Indiana Financial Aid

What does the Evansville campus of Harrison College have to offer? Plenty! The latest commercial highlighting the Evansville College will air on WFIE-14 later this month. 

Tiffany Arrigo, Senior Admissions Representative highlights the many Associate and Bachelor adult education programs available, including Business Management, Business Finance, Business Marketing, Accounting, Human Resources, Criminal Justice, Medical Assisting, Medical Reimbursement, and Health Care Management. In addition, she discusses the ease of the flexible class schedules that are available.

Next, Rebecca Moran, Assistant Director of Financial Aid, details how the Indiana Financial Aid process works and how she assists in helping students file the proper paperwork to fund their education.

Regional President, Steve Hardin highlights the many advantages of career development assistance that Harrison College offers to its students.

Watch, learn, and enjoy!
 
For more information, visit www.harrison.edu

Although many servicemen and women have educational benefits resulting from their service, it’s not always enough to fully cover the cost of a post-secondary education. That is why Imagine America created the Military Award Program (MAP) to award a $1000 scholarship to assist in funding a college education through a career college. The MAP is available to any qualified active duty, reservist, honorably discharged or retired veteran of a United States military service branch for attendance at a participating career college.

Prospective MAP applicants must meet the following guidelines to apply:
 

• Be enrolling into a participating college
• Active duty, reservist, honorably discharged or retired veteran of the United States military
• Likelihood of enrolling and successfully completing post secondary education
• Not be a previous recipient of any other Imagine America Foundation scholarships/awards
• Financial need

Harrison College, an Indiana career college, specializes in providing career-specific education that can often assist in helping former military members transition from military to civilian life by increasing employability or providing career advancement assistance. Harrison College has also been recognized as a military-friendly school and offers tuition benefits for current and past members of the military.

If you are not sure if a career college is right for you, contact us to find out about the many benefits Harrison College provides to our students to help them reach their personal and educational goals. Services like free tutoring, flexible scheduling, and Student Resource Services, a FREE resource designed specifically to aid students in overcoming challenges they may face during the pursuit of their degree.

I recently stumbled across an article, 7 Tips for Adult Learners, by Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen. The first tip offered by Ms. Pawlik-Kienlen is to acknowledge discomfort. At first I thought that was an odd tip, then I really thought about the meaning behind the student orientations held at Harrison College.

As a student, I didn’t realize how important the required orientations were for my success. However, looking back, I see how that orientation helped me build my comfort level and improve my odds of being successful as an adult student.

Often students enrolling in an adult education program worry that they may not be able to juggle the many responsibilities they have along with classes and homework. Sometimes they worry that there will not be other students like them. Attending an orientation can help to put some of these fears to rest.

Here are a few reasons new students should attend orientations:

• Become more familiar with the physical surroundings

• Meet new people—this will include staff and faculty members AND other new students. You never know, you may be sitting next to someone who will be a good friend and your cheerleader when you do face challenges during your education.

• Gain a better understanding of school policies

Harrison College is an Indiana career college and a college for working adults. Flexible scheduling, one-on-one financial aid assistance, and career development assistance are just a few of the benefits our students enjoy. If you are considering becoming an adult learner and reaching your career and educational goals, contact Harrison College to find out how we can help.

"Interactive computers and software will, I think, provide a less costly method of doing some kinds of inquiry, in knowledge acquisition and even reasoning and interaction."  ~Roy Romer.

This is the sixth entry in my point-by-point blog analysis of Mark Kassop's excellent article, "Ten Ways Online Education Matches, or Surpasses, Face-to-Face Learning."  I earned my MBA in an online adult education program at a distance learning college and found the ten points Mr. Kassop raised to be quite accurate.  Today's blog is on the sixth of those ten ways.

The sixth way online adult education programs surpass face to face learning is through on-demand interaction & support services.  As I mentioned in an earlier blog on online tutoring, help for your distance learning course is not far away - and often just a few mouse-clicks achieves the necessary aid.

