Monday, December 14, 2009

Transfers made simple with new partnership.

Drexel has made it much easier for students to transfer to their institution.
With the up and running website Collegetransfer.net run by Academy One students are able to get a jump start on their transferring research. Through the website students can view what courses are transferable to different schools. Recently Drexel has expanded the number of equivalencies between several schools including Bucks’.
College transfer.net allows students to shun any courses that won’t transfer or count for their desired school. It also allows students to develop a transcript and help you find your future college destination as well. This site is something that most students might not realize how helpful it can be but for a student who is just getting their feet wet, and who is researching what types of transferring options they might have or might not have it will help immensely.
This program doesn’t necessarily benefit a certain kind of student but certain schools do offer things that most students would find helpful. Drexel University for example is located in Pennsylvania so it won’t be too hard for students to get back and forth from their homes if they have too. Drexel offers co-op programs for students who want to get experience in their desired work field before graduating. This is a great opportunity for students to get ahead of the game when it comes to getting on the job training before they graduate so they won’t have to train once they graduate.
With collegetransfer.net it gives students a start if they don’t know where to go for information about transferring. If students are trying to find out more information about transferring, Barbara A. Ford, Director, Transfer Services here at Bucks said, “Transfer students should make an appointment with a transfer planning counselor.” Counselors are located in the Student Services Center on the Bucks campus in the Rollins Center on the first floor.
Drexel is a school which on average is very expensive and is really unaffordable for most people. If you are a student thinking about transferring to Drexel, it would be a good option to work for a scholarship.
“The higher the GPA the better chance of a scholarship,” said Ford. Being able to earn a scholarship will save a lot of money for you and make it a lot easier to attend this recognized university.
When looking to research about transferring, collegetransfer.net is not the only place where you can look for help. Here at Bucks you have the choice of making an appointment with a transfer counselor or even go on the Bucks website www.Bucks.edu/transfer which is also set up to help with all your transferring questions.
Once on the site you go to course equivalencies which will show you whatever college you want to find information about transferring to. For instance under Drexel you can look up anything about the school ranging from transfer facts, articulation agreements course equivalents and scholarships as well.
With collegetransfer.net, bucks.edu/transfer, and on campus transfer counselors there is more than enough sources here at Bucks to lead you in the right direction when deciding your transferring options.

Get to snowboard on campus

Bucks Ski club has many cool events coming up.
The ski club here at Bucks is a club that “doesn’t really meet a lot, we just create activities and go,” according to Dr. Earle Myers who is one of the ski club advisors.
This fun club has many fun events coming up including the Rail Jam which will take place here at Bucks on Thursday, Nov. 19th from 12pm to 2pm.
This event will include something that has never been done before at Bucks as it will have an ice ramp set up on the steps outside the gym that are right next to the Financial Aid center.
This event will showcase professional snow boarders and will also allow students to show case their skills. “Students will not be able to do any type of tricks,” says Myers.
Rail Jam will have raffles, product toss, competition, team demo, prizes, and other giveaways as well.
Another event that is coming up is the day trip to Hunter Mountain. This trip will take place on Thursday, Dec. 3rd. It will cost $70 for ski club members while student/non-members will be charged $75. For community members it will cost $80.
This trip includes roundtrip motor coach transportation, all area lift ticket and dinner.
Departure from the college will be at 5am and will have a return time of about 10pm.
The other big trip the ski club has in store is the Smugglers’ Notch, Vermont vacation getaway.
This trip will allow students to ski and ride the Green Mountains of Vermont. Smuglers’ has three mountains and is great for any level of skier or boarder.
The trip is priced at $379 which includes 5 nights of condominium lodging, a five day lift ticket, and all he taxes and gratuities that are needed.
This trip package also includes use of the indoor pool and sauna; ice skating, bonfires, fireworks, and village activities.
The Ski club here at Bucks offers many diverse trips with many fun and different activities that a lot of students have never experienced before.
In the next number of weeks the Ski club will show why it is probably the most unique club here at Bucks.
This club gives students the chance to experience things they’d probably never had the chance to do before.
For more information on the Ski club please contact club advisors Joe Walsh, 315 Penn Hall @ 215-968-8289. Or Dr. Earle Myers @215-622-0336.

