For Californians frustrated by double-digit tuition inflation, annual funding cuts, and impacted programs at public colleges, there are world-class, yet cost-effective, post-secondary education options available just north of the border.
University of Victoria Aerial View
The Canadian university system is built around 83 well-funded public universities (there are very few private colleges in Canada) where tuition increases track to the rate of inflation (or less), government funding is stable or increasing and programs have not been impacted. “Since Post-Secondary is primarily publicly funded, the government ensures consistent national quality. Canadian degrees are portable internationally due to global recognition for quality in Canadian Education.” Angela Colibaba, Office of Student Recruitment – University of Victoria. Indeed, 14 of Canada’s 83 universities make the US News & World Report Top 400 Universities in the World and 18 make the Times Higher Education World University Rankings (details at the end of this article).
“I received a great education in Canada, both at the undergraduate and graduate level, and I truly believe that for people in the middle [socio-economically], Canada is more affordable and gives a wider range of students a chance to get an excellent education. If you’re at a large public university in Canada, you can find smaller subcultures that will offer you many of the advantages that you could get from being at a wonderful place like Harvey Mudd, Princeton, Stanford or one of the very expensive undergraduate institutions in the U.S. It’s partly because everybody goes to the public universities in Canada and a result there are these subcultures of very bright, very hard-working, very creative students who will interact a great deal with faculty.” Dr. Maria Klawe, President – Harvey Mudd College (part of the Claremont Colleges Consortium near Los Angeles).
UBC Campus
Two west coast Canadian options are profiled in this article. The University of British Columbia (UBC) – Vancouver and the University of Victoria (UVic) lie just across the border north of Seattle and are easily accessible via two-hour direct flights from the San Francisco Bay area. UBC is based in Vancouver, BC (Vancouver was recently named the #5 in the world’s best places to live by CNBC) and UVic lies just outside of Victoria, BC (British Columbia’s capital and a popular tourist destination known for its scenic gardens, picturesque downtown and temperate weather).
Not surprisingly, Americans considering Canada for their university education have lots of questions. OneDublin.org met with representatives of the University of British Columbia – Vancouver (UBC) and the University of Victoria (UVic) to learn more.
California College Tuition Increases Continue to Exceed Inflation
College tuition fees continue to rise at a rapid clip despite overall inflation remaining low (3.5% annually and 2.1% less food/energy, according to the most recent Consumer Price Index Summary published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics). And over the past 10 years, per capita personal income in California has barely budged (increasing only 0.35% / year, inflation adjusted, according to California Dept. of Finance). With few exceptions, year over year college tuition increases continue to outstrip inflation with California’s state colleges hitting families with double-digit increases (see the OneDublin.org College Tuition Survey below). California’s public university system is seeing tuition inflation run as high as 29%. Private college tuition fees, already exceeding $40,000 per year in several cases, are increasing as well at 4-5%.
Top 5 Tips for Managing the Cost of College
- Look out-of-state and take advantage of WUE (Western Undergraduate Exchange) savings (read more…)
- Look north of the border to Canadian universities – the cost is similar to or even less than out-of-state colleges. (read more…)
- Invest the time to raise your score on the SAT / ACT – these tests play a key role in merit scholarship awards (read more…)
- Take AP (CollegeBoard Advanced Placement) courses relevant to your planned major and score a 4 or better on the AP exam – you will likely receive college credit for courses taken in high school, reducing what it will cost to earn your college degree (read more…)
- Apply for scholarships and – if you qualify – federal and state financial aid (read more…)
OneDublin.org College Tuition Survey
Dublin High School Library - Realtors Tour
by Michael Utsumi (Parent)
The quality of public schools plays an important role when families are deciding where to live. On Wednesday November 30, Dublin High School opened its doors to local realtors to provide an update on Dublin High’s multi-year renewal project. As part of its effort to raise awareness of the renewal project, the Dublin Unified School District (DUSD) invited members of the Bay East Association of Realtors for a morning tour of the campus. Bay East is a professional trade organization that supports realtors – largely in the Tri-Valley. The event focused on arming realtors with the information they need to effectively communicate to their clients and colleagues about the rapid and positive changes that are occurring in Dublin public education. Approximately 20 agents and guests attended the event.
Dublin High School has undergone a dramatic renewal over the past few years. DHS was established in 1968 and was originally part of the Amador Valley High School District (Pleasanton). After the City of Dublin was incorporated in 1982, Dublin High School was annexed and the Dublin Unified School District was formed in 1989. As with any high-use facility that is over 50 years old, the site was in need of a refurbishment.
