Make it concise: some ideas for your college essay

When you are about to write for your college admission essay, something sticking in mind is that you will explain as detail as possible; this is true that you should write it with your personal creativity, telling the readers into a personal and original idea with impression. Yet, keep in mind that you just have 500 words at most for your essay.

Some students think they will conduct tens revisions for their final essay as they have drafted hundreds of words essay. This might be possible to write essay not to exceed the limit—or just few words to the limit! The question: why do we need to bother ourselves with this unprepared topic and essay? There are some ideas on how to write great and concise essay for your college admission.

First, know where to start for your essay. You cannot write about your vacation in Hawaii, and you start it from the time you wake up in your room. Get the points that matter most! There are many good stories; it is a matter of determining the most significant.

Your language style is very important. Just imagine when you look at someone at the very first time; you might not think about his/her hobby at first; the impression must go to the outlook! Yes, essay is just like this one. You may organize your essay as flowing as possible. Starting from impressive opening until concise explanation, just consider that the reader seems listening to your great story without any feeling of being lectured or even judged.

Mind the adjectives! It is very important to choose the precise adjective for your writing in order to explain the object you are talking about. But somehow many students put overuse adjectives just to talk about a thing; too many words count may be traced back to an overuse of word forms that often muck things up. This case is also applied for the qualifiers and adverbs. The point is the diction for these elements is very important to make your writing more witty and concise.

The last thing is your sentence structure. Don’t make people reading your essay confused with strange sentence structure! Try to make standard structure for your sentences. Take the ideal sentence structure is started by subject and predicate. Just as simple as that! The next thing related to the sentence structure is the grammatical aspect; this is the time for you to spend some moment to examine your grammatical aspect.

Keep those simple things when you think you are ready to start writing your essay. Revision for your words count is also important; but you just need to keep the ideas above in mind to avoid redundancy in revision and fear of overuse of words for your essay. Good luck!

College is not all about full-tuition

What do you think if you hear full tuition at college? Most students will say the same thing that full tuition at college means that you commit a suicide for your money. Is that severe the financial condition at college?

Yes, the common sense will say that attending college school without financial aid is terrible and completely expensive. But, you should not be dragged out by the public/common sense that there are not any opportunities for you attending college through the back up of financial aids.

The fact is different as we can see huge number of financial aids are available from various sponsors. You can apply for those ones and also get the lower price for your college tuition. The latest statistic by an economist of University of Columbia shows that only one-third of the college students pay full tuition. Here are some analyses from the study.

The most significant factor that contributes the financial problem for the college students is the financial aids. Most of the students at universities in the United States are receiving the financial aids from government grants or other scholarships. The increase number of the financial grants for the students is up to 40 percent since 2005, and also the availability of the tax-based aid that is up to 78 percent. As the result is that most of the students at the undergraduate level receive the financial aid with total averagely $6,500 annually in grant aid and nearly $1,000 in tax-based aid to help defray tuition and fees. 

The financial aids are available for most of the college level education in most of countries across the world. The easiness in getting the scholarships should be considered that this depends on the student’s competence to get the financial aids; but, the aids are available with enough amounts for the students.

At the last, however, we should remember that the highest spending for the college students is not for the full tuition at the college. This is for the living expenses. This is not supposed to be considered as the university policy; this is the real life when everybody needs to eat.

Considering before applying for college

Have you applied for college? What are things you consider before applying for college? This is the moment for the students to apply for college and also the great time for them to start their career. You should consider some aspects before applying for college.

This is information that those who are at the beginning of their undergraduate studies should pay close attention to when considering their choice of major. Here are some instructions about things you should consider for your college applications.

First question is before applying for college or major is that consider the nature of the college you are about to apply. This should be considered like the factor of financial aspects, the facilities and also what college had is also the consideration. You should also consider the facts about how you apply for the college? Are you applying by yourself or the other person asked to do so; this self-esteem and also the initiative are also very important.

You should do comparisons and also the researches about the similar major from some universities. The next thing is the alumni and also the network from the universities. You also consider the opportunity to get the financial aids from your university and also get some free things at campus. This will help you to boost yourself in having your study.

Above all, you should know what your core to the major you are about to apply. This is also the consideration on how you will develop yourself during your study. And, the most important thing you should consider before applying for college the opportunity to start your career after your graduation. You should mind the opportunity. Some majors like nursing and medical aspects will give you wider opportunity. For the business schools have millions of graduates in every year.

