TACKLING THE TRANSITION TO COLLEGE PROCESS BEFORE IT TACKLES YOU

April 4, 2001                                                                                                        
CONTACT: Chip Harris, VP Sales
EVP (Educational Video Programming)
1-888-418-9800
e-mail: sales@evp1st.com
web: www.evp1st.com

RICHMOND, VA - Educational Video Programming of Richmond has begun airing short infomercials for its highly popular program titled First Semester: Preparing for college life. The infomercials, produced through United Telemedia of Miramar Florida, discuss the advantage and necessity of being well prepared for the transition from home to college and how the First Semester program can help. Originally designed for use by high school college placement counselors nationwide, EVP is now pushing First Semester into the main stream of reference materials available for individual families of college bound students.
According to Beverly Harris, EVP's president, many high school counselors simply do not have the time or resources to help college bound seniors focus on the challenges of the transitioning process. "Many college counseling experts now agree that the college bridging/orientation process needs to start within the family dynamics months before the student steps onto campus as a freshman" she said. Unfortunately, many of these counselors, who praise First Semester as a well developed preparation resource, will tell us they see its value, but have no available time in which to highlight transitioning issues."
With current studies showing:
1)   25-30% of entering college freshmen will not make it to their sophomore year.
2)   only 26% of entering freshmen will actually graduate in 4 years.
3)   At campuses with a high rate of binge drinking, incoming freshmen who binge do so within the first week of arrival. Every one of nearly 1,000 freshmen in a special study at 13 colleges reported that alcohol was very easy to obtain. All were 18 or younger.
4)   41% of all academic problems stem from alcohol abuse and 28 % of the students who drop out of school may do so because of alcohol.
5)   1 out of 4 college women have either been raped or suffered attempted rape.
6)   sexual assaults on college campuses are on the rise (84% of college men whose behavior meets the legal definition of sexual assault do not think of what they did as sexual assault. 42% of college women who are raped tell no one about their assault.
7)   the rise in credit card debt among college students poses serious problems with social consequences beginning to outweigh the financial consequences.
8)   understanding money management among graduating high school seniors is at an all time low.
"And the fact that national news programs such as '48 Hours' are now dedicating entire broadcasts to the dangers on college campuses (Campus Insecurity, April 3, 10pm)," the timing seemed to be right for a more proactive approach to marketing First Semester directly to college bound seniors and their parents for use in their own homes", she said.
First Semester is currently in use at over 2300 public and private high schools and in over 1000 Federal TRIO Programs supported by the US Department of Education. First Semester includes a 30-minute video of candid interviews with college freshmen in which they describe the changes and challenges of the college freshman year. A 20 page student guide, a 20 page parent guide, quick reminder lists (one for students, one for parent) which highlight important things to remember during the transition process, and finally our pre-screened Website lists which cover everything from scholarship and loan information to campus safety and much more. There are 100 addresses on the student list and 50 on the parent list.
This program is a tool to help open communication between high school guidance counselors and their students as well as between the students and their parents," said EVP President Beverly Harris. This was not created to be an all-inclusive look at college life. Primarily, we hope to help college-bound students by providing them with information that answers some of the questions they have about leaving their friends and family and venturing into unexplored territory. Many of them are anxious about heading off to college, but are not comfortable talking about it. Our goal is to encourage discussions about these issues among guidance counselors, parents and students," she said. For more information about the First Semester program, call toll free 1-888-418-9800 or e-mail your questions to sales@evp1st.com. First Semester is available in the "books" section at Amazon.com, at Borders Books & Music Locations, and on-line at the evp web site,www.evp1st.com.