High School Counselor Week

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

 

May 30, 2019

Big Picture

4 Years of College, $0 in Debt: How Some Countries Make Higher Education Affordable
New York Times  – May 28, 2019
When we asked people around the world what sort of financial burden they bore for their higher education, we heard how much it varies from country to country.

A Game of College: Can you get into college and finish a degree without taking on too much debt?
Hechinger Report- May 29, 2019
It’s your junior year of high school. You want to go to college. You’ve heard your salary can be a lot higher if you have a bachelor’s degree, but getting into a good school is difficult and finishing college is even harder

What Do You Wish You Knew While Paying Your Way Through College?
NPR.org – May 28, 2019
College is expensive. And juggling classes, work, and all of life’s other challenges can be difficult. NPR’s education team is putting together a how-to guide — in podcast form

The Education Scandal That’s Bigger Than Varsity Blues
The Atlantic -May 23, 2019
It’s hard to snatch attention from the jaws of intrigue, and Varsity Blues had it all. There were fake SAT scores, a shady deal maker, and wealthy parents 

Columns and Blogs

College Advice for Next Year’s Seniors
Post – May 29, 2019
Counselors’ Corner with Patrick O’Connor Ph.D

Boomerang kids. What to do when the kids come home for the summer?
Tribune News Service – May 29, 2019
College Admissions Strategies with Lee Bierer 

College Decision Day is an Illusion
Post – May 6, 2019
The College Solution Blog with Lynn O’Shaughnessy

NACAC reports nearly 500 fabulous colleges still admitting students for fall 2019
Post – May 15, 2019
The Explorations Blog with Nancy Griesemer

Counselors

As a college counselor, I see students on their worst days — days that are now more common
USA TODAY-May 25, 2019
Even accomplished students from supportive families can become unmoored in college. And data shows the student mental health crisis is getting worse.

On the importance of school counselors
The Herald Journal-May 23, 2019
Response to “Atop This Teacher’s Wish List: A Counselor in Every School.” Thumbs up to Chad Hawkes, who expressed in his column the need for a full-time counselor in every school

Counselors, parents decry College Board’s adversity score
Education Dive-May 24, 2019
School counselors recently blasted the College Board’s plan to weigh SAT scores by neighborhoods and high schools. Last week, 150 colleges announced 

Parents

How hiring a private ‘college navigator’ helps our family survive the high school years
NBC News  – May 23, 2019
Hiring an expert keeps us from killing each other over SAT prep, college tour registrations and application deadlines.

Saving for College: Are 529 Plans Worth It?
Kiplinger’s Personal Finance- May 28, 2019
Worried about funding your kid’s college education? Then let’s start with the good news: There are many ways to pay for college, so you have a lot of options.

Parents with college students making this dangerous mistake, financial expert says
Fox Business – May 28, 2019
It’s graduation season again. As college Opens a New Window. students graduate, they walk across the stage to pick up their diplomas and then walk right back home to mom and dad’s house.

3 Reasons College May Destroy Your Chance For A Comfortable Retirement
Forbes – May 22, 2019
The toughest job a fiduciary has is to tell a beneficiary “no.” You see, a fiduciary has the duty to act solely in the best interest of the beneficiary. When a beneficiary seeks to take a harmful action

Video

Can ‘cultural proficiency’ among teachers help close student achievement gap?
PBS NewsHour – May 28, 2019
Racial disparity in academic achievement remains a leading problem in American education, both at the K-12 and the college levels. A number of studies show greater diversity in the teaching profession can address some of those concerns

Admissions Process & Strategy

How earning a college degree while in high school changed this student’s life
MarketWatch – May 26, 2019
Over the past week, MarketWatch has been exploring the rapid expansion of opportunities for high school students to take college courses — and its implications.

