Arkansas Next

Image by Today's THV

Enrollment numbers for Arkansas' four-year state colleges were released recently, and more than half posted gains.

Arkansas Business and our very own Arkansas Next publisher Jeff Hankins visited the set of Today's THV Channel 11 in Little Rock last week to share some exciting news on the higher-education front.

He revealed that more and more Arkansans are going to college -- enrollment numbers are up. This is fantastic because the fastest-growing fields -- technology, medical and engineering -- all require higher education.

However, the Arkansas Department of Higher Education reminds us that they're still working to reduce dropout rates and keep students in college until they finish. (That's so important, students: get that degree!)

Watch this video to hear what Hankins had to say on TV and to learn why this news should matter to you:

You can also read Arkansas Business' story on the topic.

Image by Lindsay Irvin

Arkansas Next Associate Publisher, Rachel Bradbury and Parkview High School counselor, Debra Myton, present Phillip Broadway with his new laptop from Best Buy Stores of Arkansas! 

We headed over to Parkview Arts & Science Magnet High School in Little Rock today to surprise the winner of one of two laptops we're giving away this month. 

Phillip Broadway was speechless when his named was called in front of the entire school during an assembly this morning. He walked to the stage to claim his prize as his peers cheered him on. His school counselor Debra Myton delivered the news live on stage along with me and Arkansas Next associate publisher Rachel Bradbury. It was quite a moment!

We are so happy for him and enjoyed surprising him with the laptop -- and balloons! 

Today's THV was on the scene to capture the moment (we'll post the video as soon as it's available). 

For now, check out all the pictures on our Facebook page.

Arkansas Next and Best Buy Stores of Arkansas are giving away five free laptops to students across the state. Two presentations will take place in February including the one we're featuring here today (Feb. 21) and three more in May. Also in May, we'll draw one guidance counselor/teacher's name from the entries to win an Apple iPad.

You can still enter for your chance to win one of three laptops we'll giveaway in May. 

Congratulations again, Phillip! And good luck to you all.

Image by Shutterstock.com

Want to be a chef? Find a chef to mentor you and show you the ropes - you may or may not like the realities of the kitchen.

Students, check out this amazing apprenticeship program. It's a great opportunity to identify your dream job and be matched up with a mentor doing that job!

 Here's what GetMilkshake.com posted about it Jan. 11:

Two amazing teachers, Chris Balme and Melia Dicker, got together and launched Spark, a non-profit program to provide life-changing apprenticeships to youth in underserved communities.

Essentially, students identify their “dream job” and Spark matches that student with a mentor doing that job. Kids interested in the medical field shadow a doctor. Students wanting to learn about film production follow a Hollywood producer. Pretty cool, right?

 Fast-forward seven years ... Students have now completed more than 1,000 apprenticeships. Many alumnae credit their Spark experience with keeping them interested in school and changing the course of the life.

 To get involved with Spark, visit SparkProgram.org where you can make a donation or offer to volunteer as a mentor. And don’t miss the awe-inspiring student stories.

Even if you can't take part in this program, it's a great example of the things you can be doing now to prepare for your future. Figure out something you might want to do for a career now and find a mentor. Ask about their jobs, shadow them, and get to know that field in-depth. Do this before investing thousands in a degree.

 The last thing you want is a degree that you can't use or don't need because you decided to change career paths after college. This will help you figure out for sure what you want to do with your life.

Image by Shutterstock.com

The University of Arkansas is once again named one of the “100 Best Values in Public Colleges” by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance. In its 2012 survey of 500 schools Kiplinger’s ranked the University of Arkansas 53rd in the nation for in-state students and 56th for out of state students, an improvement over the rankings of 57 and 58 in 2011.

The report is intended as a consumer guide, highlighting schools that the publication’s research shows deliver quality education at an affordable price.

The Kiplinger list is drawn from a survey of 500 public universities across the country. The rankings are based on both academic measurements – student SAT or ACT scores, admission and retention rates, student-faculty ratios, and four- and six-year graduation rates, for example – and financial considerations such as cost, availability of financial aid, and student debt after graduation.

The complete report is available at www.kiplinger.com/links/college.

“We are very pleased to be ranked among Kiplinger's top 100, as it reflects our commitment to maintain both high academic quality and affordability for the people of Arkansas,” said Chancellor G. David Gearhart. “This is particularly noteworthy, given that our faculty and staff have maintained that balance through efficiencies and strategic investments and with no recent increase in state support. The Kiplinger’s report recognizes the U of A's affordability and value as well as the hard work and dedication of our teachers, researchers and staff. We are proud of this latest recognition."

The Kiplinger survey shows that the University of Arkansas is consistently in the top 25 percent of schools nationwide for lowest cost and availability of financial aid. Kiplinger’s calculates the university’s total cost for in-state students is $16,718; average total cost after financial aid is $9,552; total cost for out of state students is $27,150; average total cost for out of state students after financial aid of $19,984. The survey reports that University of Arkansas students graduate with the relatively low average student debt of $21,562.