Thanks to the foresight of voters in 2004, Bond Measure C was overwhelmingly passed by Dublin voters to help modernize many of the school sites in Dublin, and Dublin High in particular. A $120M complete site plan was approved to touch every corner of the campus at Dublin High School and the results have been stunning. Shovels hit the ground in 2006 with all academic classroom renewal projects completed last year. Construction work continues today with a new student cafeteria taking shape and a 500-seat performing arts center to break ground next year. These improvements will benefit generations of students in the ensuing decades. Today, roughly 1,600 students attend Dublin High with a capacity for 2,500 students.
For the District, the re-build at Dublin High represents many of the facets of what a 21st century learning environment should look like. The classroom technologies include: document cameras, tablet technology, collaborative meeting spaces, video production equipment and laptop stations. The new football field turf hosts multiple NCS sporting events, a Culinary Arts center and new Student Café are on their way. Further, there is an internal campus-wide wireless networking system in place for when physical textbooks are ultimately rendered obsolete.
OneDublin.org had the opportunity to sit down with two key individuals responsible for making the Realtor Tour possible. Carol Shimizu is the Principal at Dublin High and she shared some of her thoughts.
SAT Test Prep on a Budget or Raising Your SAT Score Without Going Broke
SAT test scores, for better or worse, play a critical role in both college admissions and merit scholarships. There is nothing fun about preparing for or taking the SAT, and there are no short cuts to achieving a high score. According to a 2009 New York Times study, family income and SAT test score results have a strong positive correlation (meaning, students from wealthier families do better – read more…) Wealthier families can pay for test prep courses or private coaches that can run thousands of dollars or more. The good news is that there are low-cost SAT test prep options for families on a tight budget.
Doing well on the SAT isn’t magic. Mastering four key multiple choice test-taking strategies, a targeted review of high school fundamentals in math and English, and taking lots of SAT practice tests can significantly increase your SAT score. This article provides a summary of low-cost options for raising your SAT score. A general overview of the SAT / PSAT / ACT / PLAN tests is available here (part of OneDublin.org’s College Primer for Parents series).
Do-it-yourself SAT test prep for under $50
There are no shortcuts to doing well on the SAT. A disciplined student with a supportive family can significantly improve his or her SAT results with lots of practice, and yet spend less than $50; here is how:
Dublin High School Irish Guard View from the Stands
If you’ve ever attended a Dublin High School Gaels football game you’ve seen and heard the Dublin High Irish Guard musically cheering on their fellow students. What you probably didn’t realize is how much fun these student musicians are having as they play the part of musical cheerleaders. They have to time their musical bursts to match the situation on the field and play an important role in motivating the team on the field.
Dublin High Music Director Paul Everts: “‘Musical Cheerleading’ has evolved along with the entire pageantry of Dublin’s version of Friday Night Lights. Coach John Wade has made it a point to embrace the Irish Guard. How has he done that? By staying at the end of the recent Livermore / Dublin High game to watch the Irish Guard perform a rehearsal of their field show, then taking a few moments to talk with the students. Coach Wade has talked to several of the band classes about how important the band is to the team. And by contacting the leadership at Miramonte High School, he helped the Irish Guard travel to its first away league game in over 15 years. Additionally, the Dublin High Athletic Boosters paid for the buses to the game.
“Cheerleading Coach Kristine Cousins has embraced the idea of having the drumline partner with the cheerleaders on the track during fourth quarter. Kristine has also embraced the idea of having the cheerleaders, band and guard perform a song together during the last game of the season. We have met several times about how the two ‘ensembles’ can work together to help the team and crowd!
“The Dublin High Irish Guard feels like a part of the Friday Night Lights. It’s easier to cheer for people who care about you. ‘People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care’ – John C. Maxwell. We have fun because we feel loved and appreciated. Go Gaels and Happy Thanksgiving!”
Dublin High School’s music program has expanded under the leadership of Music Director Paul Everts, with Field Show performances returning after a multi-year sabbatical (including an 18-school WBA Field Show Competition recently hosted at Dublin High School – read more… and see more…). Later this school year, Dublin High School’s band will be heading to New York City’s famed Carnegie Hall to perform as part of the for the 2012 New York International Music Festival, and marching in the City of Dublin’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The Dublin High School jazz band also hosts, with other local middle and high school jazz bands, a cancer research fundraising event – Jazzin’ for a Cure (read more…).
So the next time you attend a Dublin High Gaels football game, take a stroll down to the far side of the bleachers to enjoy the musicianship and spirit of the Irish Guard. It’s guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
Making Smart Friendship Choices – Advice from a Middle School Student
by Evelyn (6th Grade – Fallon Middle School)
It’s ok to be alone. Think about it hard. Would you rather be sitting home alone or out with a group of “friends” who may not be doing the right thing? You can decide what you think after I tell you what it means to me. Making friends is easy, but the hard part is making the right friends. What do I mean when I say the right friend? A good friend is someone you can be honest with. For example, you and your friend are walking home from school together. Your friend says, “What did you do to your hair? Did you even brush it?” You respond with, “Hey, I didn’t really like that, I didn’t find it funny or nice.” Real friends should have the liberty to stand up to each other without getting angry.
