College Fair Speakers
Certified college specialists James Kinney and Luba Globerman of Financial Pathways for Parents, talking about Ten Biggest Financial Mistakes Parents Make when Planning for College
Test prep expert Jacqui Byrne of Ivy Ed, who will walk parents and students through the differences between the assessment tests and how to make standardized testing decisions for your child
Larry Blumenstyk of Learning Associates, who will offer some keys to writing a personal statement that ensures an application makes the right impression
Admissions consultant Emily Wolper, who will lead a discussion about identifying students’ passions, expanding extracurricular activities, and the role such activities play in the college admissions process
If you go
What: College Planning Fair
When: Sunday, March 22, 2-4:30 p.m.
Where: Temple Har Shalom, Warren
Admission: free
Contact: Sharon Friedman at 732-356-8777, ext. 103, or sharonf@templeharshalom.org
March 19, 2009
No one says getting into college is easy, but with some expert guidance, the process can be less daunting.
Such guidance will be in abundance at the college planning fair at Temple Har Shalom, the Reform congregation in Warren, on Sunday, March 22. The event is open to the whole community; admission is free.
Sharon Friedman, the director of education at Har Shalom, said that as far as she knows, this is the first event of its kind in the area. “We expect it to be big,” she said.
Friedman was referring to the expected turnout; the extensive range of participating experts and exhibitors is already confirmed.
Scheduled to run from 2 to 4:30 p.m., the event will feature five keynote speakers covering different aspects of the college entry procedure, including the tests to be taken, building up an impressive extracurricular profile, writing a winning application essay, and — a huge concern in today’s economic climate — how to finance the whole endeavor. A panel of students will report on their own experiences and what they learned from them.
The exhibitors include four different test centers, Jewish campus organizations, Israel experience organizations, and businesses involved in college life. For example, Bed, Bath & Beyond is going to have a fake dorm room set up, to show all the equipment and furnishings needed — available in the chain’s home goods stores.
Presenters of all kinds — including admissions consultants, financial planners, and computer consultants — will provide information and answer questions.
The event is being funded with a grant from the Jewish Federation of Central New Jersey’s Jewish Community Endowment Foundation, aimed at expanding its youth programming. Jessica Mehlman, the federation’s assistant director of financial resource development, noted that the temple is not just providing the event as a service to the community, but is putting the college-oriented services into a Jewish context.
She said that was part of what earned the temple the foundation grant. “As a synagogue, they are really thinking outside the box when it comes to outreach and programming. They understand that their constituents are going to be seeking these services, and they want to be able to provide them in a way that will get the families and teens thinking about keeping the Jewish community a part of their lives even as they go off to college, and beyond,” she said.
Friedman said, “Teens have been an underserved segment of the community; that’s why we wanted to do this for them — and for their parents.”
Having survived sending two children of her own off to college, she said, she also knows just how welcome help like this can be.
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