college education as an older student.

Yes, I realize that it may not have been your ideal plan to start you college studies at age 25, 30 or even 50, but hey, things happen. Go with the flow, be adaptable to life's many changes, embrace the life you live, and your days will be more brighter, and happier. Although the reality for many of those who fall into the nontraditional category is that going to college a little later in one's life is in fact a huge, and daunting step. Nevertheless, it seems almost laughable that a 21-year-old would decide that enrolling in a four-year college is not a viable educational option because he feels that he, now three years removed from the throes of high school would deem himself "too old" to fit in on a traditional college campus. Hey, the truth is sometimes stranger than fiction. But, in any case, if you find yourself in the shoes of one of those "old" students, here is hopefully a little bit of motivational advice to help you set your educational plans in motion:

First, recognize that you are not "too old" to attend college! As a matter of fact, you are 20 - 50 something years young, so stop making excuses, and kick it into gear . . . what are you waiting for? For extra motivation on late applicant guerrilla admissions tactics see my last post entitled: "Late College Applicants, the Fourth of July, Barbecue . . . . Oh My."

Second, say this phrase to yourself over and over again: "learning is forever." As a matter of fact, keep saying it until you adopt it as the personal mission statement for your college action plan.

Third, remember that there are many definitions of a nontraditional student, and recognize that you are not in this endeavor alone. In fact, on college campuses across America there are nontraditional student support groups, and if by chance there isn't such a group at the campus of your choice--be industrious, take the initiative and start one. I am pretty sure that your other nontraditional student classmates who also thought that they were alone will thank you profusely for helping to create an even more inclusive and inviting environment on campus.

Fourth, remember that it is never too late to start or begin your educational endeavor to earn your Bachelor's degree. I can recall my days as a new student at the University of Iowa, where I met two of my fellow nontraditional classmates who decided to pursue higher education in their 50's. One of my classmates, James, fell in love with the student life so much that he went on to pursue his Master's degree after completing his undergraduate studies. Even more impressive was how James embraced the campus community rather than feign getting involved on-campus because of his nontraditional age. As a matter of fact, James enjoyed his new life as a college co-ed so much that he became a Resident Assistant in the dorm that we both lived in during our first-year at the university.

Finally, if you take nothing else from this post, I hope that you will recognize that no matter the hand that life deals you or whatever obligations sideline you for a while (i.e., military, family obligations, college affordability issues, etc) , just remember that you are never too young or too old to endeavor higher education, and that such pursuits are very worthwhile, and lead to lifetime learning and life enriching experiences.

Late College Applicants, the Fourth of July, Barbecue . . . Oh My

Today is the Fourth of July--do you know where your college application is in the admissions funnel? Hopefully, you do; hopefully, you meticulously gathered your college data and information last fall, amassed and assembled all of those college applications, and filed them electronically or did the old school thing and sent them off to the respective colleges and universities of your choice via snail mail. If you did this, then more than likely you know where you will be spending the next four years of your life (knock on wood).

However, if you are one those perennial procrastinators or one of those who just couldn't keep it tight during your senior year because of . . . well, let me see here . . . anything! Anything that a high school student deems a distractor (LOL), well, don't fret because all is not lost, but you have to act fast. Believe me, I do understand the effect that the evil anti-hero Senioritis has had on countless apprehensive, bewildered, befuddled, and betwixted high school seniors since time memorial. That's right--ole Senioritis has been around a long time, and messed with the best of us. And, if you were not so lucky your senior year, and somehow managed to succumb to the seductive forces of Senioritis that sucks and drains the motivation out of your fingertips--there is still hope and time for you to turn it around if you act right now. You see there is about a one-month window of opportunity to gain admission to those schools that offer rolling admissions.

Colleges and universities that offer rolling admissions admit students on an almost year round basis. Unlike those institutions that identify clear cut admissions deadlines on their websites, and in their viewbooks and brochures, colleges that admit on a rolling basis will not frown on your "late" application due to their rolling admissions philosophy. So, if you thought that you missed the college train altogether--think again! You are still in the game if you want to be.

So, don't fret or become too anxious, but move purposefully toward your objective of gaining admission before the start of college next month.


Here is a list of 10 Guerrilla Admissions Tactics for those of you who find yourselves labeled a late applicant to help you out:

1. Identify those schools that interest you, and that offer rolling admissions.


2. Contact your high school guidance counselor for assistance if possible, if she/he is around the this summer.
   
3. If your former counselor or anyone else isn't available then contact an admissions officer at the respective college or university of your choice and ask for assistance in applying to their school.
   
4. If you can't make contact with your high school counselor or an admissions officer at your intended school of attendance, then ask good old mom and/or dad for assistance.


5. Mom and/or Dad too busy for whatever reason--don't sweat it--show them your enthusiasm by doing all the leg work yourself, and complete the applications on your own.


6. To operate more stealthily, try to target those schools with a stream-lined application process, i.e., those who don't require a ton of reference letters, those who waive application fees as they move toward the final shape of their freshman class, and/or those that are highly responsive, accessible and available when you need assistance.


7. If you have narrowed your choice to one school--visit that school if possible, and set up an appointment to meet with an admissions counselor before you arrive on campus so that they are expecting you. You may be surprised at how your effort in going the extra mile may be rewarded.


8. If you are able to schedule an admissions appointment, ask whether or not you may also be able to meet with a financial aid counselor if you will need financial assistance like student loans, grants and scholarships to help pay for your studies during your first year of college.


9. Make sure that you file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) ASAP if you haven't already done so. Don't forget to list the new school(s) on the FAFSA form and submit the changes to the federal financial aid form processor otherwise this could cause delays in you receiving a financial aid package or award letter from the school(s) that you would like to attend.


10. Try to relax, enjoy the rest of your summer and start packing for your new life as a college student.

Congratulations and Good luck!!!