Co nstruct io n Ma nag e m e ntProg ra m Provides a Foundation for SuccessThe Montgomery College construction management program’s

unique transfer agreement with the University of Maryland

Eastern Shore (UMES) at Universities at Shady Grove (USG) not

only provides the credentials you need to succeed, but it may

help you finish your degree without a great deal of debt.

The College’s program offers an innovative two-year program

in which you get hands-on management skills by working on

real-world management projects. And there is scholarship

support for construction management students from the

Montgomery College Foundation. After you receive an

associate’s degree, you can finish your bachelor’s at USG.

“There is a high demand for students who complete our

program,” said Mario Parcan, professor of construction

management at the College. “Many of our students get

well-paying jobs at local construction companies, who,

in turn, pay for the last two years at UMES.”

“Montgomery College is our number one feeder school,”

said Bijan Shapoorian, program director of construction

management technology at USG. “Their students perform

very well in our program.”

Jobs in the construction management field are expected to

grow about 16 percent over the next several years, according

to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

For more information on the construction management program,

visit montgomerycollege.edu/constructionmanagement.

For more information on scholarship support, visit

montgomerycollege.academicworks.com.

Start Building Your ResumeM C PS Stud e nts:

Montgomery College offers two construction

management courses at the Rockville Campus

for MCPS seniors. MCPS seniors can register for CMGT

100, Construction Methods and Materials in the fall

semester and CMGT 110, Construction Plan Reading,

in the spring. The Thomas Edison High School of

Technology Construction Trades Foundation pays

the tuition for all the students. For more information,

please contact the Construction Management

program coordinator at 240-567-7616 or email him

at mario.parcan@montgomerycollege.edu.

Advice for Montgomery County Parents and Students on College Preparation • Fall 2016

Starting with the 2017–2018 Free Application

for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®), these

changes will be in effect:

• You will be able to submit your FAFSA®

earlier. You can file your 2017–2018 FAFSA as

early as Oct. 1, 2016, rather than beginning

on Jan. 1, 2017. The earlier submission date

will be a permanent change, enabling you

to complete and submit a FAFSA as early as

October 1 every year.

• You’ll use earlier income and tax

information. Beginning with the 2017–18

FAFSA, students will be required to report

income and tax information from an earlier

tax year. For example, on the 2017–2018

FAFSA, you—and your parent(s), as

appropriate—will report your 2015 income

and tax information, rather than your 2016

income and tax information.

How will the changes benefit me? • Because the FAFSA will ask for older income

and tax information, you will have done

your taxes by the time you fill out your

FAFSA, and you won’t need to estimate

your tax information and then go back into

the FAFSA later to update it.

• Because you’ll already have done your

taxes by the time you fill out your FAFSA, you

may be able to use the IRS Data Retrieval

Tool (IRS DRT) to automatically import your

tax information into your FAFSA. (Learn

about the IRS DRT at StudentAid.gov/irsdrt.)

• Because the FAFSA is available earlier,

you may feel less pressure due to having

more time to explore and understand your

financial aid options and apply for aid

before your state’s and school’s deadlines.

fafsa.ed.gov

Attending Montgomery College may only

be part of your educational plan. MC

students routinely transfer to the University

of Maryland, College Park (UMD), University

of Maryland University College (UMUC),

University of Maryland Baltimore County

(UMBC), Towson University, and Salisbury

University, among other institutions, to

complete their bachelor’s degree.

MC has established partnerships that

provide early access and admission for

qualified students. These programs offer

students a variety of options, including

guaranteed admission, priority advising,

early access to student services, application

fee waivers, and scholarships. Examples of

these programs include UMD’s Maryland

Transfer Advantage Program (MTAP),

UMBC’s Transfer Student Alliance, and

UMUC’s Community College Alliance

Program. Institutions offering programs

at the Universities at Shady Grove (USG)

have specialized Transfer Access Programs

that facilitate seamless transfer to UMD,

the University of Baltimore, UMBC, and the

University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

Learn more about these programs by visiting

montgomerycollege.edu/transfer.

T h e FA FS A Is Changing for 2017-2018

A re Yo u P la n n i ng to Tra ns fe r?

Take a class with Nevart Tahmazian, whose ability to make chemistry less of a scary topic and more of a relevant one earned her the 2015 Maryland Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).

“I tell my students the class is like a train. We are going to leave the station with everyone on board and we won’t stop for 15 weeks; we need an environment of respect so we don’t allow anyone to fall off the train.”

In addition to her classroom work, Tahmazian also acts as an adviser to the STEM ED Community Club and the Learning Assistant Program, both of which encourage students to become educators in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

Professor Tahmazian is a long- time community outreach ambassador, promoting chemistry in local schools. In 2015, she was recognized as the local Outreach Volunteer of the Year by the American Chemical Society.

Wa nt a C h e m i st ry

C lass with All the Elements

of Success?

Through Montgomery College’s new Career

Coach program, you can access a valuable

online search tool that will allow you to

explore hundreds of potential careers at

your fingertips.

Just enter a keyword of whatever career

suits your interest and quickly learn about

employment prospects in the field, job

opportunities, income potential, and

the education and training available at

Montgomery College. If you’re not sure what

career you want to pursue, take a quick,

six-question test and Career Coach will

give you career suggestions based on your

interests. Get started today on your road to

the future.

