High School Counselor Week

Weekly stories, facts, trends, and other information from around the country

 

February 7, 2019

Big Picture

College spending comes under closer scrutiny
Hechinger Report – Feb 1, 2019

WASHINGTON, D.C. – We know that college costs are increasing, but what’s harder to find out is where the money is going. The American Council of Trustees and Alumni on Wednesday launched a site that makes it easy to track how your hard-earned tuition dollars are spent: HowCollegesSpendMoney.com.

Have You Taken Remedial College Classes?
NPR.org – Feb 4, 2019
Did your college require you to take classes that didn’t count toward your degree — classes that were supposed to help you catch up and get ready for college

The Silly Stereotypes That Elite-College Students Have About Other Campuses
The Atlantic – Feb 4, 2019
Princeton is academically rigorous, but too exclusive and hierarchical. MIT has brilliant students, but it’s socially unpleasant.

Columns and Blogs

What Your School Counselor Wish You Knew About Their Job
Post – Feb 6, 2019

Counselors’ Corner with Patrick O’Connor Ph.D

Being deferred – what to do? what not to do? — Part II
Tribune News Service – Feb 6, 2019
College Admissions Strategies with Lee Bierer 

UVa increases early admission offers to 6,550 for the Class of 2023
Post – Jan 28, 2019
The Explorations Blog with Nancy Griesemer

How to Appeal a Financial Aid Letter
Post – Jan 17, 2019
The College Solution Blog with Lynn O’Shaughnessy

Counselors

School Counselors: Unveiling The “Amazing” Within
Forbes – Feb 3, 2019
On a bookshelf in my office sits a greeting card in a frame. On the cover stands a peacock, adorned with crown and dappled in shades of lime, moss, and teal with a quote by Kobi Yamada

A college access advisor for every high school in Utah: A national first
Salt Lake Tribune – Feb 3, 2019
An educated workforce is crucial. Utah’s economy is surging, employers are desperate for talent and demand for college-educated workers is higher than ever. 

School Counselors serve many needs
Weekly News Journal-Feb 4, 2019
With focused attention on the behavioral health needs of students in Cassia County which includes new programs and resources to support healthy minds, school counselors are at the center of it all

Wisconsin school counselors march for change
WMTV – Feb 4, 2019
WASHINGTON, D.C. (WMTV) On Tuesday, Feb. 5, more than 40 Wisconsin school counselors are marching in Madison to bring awareness to school safety…

Parents

What to Do if Your Parents Are More Obsessed with Getting Into College Than You Are
Her Campus – Feb 6, 2019
College is supposed to be the best time of our lives, so it’s no wonder that parents get excited when their kids begin the application process. From touring campuses, attending information sessions, writing essays, and completing interviews

Students From Educated Families More Likely to Take Dual-Credit Courses
Education Week (blog) – Feb 5, 2019
Students are much more likely to take courses for college credit while they’re still in high school if they’re white or Asian or have college-educated parents, a new report shows.

Over 60, and Crushed by Student Loan Debt
Wall Street Journal – Feb 2, 2019
One generation of Americans owed $86 billion in student loan debt at last count. Its members are all 60 years old or more.

Video

This is how college got so expensive in America
CNBC – Feb 2, 2019
College in the United States is expensive. The cost of higher education just keeps going up. Tuition costs at both public and private universities have doubled since the late 80s, while accounting for inflation.

Admissions Process & Strategy

How to Use Social Media To Get Into College
TeenLife – Feb 5, 2019
Social media makes it easier than ever to connect with colleges and admissions representatives because you don’t have to be on campus to make a connection. College admissions officers prefer students who are partial to their particular school.

4 Diverse Factors That Top Colleges Consider as Much as SAT Scores 
Forbes – Jan 31, 2019
People who have their sights set on high-level corporate careers or industry-disrupting entrepreneurial ventures are looking for strong connections

Entrepreneur launches startup aimed at making college tuition costs transparent
Quad City Times – Jan 13, 2019
Working in higher education for 25 years, Mark Salisbury grew frustrated as each incoming class struggled to understand how much they’d be paying for college.

