High School Counselor Week

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

 

April 11, 2019

Big Picture

A majority of U.S. colleges admit most students who apply
Pew Research – Apr 9, 2019
Around this time each year, hundreds of thousands of hopeful would-be college students find out which of the (sometimes many) schools they’ve applied to have accepted them

What’s The Purpose Of College?
Forbes – Apr 10, 2019
Many Americans have begun to ask whether college is worth it. And who’s to blame them? With college tuition rising at astronomical levels,

The Real Reasons Legacy Preferences Exist
The Atlantic-Apr 4, 2019
Applying to college as a legacy is like having a superpower. It has been estimated to double or quadruple one’s chances of getting into a highly selective school

College admission scandal is not a nationwide epidemic
USA Today -Apr 7, 2019
All post-secondary institutions use athletics as a means to recruit and retain a unique subdivision of high school students, those motivated to make their selection

Columns and Blogs

Talking to Anxious Juniors About College
Post – Apr 10, 2019
Counselors’ Corner with Patrick O’Connor Ph.D

Last minute tips for campus visits
Tribune News Service – Apr 9, 2019
College Admissions Strategies with Lee Bierer 

Elite Colleges, Entitled Teens and Guilted Parents
Post – Apr 9, 2019
The College Solution Blog with Lynn O’Shaughnessy

UVa offers an alternative route to Charlottesville
Post – Apr 8, 2019
The Explorations Blog with Nancy Griesemer

Counselors

Harvard EdCast: Redefining School Counseling
Harvard EdCast  – Apr 10, 2019 (LISTEN)
Mandy Savitz-Romer talks about the misconceptions around school counselors, and shares how she reimagines this vital role in schools.

What High School Students Want
Inside Higher Ed – Apr 8, 2019
Walking backward on tours doesn’t impress anyone anymore. How can colleges make an impact? And how can colleges outside California attract Californians?

Op-Ed: A Better College Admission Process Should Start in Our High Schools
NACAC Admitted Blog – Mar 21, 2019
As we look for ways to improve the college admission process in the wake of the recent scandals, an important place to start is in our high schools. In my professional career of 26 years… 

Parents

Another College Admissions Twist: Sabotaging Other People’s Kids
WBUR.org – Here & Now – Apr 9, 2019 (LISTEN)
After the college admissions scandal broke a few weeks ago, many said the wealthy having an upper hand when it comes to college is nothing new. But what might come as a surprise is a phenomenon being increasingly reported by college admissions counselors: sabotaging other people’s kids.

What to Look For When Hiring a College Consultant
US News & World Report – Apr 4, 2019
OPERATION VARSITY Blues, as the FBI dubbed it, is the college admissions scandal heard around the world. The alleged bribery scheme to help the children of wealthy parents get into elite institutions

College costs can sink parents, too
InvestmentNews-Apr 6, 2019
Student debt is often associated with young people taking out loans and putting off rites of passage after graduation to repay them. But mom and dad often sacrifice more… 

Video

Should the SAT be optional? Bribery scandal renews debate
PBS Newshour – Apr 5, 2019
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The most brazen abuses of standardized testing in the college bribery scandal could be chalked up to security lapses: the ringer hired to take the SAT…

Deciding/Waiting/Rejected

Rejected by your dream college? It may be ‘blessing in disguise’
Minneapolis Star Tribune-Apr 8, 2019
Kelley Kitley grew up yearning for a life on the stage and spent years honing her talent through voice lessons, private coaching and loads of school and community productions.

Rejection hurts: How to help your child during college-acceptance season
Omaha World-Herald-Apr 6, 2019
Anita Walia’s daughter had always been an overachiever. She made the girls varsity soccer team as a high school freshman, earned good grades in the most challenging courses at her private school

The stress of making a college decision
Knight Crier-Apr 4, 2019
As seniors are making their final college decisions, the stress of making the … part that might be holding people back from making that deposit is being waitlisted.