The sheer volume of support resources and types of interaction available in an online class is astounding.  I teach face-to-face classes at a Columbus Indiana College, and am a former online instructor.  As an instructor, I recieve all kinds of teaching aids:  PowerPoint presentations; teaching transparencies; pregenerated tests; handouts; flash cards; lecture aids; and so on.  I cannot use them all in a classroom.  However, in an online environment, I can put all of those aids up for the students to use if they want.  Having trouble following the text?  Click on the PowerPoint presentation.  Need help on just one topic?  Aha!  There is a teaching transparency available!  Sometimes getting access to these materials from a face-to-face instructor who choses not to employ those materials is difficult - and a student may not even know those resources exist!  But those materials are usually made easily available in an online course.

In addition to course resources, an online student can contact the instructor or fellow students at any time, not just during the limited classtime available, or posted office/tutoring hours.  This can be done through email or the asynchronous discussion boards.

Most distance learning colleges include online academic advisors, financial aid advisors, online libraries, and tutoring services.

Begin your adult education program today at Harrison College!

Recently I had the opportunity to sit down with Harrison College Columbus Indiana college campus student Ashley Carlock. Ashley is pursuing a degree in Medical Assistant and is nearing the end of her program.

Ashley started classes in 2006 but left to attend another college 9 months into her program. I remembered her leaving and asked her why she left and why she came back to complete her degree in 2009. Here is a little bit of what she shared with me in regards to her decision.

"I left because I thought that I could get the same education for less money. What I found was that there is a lot more to a college education than the cost. I found that many of the classes I took at the other college had 35 to 40 students in them. I realized how much I valued the small class sizes at Harrison College because I like the personal attention I could get from my instructors when I didn’t have to compete with so many other students for their attention. At one point I had to have surgery, and it really seemed like the teachers did not want to recognize that real life happens. I know at Harrison College I would have been treated better during that difficult time and that the staff and faculty would have had suggestions on how I could overcome some of the obstacles I faced to be more successful. I also missed the one-on-one financial aid I received at Harrison College. There came a point when I really just had to stop and think about what kind of environment was going to allow me to learn better and reach my career goal. That environment is exactly what I had at Harrison College so it made sense to come back to complete my degree. I realized that the value I found at Harrison College was service, quality eduction, and a degree faster so that I could go out and work in the medical field sooner. That is worth so much to me.”

Ashley is a new mom and takes a lot of pride in the fact that she has been able to spend the quality time with her son, Lucas, hold down a part-time job, and continue her education.  She is proud to be a role model for her family and looks forward to a career working in a local physician’s office before returning to college to pursue an RN degree after she has some working experience in the medical field.
 

College students today have so many resources literally at their fingertips via the many online support tools colleges offer. One such tool offered to Harrison College students is a student email address. Not only is this email address considered “professional” enough to use on a job application, it is a secure method the college can use to deliver important information to students.
 

At the Harrison College Columbus Indiana college campus, we use student email to communicate a lot of things to our in-house students and those taking distance learning college courses. Read below a note written to our students from another student, Cynthia Villalobos. Cynthia has experienced how valuable checking her student email can be, and wants to encourage other students to do the same.

“Like all of you, I have heard  “check your email” from instructors, the financial aid department and my dean. Now I will be the first to admit that the first quarter of classes I did not check my email very often. During my second quarter I decided to make it a goal to check it at least 3 times a week. And thank goodness I did!

I happened to check my email on December 14th and saw an email from Kathy England, the Director of Financial Aid at the Columbus Indiana campus notifying me of a scholarship opportunity. The scholarship was through USA Funds and the email stated that the scholarship was for $1,500. Eagerly trying to find ways to save and make money to pay for college, I applied for the scholarship. On March 11th I received an email notifying me that I was one of the finalists! Even better, the email stated that there was an allotted $6000 to be given to the winner!
 