Now, the making choices part. This section is probably the most difficult thing you will have to deal with in friendship. Bad choices, good choices, choices are everywhere! Making choices means choosing a friend that does not make you participate in something that makes you feel uncomfortable. Also, making sure that your friend is not only just nice to you, but to everyone. This means that your friend treats everyone with respect. If not, they may turn on you one day. Imagine, for example, that you have a really nice friend who you love to hang out with. The problem is that she isn’t nice to everyone. The scary thing is thinking that she may turn on you eventually. So, that is when you must make a choice, even if it means giving up a friend.
I realize it isn’t easy to say no, but it is very important. However, you don’t always have to say no. Sometimes you can try suggesting something else to do. For example, your group of friends want to go to a party. It is 9:00 pm and your parents would never let you go to a party, especially this late. You don’t have to leave yet! Try another place you guys could all go to. Maybe suggest a movie or a safe activity. If your friends say no, then what I believe, it is ok to go home.
What I am trying to say is that don’t just make choices in a blink of an eye. Listen to your conscience, think about it, and then decide. So, did you think of an answer to my question: would you rather be home alone or with a group of “friends” that many not be doing the right thing? The choice is yours, but make the right one.
Note from the editor: My daughter wrote this article for a school assignment and she agreed to share her perspective on OneDublin.org.
Murray Elementary School 5th Graders Demonstrate Their Character
By: Michael Utsumi (Parent)
Before we offer a fond farewell to October and to Halloween, we wanted to highlight a simple, yet powerful act of kindness provided by some students at Murray Elementary School. Within the Dublin Unified School District (DUSD), Murray Elementary School provides one of the most diverse and imaginative suite of programs for elementary students. This site is home to the innovative Pathways Program which promotes multi-age learning environments and requires a minimum two-hour volunteer commitment per month from families that choose to enroll in this program. Further, families are welcomed into this program from both those that live within the district and those that live outside of school boundaries. Murray is also the host of the Special Day Classes Program (SDC). This program supports students that are experiencing learning difficulties – from mild to profound. SDC classes are parsed into three different grades levels (K-1, 2-3, & 3-5) and are supported by three specifically dedicated teachers and numerous other aides. The program draws students from throughout the entire district.
In order to understand this story, OneDublin.org sought out 5th Grade Teacher, Denise Fisher. Denise is a graduate of California State University – East Bay (formerly CSU-Hayward) with a B.A. in Liberal Studies. While she initially embarked on a different career, she was inspired by the chance invitation to attend an Open House at an elementary school. She was so moved by the enthusiasm of the students, staff and parents that she made a decision to make a vocation change into education. Shortly thereafter, she completed her multi-subject credential from CSU – East Bay and began her career as a classroom teacher at Murray. That was 16 years ago. Today, she is a 5th grade teacher with a class of 29 students.
OneDublin.org: Murray parent Kelly Baalman recently informed us of a wonderful story of students giving back to students from this Halloween, please share what happened.
Denise Fisher: “First, understand that my 5th grade class partners with the SDC program – the second and third graders – and we enjoy a year-long working relationship with this class. Each of my students “buddy up” with these students on a one-to-one basis. The activities that they share vary from reading together, completing art projects, using focus to utilize scissors to simply forming friendships.
“Traditionally, a large portion of our students have the opportunity to visit a local pumpkin patch in the month of October – this year it was the G&M Farms location in Livermore. The students get to enjoy the cornfield maze and pumpkin patch and it’s a great event.”
OneDublin.org: So, Halloween was approaching and the SDC class collectively agreed to spend their field day option in the comfort of their school site. What did you do?
Fisher: “I simply posed to my class ‘What would you like to do for your buddies so that they can equally enjoy the Halloween experience?’ Instantaneously and enthusiastically, the class exploded with ideas. I immediately employed my SmartBoard and we began to explore our options. The concepts ranged from creating a carnival, to building a haunted house, creating a hayride, among others. I had to rein them in a little bit, but we quickly figured out what might be tangible in the two weeks that had available to us.”
OneDublin.org: What did the group ultimately agree to?
Fisher: “It was awesome. With the cooperation of the students and the parents, we were able to assemble a great experience. We asked for parental donations and also received a nice discount from Sprouts Market on the pumpkins. We put together a pumpkin patch, a face painting booth, a snack bar, a chalk maze, apple fishing exhibit and a photo booth, among other activities. This all occurred on the morning of Thursday, October 27th. It took two weeks of planning, but our buddies and my students had a great time.”
