High School Dropout to Harvard Scholarship - Harvard is Not Out of Reach For Those Willing to Reach

When I first met the woman I married, she was a high school dropout, teenage runaway, single mom with four kids. She realized her only way out was to get an education. She was willing to pay attention, follow instructions, and do what it took, and now she is a student at Harvard with a 4.0 average. Here's her story.

I'll spare you the history and pick up where she decided to do something with her education.

She worked for the system of K-12 private schools I owned in the Dallas area, interacting daily with students who were moving on the top colleges, scholarships, and greater opportunity. One day she approached me and said "I want to go to college like your other students." She had been out of school over 20 years. I had her contact the last high school she attended and get a transcript.

From her transcript, she needed about three semesters of work to finish high school. In my school, we train students in accelerated learning using Howard Berg's Speed Reading and a package of reading, studying, testing, and writing strategies that help them go through their work better, faster, and easier. She had seen 13 and 14 year-olds graduate from high school and met many of our students who finished college at 18 and 19, and believed she could do the same thing.

She had taken all the training and actually taught Speed Reading, so she was already equipped to move quickly. I packaged the courses she needed to finish and she finished her last test six weeks later. Yes, you read that correctly, six weeks! Three semesters of high school in six weeks!

Because she was a single parent, she qualified for a whole gamut of college funding and enrolled at the local community college that fall - fully funded - meaning she had grants to cover everything included some living expenses, and no loans, nothing she had to pay back.

She shot through her first year of college with a 4.0.

Near the end of her first year, she got a job elsewhere - making more money but it didn't give her the time to continue college. About the same time things in my life changed. I was divorced, my schools were shut down as a result, and I was trying to rebuild my school business post divorce. We kept in touch and linked up again a few years later. When we talked, she still had ambitions to finish college.

I got my school back up and we got married shortly thereafter. She was still working and continued to express her desire to finish college. We settled in another city and I was doing well enough in my school business that she didn't have to work, so she started back to college fulltime the next fall.

It took her two years to complete her Associates. In those two years, she was awarded two full scholarships and maintained a 4.0 average. She graduated Summa Cum Laude, top honors, and was a member of Phi Theta Kappa, the junior college honor society.

We discussed where to go next. She was offered scholarships to many of the local universities, but one day she looked at me and said "the great Dr. Beasley should be able to get me into an Ivy League school."

Rolling through my mind... Ivy League - tough to get into, tough to stay in, and they don't take transfer students. So the challenge was on. I pretty good at this stuff because it is my area of expertise, but I never had a challenge like this - transfer to an Ivy from a community college.

Well, I did find an opportunity at Harvard at their Extension School. We submitted the application and flew up to Boston for the interview. While going through her portfolio, the lady interviewing her saw her Phi Theta Kappa certificate and pretty much wrapped up the interview, saying my wife was qualified for a scholarship and that she should apply. That Phi Theta Kappa pulled a lot of weight, I soon learned.

She applied and received the scholarship, and finished her first year at Harvard with all A's. Don't let anybody fool you, Harvard courses are tough, and she dedicated 40-60 hours a week to her courses. She was willing to pay attention, follow instructions, and do the work, and it has paid off.

She's continuing to take courses and she expects to graduate in two more years - taking a little longer because the courses are tough. Her degree will say Harvard University. I told her there will be no asterisk at the bottom saying "Transferred from Community College." A Harvard degree is a Harvard degree. No one will able to take that away from her... and no one will ever be able to look down on her because of her past.

I am very proud of my wife. I share this with you to tell you it is never too late to pursue a college degree and there are many hidden opportunities for those willing to do what it takes. Even a Harvard degree is not out of reach for a high school dropout if you are willing to reach.

Kuni Michael Beasley, Ph. D., College Professor, High School Dean, and College Counselor. No matter what I wrote above, it doesn't mean anything if you aren't prepared for the challenges of college like my wife. Email me NOW at DocBeasley@gmail.com and I'll send you free information on how you can use the system my wife used and information on getting into the college of your dreams.

Three Important Ways to Stop High School Dropouts: An Independent Mental Health Consultant's View

Recent reports indicate that on the average every 26 seconds another teenager drops out of high school. This translates to more than 3,000 students per school day. Or taking a longer range view, it is estimated that approximately 12 million students will drop out over the next decade or so. Specifically, nearly 1/3 of public high school students end up quitting school. Nearly half of all African-American and Latino students dropout. And, in some cities, it is even worse. Actually fewer than half of kids in 17 of the nation's 50 largest cities graduate. In Cleveland, only 34% of students graduated with their class, in Chicago only 39% graduated, and Indianapolis, only 30% graduated. Even worse, in Detroit, according to 2003-2004 data analyzed by America's Promise Alliance, only 25% graduated.

