Plan to Get Low-Income Students Through College

According to an article in The New York Times, low-income students are frowned upon to not attend well-known institutions because they come from low-income families. A handful of institutions are coming up with a plan to help students get through the SAT and hire 130 full-time counselors and advisors to reach out to low-income students and guide them in the process of applying for colleges. Even thought these students are middle to low class, that does not mean that should not be able to attend prestigious colleges especially if they have the grades for it.

They have come up with a plan called the Bloomberg plan, which includes officials from the college board are sending low-income students brochures and applications to 8 colleges that they could afford and come out with a manageably debt. Although it is too early to calculate results and see if the program is working, the results they have now is that out of the 1,800 students they sent information packages too, 98% of them are already enrolled or in the process of it. This is then proving a very impressive result.

I think the plan has a very good concept. I believe students in high-school are not prepared enough for the college lifestyle. It is a very smart idea to contact these students who think they are not qualified for certain colleges because of a lack of income. When you have someone that is constantly on your case and being supportive about doing anything, your odds are pretty good to happening. My question is, if all these counselors and advisors keep advising students to the same universities that are affordable for low-income students, what happens to all the other universities that are trying recruit students, especially if the majority of students in this country or middle to low class? What do you think of this idea?

-Mel Webster

To be or not to be...

To be or not to be… that is the question.

     To be a full-time student is rewarding in so many ways; however, not to be a full-time student can sometimes seems ideal. Taking a minimum of 4 classes (which, makes you full-time) equates for many hours of work. It is exhausting, it is time-consuming, and it inflicts a variety of difficult pressures. We, as full-time students, are constantly under a scope. We have the pressures of grades; we have the pressures of teachers; and THEN we have the pressures of other students. We have to make all of those collaborate nicely, while also maintaining our lives. Work (money), family, and friends are forced to become 2^nd successor. They cannot go first, as usual, because deadlines are now number one. It is a stressful and frustrating mess, which makes keeping calm a little bit hard.

     I have just listed a million (rounded, of course) negatives that might make one believe that school is a waste of time. My readers might think I believe it is unnecessary and that the cons outweigh the pros. Reality: I believe the opposite. Yes, school is stressful and hard; however, there are ways to make it work – which is why I write this. If you are a full-time student and you are experiencing a difficult time, consider my tips below:

• Go to class
•  LISTEN in class
• **Write down homework and due dates**
• Complete assignments

     By doing all of the above, to the best of your ability, you WILL get you through the bumps. Organization is crucial. And attendance is a must. When teachers see your effort, they will remember it and help you succeed. It is not all about being an Einstein; but, rather about actually trying. So, TRY! And you shall succeed.

-- Cortney McCarthy

Who you are is who you attract!

Mr. Herbert Lowe

Ream/Oct.25/Blog Post


This last Wednesday, the Communication Department and the open public were invited to come hear Mr. Herbert Lowe's lecture titled, Branding Me: Communication in the Age of Social Media.


The charismatic Lowe, a journalist-in residence at Marquette University, took the time to visit our campus and share his knowledge involving every student's social media presence and the impact that it has on our job hunting.

Needless to say the impact that it has is immense. Do you have a Facebook page? A recruiter is going to look at it. Do you have a Twitter account? A recruiter is going to look at it. Do you have an LinkedIn? Of course a recruiter is going to look at it. Do you have all of these social media websites up to date, appropriate, and most importantly are they impressive? If not, then you are out of a job. Lowe spoke to the students that night in a personable manner but also with a strong sense of severity, which I believe is justified. In this day and age, of growing technology dependence, of course these are the certain facets of "you" that are going to be picked apart and judged upon by a job recruiter. 

Of all of the information that Lowe presented, in the limited amount of time that he had, one of the main things that takes precedence over a lot of good information is the quote, "Who you are is who you attract." Lowe applied this quote to the fact that you, as a professional, should be and act like the kind of people that you want to attract i.e. professional business people. Unfortunately, this means that a person has to change who they are in order to tailor themselves to be what society believes that a professional should be. 

So then social media, such as Facebook, which is supposed to be an expression of one's self, is to be censored, tailored, and used as a tool to present a good clean "brand" version of yourself. I wish it was not so. Selling my "brand" and selling me means that I have to change things about me into what a business or career setting ideally want their employees to be. Some may argue that this is a part of growing up, and that maybe so, but I like who I am as a person and I do not want to change a part of me that I enjoy. 

Maybe I am stubborn? Maybe I am dumb? Maybe, but I doubt that I will ever keep a Twitter account and post twice a day just so that I can have a lot of followers and impress a recruiter that measures a hardworking employee by their Twitter popularity.     

Twice the Honor for Taylor Swift

Taha/Oct. 24/Blog Post

Awards from Billboard Music Awards 2013

So Taylor Swift has been named the 2014 Billboard Woman of the Year and she is the first artist to ever receive the honor twice. As you can see on the left, she has received many awards from the last year at the Billboard Music Award. Now only time will only show how many more awards will she be adding to this collection of hers from this year.