This opportunity would not have been available to me had Kathy England not emailed me and had I not checked my student email. Having now had this experience, I urge all students to check their student emails. You never know what great information you could be there!”

Thank you, Cynthia for sharing this story with everyone.


Cynthia is pursuing her degree in Medical Assistant and is in her third quarter of classes. She has taken classes both in-house and online and values the online resources available to her as a student at Harrison College.

Harrison College Columbus Indiana college campus would like to invite all young adults to attend an open house scheduled for Sunday, May 16, 2010. Visit the Columbus campus located at 2222 Poshard, Drive, Columbus, IN between 2PM and 4PM for food, fun, and door prizes.

This will be a no-hassle, no-commitment casual event to give young adults, their families, and friends an opportunity to tour the campus, ask questions about the degree programs offered through Harrison College and learn more about how to pay for college—programs like the Harrison College Tuition Freeze Program, Federal Financial Aid, and Indiana scholarships available to college students.
 

Fast Track is the theme—after all, it is May in Indiana! AND, Harrison College is known for helping recent high school grads get on the fast track to a real career. We even offer the opportunity to earn credit by exam for some of our courses—FREE to those students who have just graduated from high school.
 

Our admissions team will be hosting an old fashioned hotdog cookout with chips, drinks, and cookies for everyone who attends.
 

Of course there will be door prizes too. If you call to let us know you will be attending, your name will be put in a special drawing for a pair of Kings Island tickets. Call the Columbus Indiana Harrison College at 812.379.9000 and let us know you will be attending—it is that simple.
 

• For students that currently have Sallie Mae loans you are now required to complete a new loan application and secure funding through The Department of Education-in which case the Harrison Financial Aid Department is working diligently to assist students with new loan applications.

• Possibility of multiple payments once a student enters repayment-a payment required for your Sallie Mae loans as well as a payment required for The Department of Education, or even The Department of Education/Sallie Mae-which would consist of loans owned by The Department of Education and only contracted by another agency.

• As with any bill passing, there are pro’s and cons. Just keep in mind that the bill has been passed and is now law.

For 108 years, Harrison College, formerly Indiana Business College, has been serving the educational needs of career-minded individuals in Columbus, Indiana and the surrounding communities. With 12 campuses across Indiana, an online campus serving students across the nation and internationally, and a campus in Columbus, Ohio, Harrison College has long been respected in the business world for educating students for careers in accounting, business, and administrative positions.

Taking to heart the need for skilled healthcare workers, Harrison College added the School of Health Sciences several years ago. The Columbus Indiana college campus was the first local college to offer an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Medical Assistant that was recognized and approved by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA.) 

Currently the Columbus, Indiana campus offers degrees in the following majors; Accounting, Administrative Professional, Business Finance, Business Management, Business Marketing, Medical Assistant, and Medical Reimbursement Technology.  Locally, approximately 230 students are attending day, evening, and online courses.

Many Harrison College Columbus students are working adults with families and responsibilities outside of their pursuit of a college degree.  Flexibility in scheduling and a quarterly class schedule allow many students more time for family, friends, and life in general.

Making service a part of the educational experience is very important to every Harrison College employee.  The number one perk of being a Harrison College student is the one-on-one financial aid assistance, according to our current students. Free tutoring, small class sizes, full-disclosure enrollment process, on-track scheduling, and the Tuition Freeze Program are just a few of the other reasons many current students and graduates say they chose to attend the Columbus, Indiana campus. Current students are also able to participate in the services offered through Student Resource Services for advice and counseling free of charge and provided by Master-degree professionals.  Life-long employment assistance and the guidance of the Career Services office are often mentioned as services appreciated by graduates too.
 
The Columbus campus is located near the Columbus Municipal Airport at 2222 Poshard Drive. The campus is open for tours and welcomes walk-ins at any time Monday through Thursday 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM and Friday 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM.  Classes are held Monday through Thursday between 8:00 AM and 2:00 PM and 5:30 PM and 9:30 PM.  To learn more about the degree programs or services offered at Harrison College please call 812-379-9000 or visit www.harrison.edu.
 