Career Coach is unique to our geographic

area. The job listings and information

provided are specific to Montgomery

County and the surrounding localities.

You won’t find it anywhere else in the

region. Montgomery College offers it as a

service to our students, future students, and

members of our community. We invite you

to come back often and tell your friends

about Career Coach. Visit Career Coach at

montgomerycollege.edu/careercoach.html.

Montgomery College’s Ca re e r Coac h

Pinkney Innovation Complex for Science and Technology Grows STEM Jobs.An exciting new model for how the education and science and technology industries can grow together is the Pinkney Innovation Complex for Science and Technology (PIC-MC), located on the Germantown Campus. Because PIC-MC has formed partnerships with some of the many bioscience companies and key federal institutions, our students can seek coveted internship and research opportunities. Montgomery College closely aligns its biotechnology, bioengineering, cybersecurity, health sciences, and life sciences curricula with the wealth of employment opportunities in this area. PIC-MC ultimately will provide bioscience and technology education and training from middle school to postdoctoral levels, as well as locate entrepreneurs and companies on campus to introduce new science in the classroom. “PIC-MC serves as a model of how college campuses will look—and work—in the future,” says Martha Schoonmaker, executive director of the Pinkney Innovation Park.

DID YOUKN OW

?

Kat Rocha appreciates both the mixed cultures—and the mix of cultures—

Montgomery College affords her. The second-year life sciences/premed student

grew E coli cultures last year as a research assistant for Professor Aubrey Smith.

After she took Smith’s biology class last year, she wanted to pursue a career in

medicine. Rocha then applied for the Graduate and Transfer Science, Technology,

Engineering and Math Talent Expansion Program (GT STEP), providing, among

other benefits, paid internships and $300 in assistance for tuition or books. Through

GT STEP, she interns at the J. Craig Venter Institute in Rockville, a multidisciplinary

genomic-focused research organization. When she is not in a lab, Rocha is busy as

the co-president of Phi Theta Kappa, the two-year college honor society. Her other

activities include On Ramp to STEM and the Renaissance Scholars honors program.

Although she is not sure what university she will transfer to next year, Rocha says,

“Where ever I go, I’m sure that I won’t experience the diversity I’ve enjoyed at

Montgomery College. It’s been great to learn about so many different cultures.”

Stra

ight

talk

A service of the Montgomery College– Montgomery County Public Schools Partnership. Rockville, MD 20850

November• Stay organized—create a file for each college to which you have

applied.• Begin submitting college applications if you haven’t already.

Proofread.• Keep copies of everything you submit to colleges and scholarship

programs.• Contact college financial offices to find out how to apply for aid

and what the deadlines are.

December• Sign up for the SAT test by Dec. 21; test will be administered Jan. 21.• Visit the FAFSA website, apply for Federal Student Aid PIN (personal

identification number) at pin.ed.gov, which will allow you to electronically apply for my federal student aid and access my US Department of Education record each year.

• Go to collegegoalmaryland.org for information on filling out the FAFSA.• Stay focused on grades and consider taking on leadership roles/

responsibilities.• Start researching summer internships and jobs related to your

career interests.

January• Sign up for the ACT test by Jan. 8; test will be administered Feb. 6.• Complete any applications not already due.• Encourage my parents to gather their tax documents early—tax

information is required to complete the FAFSA.• Check college deadlines for the FAFSA and CSS/Financial Aid

Profile—one or both may be required in February or even earlier.• Remember to look for your Student Aid Report, which will arrive in

seven to 10 days when submitted electronically.

February• Sign up for the SAT test by Feb. 10; test will be administered March 11.• For free FAFSA assistance, visit collegegoalmaryland.org.• File the free FAFSA now—some colleges have a February

deadline. FAFSA.ed.gov • March 1 is the state FAFSA deadline. List at least one Maryland

college on the FAFSA.

March• Submit the FAFSA by March 1. March 1 is the Maryland State

Office of Financial Aid priority deadline for fall aid. List at least one Maryland college on it to receive state aid: FAFSA.ed.gov.

• March 1 is the priority deadline for fall 2017 financial aid at Montgomery College.

• Submit tax forms to college financial aid offices, if they are requested.

• If considering Montgomery College, prepare for fall registration.• Visit colleges again if you are still wondering where you would

like to go.• Decision letters from colleges begin to arrive. Stay calm and be

positive—these are responses to opportunities you have explored, but there are always more opportunities available.

• To transfer from a community college to a Maryland four-year college, you can use ARTSYS to help plan your coursework— artweb.USMD.edu

April• Sign up for the SAT test by April 7; test will be administered May 6.• Compare your offers of admission and financial aid; discuss them

with family and counselors.• Research housing choices and meal plans at colleges.

Source: mhec.state.md.us

I M P O R T A N T dates and deadlines 2016/2017

Have a question? Please contact:Elena Saenzelena.saenz@montgomerycollege.edu

Dr. Genevieve FloydGenevieve_L_Floyd@mcpsmd.org

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PAIDSuburban, MDPermit No. 97