STAYING REAL (part two)
"Get Real - Go to College" is the second part of the GET REAL program. The students' fictional characters from "Get Real - Get a Life" are now 10 years older and trying to get into college.
Some had never attended college, others didn't finish, and some had a bachelor's degree but wanted to change careers or obtain a master's. It was the students' job to find a way to get their characters into the college of their choice.
They researched schools they were interested in and calculate what they could afford and determine the benefits of school. They learned about the application process and filled out all the paperwork, including financial aid requests. They wrote college essays on behalf of their characters and gathered information required for acceptance.
Actual admissions representatives from several Ohio colleges and universities interviewed the students and put them through the steps of trying to qualify for and enroll in their schools.
Students had to plan their college course load and determine how to make it all work.
Another eye-opener: "How do I provide for my kids while I'm in school? Why didn't this person do this when they were younger?"
Next year, two more parts to the program will likely add foreign language and science into the mix by weaving threads of interest into every subject while pivoting on a single issue-the age old question of "what will I do when I grow up?"
"Get Real - Game On" will take place next fall as students go through similar exercises themselves rather than through their fictitious characters.
Finally, with "Get Real - Give Back" the students will explore options for giving back to their communities once they have established their own places in life.
--- Posted June 5, 2007---