Fill Out Your FAFSA @ CLP

Higher education cannot be a luxury reserved just for a privileged few. It is an economic necessity for every family. And every family should be able to afford it.
- President Barack Obama, June 21, 2012

For Barack Obama, like most Americans, college would have been impossible without government issued Financial Aid.  His ability to attend the school of his choice, to pursue his interests and continue his education shaped his life and the future of our country.

If you have worked hard in school and but don’t have $39,520 to attend a Private school or $17,860 for a public one you don’t have to put your dreams aside.  Though the costs of college tuition, room and board and textbooks has been steadily on the rise.  There are real solutions to this financial dilemma.  Since 1965 when Lyndon Johnson signed into law the Higher Education Act  The government has offered students financial help to attain their education goals.

If you’re beginning to think about college and worried about how you’ll find the money, your very first stop should be to Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.  Just in time for college enrollment, CLP is offering FAFSA  completion help at libraries across the city.  Take advantage of this opportunity to get help from the experts
Don’t worry though, if your busy life prevents you from attending one of our events…the library has literally hundreds of books to help you navigate through your college preperation.

~Brooke, CLP- South Side

April is National Financial Literacy Month! Aren’t you excited?

I am well aware that money . . .

how to get it, 

and what to do with it, once you have it . . .

isn’t the most fascinating topic for all of us. However, it is one of those necessary evils, and it’s best that we all are well versed and aware of the resources out there, regarding all things money.

Since librarians are all about making research easy for everyone, see below for a list of selected FREE resources for you to use in your journey toward financial literacy.

It All Adds Up Site

Sponsored by American Express, this website is for teens who want to prepare for their financial futures. The web site contains online games and simulations to help students learn about credit management, buying a car, paying for college, budgeting, saving, and investing.

Not Your Parents Money Book: Making, Saving, and Spending Your Own Money by Jean Chatzky.

This book covers personal finances, describing ways to make, save, and spend money responsibly.


Occupational Outlook Handbook

Check out this site, maintained by the federal government, to take a look at what you need to do to prepare to enter the world of your dream job, and what you can expect once you get there!


Quick Cash for Teens: Be Your Own Boss and Make Big Bucks by Peter G. Bielagus

This is your guide to starting your own business – from finding your niche to developing a business plan, this one covers it all.


Top 100 Careers Without a Four-Year Degree: Your Complete Guidebook to Good Jobs in Many Fields by Laurence Sharkin, Ph.D

See this title to start with your skills and figure out what career is right for you.  The information inside is based on the Occupational Outlook Handbook – more information of that resource above.

That’s all for now!

~LeeAnn

Get help with the SATs and college apps

Are the SATs and college applications in your future?  If even thinking about them is a little overwhelming, you’re not alone.   But don’t panic!  The library can help you get ready.

Our S.A.T. and College Preparation Resources workshop will show you what digital tools the library has to offer.  Did you know you have access to a free online SAT prep course, with flash cards, practice tests, and even essay scoring?   We’ll show you how to use it.  Are you taking an SAT subject test?  We can get you materials for everything from Biology to World History.  We’ll also show you a private database of scholarships, and a tool that lets you search and compare colleges by criteria such as size, cost, and majors offered.   The next session is Saturday, October 15.  Space is limited, and registration is required, so if you’re interested, call soon.

Of course, if you’re one of those people that prefers good old printed books, we’ve got that covered too.  Your local library should have some study guides on hand, but if you can’t find what you’re looking for there, you can also request books from – or visit – the Teen department or the Job and Career Education Center at Main.

   

-Denise

How much is your education worth?

If you’re anything like I was in high school, you’re not giving much thought to the question of how you’re going to pay for college.  I was much more worried about where I was going, whether or not any of my friends were going there, and eventually, what my major was going to be. Even while in college, I didn’t concern myself with something as trivial as tuition– all of those nice loan companies were taking care of that for me. 

There was a study done recently which listed Pennsylvania as the 6th highest state in the nation for student loan debt. What factored into this statistic, you ask? A number of things– wages are declining, jobs are disappearing and the cost of college is increasing every single year. Average cost for a PA state school for 2009-10 was $10,761–  not including room and board– more than tripling in the last 25 years.

What about if you go to a private school like I did?  I went to Washington and Jefferson College– whose tuition is now up to $35,960/year– not including room and board. Harvard is $34,976 (plus room and board). I paid more for W&J than I would have for Harvard. Are you freaking kidding me?   Anyways, W&J–great school– probably a bad choice for me. I didn’t have any money saved up for college and neither did my parents. I ended up with loans for all of it. Not to mention adding grad school on top of that, which more and more people are doing now.

