Parents & Families of

Prospective Students

Dalhousie University

Open House 2012

“TO SAY THAT HIGHER EDUCATION IS AT THE CROSSROADS

IS TO SAY THE OBVIOUS – LIKE TELLING THE MAN WITH

MEASLES HE ITCHES . . . . COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

WILL BE EDUCATIONALLY EFFECTIVE ONLY IF THEY REACH

STUDENTS “WHERE THEY LIVE,” ONLY IF THEY CONNECT

SIGNIFICANTLY WITH THOSE CONCERNS OF CENTRAL

IMPORTANCE TO THEIR STUDENTS.” CHICKERING & REISSER

EDUCATION AND IDENTITY

What do prospective students want and

need to know?

Presented by:

Meri Kim Oliver AVP, Student Academic

Success Services

Exploring

Post-

Secondary

Options

It’s about the students

Phenomenal

Potential

Higher Education Quality Council of

Ontario

Majority of jobs in Canada

now require some post-

secondary education

A degree is still the most

reliable path to flexible

careers with a greater

likelihood of a higher income.

(Weingarten, 2011)

And

Then and Now Statistics Canada

1990 - 17% of high school graduates in university

2011 – 82% in university and College Total: Over 1 Million Students

Globe & Mail

www.ourtimetolead.ca (October 5, 2012)

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/time-to-lead/transforming-the-ivory-

tower-the-case-for-a-new-postsecondary-education-system/article4588986/

University?

College?

Alternatives?

/

Post-Secondary Alternatives

•Mark Zuckerberg – university drop-out

•Estimated value?

$17.5 Billion U.S.

Peter Theill

PayPal Co-founder

$100,000 each

to 20 students who

DROP OUT

The University as Institution

“I ask[ed] why universities, though they have

existed in something akin to their present form

since the 12th century, should feel entitled to

survive the changes in the global society they

serve without changing themselves as radically

as that society. ….”

(John Corlett, VPA, University of Winnipeg)

Globe and Mail 2011

“reform or perish”

Nova Scotia

Government – report

requested

What does our future

look like?

AUCC Research

(Association of Universities

and Colleges of Canada)

University Graduate

will earn between

$250,000 and $1M more

than high school

graduate counterpart

A Series of Truths

How does a

student decide

and what is the

decision?

Post Secondary

Education:

Making the

Decision to Invest

Making a Good

Investment

• Know yourself

• Set goals

• Have a Financial road

map

• Research!!

• Consider a mix of

investments

Making a Good

Investment

• Weigh the risks

• What are the potential

returns?

• Determine if the product

matches your student’s

values

• Know what influences

performance

• Choose investment timing

Know Yourself -- Student

and Parent

Why does your student want

to go to university?

Why do you want your

student to go to university?

Set Goals

• Balance – help find the

questions that identify

goals vs. telling them

what to do

• Academic Advisors

• Career Advisors

• Faculty

Have a

Financial Plan

Develop Financial

Literacy

Map out expenses, variations of

approaches, parental support,

financial aid, credit card debt,

living at home or in residence,

computer and book expenses . . ..

Develop Financial

Literacy

• Time to finish degree

• Travel expenses

• Living at home or in residence

• Scholarships and bursaries

• Loans

• Employment

Financial Literacy Canadian Alliance of Student

Associations 2010

Students poorly informed about government financial aid system.

BMO study 2007

More than 50% of students under-estimate

the cost of going to school

RESEARCH!!

Few students are aware of the vast array of

programs and career options that are available to

them. The less they know, the fewer options they

will consider.

Consider a Mix of

Investments

• College

• University

• On Line

• Diplomas

• Exchange Programs

• Multiple Campuses

Consider Investment

Risks • Wrong fit

• Limited success

• Additional time to

reach goals

• Goals change

• Education and job don’t

match

• Circumstances change

Potential Returns

• Personal development

• Life long connections

• Knowledge

• Skills

• Job potential

• Earning potential

Product & Values Fit

• Student’s Values, not

parents

• Requires self

awareness

• Campus

knowledge

• Requires Career

knowledge (research)

Influence on

Performance

Family Support

Perspective

Reflection

Encouragement

Trust

Shifting Role

Of

Parents

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGCJ46vyR9o&feature=player_embedded#

!

. . . . Changing

development

• Delay marriage and children or reject

• Extend post-secondary education • Expect to sustain freedom of youth • Explore options in education and

work • Struggle with financial issues • Live at home

EMERGING

Dr. Jeffrey Arnett (2000)

ADULTHOOD

Too Safe For Their

own Good Michael Unger

Influences on

Student Success

• Good management of the financial

plan

• Good grades in Secondary School

• Extracurricular Activities

• Developing Time Management Skills

• Goals – realistic and flexible

It’s About More than

“survival”

Students Who Thrive on

Campus: • Have enthusiasm for life

• Develop strong social connections

• Are academically, psychologically and

emotionally ….

Resilient (Schreiner (2010)

Student Success

Encourage your student to:

Explore

Experience

Engage

Explore, Experience,

Engage All five of my daughters began exchanges at

age 12, and …. they are citizens of the

world…. they become more tolerant people

by deep exposure to other cultures, but they

become more critical in the best sense, and

more respectful of difference, and they realize

that difference and diversity enriches, and

we’re enriched by it. I would like every

Canadian university student to have the

experience that my children had.

David Johnston,

Parent,

former President, University of Waterloo and

Governor General of Canada

Students need to receive

four powerful messages:

You belong.

You’re trustworthy.

You’re responsible.

You’re capable.

Risk and Resilience

Could be a

firefighter

Investment Performance –

Be Observant

Students

CHANGE

What if I travel

For a year?

I want to study

chemistry

I need to work!

Management?

Offer Practical

Guidance and

Advice

that is

Student

Focused

attitudes teenagers

social context

Investment Timing

The Obvious

• Poor grades

• Lack of career direction

• Not liking to read

• Requiring close parental supervision to

complete homework

• Skipping classes

• Not graduating with the class

• Trouble with law/drugs

Cues to Consider an

Alternate Path Kenneth Gray, Professor of Workforce Education

The Not So Obvious:

• Being evasive about plans after high school

• Not filling out applications or letting parents

fill them out

• Applying only to schools where friends are

going

• No interest in visiting campuses

Cues to Consider an

Alternate Path Kenneth Gray, Professor of Workforce Education

The Advice from the Experts? Campbell & Unger, 2011

• Be available to listen

• Be open to student’s ideas

• Don’t expect your

student’s path to look like

yours

• Help find career

information, but don’t do

the work

• Be supportive of trying

new experiences

• Be involved in helping

student make informed

decisions

• Prepare to support

through setbacks

• Be open to change

• BELIEVE in student’s

ability to make good

decisions

You are

Invested

in Your

Student’s

Success

Help Your

Students

Invest

Wisely in

Their Own

Successes

“ . . . . By investing in

themselves, people can enlarge the range of choice available to

them. It is one way free men can enhance their welfare.”

Theodore William Schultz 1979 Nobel Memorial Prize

Economic Sciences

Resource

Resilience Research Centre (RRC) resilienceproject.org The Decade After High School, A Parent’s Guide (2008)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGCJ46vyR9o&feature=player_embedded#

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