If you have been following the Harrison College bloggers throughout the month of February, you probably picked up on the importance of filing your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) by the Indiana state deadline of March 10th. Well, judging by my calendar, that deadline has passed.

Often I talk with students who have missed that deadline and they wonder if they should just put off their college plans for a year.

So, the question of the day is…Should I fill out a FAFSA now? The answer is YES!

The deadline we have been on about throughout February applies only to Indiana scholarships and grants--both forms of Indiana financial aid. There are forms of financial aid that can be applied for at any time throughout the year. Click here to find out just what is financial aid.

Other forms of financial aids are private scholarships and grants. Most of these scholarships and grants do have deadlines, but there are so many out there just waiting for applicants—meaning that there is NEVER a bad time to search for tuition assistance. Want more info on finding private scholarships and grants? Read all about it AND get access to one of my personal favorite scholarship search sites by clicking here.

If you missed your state deadline this year, go ahead and put a note on your calendar for next year. In Indiana, the deadlines to qualify for Indiana state scholarships is March 10th, but if you live outside of Indiana, check with your college’s financial aid office or your high school guidance office to find out when you should mark your calendar for next year.
 

What is a career college? I get this question often when speaking with high school students and non-traditional students looking for adult education programs that will aid in career advancement. Harrison College is an Indiana career college. Being a graduate and an employee, I feel I can give you the basics on what makes career colleges different and why that difference is exactly what many students are looking for today.

Career colleges offer education that is related to specific careers and fields of study. This education is designed to assist the graduate in finding a career position—not just another “job.”

Most career colleges are owned and operated by individuals, private investors, or public corporations. They pay taxes yet receive no direct financial support form the state.

Career colleges are accredited. Accreditation simply means that the college is held to high quality standards in academics and sometimes in career placement of graduates. Accreditation means that the degree the graduate receives is WORTHY of the hard work and investment the student made. Accreditation can be both national and regional.  Note: always check to make sure the college you are interested in attending is accredited. You want to get your monies worth--so ask them about their accreditation and then research it online.

Career colleges focus on the needs of both students and employers! Often there is an atmosphere of service for the students—making it that much easier to achieve a degree while still maintaining family, work, and other life-obligations. Many career colleges like Harrison College also use Advisory Boards made up of local professionals and business owners. This allows the college to stay on track with what is needed by local employers--making graduates that much more prepared and employable!

Harrison College is an Indiana accredited college that offers degrees in the following areas:

• Medical Assistant
• Criminal Justice
• Massage
• Health Care Management
• Finance
• Business Marketing and Management
• Help Desk
• Human Resources
• Nursing
• Network Administration
• Surgical Technology
• Medical Laboratory Technology
• Fashion Merchandising
• Systems Administrator
• Veterinary Technology

For a complete listing of degrees offered at Harrison College, click here.

For more information on how career colleges are meeting the needs of the 21st Century Workforce, check out this video or visit the Career College Association site.

Okay, are you tired of hearing about the EduRG conference yet?  I hope not since I have one more post about it.  Today I want to take a tangent off a workshop I attended-- Is your website hurting your admissions? 

While there was a lot of great content centered around that specifically, it was an aside mention that I'd like to expand upon-- How can the content on our site be symbiotic for both Harrison College and the prospective student? 

It is clear that we need to update content on our website more frequently than we currently do in order to improve natural search results.  So the next logical question is: What content?  This is where we can find a mutually beneficial relationship for us and our prospective students. 

By becoming a resource we can provide would-be students the tools they need to truly evaluate their education options, and to navigate the seemingly-tedious process of applying for school and financial aid.  As we do this we are refreshing content frequently enough to improve our organic search results, and are moving prospects along a path to a decision.  And hopefully we have instilled enough of a sense of trust and authority by providing these resources that the prospect selects Harrison College. 