Swift has had many commercially successful albums and singles. Like her current hit “Shake It Off” from her upcoming album 1989 to “Our Song” from debut album Taylor Swift in 2006. But can we look at how she makes very similar style of songs. I am not coming out at her for not being a good artist but it seems to become repetitive and the same kind of style of music coming our way. In my opinion, she seems to going from her genre of country and now she is writing in more of pop genre style which isn’t bad but don’t be out there calling yourself country when your music sounds nothing like it.
She seems to be doing what people wants from her, she isn’t doing anything to challenge herself and make us intrigued by the music she puts out. Unlike artist like Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé and Nicki Minaj, she seems to be doing the same kind of thing over and over again. But why do people seem to keep loving what she is putting out when other artist who do the same thing get burnt out really quickly.

At the end of the day, if it wasn’t for her commercial success and her songs doing amazingly good on the charts, she wouldn’t be getting this award. Her popularity is what got her this award for the second time in her career. Good for her though, she is winning even if it does contribute to the fact of her being really popular at this time of her career era.

Legendary Fashion Designer Oscar de la Renta Has Died

Perez/Oct. 23/Blog Post

Oscar de la Renta, the well known gentleman designer who dressed hundreds of socialites and celebrities, has died. He was 82.

De la Renta died Monday evening (Oct. 20) at his Connecticut home. He was surrounded by family and friends and "more than a few dogs," according to a handwritten statement signed by his stepdaughter Eliza Reed Bolen and her husband, Alex Bolen. The statement did not specify a cause of death, but de la Renta had spoken in the past of having cancer.

Oscar was born in the Dominican Republic in 1932. He designed for Lanvin and Balmain throughout his career, as well as his very own fashion house.

He is known for dressing first ladies from Jackie Kennedy, to Nancy Reagan, to Michelle Obama. His latest master piece was the wedding dress of Almal Alamuddin, the now wife of George Clooney.

Oscar de la Renta truly left a mark in the fashion industry. His ability to make woman look and feel beautiful will truly be missed.

Discover yourself, Discover Scotland, Discover the world

Hello!
My name is Gabrielle and I am a Wisconsin in Scotland Study Abroad Ambassador. What does that mean? That means I am passionate about studying abroad and in particular studying abroad to Scotland.

In 2012 in my sophomore year of college I had the opportunity to be a student in the Wisconsin in Scotland program. This program is based out of University of Wisconsin River Falls and is open to all UW students. The program has been running for 29 years and takes place in Dalkeith, Scotland. The program is set up to not only having Wisconsin students but also Wisconsin professors.  Both professors and students live and learn in Dalkeith Palace. Dalkeith Palace is over 300 years old and is placed on over 2,000 acres of land.

 Dalkeith is located 6 miles from the capital of Scotland, Edinburgh. Being a student in the WIS program you also have access to the University of Edinburgh, or the Uni as the locals call it, and can participate in all the extracurricular activities that you desire. When I was a student I would go to the Uni for Scottish ceilidh dancing, and made so many friends.

There are many reasons why this program is perfect for Wisconsin students. It is one of the only programs where you can choose just how adventurous it will be. You always have the comfort of the Palace but also have all the opportunities to see the rest of Europe. The program runs year round and you can stay in Scotland any where from three weeks to one full year. The cost of the program is about equivalent to the cost of one semester here in Wisconsin. It is $7,540 for a full semester, including room and board; and even less expressive if you choose to go over summer, $1,685.

The Wisconsin is Scotland program is affordable, convenient and exhilarating. Do not miss your opportunity to discover yourself, Scotland, and the world.

For more information about the Wisconsin in Scotland program Google "UW River Falls Wisconsin in Scotland" and that will lead you to the home website for the program.  From there you can find all the information you need, and you can find my contact information if you would like to set up an appointment to begin your experience with the Wisconsin in Scotland program.

~Wisconsin in Scotland Ambassador
Gabrielle Krawczyk
University of Wisconsin Parkside

College Debt Not Only Affects Students, But Also Parents - Kelsey Krimmer

When it's time to decide which college to attend, one of the deciding factors should be the cost of tuition. Being that once you start college you are only the young age of 18 years old, having the proper finances for such a detrimental part of life isn’t always the way it pans out. For those potential students, having parents who are willing to help out at any cost can be a tremendous blessing.

This is not the case for two parents from Mattapoisset, Ma. Steven and Paula Bonney took out $115,000 in loans to help finance their two daughters through college. This was about a decade ago, and the Bonneys assumed that by this time in their lives they’d be debt free, but that’s not the reality. 

Unfortunately Steven had fallen off a 25-foot scaffold and broke his neck, which had left him paralyzed from the waist down. Steven’s accident had put a halt to the hard work he and Paula were doing to make sure the student loans could be taken care of.

Much like the Bonneys, in 2011 21% of parents took out loans to help finance their children through college. That number was a serious increase from 13% in 1999.

I personally think that when looking into which university best suits you, the price of tuition should be one of the first things you look at. When I was starting college and looking at schools I couldn’t believe some of the costs of tuition. I don’t think I could ever accept my parents help, or at least to the tune of $50,000, but that’s just me.

The story about the Bonneys can be found here