Friendship at college, building networks

What can you see from such fresh students at college? This is always common when the fresh students at college are always talking about their friends at high schools. The question is that are those high school friends with you after the graduation? This might be lucky when you are having your college together with them. What if not?

Basically, as the fresh students, you should look deeper in understanding and adapting with the college life. There is something different when you are talking about friendships at college. Because it’s true, most high school friendships do not last that long. Occasionally you have a small group of friends that you stay close with as life goes on but I think that those life-long friends are made in college. Don’t get me wrong that friendship at high school is not important; it is important. But, be realistic that you should start your new network as you are at college.

Right after you attended the college, you will discover the wider place to build your networks and also the friendships through social communities, athletics, researches, and any other organizations. College is a place where those friends and you go through hardships of studying all night; understand each other’s situations—as you will live far with your family, and work side by side to achieve your career goals.

Yes, the network is very important to build during your time at college. They say networking is the key in landing a good job. Well what better place to start networking than in college? Amongst your peers are the future doctors, engineers, business leaders, lawyers and so much more.

So, don’t waste your time to keep talking about your highs school and forget the value of networking at college. This is true that the friendships at college will stick together for your future; you are not talking about the game and gangs, but you are talking about the upcoming life, the future where you live. A close friend is someone that you trust and talk to when you are at your lowest.

Speak Up for the jobs and scholarships

Getting a job or such scholarships is not that easy as you send your application. This is a challenging effort to send the application with the great hope the employment managers will read and take the resume. The fact what we are going to talk is not about how to send the resume to your dreamed job or scholarships, but on how to you get to be active for the jobs and also scholarships. There are some important aspects that you have learned in sending and applying for jobs, internship programs, and also scholarships. But, have you ever tried to talk to the people in charge in order to get the proper information, and also the link?

Active in such community college is indeed very important. However, there are lots of students out there with similar qualifications. Or, the lucky is that you are the only one in certain field, but still you don’t have the access in getting the jobs, internship, or the scholarships. This is the matter. It is much recommended that you start being active in contacting people in charge related to your dream in jobs or scholarships. They will provide you with the right information. And, even if you are lucky, they will help and recommend you for the jobs and also the scholarships, as long again, you have great record on your resume.

It is not a kind of nepotism where your network will determine your bigger opportunity, but this is the way how to gain the right path to get the peak. Being active for jobs and also scholarships is something okay as long you are not breaking the law by doing such corruption and any bad idea. As long you have good qualification and you are active in contacting the people in charge, you will get bigger opportunity. And, this is reasonable!

Benefits of Volunteering

Have you ever joined any community services or any volunteerism during your high schools and college? It is not all students want to join to the community services. The fact is that the more educated people, the more they are affiliated with such social community services. This is reasonable as they feel lots of benefits from what they are doing. There are many sectors that you can affiliate for the volunteering. This volunteerism will give you lots of benefits. The benefits of volunteering are varied from your resume until your financial aid. Here are some benefits of joining volunteering at college.

The first benefit of volunteering at college is to boost your resume and experience background. The resume will be very useful when you are about to enroll at college admissions or employment at company. Employers like seeing someone joining volunteering. Someone who volunteers means she/he has good time management, good work as a team, even without any payment. It is not only for your employment, but volunteering will boost your opportunity to get financial package. There are a great deal of scholarships and grants out there that list community service as a prerequisite, so if you dedicate some time each week to volunteer work, you could be giving your financial aid profile a boost as well. The next is that you will have wider network from volunteering which is very useful for your career in the future.

There are some minor benefits of volunteering; the essential value of volunteering is that you grow people. You are not selfish concerning your own self instead of helping the community to build their people. This is very great as you will contribute to the community services. The better, this is also beneficial for your skill as well in terms of personality, communication skills, and also social awareness.

Mind your extracuriculars

This is college admissions time, be ready for it! College admission matter is very important if you are about to attend college. If you want to take a look at the general requirements for the college admissions, both the high class rank universities and also the state universities, they require the positive record from your academic and non-academic records. Without those records, your application is just only application without impression. So, if you are a senior high school students and going to apply for the college, be ready with some positive records as stated below.

Be mind that your academic records are indeed very important. But, don’t sacrifice your extracurricular and social and community services involvement. College admissions officers may not consider them to be important but involvement in your school, church and community is oftentimes a big factor when dealing with scholarship applications. These extracurricular, let’s say as social involvement or non-academic records, will be special considerations by the admissions committee from the college. The students who deserve to be given the college admissions are those who have balance ability in the academic and social community involvement. Why is this so? Because logically, if the students have both ability they must be extraordinary in some aspects like social involvement, leadership, time management, and critical thinking that are very beneficial when they are at college.