The possibilities for topics on the website are immense... because the student understanding and confidence in making this type of decision is minimal.  A sampling of topics could include:

• Five things you MUST have in a college
• Ten signs you're attending a credible institution
• List of the jobs in most demand in Indiana, or across the nation
• Step-by-step instructions on Financial Aid
• Ten things to ask your Admissions advisor
• The list of documents to gather before applying for financial aid
• Compare and contrast the benefits of Associate, Bachelor and Master degrees
• Three things to ask a college for working adults

The key to creating the content is to take a que from the research.  What themes have we heard repeated in focus groups?  Where are the concerns and obstacles for prospective students?  The student has actually already told us what they want to know.  Now we need to be good listeners. 
 

Did you know that March 18th will be the 14th Annual Absolutely Incredible Kid Day! Absolutely Incredible Kid Day is a held across the nation and was started by the organization Campfire USA.  It is a simple campaign designed to recognize all the incredible children in the world. To participate adults are asked to write a letter of support, love and encouragement. It only takes a few minutes to jot a note that will be remembered and appreciated for a lifetime. The positive impact of these letters on kids is what it’s all about.

Positive reinforcement is important for people of all ages.  Just ask Kathy England. Kathy is the Director of Financial Aid at Harrison College. She runs the Columbus Indiana college financial aid department and ensures that our 200+ local students get the federal funding and Indiana scholarships they qualify to receive.  But this was not what Kathy always did.

Kathy worked for Greensburg Community High School for over six years. Not as a teacher in the classroom, but as a custodian. During that time Kathy always felt encouraged by Keith Hipskind, Dean of Students. With this encouragement, Kathy chose to enroll at Harrison College (formerly Indiana Business College) to pursue a degree in Business Administration. Mr. Hipskind believed in Kathy and would offer her words of praise every time he would find her working on her college homework assignments on her lunch break.  In 2001 Kathy graduated with her degree and began working for Harrison College in the financial aid department.

On a recent visit back to Greensburg Community High School to promote the importance of completing the FAFSA; Kathy had the opportunity to catch up with Mr. Hipskind. Below is an excerpt from an email he sent out to all employees of Greensburg Community High School.

“Kathy continued to work and go to school and completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Management and just completed her Master’s Degree in Management and is currently working on her second Master’s Degree in Human Resources (HR) which she will complete in June of this year.  She also is now teaching college courses and working with students on Financial Aid.

Life is good!!  Keep on keepin’ on with our kids…You never know what you might say and do to inspire someone like Kathy.”

The point I guess I am trying to make is that all of us need positive reinforcement—Young and Old alike! So let someone know you support their efforts to continue to improve themselves by participating in the Absolutely Incredible Kid Day or by letting a student of an adult education program know that you admire their dedication to a better future.

Drum roll please! We have made it to the last of the Five Fabulous Questions to Ask a College. And this one is a doozy! Yep, you probably guessed that it has to do with MONEY!

Fabulous Question 5: How do you award scholarships and financial aid?

If you have been reading along thus far, you may have an idea how I am going to answer this question. The answer is…INDIVIDUALLY!

What I mean by this is that EVERY student meets with and consults a Harrison College Financial Aid Analyst not just when they first enroll, but throughout their time as a student. It is important that students understand their funding.

As an Indiana accredited college, Harrison College participates in forms of college tuition assistance. Federal grants, student loans, Indiana scholarships and grants are the ones most people think of when they hear the words financial aid, but there are many types of financial aid. Harrison College also participates in the following scholarship programs:

• Imagine America
• Imagine America Military Award Program
• Charles Cring Adult Learner Award
• President’s Scholarship
• Bailey Family Foundation’s College Scholarship
• CNT Design Scholarship

Students attending a Columbus Indiana college who are seeking a degree in the medical field OR students who have completed their GED may also apply for the One Step at a Time Scholarship in memory of Harrison College faculty member, Carole Bonnell.