The impact of this situation on our nation is dire. Research has shown that dropouts are half as likely to vote as well as more likely to experience reduced job and income opportunities, chronic unemployment, and incarceration. On the other hand, it is estimated that the government would reap $45 billion in extra tax revenue along with reduced cost in public health, crime, and welfare payments if the number of 20-year-old dropouts in United States were cut in half. It is within this context that the need to reduce the high school dropout rate becomes significant.

There are various dropout prevention programs functioning across the United States with varying degrees of success. From my perspective as a mental health consultant, there are three important ways (which all high school students across the United States are entitled to) if implemented would significantly reduce the dropout rate.

Let's look at the three ways:

1. The school program must be perceived by the students as leading to higher status roles in the future and to future economic realities. In other words, the school programs must have a connection between their school and work either with a future career or at least with a decent paying job with the possibility of advancement after graduation.

2. The school program must be personalized, challenging, and have a sense of community established whereby the relationship between teacher and student are supportive and trusting rather than unhelpful and distrustful. Every high school must be either small enough or divided into small enough units to allow teachers and staff to know the students as individuals and to respond to both their specific learning needs and learning styles.

3. The school program must provide the student with some choice about the nature of their academic program and what they are interested in learning. As part of their classroom work, students must have an opportunity to design independent projects, work on group projects, conduct experiments, solve open-ended problems, get involved in activities that connect school and work, and have opportunities to encounter some real psychological and practical success in their endeavors.

In reflecting on my experience as a former high school dropout, if I was in a high school that connected school and work or at least connected school work with a career I was interested in, treated me as an individual, and, allowed me some choice in my academic program, I never would have dropped out. It is the impersonal and alienating nature of high school conditions, specifically in the largest cities, that needs to be changed.

Will Barnes, Therapist and Mental Health Consultant, for over thirty-eight years has counseled and consulted with parents and teenagers in the areas of personal growth and academic achievement. Work with schools have included program development and both group and individual counseling. Visit http://www.yourconsultantsite.com and The Parents Page for more free articles and to download the free e-book Tutoring Tips.
If you were a former dropout, work with dropouts, or interested in this topic leave your questions and comments.

High School Dropout? Try Working Online

High school dropouts may have trouble competing for jobs with graduates, especially when unemployment is high. During a recession, working online may be a good way for a high school dropout to make a living.

Online no one is judging you because you don't have a diploma. If you are a high school dropout with a desire to make money and the self discipline to work at your business without someone forcing you, working online might be a good option.

Blogging

Many people have been using blogs to make money for years now. Most blogs are not online diaries anymore. Most blogs are simple business web pages that people use to sell nearly everything. Some blogs make money by attracting visitors who then visit advertisers, others sell product right off the page.

Whatever the model, a blog business can be launched for very little investment. It can take several months to build traffic to a blog, so this is not a get rich quick scheme. Steer clear of anyone who tries to tell you it is.

Selling on eBay or Amazon

Another popular option for working online is selling on one of the resale sites. This may require an investment because you will often have to buy your product weeks before you get paid for it. You will also need space to store product and shipping supplies.

If you have a good eye for a bargain and can find deals at local clearance sales or thrift stores, reselling may make sense for you. If you can't afford to spend money on product in the beginning, you may be able to help others who have things they want to sell. You list the items for them online and then keep a percent of the sale.

Job Boards

Another option is to look for jobs on sites like Elance or Odesk that hire workers to perform all sorts of online tasks. You will have to bid on jobs, and the pay may be low in the beginning. But if you have decent computer skills and build a good reputation, you may be able to earn a living this way.

High School Dropouts Should Not Give Up

Whatever reason led you to drop out of high school, you should not give up on yourself. Many gifted, hard working individuals did not finish high school and yet went on to live successful and productive lives. Working online may help level the playing field and give a high school dropout the chance to succeed.

Tammi Kibler is a freelance writer who manages several websites and blogs. Tammi shares her best tips on writing for money at Write More. Write Fast. Write Now.

If you are interested in launching an online business, click here ==> http://www.websitesetp.biz/about/website-set-up-e-book/ [http://www.websitesetup.biz/about/website-set-up-e-book/] Download your free copy of the e-book "Website Set Up: Your Guide to Launching Your First Website."