If then you are good in sports, hone your ability until people get impressed with your athletic records, there are always financial aids for the students with this records. If you are smart in study, this is the time you should show your great research and publication. College admissions matter is not when you are graduating, but today while you are still at senior high school. This is the time for you to write your great impressions and records in both academic and leadership like social community involvement.

Utilizing Facebook for Jobs

Are you fresh graduates who are looking for jobs? Or, are you active college students who are building your network for your career? This is really tough to start your career. Don’t get ashamed with this condition; the competitiveness is imminent, and this is your strategy to start your own network to gain information about career. There are many ways to start your career network. You may utilize social network like Facebook as the start point for your jobs. Utilizing Facebook for jobs is something easy but your need to know some strategies in order to gain effective sources for the jobs from this social media. Here are some instructions for you to start utilizing Facebook for jobs.

Start utilizing your Facebook account by setting your privacy account. This is to ensure you will get the appropriate information related to your personality or careers. The information appearing on Facebook pages are related to your basic information, and this is controllable. The next thing is your profile pictures. Even though this is something private and you can attach all you like, but the company or employment may take a look on your profile and find proper profile picture; this will bring positive impact toward your career. Participate into the company Facebook page. The study has shown that if you want to work for the company, you should find them on the social media and follow the development of the company.

The last thing is that you should actively join groups for the networking. Select and consider the groups that may provide you with substantial information related to the career path. Joining the groups for career is also the best way to gain as much information by utilizing Facebook for jobs. As you are accustomed to utilizing the Facebook, you may start your own career tap from the network you have built from the Facebook. 

Time management for college students

Many students have problem in managing their time during their first time attending college. They have problem in managing their college time and also the leisure time. They are lacking of time by attending the classes, joining community services, and also hanging out for the colleagues. This is very different compared to the senior high schools where the parents and also teachers have the role in managing the time. However, this is a must to manage your time at college time. Time management at college is very important. Here are some tips in managing your time at college.

The easiest way in managing your time is by creating your own weekly agenda or schedule. You will know how to set your time during the week. Every agenda has its own goals. Set your own goal for the agenda and college activities. If you have some problem in determining the schedules between two or more schedules at one time, make priority scale. The priority will allow you to determine which agenda that will more benefits for you; and more sustained for you both during and after the college time. You should learn to say no in order to stick with your schedule. Within the tough schedules, try to still provide the spare time for you for the relax time. Relax time will empower more your creativity in the upcoming time.

Good time management at college is very important to determine your success during and after the college time. Say strictly no for the procrastination for your schedules. As the wise words, do not wait until for tomorrow. It is very hard to learn in managing your time. But, it is lucky that the time management is something learnable by all people, including the college students. So, there is not any reason for you not to start managing time. 

Gaining new hope during the National Scholarship Month

Do you know what makes senior high and parent dilemma for the college? Yes, the most problem for the senior high graduates and also the parents is the costs for the college degree. The expense for the college degree is very expensive. That is why it is the solution to apply for the financial aids for your college degree. The idea: November is the National Scholarship Month. During this time, you can have wider opportunity to apply more scholarships and other financial aids for your college degree. That is why, make yourself ready for this scholarship month with some new mindset and spirit to get the opportunity.

First think first, change your stigma and mindset that scholarships and other financial aids are only for the smart students, who have above average GPA, good academic record, and other things. Well, it is true that many scholarships do require that you maintain a certain GPA; but, be mind that grades are not the only criteria. There are lots of scholarships that are available for those who are active in involving community services, athletics, minorities, researchers, employments, and also for the military for those who are serving the military in this country. The point is that you can see that the opportunity to get the scholarships is not about the score-based selection. There are not any ideal students for the scholarships; there is ideal individual in each of the field.

Prepare your application for the scholarships during the National Scholarship Month his November. The biggest advice after your mindset is that big efforts to apply the scholarships. You might apply for the hundreds of the scholarships; there you have hundreds of opportunity to get the scholarships. The more you gain information from the Internet and fairs about the scholarships, so you are one of the above average students compared to the ordinary ones.

OWS: The Income Inequality and the 99%

It has been two months that protesters occupy the New York business center near Wall Street. The Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement has already been bragging the world’s attention to the economical turmoil, resulted from the transaction underneath the Wall Street stock market and also the lobbying with the government by the wealth in manipulating the policy. The motley mobs of OWS seem not uncontrolled regarding their goal. However, the protesters have stolen the world’s attention to their main goal about the income inequality and the 99% concept. With their two month action, is this still effective in sending the message to the world?

