Youth  fishing competition planned
Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation is holding its 2010 Youth Fishing Derby on Saturday, May 1 from 7:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. at Apollo Park in Lancaster. The fishing derby is an opportunity for children and teens (5 to 15 years) to compete in rainbow trout fishing. Participants must bring their own fishing gear, including strings. Admission is free. For information, call (661) 722-7780 in or (661) 775-8865. Apollo Park is located at 4555 West Avenue G in Lancaster. Note that the lake at Apollo Park will be closed for one week prior to the derby.

Brush clearance inspections to begin
L.A. County firefighters will perform brush clearance inspections beginning May 1. Firefighters will visit each property to inspect it for weeds, combustible debris and dead or dying vegetation that may present a potential fire hazard. To help property owners comply with County brush clearance codes, the Department’s website offers a list of 12 local companies currently providing hazard reduction services. Visit http://fire.lacounty.gov/Forestry/BrushManagementHazardReductionContractors.asp. For questions and information about brush clearance and creating a Ready! Set! Go! Wildfire Action Plan, download the plan at http://fire.lacounty.gov/SafetyPreparedness/ReadySetGo/home.asp, or call or visit a local fire station.

Recommendations to be presented
The City and the North Glendale Advisory Committee next week will present its recommendations on the North Glendale/La Crescenta Community Plan during two open houses on Monday, April 26, and Wednesday, April 28, from 7 to 9 p.m. The meetings are being held at the Clark Magnet School auditorium, 4747 New York Ave.  Input from the committee will alsobe solicited. Information presented and received at these open houses will be forwarded to the City Council to consider when directing actions concerning North Glendale Community Plan in June 2010.
Questions concerning the North Glendale Community Plan process can be directed to either Laura Stotler (LStotler@ci.glendale.ca.us) or Alan Loomis (Aloomis@ci.glendale.ca.us) of the Glendale Planning Department at (818) 548-2140.

College fair planned
The National College Fair is being held at the Pasadena Convention Center on April 27 from 6 to 9 p.m. Pasadena Convention Center
Exhibit Halls A & B
are located at 300 E. Green St. in
Pasadena. For a suggested list of preparation tips and more information, visit the website www.cvweekly.com.
College fairs are an all-inclusive way to find out about colleges of interest to you because a variety of college representatives are gathered together in one place. Use these tips to make the most out of your college fair experience.

BEFORE THE FAIR
What are you looking for? Answer the following questions to help you determine what kind of school would best suit you:

• Do you want to attend a two- or four-year institution?  Co-ed or single sex?
• What size school do you want to attend?
• What programs of study are you considering?
• How far from home do you want to go?
• Do you wish to participate in any specific extra-curricular activities or athletics?
• Do you want to attend a school in an urban, suburban or rural environment?

Get prepared. Before you attend a college fair, make a list of colleges that interest you the most. Then visit the websites of the colleges on your list to try to find as much general information as possible. This will allow you to ask more in-depth questions when you talk to representatives at the fair.

Make a list of questions. Write down your most important questions beforehand, so you don’t forget what you want to ask. Focus on questions that pertain to your interests.

Make student information labels. Most colleges will have inquiry cards that they will want you to fill out, which will place you on their mailing lists. You can save a lot of time at the fair by bringing along self-stick labels to place on the cards. Include your contact information, e-mail address, birthday, high school graduation date, GPA, and areas of interest.

Bring a pen and notebook. You will need these to take notes with when talking to college representatives. Don’t expect to remember everything they say without writing the info down.

AT THE FAIR
Check out the floor plan. When you arrive at the college fair, go over the floor plan so you will know where the college reps you want to speak with are located.  If there’s still time left after that, browse around other tables that catch your eye.

Get business cards. Ask the college representatives for their business cards. You may want to get in contact with them again if you have further questions.

Attend information sessions. Many college fairs offer information seminars on topics such as financial aid, the search process, applications, etc. These sessions will give you the opportunity to ask questions about the college planning and admission process.

QUESTIONS TO ASK THE COLLEGE REPRESENTATIVES
Admissions

What are the admission requirements?  (GPA, course pattern, test scores and class rank)

What standardized test scores do you require? (SAT or ACT)

Are interviews required?

Are subject tests recommended or required?

What qualities should a prospective students have?

You will want to know the admission requirements.. Some colleges admit students based on scores and grades only and follow a specific formula. Other colleges really give greater weight to activities, experience, and interests.

Classroom
Does the college have the major you are considering?  Is the program impacted?

What type of classes would you take in your major?

Is tutoring available and is it free?

What is the student to faculty ratio?

What is the average class size?

How accessible are professors outside the classroom?

Will professors or graduate students teach my courses?

How many students would typically be in a lower division course such as English 1A

Cost and Financial Aid
What is the cost for tuition and room and board?

What financial aid options are available?

What is the average percentage of work study, loans, grants and scholarships in their financial aid packages.

Student Life
What type of meal plans are available?

Will you have to pay for parking?  Are there restrictions for students having cars on campus?

What’s the biggest complaint from current students?

If you are very conservative or very liberal in your thinking, ask about the political/social climate.

Are intramural, club and varsity sports offered?

What type of special interest groups, activities, or fraternities/sororities are available?

Do I need a computer?

What student services are offered (tutoring, career counseling, study workshops)?

Housing
Are freshman required to live on campus?

Is student housing guaranteed for four years?

Facts
What is the acceptance rate to graduate/medical school?

What is the percentage of graduates who are employed within 6 months of graduation and what type of jobs do they have.

Find out the safety history of the campus and the surrounding town. Sometimes the campus rests in an area where high crime takes place just outside the area considered the campus.

How many students drop out, transfer away, and how many stay to graduate?

How many freshman returned for their sophomore year?

Follow up. Once the college fair is over, you should read over the college pamphlets that you received and the notes that you took. For the colleges that you are really interested in, follow up by visiting their websites and taking a virtual tour of the campuses and scheduling college visits.