Salary Surfer Website from the California Community Colleges System

The California Community Colleges just launched its new Salary Surfer website, which allows visitors to view the annual median income of those who completed a degree or certificate in 179 of the most widely enrolled community college programs.

Want to know how much you can earn with your community college degree or certificate? 

Visit Salary Surfer at salarysurfer.cccco.edu!


Some notes about Salary Surfer:

Salary Surfer is a groundbreaking online tool that allows students and the public to view the aggregated median earnings of those who complete a certificate or degree in a specific community college discipline and then enter the workforce.

The new tool displays median annual incomes for those who complete 179 of the most widely enrolled programs and did not transfer to a four-year institution. Salary Surfer shows the median earnings for a community college graduate two years prior to earning a certificate or degree, then two years and five years after earning a certificate or degree.

An analysis of the data found in Salary Surfer shows the tremendous return on investment provided by community colleges:

• Students who complete an associate degree more than double their annual pre-degree earnings after two years in the workforce and nearly triple their pre-degree earnings after five years in the workforce. 
• Nearly 45 percent of students who graduated with an associate degree earned more than $54,000 annually five years after getting their degree. That is the median wage of someone with a bachelor’s degree living in California, according to the U.S. Census Bureau 
• About 25 percent of those graduates with associate degrees had median wages of more than $77,000 five years after graduating. That is higher than the median income level for those Californians with a master’s degree, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. 
• Median wages five years after award for students with associate degrees in vocational disciplines was $61,600 compared to $39,300 for those with non-vocational associate degrees.
• Associate Degrees with the highest median incomes five years after award include:
• Electrical and Power Systems Transmission ($96,200) 
• Physician Assistant ($95,700) 
• Radiation Therapy Technician ($91,300) 
• Future earnings potential can be valuable when making decisions about which educational discipline to pursue, but it should not be the sole determiner. A student’s interests and aptitudes also need to be factored in when making these decisions. 
• When looking at data on Salary Surfer it is important to remember that wages of students who transfer to four-year institutions are not included, nor are self-employed workers. 
• With the release of Salary Surfer, which can be found at salarysurfer.cccco.edu, and the earlier release of the Student Success Scorecard, which measures student outcomes at all 112 colleges, the California Community Colleges becomes the most transparent and accountable system of public higher education in the nation.
  

Appealing to UC Santa Barbara for Fall 2013 Transfer Admission

UC Santa Barbara is pleased to announce there is some capacity to admit students on appeal for fall 2013.Though space is limited, students with at least a 3.0 GPA overall and sufficient preparation in their chosen major should be encouraged to submit appeals with final spring grades.  All appeals will reviewed.

The Appeal Process

• Send a letter requesting that we reconsider the application. The letter must be written by the applicant.
  • Email or fax submissions will not be reviewed.
• If the basis for the appeal is a changed grade or an incorrectly reported test score, provide documentation (e.g., a transcript or a revised score report) in the same envelope as your letter of appeal.
• Include copies college transcripts (required).
• Letters of recommendation are not required.

Mail documents in a single envelope to:
Admission Review Committee
1210 Cheadle Hall
University of California Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA 93106-2014

We appreciate your interest in UC Santa Barbara.

Questions?  Contact Blia Yang, Assistant Director for Transfer Services at blia.yang@sa.ucsb.edu.

Blia Yang

Assistant Director, Transfer Services

Office of Admissions

1234 Cheadle Hall

Santa Barbara, CA 93106-2014

P: 805-893-5795, F: 805-893-8779

Blia.yang@sa.ucsb.edu

Scholarship for UCLA Men

The Neil Armstrong Scholarship Program is offering $1000 scholarship opportunity to entering UCLA men undergraduates. Ohlone College men who have been admitted to UCLA this fall may apply for this scholarship!

Please email the Transfer Center at transfer@ohlone.edu for a letter explaining details about this scholarship.

Application is due JUNE 30, 2013.

The scholarship website is www.tinyurl.com/ca-gamma.

