college planning
Seniors – Go fill out the FAFSA!
By Guest Blogger on March 2nd, 2015
It’s tax time, and you’ll want to ask your parents to get those taxes wrapped up so you can fill out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).
The FAFSA is the form you need to fill out to apply for college funding. In fact, this application is responsible for deciding the disbursement of billions in grants, loans, and work-study funds each year.
For example, the Federal Pell Grant (which does not need to be repaid) provides $5,775 a year (though the amount you qualify for will depend on financial need). Continue reading
National Career & Technical Education Month
By Guest Blogger on February 6th, 2015
February is National Career & Technical Education (CTE) Month.
In order to recognize the important contribution that CTE makes to our educational system, and ultimately our economic success, Governor Rick Scott released a Proclamation declaring February 2015 as Career & Technical Education month in the State of Florida.
In his proclamation, Governor Scott commends the efforts of CTE to both stimulate economic growth as well as preparing students for success in college and careers. Florida Virtual School currently provides CTE opportunities to over 10,000 Florida students annually through 28 different course options. Continue reading
Projected Job Growth vs. Openings
By Guest Blogger on January 23rd, 2015
What if you were asked to identify the top 10 fastest growing occupations in Florida? The answer might be quite surprising. According to the Statewide Demand Occupations List, these are the winners with the highest percentage of growth expected:
1. Brick masons and Block masons
2. Diagnostic Medical Sonographers
3. Cost Estimators
4. Heating, A.C., and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers
5. Interpreters and Translators
6. Physical Therapist Assistants
7. Medical Secretaries
8. Dental Hygienists
9. Meeting and Convention Planners Continue reading
“Clash Man” Becomes a Leader
By Guest Blogger on December 2nd, 2014
I sometimes wonder if my three years in middle school were harder than my three years in a refugee camp.
On the fashion front, I wore the same shirt to school three times a week and earned the name “Clash Man.” In 8th grade, I got kicked off my basketball team and my family was forced to move into low-income housing. At my new school, I got my first D in math, and Cs in some of my other classes.
If you would have asked me if I was a leader, I would have laughed. I was trying to survive each day of school and hoping that life would get better.
Life did get better, but not because I got better housing or a new wardrobe. Continue reading
What Went Wrong?
By Guest Blogger on November 14th, 2014
Katie had never imagined she’d be living month to month, in constant fear that she wouldn’t have enough to pay her rent. After all, Katie had a college degree and a job.
When I met Katie, she was 23 years old and working her dream job at a non-profit. She didn’t have any credit card debt. What had gone wrong?
Katie had massive student loans from college, totaling more than $128,000. Katie’s salary was $32,000 and more than $12,000 of that went to pay the debt and interest. Continue reading
Narrow Down Your College Search
By Guest Blogger on September 23rd, 2014
Check out these tips from FLVS Student Erica Nathan on choosing a college!
Figure out what you want in a college
Do you want to study political science or engineering? Attend a small school or stay close to home? What type of college can you afford? These are just a few questions that you’ll want to consider when starting to narrow down your college search. Once you know what you’re looking for, you can start your search. The ACT has a great list of the many factors to consider. Continue reading
Researching Career Opportunities
By Guest Blogger on July 8th, 2014
High school students may be busy researching colleges to attend, but researching a future career and matching career aspirations with the right college is also important.
This post will cover how to research your future career like a pro as a follow-up to my previous post, Researching Colleges like a Pro.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics provides a free online Occupational Handbook. This is a quick and easy site to use to research careers. It’s so easy that this post will be super short!
It’s Summer! Go on a College Field Trip
By Guest Blogger on June 20th, 2014
If you’re a high school student, you probably have a list of activities to do over the summer: hang out with friends, watch movies, or go to the beach. Here’s another suggestion – go check out a college campus! This can be a lot of fun with no strings attached. Your family and friends will probably be excited for the trip suggestion! Even if the college that may be close to your home is not your #1 choice, walking around the campus can give you a sense of what you are and aren’t looking for in a college.
While checking out a college campus, you can also get a feel for its town or city by scoping out the college’s surrounding areas. Perhaps you like two different colleges, but like the location of one over the other. You may notice you would rather live on campus then off campus or that you like a large city over a small town. Continue reading
Research Colleges like a Pro
By Guest Blogger on April 22nd, 2014
No matter where you are on your college exploration path, there is a tool that can help you with your research.
The National Center for Education Statistics offers a free college research site that does exactly what its slogan says: “Find the right college for you.”
Using the College Navigator Search Options on the left-side panel of this helpful website, you can search for information about colleges in multiple ways. This blog post walks you through a few features you might find handy.
Get started by visiting the College Navigator online.
What Is CTE and Why Should I Care?
By Guest Blogger on February 11th, 2014
The Career and Technical Education (CTE) offerings at FLVS includes a series of courses aligned to a specific occupational pathway.
CTE courses provide students with the skills, abilities, and attitudes necessary for success in college and careers.
These pathways range from Aquaculture to Web Design and everything in between. Most require multiple courses in sequence for students to develop skills needed for that occupation, but these skills are also valuable for students who continue their education beyond high school because the skills focus on work readiness, collaboration, problem solving, as well as technical experience. CTE, however, doesn’t start or end in high school. Career exploration begins early in elementary school through various career days, selective reading and instructional materials, and through informal education at home and in the community. Middle school often brings students opportunities to develop some technical skills that help further refine career interests. High school allows students to focus on coursework in a given pathway that can lead directly into college programs and/or the workplace. Continue reading