Your Finals Study Guide: 11 Tips For Conquering the Big Tests
TeenLife Blog – May 28, 2019
The school year is drawing to an end. Soon it will be time for summer fun (perhaps an outdoor adventure or a sports camp?), but first, you have to get through finals. Studying for not just one but several high-stakes tests can certainly be a daunting

Career & Technical Education

How Vocational Education Needs to Change
Entrepreneur-May 23, 2019
Vocational education is primarily aimed at giving students the skills and knowledge to perform in a specific job role. This type of education has been prevalent in countries around the world for more than 600 years starting from apprenticeships

NJ manufacturing jobs grow, but will parents let kids skip college?
Asbury Park Press-May 29, 2019
Aquatherm, a Lakewood manufacturer that makes solar heating systems for swimming pools, has no shortage of ideas that could help its business grow.

Financial Aid/Scholarships

What you can do when your college financial aid award falls short
Newsday-May 25, 2019
While you may not have many options if you don’t make it into your choice of colleges, it’s a different story with the financial aid package you’ve been offered.

Don’t Let ‘Varsity Blues’ Divert Attention From A Bigger Problem: College Financial Aid Policies
Forbes-May 23, 2019
Two reports were released this month that shine intersecting spotlights on the adverse effects that income disparity continues to exert on college attendance

College grads expect to pay off student debt in 6 years—this is how long it will actually take
CNBC – May 23, 2019
College graduations are a time for inspirational words and optimism about the future. But the post-college world can also bring sobering realities.

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Inside The Admissions Office

Best Part, Worst Part, Opportunity. Admission Advice for Parents
Georgia Tech Admissions Blog
May 23, 2019

In Georgia, our local schools finish in May. Because of all the end of year plays, celebrations, ceremonies and tournaments, parents (not-so-affectionately) call it “MAYhem” or “MAYcember” (all the busyness but no gifts).

Teen Health

College Students (And Their Parents) Face A Campus Mental Health ‘Epidemic’
NPR-May 28, 2019 (LISTEN)
As colleges and universities across the country report an explosion of mental health problems, a new book argues that college life may be more stressful than

Rethinking Campus Mental Health
Inside Higher Ed-May 29, 2019
Throughout these 20 years, colleges and universities have increased staff at counseling centers, most have added some variation of “students of concern”

Anxiety in college: What we know and how to cope
Harvard Health (blog)-May 28, 2019
Even amid the rush of final exams and graduation celebrations at this time of year, college beckons with the chance to live on your own, find new friends, and explore interesting ideas.

SAT, ACT & AP

3 ACT, SAT Prep Goals for High School Sophomores
U.S. News & World Report (blog)-May 27, 2019
EACH YEAR OF high school represents an important phase in the preparation process for the ACT or SAT, and yearly objectives can help to keep students on track over the long term by ensuring slow yet steady progress

New SAT ‘adversity score’ is another College Board effort to commodify my high schooler
USA Today – May 29, 2019
recently asked my son, a high school junior, to sign up to take the ACT rather than the SAT. It is my small protest against the growing commoditization of college applicants; in this case, a response to the development…

Disabilities

Job Options Increasing For College Graduates With Autism, Learning Disabilities
Vermont Public Radio – May 24, 2019 (LISTEN)
College graduates with a condition like autism or ADHD have often faced limited options when looking for work, but now there’s a movement for businesses to recognize the benefits of neurodiversity and appreciate people who think differently.

Overcoming adversity: Learning disability, life’s obstacles fuel Rodriguez to graduate from college
Daily Globe – May 29, 2019
WORTHINGTON — As a young child in Mexico, Claudia Rodriguez loved school so much that she asked to attend classes in both the morning and afternoon. In her homeland, students typically went to class for half a day, and worked when they weren’t in school

A student’s disability status depends on where they go to school, study finds
Phys.Org – May 29, 2019
A new Portland State University study suggests that the likelihood of a child being classified with an educational disability depends on the characteristics of their school and how distinctive they are from their peers

College Visits

How To Boost The ROI Of College Visits
Forbes – May 24, 2019
With summer approaching, many of you with children in high school will be hitting the road. Destination — your child’s dream college. It’s no secret that college is expensive today.

Column: Summer is a great time to make campus visits
mySanAntonio.com – May 27, 2019
Another tradition this time of year related to new beginnings is for high school students and their families to begin visiting college campuses.