The problem of the income inequality becomes the imminent problem in the United States, and mostly in many developed countries. While the hard crisis and recession hit this country, billions of dollars are bailed out to the banks in which the wealth is there. On the other hand, the poor who claim as the 99% people were not bailed out; even, they are fired by the company due to the recession. There is not any special attention to the 99% people while the government prefers to back up the major sectors belong to the banks. The bankers seem innocent with their hard work. Despite the Wall Street and other banks are working hard in economical sectors, but as long the crisis are imminent and the more poor for the many, the bankers failed to do their job.

The OWS keep yelling their aspiration toward the income inequality and the 99% concept. The bankers have too much salary and they are also bailed out by the government at the same time. On the other hand, this is the challenge for the protesters to measure the effectiveness of the OWS movements from the Wall Street to occupying voting booth during the election.

The potential of Occupy Wall Street

It has been taking over two months after the Occupy Wall Street movement occurs in New York City. There are more and more supports and debates over the Occupy movements happening in most of major cities in the United States and other countries. Apart from the contempt response from the white collars and also the Republican Tea Party, the movements have caught the media attention over the world that there are symptoms in the current economical system. Amidst the “unclear” direction of the Occupy movements, we can actually find the potential of the Occupy Wall Street. Here are some reviews that you can see from the movements.

While some parties claim that the movement in New York City just creates more arrests and also criminals within the jobless people, they say that this is big no. The arrests and also the criminals are just scenario to spawn the troubles within the Occupy movements. So, ideally people will be led to the moral stigma that the movements are about criminals. Despite the ignorance from the authority, especially the White House who gives lame response, the groups of the people who support the Occupy movements are getting more and more. They are okay naming themselves as the “Little Guy”, as 99% group, who will fight the “Big Guy” which is the 1% powerful and wealth community. Analyzing the proliferation of the movements, even more academics are joining the movement as to say the protest to the income inequality and also the corporate greed.

Behind the “jobless” people, there are more experts, academics, and many other activists as the timing bombing to fight the big Goliath. The potential behind the Occupy Wall Street will prove the mistakes that New York City has spent too much money of the taxpayers for their corporate, and they keep going on, while the innocence people are just simply arrested without any clear solution.

Dilemma of Anti-corruption Education

The notion of applying anti-corruption education in our national education system is now becoming more upheld by the government. Through the Ministry of National Education, the government has dealt with Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in generating the curriculum, including the materials, on how to integrate this education into other current subjects. This is the commitment of the government to eradicate wide spread corruption on almost all parts of society.

Regarding to acute corruption phenomena, as Thomas Lickona (1992) stated corruption becomes the hardest demoralizing of the society. This is because corruption doesn’t only destroy the individuals, but more than that, it creates problem towards the social life and norm. It infringes the law.

The notion of eradicating corruption through education is precisely true. This is because demoralized-society should be re-moralized through education as the media. The big question to this idea is that how to apply and adjust this education?

Almost all educations require certain and proper method of its application. In applying anti-corruption education, it is facing special challenge. This is because the application occurs on the corrupt country in which all the system there is cases regarding to corruption, not excepting the education aspect.

Besides requiring the best method, the effective control is a must. No means to give negative and pessimistic thought, but it is rather proving deeper view toward the future implication to this application.

When the control is weak and also infringed by such corruption practices, this becomes a boomerang for the Indonesian society. Instead of eradicating corruption in the society, this will lead the students to be hegemonized by the corruption cases. Moreover, the least-control given to the media to the corruption cases also contributes to hegemonize to give the perspective to corruption is as common and acceptable thing in society.

Here is the dilemma of the anti-corruption education. On one side, the education becomes the most effective of re-moralizing the society. Yet, the small mistake made during the application and the control may create the hardest implication to the society.

If I may conclude, instead of squealing with the case of corruption, the government should prioritize education which not only gives the perspective about the concept of true or false. This emphasizes on introducing the habits of how to do something good such as character-building education.

This character education indeed have been applied and become part of our education system. Though, the existence is not as popular since the first. It is the time of government to promote again about the character education, then the concept of anti-corruption is given when the society—and the government—is ready and have good habit and good character.

Education and Corruption

The cases related to corruption never stop in our country. As the corruption becomes widespread cases, from the government officials to businessmen, it is very urgent for us to protect our society from this action.