Research shows that for the first time in history, more people are falling out of the middle class ranks than joining it. 

Read. Read as much as you can about the many grants and scholarships that are available to college-goers. Take full advantage of them. You’ll need it. Trust me. 

Here are some great books to get you started in your quest to pay for college.

-Julie, CLP Beechview

LGBT Friendly Colleges!

When searching for the right college you are faced with literally hundreds of decisions. It is a multi-step process involving countless forms and countless dollars! And on top of all that it can be even more complicated for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students.

Fortunately, there are new and helpful resources available to LGBT high school students (and their allies) who are stepping into the college search scramble.  It is important to learn about housing options, student groups, course offerings, and campus resources because they can all have a huge impact in shaping your college experience.

I would recommend checking out The Advocate College Guide for LGBT Students by Shane L. Windmeyer. Here you can explore rankings of the top 100 LGBT friendly higher education institutions in the United States. The book was written with the help of over 5,000 student interviews and 500 interviews with faculty and staff.

The Library also carries The Gay and Lesbian Guide to College Life.

You might also want to check out the recently released second edition of Kelly Huegel’s GLBTQ: The Survival Guide for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Teens.

Don’t forget to check out online resources like Campus Pride. The Campus Pride index is the best online search for LGBT friendly colleges and scholarships.

On a personal note, I would highly recommend considering a college or university with a student resource center for LGBT students and their allies. I found a home away from home when I discovered Penn State’s LGBTA Student Resource Center. It was an escape from the drama and chaos of college life. It was a space where I made friends and complained and laughed and grew and learned so very much. I was even an intern there for two years!

And please don’t forget that YOU are the change! Whether you are at a community college like CCAC, an enormous university like Penn State, or at a tiny liberal arts school like Allegheny College – YOU ultimately shape your own experiences.

Trust me. It Gets Better. Nuff Said. And it also gets better over here too.

-Michael B.

CLP Hazelwood

P.S. Did you know today is the Day of Silence?

College Knowledge

Do you see college in your future?

Getting in to college can be a pretty daunting and sometimes discouraging task – but don’t think that it is beyond your reach! With the right preparation college can be accessible to anyone. Representatives from the University of Pittsburgh InvestingNOW/CARE Program will tell you what you need to know to get into college and what local financial aid opportunities are available to you. This program is open to teens and their parents.

It is never too early to start thinking about to college!

Thursday, November 13
5 PM – 6:30 PM @ CLP, Woods Run
and of course, there will be snacks.

~ Amy – CLP, Woods Run

Do you have the skills, young Jedi?

You know how you can’t be a Jedi unless you train as a Jedi apprentice and do everything the Jedi Masters tell you to do (well, almost everything, right Anakin?) so you’ll have the skills needed to resist when the Dark Side of the Force comes calling (right, Anakin?!!), well pretty soon your apprenticeship (i.e. high school) will be over and you will be ‘forced’ to ask yourselves this question “The skills. Have them do I?”

If, after much time meditating, and levitating your little brother for fun, your answer is “GRWAAAARHH!” (that’s wookie for ‘Heck no!’), then come to the Lawrenceville library on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from July 7th to the 24th (hey, was the Death Star built in one day?) and get ready to do some learnin’ about things you’re going to need to know once you’re free from the Sarlac Pit known as High School.

We will be having a Life Skills Summer Workshop here at the library. Various speakers will discuss and walk through the process of opening and maintaining a bank account, applying to colleges and for financial aid, writing a resume, and how to perform in a job interview. ‘Space’ is limited (at least in this galaxy), so please register by calling the library at 412-682-3668.  Session times are from 3:30 to 5:30.

Come and join us, you may even find out what a ‘parsec’ is and why doing the Kessel Run in twelve of them is a big deal. Well, at least that’s what I hear anyway.

Steve – Lawrenceville.

Student Loan Debt Sucks

Student loans are a necessary evil for most people with higher education in their post-graduation plans. Some people will be paying off their student loans for the rest of their lives because the only way to get out of them is if you die or become permanently disabled.

Completing general ed requirements at a community college can help keep costs down. The library has lots of resources on scholarships. Did you know that there is a scholarship for left-handed people? I wish I had known about that one!

You can also check out this free website for help locating money:

http://www.findtuition.com/

Jen, CLP – Sheraden

Harry Potter goes Ivy

If you haven’t read the Harry Potter series yet, don’t bother until you can get “credit” for it (as in college credit). 

 Check it out – Harry Potter novels make the Yale curriculum.

 http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/books/03/25/cnnu.potter/index.html

Jen, Sheraden