Fresh Start Scholarship Available

A new scholarship offers Bucks students over the age of 25 a chance to receive $300.
This scholarship is open to both male and female students.
The Fresh Start Scholarship is for students who have gone through a life changing event such as a divorce, family deaths, or illnesses.
Students from all majors are open to this scholarship. There is also no requirement when it comes to a student’s GPA.
Filling out the application for this scholarship is a fairly simple process. The first part of this application asks for students to fill out their name, address, student number, phone number, major, and date of birth.
It then asks if you will be attending Bucks for the next fall semester.
After answering this question the application then asks if you have all your (FASFA) stuff in line for next year. FASFA is a program where students get financial aid to help them pay for school related things.
For example some students use (FASFA) to pay for their entire semester tuition while others may use it so they can get all of the books they need.
The last part of the application process includes three questions that must be answered on a separate sheet of paper.
First off it asks students what their goals are when it comes to their career and education. Next it asks for a personal profile of students and for them to describe what type of life changing event have they lived through.
The last question of the application process asks why you are trying to win this scholarship and how it will help you in the future.
April 1 is the final deadline to submit applications. There will only be one scholarship of $300 given out.
The process of getting the application is very simple. The first step is to log onto the Bucks homepage. Once on the home page you than go to the About Bucks icon on the left hand part of the screen. When you get to this icon you scroll down and click on foundation/alumni.
On the next screen there is another icon this time labeled scholarships. If you click on this icon it will lead you to the final screen witch if you scroll down you will find Fresh Start Scholarship in bold writing. In this section you will see the word application highlighted in blue.
To access the application simply click on application and it will pull up all the information you need to know about the fresh start scholarship.
Applications must be submitted to the Bucks County Community College Financial Aid Office Attn: Kristal Karl, 275 Swamp Road Newtown, PA 18940.
Any questions contact: Financial Aid Office /Hub @ 215-968-8200

Bucks Bookstore Scholarship Available

A great opportunity is open for all students to receive anywhere from $100 to $250 for those expensive textbooks.
With funds from the bookstore here on the Newtown campus, the Bucks foundation is now administering the application.
In order to be eligible to receive this scholarship, students must be currently enrolled here at Bucks with a minimum of six credits.
Students must also have to want to intend back at Bucks the following semester and take at least six credits.
All students must have good academic and financial status, which will have to be confirmed by the foundation office.
In order to receive the scholarship students must write an essay telling how the bookstore fit into their educational experience at their time at Bucks.
Also the essay must include how the student will use this scholarship to help them continue their education and get a higher education degree.
The last part of the essay tells students to describe their future educational plans.
Filling out the application is a very simple process. The application asks for things such as the students name, address, city, e-mail, student number, phone number, State, Zip, and major.
After filling out the application and finishing your essay students must submit them to the Bucks County Community College Foundation c/o Bucks Bookstore Scholarship, 275 Swamp Road Newtown, PA 18940.
The deadlines for the applications are April 1 in the spring and December 1 in the fall.
“Each semester about eight to ten students receive the scholarship,” according to Willy Coleman, director of the bookstore.
The process of getting the application is a very simple one. Fist you go onto the Bucks school homepage.
Once there you go to the About Bucks icon on the left hand part of the screen. When you get to this icon you scroll down and click on foundation/alumni.
When it takes you to the next screen you will once again be looking at your left part of the screen for an icon labeled scholarships.
After clicking on the scholarships icon it will bring you to another screen.
Once you get to the next screen titled scholarships you will scroll down until you see the section labeled Bucks County Community College Bookstore Scholarship ($100-$250).
Once you find this section you will look for the word application highlighted in blue.
When you find this simply click on it and it will bring you to the Bucks County Community College Bookstore Scholarship Application.
If a student has any questions please contact the bookstore or library @ 215-968-8459.

Confused about choosing a major?

“It’s a good place for students to get ideas,” says Amy Armstrong, director of career services here at Bucks.
The career personality quiz is free of charge and is available through the Bucks website at any time.
When asked how many people take the quiz if any, Armstrong said, “Yes they do use it, but there isn’t a way of monitoring it.”
This quiz is designed to help students understand their personality. “The idea is for people with certain personalities to match up with a specific workplace,” says Armstrong.
When taking the quiz there are six different personality types that the test is able to distinguish.
The first type is realistic which is for people who like to work outside with their hands.
Secondly there is investigative which is for people who like to research things.
The third personality type is artistic which is for people who like to draw and paint.
Fourth is social which is for people who want to be in professions that are able to help people.
The fifth type of personality type is enterprising which is being able to persuade others. These people may go into the fields of politics or sales.
Sixth there is conventional which is for people who like to keep things organized and very clear.
The quiz consists of about eighteen questions under each of these six different personality types.
After simply putting a check under agreeing or disagreeing for each question you tally up the amount of boxes you put agreeing and calculate the three highest personality types that fit your answers best.
After calculating the three personality types with the most number of agrees you than click on the career wheel icon which is highlighted.
After you click on this icon you are given a choice of each personality type and the majors that are under that category.
Based on your career personality quiz results you choose the majors under the top personality types that you fit under the most according to the quiz.
After this you are given all the information about all the majors you want to know about.
This quiz is a great source for students to get ideas flowing about different majors and future career plans.
The personality career quiz can be found by simply typing “career personality quiz” into the Google search bar on the Bucks page. After entering this, click on the first icon that comes up and that will lead you to the career personality quiz.