GE Certification and Final Transcripts

(this is a repost from 3/8/13 for Fall 2013 transfer students)

If you are transferring to a university in Fall 2013, please read on for a message from the Ohlone College Transfer Center:

CONGRATULATIONS, you are now part of the great group of students from Ohlone College continuing on toward personal achievement and success. Let us know where you are attending and keep in touch! Email us your name, university, major, and a way to contact you so we can invite you to future transfer student alumni events!

TRANSFER ACHIEVEMENT CELEBRATION

We want to celebrate your accomplishment! Visit link in starting April 1st to register for the Transfer Achievement Celebration scheduled for Thursday, May 9, 2013!

FINAL TRANSCRIPTS

Most institutions would like your final transcripts (showing spring semester grades) by July 15, 2013. The Transfer Center recommends that you wait until June 4^th to make this request and utilize the FREE TRANSCRIPT REQUEST option available in your Webadvisor account.

If you need to request a transcript showing in-progress coursework, visit our past blog post about making this type of request.

GENERAL EDUCATION (CSU OR IGETC) CERTIFICATION

If you followed the CSU GE or IGETC plan, you may want to request a certification of it. When you request Ohlone to certify your GE, Ohlone will communicate to your transfer university the GE plan you followed and the ways you met the specific areas within the plan.

Special notes:

• If you are using Advanced Placement (AP) scores to meet specific GE areas, make sure you request your scores be sent to Ohlone College via College Board.
• If you are using courses from other colleges to meet specific GE areas, make sure you have submitted OFFICIAL transcripts from these colleges to the Ohlone Admissions and Records Office.
• If you are using the two years of foreign language at your high school to clear IGETC Area 6 (Language other than English), you must provide official high school transcripts to the Ohlone Admissions and Records Office.
• If you attended a high school outside of the United States and would like to use this to clear IGETC Area 6 (Language other than English), make sure to provide a copy of your high school transcript, high school diploma, or documentation showing that you attended high school outside of the United States along with your IGETC Certification Request.

Ohlone will ONLY mail one certification to one institution, so make sure it is the one to where you are transferring.

To make a GE certification request, complete and submit the following form the Admissions and Records Office:  www.ohlone.edu/org/admissions/forms/igetcrequestform.pdf

Check your student portal weekly! Make sure to attend orientation and acquaint yourself to your new university! Visit or contact the Transfer Center for assistance with your transition to the university!

Admission Appeals and Enrollment Deposits

It can be disappointing to find out you have been denied admission to a university. If you feel the denial was out of the ordinary and that you really should have been admitted to the university, you should call the university's undergraduate admissions office and see if you can talk to an admissions representative who can look at your file.

Finding out the reasons for the admissions denial is the first step to determining whether or not seeking an admissions appeal is appropriate.

Make an appointment with your counselor or visit the Transfer Center with what you have found out from the phone conversation in order to discuss strategies for preparing an admissions appeal.

It is very likely that you may have to submit an enrollment deposit to University #1 while you work on or wait to hear back about the status of your appeal with University #2. It is important that you observe and remain on top of all deadlines so as to not jeopardize offers from other universities. You will need to be prepared to lose any deposit money you paid to hold your spot at University #1 while you wait to hear back from University #2.

Please see your counselor or visit the Transfer Center for assistance!

Coursera Online Courses

The free online courses offered through the University of Maryland, College Park campus is a great example of how students can explore and expand their knowledge and experience in various academic topics and add to your academic career at Ohlone College.

You don't have to be a student of this university in order to take the class. The courses are all online and free. It bears no credit. Again, it bears no credit, so please don't expect these courses to clear you of any academic requirements.

Why might you take a class for no credit?

Check out the courses being offered:

- Genes and the Human Condition (From Behavior to Biotechnology)
- Developing Innovative Ideas for New Companies
- Exploring Quantum Physics
- Women and the Civil Rights Movement
- Surviving Disruptive Technologies

Sometimes, there are opportunities beyond our actual campus that you can and should take advantage of in order to really develop yourself, your potential, and/or better refine your long-term academic and occupational goals. What you gain from this could be something you end up discussing in your application to your transfer universities.

Guess what?

There are over 30 universities that offer free online courses! And, they are some of the most renowned in the United States. These include: Columbia, Penn State, UC San Francisco, CalTech, and so many more.