Colleges tracking online interaction to help with admissions
NewsChannel5.com – Feb 1, 2019
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — When it comes to college admissions, many students will do everything in their power to get a leg up on other students seeking admission

February College Search Guide
Monrovia Weekly – Feb 5, 2019
After several years of drought and rainless months, we’re finally getting much drenching which may be affecting your family schedule.

Career & Technical Education

How do schools train for a workplace that doesn’t exist yet?
Hechinger Report – Jan 31, 2019
A reader asks: Not knowing what tasks will be automated or what future jobs will look like, how should schools prepare students now?

One Way to Make College Meaningful
New York Times – Feb 2, 2019 (OpEd)
The phrase “vocational education” might conjure up an image of trade schools that train students to work in traditionally blue-collar jobs.

Report Stresses Need for Improved Career Pathways
Campus Technology – Feb 5, 2019
The Chiefs for Change have issued a “blueprint” for postsecondary success that calls for better transparency from institutions on student earnings outcomes, emphasizing industry-vetted career pathways

Financial Aid/Scholarships

What Are 5 Proven Ways To Get More College Financial Aid?
Forbes – Feb 1, 2019
I’ve always loved the idea of doing a ton of homework to reap a healthy college financial aid package. Since I hate the idea of loans, getting grants, scholarships

Colleges’ message to low-income students: You can afford to attend
Education Dive – Feb 4, 2019
By cutting the red tape around financial aid, public and private institutions of all sizes are reaching students who think they are priced out of attending.

How To Get Through College Debt-Free, And Without Rich Parents
Forbes – Feb 6, 2019
Imagine: graduating from college with no debt. An amazing 70% of college students graduate with significant amounts of debt. Some 44 million Americans together hold $1.5 trillion in student loans. 

How to avoid mistakes in applying for college financial aid
India West – Jan 31, 2019
I can help you avoid the deadliest mistakes in apply for college financial aid. … when you fill out FAFSA “as is”, for sure, you cannot get college financial aid

Complete FAFSA to receive maximum college aid
Cleburne Times-Review –  Feb 4, 2019
Time is running out for graduating high school seniors who wish to receive college financial aid in the fall. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is still open for students to be able to receive college financial assistance for the 2019-20 school year.

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Teen Health

Preventing teen dating violence and abuse
CBS 8 San Diego – Feb 4, 2019
SAN DIEGO (NEWS 8) – The Center for Community Solutions (CCS) wants San Diego parents to know that there’s a lot they can do to prevent teen dating violence and abuse.

Your teen probably isn’t sleeping or exercising enough; here’s what you can do to help
CNN.com – Feb 4, 2019
If you have teenagers, you probably won’t be surprised to hear that a study published Monday in the journal JAMA Pediatrics found that only 5% of them are getting enough sleep or exercise, or are limiting their screen time to what’s recommended by experts 

SAT, ACT & AP

AP exam changes: Helpful for test prep, or more money for the College Board?
USA TODAY – Feb 6, 2019
Changes in the Advanced Placement world could help more high school students earn college credit via AP exams — but teenagers will pay new fees if they change their minds about taking the tests.

Is your junior taking the ACT this month? Here are six tips to help your teen prepare
WRAL.com- Feb 4, 2019
By Suzanne Wood, Raleigh Tutoring. It’s not just paying for college that’s expensive. Applying to college–including taking the ACT and SAT–adds up, too. 

Think ACT Is Just a College-Admissions Test? Think Again
Chronicle of Higher Education – Feb 5, 2019
Fewer students took ACT’s college-admissions test in 2018 than in the previous year. That’s the kind of news that you’d expect would be troubling to the organization’s chief executive. 

Disabilities

Coaching Through the ADHD Life Cycle: Advice for Each Age and Stage
ADDitude – Feb 1, 2019
ADHD Coaching for High School Students. In high school, teens learn to balance academics with an expanding social life. Their independence is growing, but they still benefit from parental help.

5 Helpful Study Tips for Students with ADHD
Study Breaks – Feb 1, 2019
Being a college student can be hard, tedious and straight-up exhausting. For a college student with ADHD though, it’s even more difficult.

Gap Year

Should Gap Year Students Take AP Exams?
US News & World Report – Feb 4, 2019
Taking a gap year – or a year between the end of high school and the beginning of college– is an appealing alternative for students who are looking for a break before enrolling.