If you were born in the U.S., you came with your own bar code--it's located on the back of your neck...Just kidding!
Your social security number (ssn) may be the most important number that will ever belong to you (other than your birth date). Although your parents may have been guarding it since your infancy, it is YOURS. (They have been keeping it stashed for tax purposes and your school registrations.)
It's no secret! Memorize it! It is 3 numbers, followed by a dash, and two more numbers, and another dash, followed by 4 numbers, for a total of 9 numbers (999-99-9999). No other person has your exact same social security number; but you may recognize similar prefixes because they are originally assigned based on the address of the person applying for it (ie yours and your grandmother's may start with 571, because she applied for both in Baltimore).
It could be a rite of passage for you that your parents hand over to you, your little, blue, flimsy, paper card, when you turn 18. However, if they won't give it up, or if they lost it, it is easy to get a new one. Don't worry, it is free!
Visit your local Social Security Administration (SSA) office and fill out the application to request a new card (or fill out the online application, and then take it in...anything to save time because the SSA office can get extremely crowded!!!). Please bring your driver's license, state I.D., or U.S. passport. If you don't have these, try your military I.D., school I.D., or insurance card. They need you to prove who you are.
You will leave the SSA with a computer print out that says you have requested your social security card. Some agencies may accept this paper (if you need to prove your ssn for something in the interim) until your card arrives.
In about 10 days when you receive the card, sign it and put it in a safe place. Many people keep it in their wallets. I have been advised against carrying it with the rest of my identification because of the prevalence of identity theft (i.e. if you lose your wallet, or someone steals it, they will have ALL of your information).
Speaking of identity theft, guard your social security number like a gold mine. Never give it out over the phone unless it is to someone who is authorized to have that type of information about you (like doctors, colleges, etc.). If you aren't too sure, ask if they will accept another form of identification until you verify the company.
You will use your ssn again and again throughout your life--to apply for credit, financial aid, employment, and a host of other things. If someone steals your identity, its a hard theft to recover from.
June 21, 2008
June 15, 2008
Preparing for college entrance exams
You're going to college soon and you know that you have to take some type of college entrance exam in order to get accepted--be it the ACT or the SAT. You can take both, and perhaps you should because maybe one score will be higher than the other. However, you don't have to be like the average student who tries to cram for the test in the 14 (or less) days preceding the exam date.
There are those who say that you can't study for a test like this, and surely that information is bogus. Those that want to do well do study. The key is studying in advance and consistently. And there are many resources that can help you.
If you have the cash, you can purchase test prep books, online or in the store, from Borders, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.com.
If your funds are limited, all three of the aforementioned book stores have used books that are priced under the retail value and are shipped from individuals (or companies) that have the book. Half.com, an E-bay affiliate, sells used books only (I used them A LOT throughout college because I was poor!).
Don't turn up your nose and frown at the thought of buying a book that another person has owned. It doesn't have to be dog-chewed or smell like a retirement home. Sometimes, you can get "like new" books for a few dollars! And that is sure to make your parents happy. Be aware though if there have been recent changes to the SAT or ACT. You want to get the most recent book year that you can find (although one researcher showed that as far as the vocabulary is concerned, the SAT has been recycling the same words for the past 20 years!!).
Or, completely save your money and go visit the Porter Library (or your local library) and check out the books. They often have the very latest edition. Please do this in advance because you only get 2 weeks to loan the book. And very seldom do you get to renew it as the test dates approach because other students put the book on request. Also, you may be able to find videocassettes, DVDs, and/or CD-ROMs for practice.
Do a Google search (or Ask, or Yahoo, or whatever) and you can find a variety of online SAT practice sites. Take them 50 times if you'd like!!!
In addition, there are a handful of test preparation classes available. Kaplan is probably the most popular, and therefore is possibly the most expensive. The Huntington Learning Center is another less known choice (there's one in Stafford, Fredericksburg, Manassas, and Woodbridge). Many parents do not know that they don't have to break the bank for you to take an SAT prep class, courtesy of your local community colleges. Northern Virginia Community College (a.k.a NVCC or NOVA) offers a class through their Community Education division.