Michael Moore’s newly released film proves to be a wakeup call on American’s diehard dedication to capitalism.

Director Michael Moore has done a great job getting the truth out on another huge issue here in America. With his newest film Capitalism: A Love Story Moore publicizes the struggles that average families in the United States have to go through on a daily basis. This film shows the truth about America and its unfair treatment of the lower class.
Throughout the film, Moore incorporates commentary from American citizens who are suffering in our declining economy. One man in the film whose lifelong home was foreclosed on after he was injured and couldn’t work explains that there is no middle class anymore. The gap between the rich and the poor keeps getting larger. “There’s gotta be some kind of rebellion between the people that have nothing and the people that’s got it all,” said the man in distress.
Michael Moore who has had several highly criticized documentaries such as Fahrenheit 9/11, Sicko, and Bowling for Columbine will get much of the same criticism for this film as well.
Despite the validity of his facts and journalism, Moore’s films will always conjure anger and distrust due to his blatant presentation of the facts.
But then there are others who feel Michael Moore’s films provided them with knowledge that they might have otherwise never considered. “Michael Moore’s movies are compelling because they give a face to the evil structures and the suffering people in our society. This newest film really opened my eyes to why our economy is in the crapper right now, and it’s something I think everyone should see for themselves”, said Amanda Smiley, 19, a Communications Major here at Bucks.
For Captialism: A Love Story, Moore used the same techniques he’s used in his prior films since they has shown to be a great success. His sarcasm is still prevalent, and although humor may seem inappropriate for a film that discusses the horrible recession, it seems to fit well for this film especially. The humorous aspect allows those skeptics to break down their walls and see the information for what it really is.
Despite the all the comedy, the film offered many humanizing moments that were rather depressing but nonetheless effective. He depicted struggling American families as there houses were being foreclosed on. It was moving to see how our economic system has victimized so many American people. Some of these families have lived in these homes for over twenty years, and all the bank had to do was simply wrench them out with a warrant and nowhere to go.
In this film Moore used superb research and investigation techniques. The investigative journalism was thorough and precise.
Moore starts out explaining how the middle class in this country no longer exists. He states how unions in this country are mistreated and are being torn down. Companies are going bankrupt and closing. One mouth dropping fact Moore disclosed during the film was that today airline pilots only earn $16,000 a year. Moore interviewed one pilot who said at one point he had to apply for food stamps.
Michael Moore does a great job in this film of showing all of the struggles that the American people bear for our government’s Capitalistic system. Moore urges that we have to change our capitalistic views if we want to survive in our global economy.
Overall this film is a must see for every American citizen. It shows the real hard working American families being mistreated because of the screwed up way Capitalism works for the elite and not the other 99 percent. Americans deserve better, and Michael Moore urges this in his film. After seeing this film you will feel the same as there is no getting around this awful economic illness here in the United States.

Bucks Transfer fair a big success BY: ANDREW LAUFER Issue date: 10/6/09 Section: Campus News

Representatives from colleges
and universities across the east
coast gathered at Bucks on Sept.
30 with hopes of courting Bucks
students to their schools.
This year's transfer fair was
crowded, with over 50 stands
from the different programs.
The scene in the Gallagher
room was crowded and bustling
even before noon, as students
sampled what the different
schools had to offer.
Temple, West Chester, and
Drexel were some of the bigger
schools there to recruit new students.
Communications major
Amanda Smiley, 19, from
Northeast Philadelphia, said that
she was excited to get more information
about Temple University,
where she hopes to go in the fall.
"The representative for Temple
gave me a lot of good information
that I can use during my transferring
process."
Although Temple's stands were
the most crowded, Frankford
School of Nursing, Columbia
University, Holy Family
University, Penn State Abington,
and University of Phoenix drew
sizeable crowds as well.
Admissions manager Ivonne
Rojas came representing
Columbia University. It was her
first time at the Bucks transfer
fair, and she remarked at the high
turnout.
Rojas explained that Columbia
is targeting adult and returning
students to attend the school. "It's
an Ivy league school with a rigorous
and challenging program but a rewarding one as well," says
Rojas.
Representatives of Drexel's Saturday
Scholars Behavioral Health
Counseling program attended the
fair as well.Mary Grace Bateman,
the marketing director of Saturday
Scholars said, "We want to attract
qualified students and hopefully
invite them onto our campus."
The school is targeting students
interested in nursing and professional
health care. Last year 90
percent of Drexel's Saturday
Scholars' graduates were employed,
in graduate school, or
working with volunteer organizations.
Another school, Messiah College
located in Grantham, Pa.,
was on hand at the fair.Messiah is
a nationally ranked Christian College.
Bryanna R. Boone, Assistant
Director ofAdmissions for Transfer
Recruitment at Messiah, described
the school as a Christian
college interested in attracting students
who want a quality education
and an on-campus
experience.