Jobs For High School Dropouts - Earn Money With No Experience

If you are a high school drop out and can't find a job because the interviewer tells you that you have no education, there is still hope. Today, millions of people just like you turn to the online community. More specifacly, they earn money taking paid surveys. This is by far the best job for high school dropouts.

Why? Well simply because you do not need any of the following :

Any High School Diploma
Any Experience In Any Job Sector

In fact, all you need is your brain, a computer with internet connection and you are ready to start working. It's seems simple right? Well it is except the part where you have to find the high paying survey sites. I mention this because there are millions of survey sites on the web right now but only a few of them actually pay you the money you deserve to get. Let alone the sites that don't pay you at all. But with a simple trick, this phase can be passed in a breeze.

The trick is to use forums to your advantage because people on them are willing to share their experience with the real and scam survey sites. Use the big forums because those are usually established with loyal members which means you will get honest answers. Avoid the smaller ones because there are chances you will end up in a scam site or one that isn't a high paying one. There are many scammers on them just waiting to catch you and waste your time.

Once you have found a high paying survey site, you will be earning cash right from your pc!

Here is review of Jobs For High School Dropouts

Joe Carter is a professional on Online Paid Surveys, he runs the ressource site Real Online Survey Site where he reviews the top online survey sites for you to join. Finding a legimate survey site has never been this simple!

The High School Dropout, An Ongoing North American Crisis

Imagine you are a time traveler. You get into a time machine to go all the way back to the 1950s. Elvis blasts non stop on the radio, lots of cool Cadillacs and Corvettes on the road, everyone wanting to just skip school to live life and rock and roll. After all, in those days you didn't really have to finish school to make a living, things were cheap and we were riding high on the post world war era of good economic times.

But now is a different story. These are hardly good economic times. We're all feeling the pinch of recession. Our credit is bust and our lives are hanging over the edge as we never know whether we'll keep our jobs or not, if we are lucky to have one. And then there are those who don't have a job, dropped out of high school and now have to compete with many educated and qualified people who will take any job just to make ends meet.

The number of high school dropouts in North America is the highest in the developed world. Fortunately however, online education is becoming more and more popular as a more affordable option to finish school or choose a career. If you are in the group of those who quit school for whatever reason, it's never too late to regain control of your life and prepare your future.

The only way to end the high school drop out crisis in North America is by making education affordable and necessary. Online education is the most affordable and efficient way to go.

With online education becoming so popular, now is the time for those who dropped out to rethink what they should do with their lives. Many colleges across north America, including Canada, are offering online accredited programs where you can enroll and get your GED or your high school general diploma from the comfort of your home.

You have to realize that everything in life is a matter of choice. We choose, for the most part, to be who we are and except for exceptional circumstances we are in control of our future. If you quit school some time ago and like to stay the way you are, we really hope that you wake up sooner rather than later and realize the opportunities that you are missing. If on the other hand, you are ready to move on, congratulations. You have taken a very important step in your life that will take you to a brighter professional future and on the path to self fulfillment.

Deciding to go finish high school takes courage and may feel like something easy for some people. Step by step, one at a time, someday we'll help North America get out of the high school drop out crisis for good.

You can learn how you can get your High school diploma online you can check PCDI's website for a list of their online programs and request a free information kit.

How to Reduce High School Dropouts by Half

Interview with Dr. Brian E. Walsh, Author of "Unleashing Your Brilliance: Tools & Techniques to Achieve Personal, Professional and Academic Success."

Reader Views' Managing Editor, Irene Watson, is pleased to interview Dr. Brian E. Walsh. Dr. Walsh is the author of Unleashing your Brilliance: Tools & Techniques to Achieve Personal, Professional and Academic Success.

Irene: What inspired you to write a book that deals with learning patterns of the brain?

Brian: I became a hypnotherapist a few years back. Part of my study included brain hemispheric differences. One of the most intriguing aspects was that, not only do we have a dominant brain and hand, we also have dominant feet, eyes, and ears. How an individual is neurologically wired can result in one of 32 possible learning styles. How many teachers and trainers know that? This information sparked my interest in accelerated learning. Actually, I prefer the term enriched learning. It isn't speed, it's the quality of learning that that is critical.

Irene: In your book you talk about the various forms of intelligence. The one that we are most familiar with is the "IQ" measurement. Two that you mention are spatial and musical. Explain some of the other forms that we possess.