It is important to understand two things when it comes to financial aid:

1. There are so many ways to fund your future.
2. Every student is different, so meeting with a financial aid analyst one-on-one is a huge bonus for Harrison College students.

All this talk about financial aid has me thinking about Harrison College's Tuition Freeze program.  Check out more information about the Tuition Feeze Program on our website.

We are getting close to the end of the Five Fabulous Questions to Ask a College series. It’s time to address Fabulous Question #4! Again, this was a question that hadn’t really occurred to me to recommend to students preparing to tour colleges.

Fabulous Question 4: How would you describe students’ relationships with professors?

First, I will start by saying that Harrison College faculty members are referred to as INSTRUCTORS. And unlike some professors, we require not only the educational background needed to teach course, but also REAL WORKING EXPERIENCE in their fields of expertise, such as help desk careers, message careers and surgical technology careers. This allows students to learn from real-world examples and not just out of a textbook.

I am also going to have to go back to the idea of SERVICE as a part of education. Our instructors understand the culture of Harrison College and strive to provide service every day in class.

Our instructors know their students by name. This may not be quite as hard as it may sound because we intentionally keep the student to teacher ratio low in our classrooms. This allows instructors to really get to know the students. After all, our students are real people dealing with real life.

Finally, our instructors love what they do. In fact, employee satisfaction is HIGH and a contributing factor in Harrison College being recognized as one of Indiana Best Places to Work for three years in a row. Students find the instructors are committed to providing learning opportunities at all times. By scheduling time to provide FREE TUTORING to any student who wants it, they prove their commitment to our students and their desire to reach new heights of educational success and career advancement.

Check out the courses and programs offered at Harrison College.

See something you like? Contact an admissions representative at a campus near you to schedule a visit. You will probably have the opportunity to meet at least one of our exceptional faculty members when you visit the campus. When you do, shake their hand and just try to imagine the wealth of knowledge they have waiting to share with YOU!

Only one more post left in this FABULOUS series. See you back here tomorrow for the grand finale when I will answer Fabulous Question #5—How do you award scholarships and financial aid?

Today I would like to continue my quest to answer the Five Fabulous Questions to Ask a College. Today I am answering Fabulous Question #2. I don’t know if I would say I have a favorite Fabulous Question, but if I did, it might be this one! Oddly this is the hardest one to put down in words—but I am sure going to try!

Fabulous Question 2: How is this school distinctive?

I think I can best answer is with a bulleted list of what sets Harrison College apart from other Columbus Indiana colleges.

• Service—What? Did you say service? That is usually the response I get when I talk about the positive approach to providing service to each and ever student at our campuses. Many students don’t really believe this until they experience it for themselves. Our commitment to service is evident from the ONE-ON-ONE Financial Aid appointments to the FREE Tutoring offered to all students.

• Familiarity—We know our students—BY NAME! We don’t just care about their successes—we care about their struggles too. For many students this is the difference they were looking for when they enrolled. We understand the obstacles that often get in the way of completing an adult education program and look for tools to assist students through these struggles so they can more easily experience real career and educational success. Read more about Student Resource Services at Harrison College.

• Review of Previously Earned College Credits—Harrison College doesn’t just agree to review your previously earned college credits—we do so HAPPILY! This is a huge deal to many of our students! Knowing that you will not have to fight to get someone to review your credits brings a great deal of peace of mind to many students.

• Educating the INDIVIDUAL—We know that no two students are the same. So why would we expect that every student would be successful with the same educational experience? Our faculty and staff work hard to create an atmosphere that encourages learning and success for EVERY Harrison College student.

I could go on and on about what makes Harrison College stand apart from the rest. BUT, I would rather invite you to visit a Harrison College campus near you to see for yourself.

Don’t forget to come back tomorrow for the answer to Fabulous Question #3-- How many students transfer to another school during or after their first year?