Visit Coursera to explore these courses.

The Transfer Center isn't intending to endorse Coursera or specific courses offered through these universities. But, just like university Open Houses, CollegeWeekLive.com, and similar opportunities, the Transfer Center encourages students to take advantage of resources, services, and opportunities to better prepare for university transfer.

Let the Transfer Center know how these classes work out and whether you would recommend other Ohlone students to do this!

Nursing Success Seminar @ Samuel Merritt University

Samuel Merritt University is pleased to announce our Nursing Success! Seminar for Summer 2013. The goal of the program is to introduce underrepresented, prospective students to the profession of nursing and to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) programs offered at Samuel Merritt University.  This will be done through two simultaneous seminars:

Track 1 for:  Underrepresented, pre-nursing students at California’s Community Colleges.  This is for prospective students who may be interested in applying to the direct entry transfer BSN program.

Track 2 for:  Underrepresented students who already have a bachelor’s degree in a non-nursing field and who may be interested in applying for the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program.

The Nursing Success! Seminar will be held on the SMU campus in Oakland, CA, July 1-3, 2013, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

IMPORTANT DATES

May 15, 2013	Application deadline (postmark)
June 1, 2013	Notification of selection
June 15, 2013	Participation form due to SMU
July 1-3, 2013 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.	Nursing Success! Seminar

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?

• Track 1:  Participants must have completed a minimum of 24 semester units of coursework at a California Community College and must have plans to be enrolled for Fall 2013.
• Track 2:  Participants must have a Bachelor’s degree in a non-nursing field.
• Participants must have a demonstrated commitment to achieving a BSN and to becoming a RN.
• Preference in participation will be given to those who self identify as African American/Black or Hispanic/Latino.
• Although the Nursing Success! Seminar is for both women and men, preference in participation will be given to those who self identify as male.
• Preference in participation will be given to those who have demonstrated a strong college GPA (usually considered a 3.0 or higher).
• Participants must commit to participate in the entire program.
• Participation will be capped at 20-25 per Track.

COST
There is no cost for the 3 day seminar.  Seminar participants will be asked to cover their travel and parking expenses to and from SMU.  Snacks and lunch (daily) will be provided for all participants.

HOW DO I APPLY?

The Nursing Success! Seminar application and letter of recommendation is available here.  The postmark deadline is May 15, 2013. The application and all supporting materials should be submitted in one envelope by the postmark deadline. A completed application consists of:

• Application
• Completed short answers
• Letter of recommendation
• Unofficial copies of all college transcripts

Mail everything in one envelope to:

Samuel Merritt University
Office of Admission
3100 Telegraph Avenue, Suite 1000
Oakland, CA 94609
ATTN: NURSING SUCCESS! SEMINAR

You will be notified by June 1, 2013 about your participation in the Nursing Success! Seminar. Notification will be by email.

WHAT KINDS OF THINGS WILL TAKE PLACE DURING THE NURSING SUCCESS! SEMINAR?

While the agenda is still being finalized, here are some things that may be included:

• Nursing Today - What does it mean to be a nurse in today's changing health care environment?
• Admission and financial aid workshops for both Track 1 and Track 2.
• Panel/Questions/Answers with currently enrolled SMU nursing students
• One-on-one admission counseling appointments
• Supporting Cultural Diversity at SMU
• Tour and demonstration of the SMU state-of-the-art Health Sciences Simulation Center
• Essay preparation and test taking tips
• Applying for admission at SMU
• International Nursing: A Global Perspective
• Movie time and time at the SMU bookstore
• Completion luncheon and ceremony

APPLYING TO SMU IN THE FUTURE

While attending the SMU Nursing Success! Seminar will not guarantee you admission into the BSN or ABSN program, we hope it will ease some of the stress of the application process. There will be some additional benefits to you should you choose to apply to SMU. These will be discussed during the Seminar.

QUESTIONS?