All said, make sure you are keeping up with your test dates so that you can have a clue how much time you have to study. The more time you have to prepare, the less stressed and anxious you'll be when your exam date arrives.
There are those who say that you can't study for a test like this, and surely that information is bogus. Those that want to do well do study. The key is studying in advance and consistently. And there are many resources that can help you.
If you have the cash, you can purchase test prep books, online or in the store, from Borders, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.com.
If your funds are limited, all three of the aforementioned book stores have used books that are priced under the retail value and are shipped from individuals (or companies) that have the book. Half.com, an E-bay affiliate, sells used books only (I used them A LOT throughout college because I was poor!).
Don't turn up your nose and frown at the thought of buying a book that another person has owned. It doesn't have to be dog-chewed or smell like a retirement home. Sometimes, you can get "like new" books for a few dollars! And that is sure to make your parents happy. Be aware though if there have been recent changes to the SAT or ACT. You want to get the most recent book year that you can find (although one researcher showed that as far as the vocabulary is concerned, the SAT has been recycling the same words for the past 20 years!!).
Or, completely save your money and go visit the Porter Library (or your local library) and check out the books. They often have the very latest edition. Please do this in advance because you only get 2 weeks to loan the book. And very seldom do you get to renew it as the test dates approach because other students put the book on request. Also, you may be able to find videocassettes, DVDs, and/or CD-ROMs for practice.
Do a Google search (or Ask, or Yahoo, or whatever) and you can find a variety of online SAT practice sites. Take them 50 times if you'd like!!!
In addition, there are a handful of test preparation classes available. Kaplan is probably the most popular, and therefore is possibly the most expensive. The Huntington Learning Center is another less known choice (there's one in Stafford, Fredericksburg, Manassas, and Woodbridge). Many parents do not know that they don't have to break the bank for you to take an SAT prep class, courtesy of your local community colleges. Northern Virginia Community College (a.k.a NVCC or NOVA) offers a class through their Community Education division.
All said, make sure you are keeping up with your test dates so that you can have a clue how much time you have to study. The more time you have to prepare, the less stressed and anxious you'll be when your exam date arrives.
June 14, 2008
What do you dream?
Hopefully, you have a dream. You may not think it is as important as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speech, but it is unique to you and it makes you special.
What do you dream? Think of it now. Do you dream of being a doctor? Do you dream of beaches and warm weather? Do you dream of changing the world? Maybe you dream of money!!
What does your dream look like? Picture it.
What does it feel like? How does it make you feel? Feel it.
Now, DREAM BIGGER!
What is dreaming bigger? Take whatever you dream of, and make it larger than what you think you can do in one lifetime. Your dreams do not have to have a limit. If you want to be a lawyer, a teacher, and a scientist, you're dreaming bigger. If you want to be a musician, a pro athlete, and an entrepreneur, you're dreaming bigger.
Remember this as you embark on your journey--which begins the day you graduate from high school. Only you can make your dreams a reality.
"Dreams pass into the reality of action. From the actions stems the dream again; and this interdependence produces the highest form of living."--Anais Nin
What do you dream? Think of it now. Do you dream of being a doctor? Do you dream of beaches and warm weather? Do you dream of changing the world? Maybe you dream of money!!
What does your dream look like? Picture it.
What does it feel like? How does it make you feel? Feel it.
Now, DREAM BIGGER!
What is dreaming bigger? Take whatever you dream of, and make it larger than what you think you can do in one lifetime. Your dreams do not have to have a limit. If you want to be a lawyer, a teacher, and a scientist, you're dreaming bigger. If you want to be a musician, a pro athlete, and an entrepreneur, you're dreaming bigger.
Remember this as you embark on your journey--which begins the day you graduate from high school. Only you can make your dreams a reality.
"Dreams pass into the reality of action. From the actions stems the dream again; and this interdependence produces the highest form of living."--Anais Nin
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