Guest Editorial: Students should be proactive when placed on college waitlists
San Diego Downtown News – Apr 5, 2019
Most four-year-college-bound high school seniors in San Diego have received their admissions decisions and are now in the process of choosing what university to attend.

Admissions Process & Strategy

What the Data Say About Choosing a College
TeenLife Blog – Apr 5, 2019
It’s a bewildering place, the world of college admissions. Students don’t know where to apply, or they pin their hopes on one or two “reach” schools that stand a good chance of letting them down.

For Some Students, There’s A New Way To Pay For College
NPR.org – Apr 4, 2019 (LISTEN)

For some students, there’s a new way to pay for college. It’s not alone. It’s not a grant or a scholarship. As Jacob Goldstein from our Planet Money podcast reports, it’s a bit like students are selling stock in themselves. 

Career & Technical Education

CTE high schools help prep students for in-demand jobs — but are they too selective?
Education Dive – Apr 5, 2019
As New Jersey joins the list of states with skilled labor shortages, its 66 county-run vocational high schools use a combination of academics and work-based training to help prepare students for college and careers, 

Should Teachers and Parents Take the CTE Boom Seriously?
Education Week – Apr 8, 2019
Education is in the midst of one of its periodic swings. Testing, teacher evaluation, and accountability are out of favor, while early childhood education, social and emotional learning, and career and technical education 

Career fair focuses on jobs outside college paths
Journal Inquirer- Apr 8, 2019
MANCHESTER — With a focus on students who aren’t committed to a four-year college, the second annual Career and Education Opportunity Fair

Financial Aid/Scholarships

Confused By Your College Financial Aid Letter? You’re Not Alone
NPR.org  – Apr 10, 2019  (LISTEN)
This time last year, McKenna Hensley had a big question on her mind: Where would she go to college? The answer — sort of — was somewhere in her pile of 10 financial aid offers.

How to Write a Financial Aid Appeal Letter
US News & World Report – Apr 10, 2019
SUCCESSFUL FINANCIAL aid appeals are rare, experts say. But crafting a good financial aid appeal letter can give students the best chance of getting more money for college.

How middle-class families could get more financial aid for college
Washington Post-Apr 4, 2019
There’s a lot of attention on uber-wealthy families who allegedly bribed their children’s way into expensive colleges that they could easily afford — even after six-figure payoffs

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Inside The Admissions Office

Owning Your Campus Visit
Georgia Tech Admission Blog
Apr 2, 2019

I had the opportunity to visit Munich, Germany last week. It was a beautiful town. Rich history, amazingly friendly people, and extremely walk-able.In advance of my trip I got lots of recommendations from friends and colleagues who had visited before.

It’s Going to be Okay
Tulane University Admissions Blog
Mar 28, 2019

Now that final admission decisions across America have started to go out, I wanted to post this very important message to every single high school senior around the world right now who did not get good news from their top choice school…

Teen Health

Number of children going to ER with suicidal thoughts, attempts doubles, study finds
CNN – Apr 8, 2019
The number of children and teens in the United States who visited emergency rooms for suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts doubled between 2007 and 2015.

Maybe your teen’s Snapchat obsession isn’t so harmful after all
MarketWatch-Apr 6, 2019
Screen time has ‘little impact on teen well-being,’ an Oxford study shows, but parents and health experts are still concerned

SAT, ACT & AP

Five Tips For Conquering the ACT Science Section
TeenLife Blog – Apr 9, 2019
The ACT has a science section. It’s a simple fact that many high school students find puzzling and even daunting. While the SAT sticks to math, reading, and writing, the ACT adds an additional challenge 

Nationwide College Fraud Scandal Renews Debate Over Making The SAT An Optional Test
CBS New York-Apr 5, 2019
GLEN HEAD, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) – The college admissions scandal that is sweeping the nation has renewed a heated discussion over the SAT and ACT tests.

Disabilities

Students with disabilities prepare for life after high school graduation
WJHL-TV News Channel – Apr 10, 2019
KINGSPORT, Tenn.(WJHL) – It wasn’t that long ago that high school graduation meant the end of many opportunities for students with disabilities