Anne Seed, Associate Director of Admission
aseed@samuelmerritt.edu
510-869-6610

UCLA CCCP Scholars Program

CCCP SCHOLARS PROGRAM 2013-2014 (first deadline May 1st)

UCLA’s Center for Community College Partnerships (CCCP) presents the CCCP Scholars Program for the 2013-2014 Academic Year. The goal of the program is to motivate, inform and prepare students to transfer from a California community college to a selective Top Tier Research institution such as UCLA. Students in the program have access to our summer and year-long academic preparatory transfer programs which guide students through the community college experience, the application and admissions process, research and pre-graduate opportunities and career exploration. The programs use Critical Race Theory as a framework to address issues from a social justice and educational equity perspective.

For dates, deadlines, program information and how to apply visit our website: www.cccp.ucla.edu

You can also review the attached flyer with that information.

 

TO APPLY:
1) Review requirements and select a summer program
2) Complete CCCP Online Application (click here), including short answer essays which you can review below.
3) Submit the following Required materials electronically:
A. Complete the UC Transfer Planner (click here)
B. Complete Supplemental Form (click here)
C. Recommendation online Form: (Click here)
* E-mail the link above to your recommender and include your name, date of birth and program that you are applying to in your email; please ensure your recommender adheres to
posted deadlines.)
* Recommendation form is waived for students applying to GREEN SITE, SMC SRI SITE, SMC SRI Orientation and returning scholars.

NOTE for Returning Scholars:
If you are a current or former CCCP Scholar, you must re-submit a new application, update the UC Transfer Planner and submit the Supplemental Form (the recommendation form is waived). Additionally, you will need to attend SITE LITE if you are not applying to or selected for another summer program. Returning scholars will be selected based on having completed their previous year CCCP Scholars agreement successfully.

For more information, visit our website or contact us by email or phone.

Center for Community College Partnerships 

(310) 267-4441

cccp@college.ucla.edu

Financial Aid Award Comparison Tool

Students transferring in Fall 2013 may be starting to hear back from universities about admissions statuses. In mid to late April, you may need to review and compare the financial aid awards schools are offering you in order to decide to where to transfer. Below is a tool that may be helpful. Try it and let the Transfer Center know if we should keep recommending this tool for our students!
 
The Financial Aid Award Comparison Tool allows students to create a free account on CaliforniaColleges.edu and then compare up to six financial aid award packages from California colleges and universities using the information from their award letters. After entering all of their award information into the tool, students will be able to see the following:

1. “The Gap”, or the remaining cost of college that still is not met through grants, scholarships or loans (a negative result actually means that the student has a surplus from the financial aid awarded).
2. The percentage ratio of “free aid” vs. “loan aid” with explanations of what this ratio means and why this is important.
3. Students can save their worksheets and also print them.
4. They can link to a repayment calculator which will allow them to view their repayment options.

The tool can be accessed by:

1. Go to www.californiacolleges.edu
2. Log on to your account or create a free account if you do not already have one. Your CSUMENTOR username and password works on this website!
3. Click “Finance” (or click the link in the middle of the home page)
4. Click “Compare Financial Aid Awards”
5. Select the California college or university from the drop down menu (the TCOA will auto populate)
6. Enter information from your award letter
7. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Save Worksheets and Compare Awards”

Energy Specialist Opportunity

A part-time job opportunity came to our attention and because of the experience students can gain in the energy and green industry, the Transfer Center thought to share it with you. If you are interested, email the Transfer Center for the flyer so you can inquire further and/or apply for the position.

ENERGY SPECIALIST

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
California Youth Energy Services (CYES) is a program of Rising Sun Energy Center, a non-profit organization established in 1994. We provide FREE energy conservation services to communities throughout the Bay Area. The program is designed to provide high school and college students with hands-on job training and a paid employment experience in the growing green industry. We are currently accepting applications for the position of Energy Specialist in our Bay Area sites. Energy Specialists will receive extensive training in job skills; no prior experience with energy conservation work is necessary. We are looking to hire for the following sites: Oakland, Fremont, Richmond, Antioch, Berkeley, Emeryville, Union City, Hayward, Dublin, Pleasanton, and Marin County.