Frederiksen Elementary School Presents a Moving Veterans Day Assembly
Frederiksen Elementary School Veterans Day Event
Veterans Day was celebrated across the Tri-Valley and throughout the entire country on Friday. President Woodrow Wilson first proclaimed an Armistice Day in 1919 which marked the end of World War I. The day was meant to recognize the service of all military veterans. At Frederiksen Elementary School, this holiday has taken on a very special meaning and its influence is partially due to an influence north of our border – Canada. Since 2006, Frederiksen Elementary has promoted the lessons of Veterans Day outside of the classroom. The students, staff, community and military personnel have had the direct opportunity to interact with one another on this special day. With each succeeding year, the event has become one of the most powerful learning moments for these students and has now become a legacy event. This year, 60 veterans and active service members were in attendance.
To understand how this all came to be, OneDublin.org had the opportunity to sit down with the two motivating individuals that make this annual event so special. Catherine Brown is a 1st Grade Teacher at Frederiksen. As a native of Canada, Catherine was very accustomed to the annual recognition of Remembrance Day, which is the equivalent of Veterans Day in the United States. Remembrance Day is a statutory holiday in Canada and is celebrated on the eleventh day of the eleventh month at the eleventh hour – like in the United States. However, in Canada, a moment of silence is observed – regardless if you are at the office, at a mall or in school. Ms. Brown was mildly surprised that a similar effort was not occurring at her school site and it inspired her to promote a more formalized ceremony for her school site.
Jamie Perez and Catherine Brown
OneDublin.org: What was your inspiration for taking the Veterans Day ceremony a step further and how did you go about organizing the event?
Catherine Brown: “The experience in Canada is a very profound one. I felt that it was a wonderful teaching moment for the students and to further personalize the experience. I looked to my immediate sphere of influence and made calls to the Pleasanton Veterans of Foreign Wars and to Camp Parks. I already had contacts at VFW Post 6298 through my position as a Girl Scout Leader. Further, we had many students attending Frederiksen that resided at Camp Parks. I made phone calls and we quickly had many willing participants.”
Dublin High School Robotics Club
Dublin High School’s Robotics Club (one of over 50 extracurricular clubs at Dublin High) is off to a fast start in the 2011-12 competitive robotics season. This Sunday November 13, the Dublin High Robotics Club will be hosting a FIRST LEGO League robotics competition for elementary and middle school students. Members of the community are welcome to attend and cheer on the competitors (details at the bottom of this article).
Last weekend Dublin High Robotics participated in two Bay Area events – the Vex Robotics Competition held at Northgate High School in Walnut Creek on Saturday November 5 and the Bay Area Science Festival at AT&T Park in San Francisco on Sunday November 6 (students from Dublin High’s Engineering Academy also supported the event).
Dublin High Student Volunteer - Bay Area Science Festival
Dublin High’s participation at the Bay Area Science Fair, which attracted over 21,000 attendees, was in coordination with Chevron (a sponsor of Dublin High’s Engineering Academy) and Project Lead the Way, as part of the Chevron Exploration Village. Dublin High’s table included a competition robot demonstration as well as a paper airplane design activity. In preparation for the event, Dublin High students created paper airplane templates and a science fair style overview of basic aerospace engineering concepts – lift, drag, airfoil, etc. Dublin High Robotics Club President, sophomore Josh Price, “I enjoyed teaching kids about how to make an efficient airplane and what makes a good airplane work. It was fun to work with, and inspire, the scientists and engineers of the future.”
Dublin High School Launches Academic Ambassadors Volunteer Program
Dublin High School Academic Ambassadors
Dublin High School recently launched the Dublin High Academic Ambassadors Program, providing Dublin High students at all grade levels the opportunity to give back to the community, share their experiences at Dublin High and inspire elementary and middle school students to succeed academically. Just weeks into the school year, 50 Dublin High students have enrolled in the program, which has both academic and extracurricular requirements. Families attending the Green Elementary School Fall Festival earlier this year have already seen Dublin High Academic Ambassadors in action along with other DHS student volunteers.
Dublin High School Ambassador Japna Kalra, “The Dublin High School Academic Ambassadors Program is a chance for students to represent their high school and give back to the community. The program is meant to get Dublin High students involved in activities at other Dublin schools. This allows us to unify the schools, and extend the influence that Dublin High students hold on younger generations. Our goal is to serve as role models, showing young Dublin students our commitment to academics. Through tutoring opportunities, we want our Ambassadors to interact with these students, to help strengthen their foundations. We want younger students to confidently pursue academics in their upcoming grade levels, especially coming in to high school.”
Japna continues, “This is our plan to keep Dublin students, at all grade levels, strong and focused throughout the city. We want to give future Dublin High students a preview of what our school is about, and an early start in thinking about their futures. We are students who recognize the benefits Dublin High School has offered our education, and are paying them forward.
OneDublin.org recently met with Dublin High Assistant Principal Theresa Young and caught up with a Dublin High Ambassador volunteering at the Green Elementary School Fall Festival to learn more:
OneDublin.org 