Brian: Well the "IQ" measurement is not only ethnocentric, but is also bias against students who have smarts in intelligences other than mathematical, logical, and linguistic. School systems cater to the left-brain, and students wired that way do well in school. The other intelligences are, spatial, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalistic, and the most under-appreciated: kinesthetic intelligence. Kinesthetic people need to move, touch, and experience in order to learn. Those high in this intelligence often have a very difficult time in school. Occasionally, they are mistakenly labeled as hyperactive, and subsequently drugged. A large number of high-school dropouts are kinesthetic learners.

Irene: By hyperactive, do you mean many young children are diagnosed as having ADD or ADHD? If so, why do you believe they are misdiagnosed and drugged?

Brian: Yes, I do mean ADHD, and I am not saying that misdiagnosis takes place in the majority of cases. ADD and ADHD are simply behavioral disorders. Not all cases should be treated with drugs. Most teachers and physicians are ignorant of the basic three learning styles (visual, auditory, kinesthetic). Few teacher colleges include these concepts in their curricula. Often the approach is to just cure the symptom. An overworked physician reverts to drugs as the easy way out. There are a number of programs available to deal with these issues, Brain Gym being just one of them.

Irene: You believe that creative and critical thinking are not common skills. It is believed by some, however, that logical concepts of everyday reasoning and problem-solving are innate. What is your basis for your theory?

Brian: I agree that these skills are with us naturally at first. Unfortunately, in school, there is greater reward for being right instead of exploring alternatives. We become programmed to find the "right" answer, then stop looking. This results in limited thinking. When I say that these are not common skills, I mean that students are encouraged to get the test answers right rather than explore unorthodox concepts.

Irene: Give us some examples of unorthodox concepts.

Brian: Perhaps a better phrase would be to allow random, intuitive, creative discovery -- to permit, indeed encourage, out-of-the-box thinking. By narrowing the scope to the one correct answer, open frank, and expanded thought is inhibited.

Irene: Discipline, and how it is administered in schools, is a touchy subject. You have expressed that classrooms actually work against learning. Please explain your thinking.

Brian: This is a reference to the kinesthetic learners. For them to sit still in class is hell. They squirm, they fidget, they drum their fingers, they shake their legs. They often thrive in the earlier grades, because there is some activity. As they get older, they are expected to "act" more maturely. Most teachers haven't a clue about the advantages of kinesiology exercises, such as the cross-crawl. A host of these activities can drive fresh oxygenated blood to the brain, and concurrently stimulate cross-hemispheric brain activity. Whole brain learning is achieved. While I'm on this subject, water is crucial to energy and learning. Dehydration is a major cause of fatigue and impaired brain functioning. A person who is just 5% dehydrated has already lost 30% of cognitive ability.

Irene: The cross-crawl exercise is also used by some people with dyslexia to stimulate cross-hemispheric brain activity. The results have been notable. Do you believe that dyslexic people are often misdiagnosed also?

Brian: Well, dyslexia is a label indicating a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin. It shows up in reading and spelling. Strange that dyslexics are called disabled, since many are average to above average intelligence. To answer your question, absolutely, some people are misdiagnosed. I am so encouraged by the great research of Dr. Carla Hannaford in hemispheric dominance. I believe that kinesiology will play a greater role in education in the years to come.

Irene: In chapter nine of Unleashing Your Brilliance you cover the benefits of hypnosis for the purpose of a student having more discipline and organization in their learning structure. What other practical reasons would a student benefit from hypnosis?

Brian: I am careful in my use of the words hypnosis and trance in reference to learning. Let me put it this way: The ideal learning state is known as "relaxed alertness". In actuality, this is a light trance. Most people do not understand that information hits the subconscious mind first. Only a very little of the incoming data reaches the conscious mind. This is the central theme for my book. If you truly understand that information is processed by the subconscious first, then you can adapt your learning methods to take advantage of this fact.

Irene: Basically, you are talking about being in the Alpha level of consciousness. Would you explain to our reading audience the various levels and what activity occurs in those levels.

Brian: The brain wave frequencies are designated by the terms Beta, Alpha, Theta, and Delta. Our normal state of consciousness oscillates between Beta (full awareness) and high Alpha (light level of trance - daydream). Some hypnotherapy is accomplished at various levels of Alpha since a person is highly suggestible in this state. The deeper level of Theta is reached in hypnosis, meditation, and light sleep. Twenty minutes of Theta trance is as beneficial as a few hours of sleep. The Delta level (very slow brain wave frequency) is occasionally reached in hypnosis, and is reached during dreamless deep sleep in the first few hours of sleep. This is the most valuable period of the night's sleep, since it is in Delta that the necessary cell repair and regeneration takes place.