Energy Specialists visit houses in their community (by scheduled appointment) and help residents save energy by
(1) doing a comprehensive energy audit of the home
(2) replacing incandescent light bulbs for energy efficient CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lights), installing clotheslines, mounting efficient flow showerheads, etc.
(3) providing recommendations on how to save energy. Energy Specialists work in pairs and visit 3-10 appointments per day depending on location.

JOB QUALIFICATIONS
• Outgoing, friendly personality
• Good communication and presentation skills
• Ability to work independently as well as with a team
• Ability to multi-task and manage time responsibly
• Interest in serving the community and preserving the environment
• Must be able to walk up to one mile and lift 15-20lbs
• Must be able to work the full 7 weeks
• Respect for authority and others
• Basic computer skills
• Familiarity with basic tools (screw driver, hammer, etc.) a plus but not required.
• Access to car is helpful, but not required (two youth per site will be required to have car access)

JOB DETAILS
• Regular work schedule: Tuesday– Friday, 10:30am – 6:00pm; two Thursdays from 12:00pm – 7:30pm
• Starting pay for non-drivers: $9.00 /hour
• Starting pay for drivers: $10.00/hour plus mileage reimbursement; drivers must have your own car and be at least 18 years of age with a valid driver license and insurance
• 7 week summer job: June 24th - August 9th

For more information and to get an application, please visit our website at www.risingsunenergy.org and follow the link for CYES. Or call (510) 665-1501 extensions 15 or 23. Applications will be available on the website on February 1, 2013.

PROGRAM FEEDBACK
Hear what past Energy Specialists have to say about the program:
“Great group of youth/adults, good program for youth, very fun and interesting.”- Oakland Energy Specialist 2010 “It simultaneously teaches youth great people and hardware skills, as well as preparing them for the global challenges that are sure to come”- Hayward Energy Specialist 2010

GE Certification & Final Transcripts (Fall 2013)

If you are transferring to a university in Fall 2013, please read on for a message from the Ohlone College Transfer Center:

CONGRATULATIONS, you are now part of the great group of students from Ohlone College continuing on toward personal achievement and success. Let us know where you are attending and keep in touch! Email us your name, university, major, and a way to contact you so we can invite you to future transfer student alumni events!

TRANSFER ACHIEVEMENT CELEBRATION

We want to celebrate your accomplishment! Visit link in starting April 1st to register for the Transfer Achievement Celebration scheduled for Thursday, May 9, 2013!

FINAL TRANSCRIPTS

Most institutions would like your final transcripts (showing spring semester grades) by July 15, 2013. The Transfer Center recommends that you wait until June 4^th to make this request and utilize the FREE TRANSCRIPT REQUEST option available in your Webadvisor account.

If you need to request a transcript showing in-progress coursework, visit our past blog post about making this type of request.

GENERAL EDUCATION (CSU OR IGETC) CERTIFICATION

If you followed the CSU GE or IGETC plan, you may want to request a certification of it. When you request Ohlone to certify your GE, Ohlone will communicate to your transfer university the GE plan you followed and the ways you met the specific areas within the plan.

Special notes:

• If you are using Advanced Placement (AP) scores to meet specific GE areas, make sure you request your scores be sent to Ohlone College via College Board.
• If you are using courses from other colleges to meet specific GE areas, make sure you have submitted OFFICIAL transcripts from these colleges to the Ohlone Admissions and Records Office.
• If you are using the two years of foreign language at your high school to clear IGETC Area 6 (Language other than English), you must provide official high school transcripts to the Ohlone Admissions and Records Office.
• If you attended a high school outside of the United States and would like to use this to clear IGETC Area 6 (Language other than English), make sure to provide a copy of your high school transcript, high school diploma, or documentation showing that you attended high school outside of the United States along with your IGETC Certification Request.

Ohlone will ONLY mail one certification to one institution, so make sure it is the one to where you are transferring.

To make a GE certification request, complete and submit the following form the Admissions and Records Office:  www.ohlone.edu/org/admissions/forms/igetcrequestform.pdf

Check your student portal weekly! Make sure to attend orientation and acquaint yourself to your new university! Visit or contact the Transfer Center for assistance with your transition to the university!

CalTeach Program Now Accepting Applications!