Regarding to acute corruption phenomena, Thomas Lickona (1992) states corruption becomes the hardest demoralizing of the society. This is because corruption doesn’t only destroy the individuals, but more than that, it creates problem towards the social life and norm. It infringes the law.

This demoralizing will cause long term effects toward the vanishing of our character as society. One thing that can uphold the problem is by re-moralizing the society through a good education system. This is to create new (better) character of our society.

As we know, education is to give society a diverse point of view toward life. It is a tool to create educated people. We have to protect our youth with good education.

Instead of squealing with the case of corruption, the government should prioritize education as a media to bear new society, who can do something properly, in the best way. This will shape the people mind about whether corruption is good or not. Moreover, it is expected that the education should not only give the perspective about the concept of true or false. This emphasizes on introducing the habits of how to do something good.

When having good habitual activities is as the characters of the society, the society always respect the others’ rights. The demoralizing as like caused by corruption will not exist because the corruption is something that the youth don’t want to do. This is the new character of our society: educated and respectful people.

*To be published in The Jakarta Post

Don’t Make Schools as Market

This is one figure of hundreds similar schools in Indonesia. Instead of creating blur policy and conducting "business" and even standardizing the school, the government should have more concerned to this problem.

The current issues regarding the processs of entering new school, many kinds of severe protests coming from the parents of the new students. Those protests are as regards to the expensive tuitions and other costs released by the school. Just imagine, just for regristration, the parents must pay hundreds thousands for junior high school level whereas this is for state schools, that should have been pro-society. It is indeed a high price just for regristation in our society.

This market mecanism is clear seen at current school system, especially during the process of registration for new students. It is assumed that schools are not the best place to study and learn at, but there are just places where professional workers—not teachers—who work under the buearucracy pressure, and the headmasters as the makelar who are profit-oriented at all.

What is happening now next is that school is just black market who hides behind the value of education—and also the education system. If it is so, then how come our generation will become better and educated? Or, might we just be waiting for worse generation—who are money oriented as well—in this corrupt country?

This market mechanism happens during the school year. In the early year, weird habbits like “reserving special places”, prioritizing the rich, bribbery for some students are common and acceptable culture (event hough it is hard for me to name as culture).

The next agenda is the students are the victim of textile market by forcing to buy expensive uniform, shoes, and also other atributes, which the price is higher than normal. That is not finish yet. The next is, the school becomes the market of expensive coursebooks for some publishers or agents who have deal with the school principlas.

Ironically, the coursebook is always changing every year. There are some speculation that there is bonus for such schools which are able to sell the coursebook to the students. The local mayor or education department of course know about this policy. Even, some schools argued that this policy has been legalized by the school committee.

Why do the schools always require the students to buy the expensive coursebooks? The people who know about the students’ need are the teachers themselves. How great when the teachers are eager to say no to their head master to apply the policy on “selling” the expensive coursebooks.

There’re still alternatives for the affordable and qualified coursebook such as Electronic Coursebook (BSE) that belongs to governmnent’s programs. Recent study in my Instruction to Material Development (IMD) shows that BSE have great quality in materials and also the methodology. Don’t the principlas or the local major realize this program? Otherwise, their policies regarding to such kind of requiring students to buy expensive coursebooks from certain publisher should be questioned, and tend to be a corruption hiding behind the legal policy.

During the time also, there are several private course institution offering their service in computer, IQ, sempoa, fast-way to face national examination, etc. Their arrivals should contribute the school to become a market, market for profit-oriented business. Instead of providing facilities for students to expand their knowledge outside school, the coming of the private course justify that the school is trying to run away from the problem.

Moreover, they argue that it is important for their national examination preparation. If that is so, why do the school give the “responsibility” to the private course. Doesn’t it mean that the school give up before going to war, regarding the national examination. If it is not, the school is indeed supporting the growth of liberation in education.

Those unclear programs and tuition cannot be justified. Those are just other burdens for the poor parents of the students—and, contribute to make them poorer.

The justification of such “market movement” in education institution will not improve the quality of our education—and the generation. This rather shape their mindset to become market oriented—profit oriented mindset—that might lead them to justify every way to conduct something to solve problems. In the last, they potentionally become the next corrupt generation in this corrupt country.

Education institution, especially school, should have been free from those kind of silly policies. Those policies make the school no longer become school in which educate the students. Instead, it will create another uneducated and unrespectful generation.

In general, the function of schools, education department, local major, school committee is to educate the students. It is not to become calo, makelar, rentenair, or another illegal business seller. Intertwining those education and market mindset will decrease the value of education, and will demoralize the people.