Life after HS(for students)

Preparing Your Students for Post Secondary Education

Dr. Carter Tiernan,University of Texas at Arlington

College of Engineering

Going, Going, Graduated!

Getting to college

What are the problems?→ Applying late to their college of choice or only

applying to one school with no fall back plan→ Assuming that going to community college first is

always going to make it easier in a 4-year program→ Not applying for financial opportunities

Getting to college

How could the students do better?→ Fill out a basic online application at beginning of

senior year and know application deadlines→Talk to admissions AND an academic counselor in

the desired major at school of interest about community college credit

→ Have financial info prepared by mid-January→APPLY ON TIME (Yes, it’s obvious but…)

Choosing a major

What are the problems?→ Not having any ideas about what their skills or

talents are→ Choosing a major based on how much money

they might make→ Choosing because someone thinks they “should”→ Choosing the simplest thing so they can play

instead of learn, i.e. avoiding the “hard” majors like engineering or science

Choosing a major

How could the students do better?→ Students can explore aptitudes with a variety of

online tools or other assessment instruments to get suggestions for aptitude

→ You can recommend possible paths for students who are unsure of their interests

→ Encourage students to think about what kind of work they might want to pursue for 40 years – not just the day they graduate

Choosing a major

How could the students do better?→ Remind them that their choices are the most

important – not what someone else might want→ Encourage students to make choices that are

positive for them and that they think will make them happy in the long run

→ Help them realize that playing around in college and not passing classes will cost them money

Learning the expectations

What are the problems?→ Students are expected to be responsible, manage

their own time, and be disciplined enough to do their own work without significant follow up

→ Students have huge freedom with minimal immediate feedback for poor choices but significant long-term consequences

→ Students must be proactive to get help from available resources

Learning the expectations

How could the students do better?→ Set high expectations for student accountability

in turning in assignments and other tasks→ Encourage students to take responsibility for

their progress in class by verifying current grades with you and by articulating requirements to make their desired grade

→ Teach students to assess their own understanding and to seek help in improving their knowledge through many sources

Succeeding in STEM

What are the problems?→ Deficiencies in student preparation especially in

mathematics→ Students not able to see connection of class topic

to ultimate goal → Students not understanding the benefit of

breadth and depth of knowledge→ Lack of understanding of the need for rigor and

intellectual foundation of degree plans

Succeeding in STEM

How could the students do better?→ Strongly encourage students to plan to complete

Calculus in high school – increases student success in college Calculus

→ Encourage students to practice good writing and presentation skills

→ Help students practice analytical thinking and problem-solving where they must struggle with a problem on their own or with a small team of peers

Succeeding in STEM

How could the students do better?→ Talk about STEM programs and how lower level

concepts must be solidly understood in order to progress therefore early courses are foundation for later more detailed topics

→ Discuss engineering disciplines and breadth of applications to explain breadth of coursework in engineering programs

→ Reinforce importance of rigor, understanding, and ethics in engineering as protecting public health, safety, and welfare

Graduating!

What are the problems?→ Students not focused on completion and get

frustrated with day-to-day issues→ Students experience failure without inner

resources to overcome it→ Students experience failure but won’t take

advantage of support systems to overcome it→ Students need additional financial support

Graduating!How could the students do better?→ Teach students to keep goal in mind when

reacting to immediate pressures→ Help students learn to use failure to motivate

increased effort toward success→ Help students view failure as information about

where they need to improve learning and how to look for assistance in learning outside the class

→ Talk to students about all types of financial arrangements for college including scholarships, grants, loans, work-study, and campus jobs

Life after HSfor students

SUCCESS!

Dr. Carter Tiernantiernan@uta.edu