Overall, the University of Arkansas has the fourth-highest ranking among public institutions in the Southeastern Conference, with the fourth-lowest student debt level, the third-lowest cost for in-state students and the lowest cost for out of state students.  It is ranked second over-all among regional peer institutions, as well as second in all financial categories.

The university is the only school in Arkansas listed on the Kiplinger report.

Image by C. Waynette Traub / Arkansas Next

Little Rock Family presents its inaugural College Prep section featuring special content courtesy Arkansas Next: A Guide to Life After High School, stories, stats, deadlines and dates that will help your eighth- through 12th-graders prepare for graduation and college - it's never too soon to start thinking about their higher education futures.

Inside the special section, you'll find:

• Why College? Stats to help you make your case
• College Countdown: A year-by-year guide to keep your students on the college track all through high school
• Make Your Campus Visit Count: Tips for getting the most out of your child's college tours
• Financial Aid 101: We explain the confusing financial aid terms and technicalities
• ACT vs. SAT: Determine which test is right for your child?
• Laptops vs. Tablets: iPads are all the rage, but does your child really need one for college?

Want more? We knew you would! 

Read the entire Arkansas Next 2012 digitial issue online now, or visit ArkansasNext.com for even more! Ask your child to bring home the free copy they got at school (copies distributed to all 8th, 9th, 11th and 12th grade students in Arkansas).

Also, don't forget to have your child sign up to win one of five free laptops that Arkansas Next is giving away! 

It's a challenge making sense of the confusing terminology and technicalities when it comes to applying for and receiving financial aid.

Good news for you, students! Found this info on USA Today this AM and had to share:

"Prospective college students and their parents are about to have a new tool to figure out what can be a confusing question: Just how much is college really going to cost? 

A federal law kicks in Oct. 29 that requires all college websites to have an online tool called a net price calculator, which is intended to help give students and families a more accurate estimate of real costs. Many universities have already launched them."

This is an excerpt from an article by USA TODAY; follow the link for the rest of the story!

Gallery by Vera Leath

Dinah McClurg, an English teacher at Jonesboro's Nettleton High School, uses Arkansas Next and its Classroom Activity Guide in her classroom. McClurg incorporated the scavenger hunt and interactive assignment with her curriculum frameworks and her new classroom set of iPads. The students love it.

We recently distributed our new issue to junior high and high schools across the state. In addition to new feature stories and tools for students within the magazine, we also revamped our Classroom Activity Guide for teachers. We added interactive assignments to the guide that could easily be done at school in the classroom, if technology permits.

That's why we were very excited to receive the following letter and the accompanying photos from 12th-grade guidance counselor, Vera Leath, who's seeing how the magazine can be used to the students' benefit in the classroom - in a really unique, high-tech way!

"Thank you for sending the 2012 edition of Arkansas Next to our school this year. I wanted to share with you how one of our English teachers, Dinah McClurg, is using your magazine and activity guide in her classroom. She incorporated the scavenger hunt and interactive assignment with her curriculum frameworks and her new classroom set of iPads.  The students love researching about colleges on the iPads and are learning many things about college admission, degree programs, costs, etc. The iPads allow students to research individual interests at the same time rather than viewing one college together on a teacher computer and projector in class.Our superintendant and assistant superintendent visited her classroom to see how the students were working, and I am scheduled to meet with our English faculty next week to discuss how we can maximize the use of these activities in their classrooms. 

Thanks again for providing this magazine which is very beneficial for our students." 

-Vera Leath, 12th-grade counselor, Nettleton High School

We hope you'll share feedback from your experiences with the magazine and/or the classroom activity guide with us too. We want to hear from you.

• How is your school using the activity guide or magazine to guide students in their future?
• Students, what stories do you find the most useful?

We look forward to hearing your comments and receiving more letters from you. 

Image by MyCollegeJourney.com

Arkansas Next is all about helping you move beyond high school to pursue a successful life after graduation. For most of you, that means college or some form of higher education. With that goal in mind, your first step toward that future is getting accepted to the school of your choice.

What's the best way to do that? Well, we recently stumbled on this story on TheDailyBeast.com. The story's author, Steve Cohen says...

"The single biggest advantage students can easily give themselves for getting into a top university: Apply early decision.

By applying early decision—for which the application deadline is usually Nov.  1, two months before most regular-admission deadlines—the applicant agrees to attend that school should they be accepted. Which means kids can only apply early decision to one school. If the school says yes, so must the student.

Many people don’t know that early-decision applicants get an edge when applying to college. What even fewer know is just how big that edge is. It’s enormous. Applying early admission can often double or even triple your child’s chances of getting into a top school. It is the single most effective admissions strategy there is for most students—and the most underutilized."

Something else to consider as you start thinking about where you want to go to college. You can browse our database of all Arkansas colleges for information that can help you make this decision.