Irene: At what age should a person start using hypnosis for enhancing learning skills?

Brian: Interesting question. Have you ever wondered why children learn so easily? Children are already in trance. Their brain waves are slower than adults express in their fully-conscious state. Hypnosis is evidenced by slower brain waves. I believe that with proper instruction in self-hypnosis, a student can begin as early as the age of 7.

Irene: Thank you for your interview. I find this subject very fascinating and could talk to you much longer but we need to wrap it up. Is there anything at this time that you would like the reading audience to know about you or your book?

Brian: I am passionate about this subject. My mission is to reach people, students or adults, who have any thoughts that they don't have the smarts to get ahead. Most of us have been processed through the factories that are called schools. School boards have limited budgets, and this puts pressure on the teachers. There are no simple answers. I recommend that parents be assertive. If they get a grasp of learning styles, multiple intelligences, kinesiology, and how the brain learns, they will be in a much more powerful position to assist their children. Students of all ages must take charge of their own learning. Relying on conventional schooling is not enough.

Irene Watson is Managing Editor of Reader Views, a book review service based in Austin, Texas. http://www.readerviews.com She the author of her memoir, "The Sitting Swing."

Problems of Many High School Dropouts

Do you have a son or daughter who is struggling in high school and wants to quit?

What problems do high school dropouts face, anyway?

As you are guiding your young adult, you might want to keep the following in mind.

-- Employment Challenges

Most people understand the difficulties of locating a job that can provide a living wage. Add to that basic challenge the lack of a good education and high school dropouts quite simply stack the deck against themselves.

Without a high school diploma or its equivalent, many ex-students find themselves chasing jobs rather than holding them. Especially in the current uncertain economic times, a high school dropout can find himself competing for jobs alongside degreed applicants.

The foundational qualities of a good education cannot be overstated. Communicating this profound truth to your son or daughter may be extremely difficult, however.

Consider browsing through a career website or classified jobs section of your local paper with your teen. Ask what careers interest him and why. Then talk about what qualifications those positions require - and why! For example, does your teen want a dental hygienist who dropped out of school working on his teeth? Why not?

-- Poverty

It's no surprise that without a competent education, many high school dropouts face the problem and pain of poverty. The real problem here is not their lack of funds, since many college students and new graduates also face living on the cheap while they get established in their new positions.

The real issue here is that a high-school dropout quite possibly is looking at a lifetime of poverty. There are exceptions, of course. As an example, the ex-student who recognizes the difficulties in front of her, can make an about-face and enter the world of entrepreneurism without much of a formal education.

This scenario can and does occur, but is rare. In most instances, it is much easier to lay a strong foundation of education down first and build on that then to exclusively attend the school of hard knocks. However, both ways do work!

-- Added frustrations

Young adults who drop out of high school face more than just financial and career hurdles in the real world. Their lack of education can reveal itself in other ways, too.

For example, these young adults often hinder their own judgment and perspective when they severely limit their education. A good education is not just about academics; a large portion of it is in learning about oneself and the surrounding world. About how we can reasonably take our place and be contributing.

Some ex-students have a perception that "the world" is standing in their way. They get angry and frustrated at their seeming lack of options. Sometimes this can lead to depression, or even alcohol or drug abuse. Teens who get to this point often find it increasingly difficult to muster up the courage, tenacity and discipline necessary to turn around such a downward cycle.

-- The rest of the picture

Thankfully, there are alternatives to these dismal scenarios. The ex-student who can take an honest look at herself and consider the following can make the changes needed to turn her life around.

* Why did she drop out of high school? The real reason and not the socially acceptable one she's been telling her friends.

* Does she have an untapped drive or ambition (nearly always the case) that was simply not being developed in a traditional school setting?

* Has she taken an honest look at the way the real world works? Not the fleeting, flashy and image-based world of the media, but the real and every day world of history, faith and community?

The problems of many high school dropouts are real and potentially severe. However, these challenges do not have to be life-limiting. One of the best parts of being an adult is that you can choose a new path.

A new way of doing things.

Starting today.

Consider introducing the young adult in your life to a new way of looking at their future.

Colleen Langenfeld has been parenting for over 28 years and helps other moms enjoy mothering more at http://www.paintedgold.com. Visit her website and get more information about the problems of many high school dropouts today.