Where You Live Impacts Success In Life

You've heard the expression "It's not where you've been, but where you're going". Well, it turns out this is absolutely wrong. In it's report titled Quality Counts 2007: From Cradle to Career: Connecting American Education From Birth to Adulthood, Editorial Projects in Education found that the state in which you live has a significant influence on whether or not student's attend college, and ultimately on their career prospects.

The report used a Chance for Success Index to rank states based on how well their students scored against 13 key indicators in their development and education, including family income, parental education, linguistic integration, preschool enrollment, high school graduation, postsecondary participation, annual income and steady employment.

Each state starts with a score of zero then gains points based on how well they fare against each indicator. Researchers concluded that "it matters where children live...At almost every stage, a child born in Virginia is significantly more likely to experience success than the average child born in the United States, while a child born in New Mexico is likely to face an accumulating series of hurdles that puts him/her further and further behind."

Best States for Student Success:

1. Virginia
2. Connecticut
3. Minnesota
4. New Jersey
5. Maryland
6. Massachusetts
7. New Hampshire

Worst States for Student Success:

1. New Mexico
2. Louisiana
3. Arizona
4. Texas
5. Tennessee
6. Mississippi
7. Alabama

The Quality Counts report also featured a few other interesting points about state of the states:

• 41 states and the District of Columbia have early-learning standards (Pre-K) that are in line with academic standards for elementary schools (meaning that Pre-K students are actually prepared for kindergarten)
• 13 states have a formal definition of school readiness (How do the other states you know if a child is ready if you can define what "ready" means?)
• 16 states require districts to assess readiness of entering students (It's great to have standards, but they don't matter if you don't check to see if pre-K education providers are actually succeeding in readying students to enter school?)
• 18 states have interventions for children who are not ready (Wow! Only 18 states think it's a good idea to help children who are not ready to get ready?)
• Only 11 states have a formal definition of college readiness
• 9 states make college-prep curriculum the standard
• 6 states align their state high school tests with what it takes to succeed in college (They use college entrance exams to determine whether students are ready)

Find out where your state ranks on each of these indicators

So what do you do if you live in state that does not score well? Don't give up, first and foremost. There is always an exception to every rule, especially when it comes to the possibilities of the human mind and spirit.

Here's what you can do to ensure you are ready for the college you want to attend:

• Get a copy of the admissions requirements (Find out if you need to write an essay, what is the minimum and average GPA and test scores, what are the other requirements)
• Call the admissions office and ask to speak with an admissions representative or someone on the admissions committee. Tell them you are a prospective student and need to talk to someone about what it takes to be accepted there.
• If your GPA is lower than they might usually accept, find out what you can do to make your application more attractive (Usually, it's getting high test scores)
• If you've taken the ACT or SAT and didn't score well, take it again!
• Ask about opportunities to test out of introductory classes (CLEP tests, proficiency exams)
• Take AP tests in subjects you think you can score well in (It doesn't matter that you didn't take the AP class)
• Load up on extra classes if you still have time (12th graders should take a full load their final year in order to improve their GPAs)
• Ask teachers for extra credit or "challenge assignments" to try to bring up low grades in classes
• Take a college-level course (or two) during the summer
• Complete as much community service or meaningful extracurricular activities as you can (Volunteer hours, or even hours devoted to an interesting hobby or sport can spark interest in your application)
• If you are an athlete or artist, ask for a try-out, audition or portfolio review
• Ask to meet and interview with local alumni (They can't necessarily get you in, but they can put in a good word and help you put together your application packet)
• Ask for an interview (Usually not required, but can't hurt if your application is struggling)

Need more? Check out Everybody Else's Guide To Getting Into College, the book.