High School Counselor Week

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

 

December 12, 2019

Big Picture

A challenge that has students lobbing footballs into trashcans for $100K in tuition highlights the dark depths of the student debt crisis
Insider – December 8, 2019
Though Dr Pepper is awarding a total of $1 million in this year’s giveaway, many social media users are unhappy about the nature of the contest, saying it makes light of issues of student debt in the US.

Betsy DeVos: Here’s My New Plan For Your Student Loans
Forbes – December 4, 2019
DeVos unveiled a groundbreaking ‘proposal’ that eventually could get the Education Department out of the student lending business.

Half of Public University Students Drop Out. It’s Not (Just) Because of Costs
Detroit Today (LISTEN) – December 4, 2019
Detroit Today host Stephen Henderson looks at a lesser-known problem in the world of college academia, and that is the number of students who drop out and never graduate. With David Kirp, author of ‘The College Dropout Scandal’

University of Phoenix Cancels $141 Million in Debt for ‘Deceptive’ Ads
New York Times – December 10, 2019
One of the nation’s largest for-profit college chains, agreed to a $191 million settlement on Tuesday with the Federal Trade Commission, which said the school had lured in students with fraudulent claims about partnerships with major companies that one of the chain’s own executives had described as ‘smoke and mirrors.’

Columns and Blogs

Why This Year’s College Decisions Are Different
Post – December 11, 2019
Counselors’ Corner with Patrick O’Connor Ph.D

Interpreting the new PSAT scores
Tribune News Service – December 11, 2019
College Admissions Strategies with Lee Bierer 

15 creative ways teen entrepreneurs can serve their communities
Post – December 4, 2019
The Explorations Blog with Nancy Griesemer

Counselors

The Counselor Bias: Recognizing Privilege and Biases in College Counseling
ACCIS AdmitAll Blog – December 11, 2019
The following are selections from some of the biggest challenges and successes that we experienced while building cross-cultural relationships with students.

In US schools, resource officers woven into daily life
Star Tribune (MN) – December 8, 2019
Critics in some communities also have argued the funding would be better spent on mental health programming and school counselors.

Virtual Advising Alone Insufficient to Make a Difference in College Admission
Campus Technology – December 9, 2019
Virtual advising may work for some prospective college students, but targeting who it can benefit is difficult. According to the research, many students probably need in-person and more intensive help…

Parents

Here’s How to Support Your Teen Through College Applications, According to a Student
Yahoo! Lifestyle – December 5, 2019
It can be hard to identify what exactly makes the experience so tense. But as a young adult who can evaluate this process in hindsight, the stressors are simple and it starts with this major one:

Is College Tuition Tax Deductible?
Smart Asset – December 9, 2019
There’s not much you can do about rising college costs, but there are a few tax breaks you can use to help offset the cost of college.

Stop Trying to Raise Successful Kids
The Atlantic – December 1, 2019
And start raising kind ones. Quite a bit of evidence suggests that children who help others end up achieving more than those who don’t.

Admissions Process & Strategy

Holiday cheer may be in the air but juniors and seniors should be focusing on these five things
Newport RI.com – December 7, 2019
As the holiday season begins, the college application process continues. While you are baking cookies and doing some online shopping, don’t forget to make sure you create a college checklist for the last month of 2019, especially with the senior regular application deadlines approaching on or after the New Year.

How an IB education can give your college-bound student an edge
WRAL (NC) – December 6, 2019
Part of the reason IB students are accepted at a higher rate than traditional students is the fact the program prepares students for the workload they will be receiving in college.

When Choosing a School, Listen to Your Heart
River Journal (NY) – December 8, 2019
Ultimately, deciding on a college and path of study is the first real big decision you will make as a young adult. Yes, it’s a big decision, but it’s not the end of the world if you make a wrong decision and choose something that ends up being a bad fit. Just try another path.

Career & Technical Education

Beyond Bootcamps: How Employers Can Help Nontraditional Learners Succeed
EdSurge – December 4, 2019
In the last six years the number of students graduating from coding bootcamps has reportedly increased 11-fold. But increasingly, bootcamps are discovering that it takes more than new financing options, job promises and teaching hard technical skills to enable graduates to succeed.

IT apprenticeships: Best practices for onboarding overlooked talent
CIO Daily – December 4, 2019
IT leaders share their experiences and tips for launching apprenticeship programs that successfully bridge the IT skills gap.

Mentor High School students learn hands-on skills in unique technical education program
News 5 Cleveland – December 5, 2019
A Lake County house is getting a makeover, but the workers may not be who you’d expect. They’re students going outside of the classroom for hands-on training that offers them so much more. ‘This is me, this is what I want to do,’ said senior Justin Satterfield

Financial Aid/Scholarships

12 Things to Know About Merit Aid Scholarships
Yahoo! Finance – December 9, 2019
This type of aid is not awarded based on need, but on academic, athletic, artistic or special-interest merit. Here are 12 things to know…

FAFSA: Ask any college student. The federal student aid application is needlessly complex.
USA Today – December 5, 2019
As the student loan crisis rages on, billions in financial aid is being left on the table, because the process to apply for it is too complicated.

No College Savings? 5 Things You Can Do
The Motley Fool – December 7, 2019
The reality is that you can still get a college education even if your parents haven’t socked away a dime for it.

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Inside The Admissions Office

What’s the Deal with Demonstrated Interest?
Tufts Undergraduate Admissions
December 5, 2019

I first heard the phrase ‘demonstrated interest’ when I was well into my 20s and just beginning my admissions career. As a senior in high school…

You Received Your College Acceptance Letter: Now What?
Azusa Pacific University Admissions
December 10, 2019

The day has finally come—you received your first college acceptance letter. Congratulations! So what’s next? Call the school and say ‘YES!’? Tell your grandparents the good news? Shout it from the rooftops…

Disabilities

Harvard Ramping Up Captioning Efforts with NAD Settlement
Campus Technology – December 4, 2019
After four years of fighting in court, Harvard University and the National Association of the Deaf have come to agreement on captioning of videos and online broadcasts — a decision that could have ramifications for all colleges and universities producing and publishing video and audio content.

We need another kind of college diversity: Misunderstanding the needs of students on the spectrum, schools miss bright applicants
New York Daily News – December 9, 2019
Many institutions of higher education are unwittingly failing people during the admissions process when it comes to considering neurodiversity. This includes people on the autism spectrum as well as those with dyslexia or ADHD.

SAT, ACT & AP

3 Things to Know About PSAT Score Reports
U.S. News & World Report – December 9, 2019
The key facts about ACT and SAT score reports have been discussed at great length, yet equally important, is how to interpret their PSAT score report.

Lawsuit Claims SAT And ACT Are Biased—Here’s What Research Says
Forbes – December 11, 2019
New lawsuits are demanding that the UC system eliminate the requirement that students take the SAT or ACT to be considered for admission. There is ample research to support their case.

Technology & Tools

How This Platform Helps High School Athletes And Parents Understand College Athletics Recruiting
Forbes – December 9, 2019
LRT Sports is providing a platform for college student-athletes to rate their coaches and college recruits to rate their scouting experience. It also provides all the information about the recruiting process, policies and checklists needed before committing to a particular school, including scholarship opportunities.

Meet Aidan, the U.S. Education Department’s Financial Aid Chatbot
EdSurge – December 4, 2019
The tool, represented by a little owl, will be able to help answer more 800 frequently asked questions about federal student aid. Aidan will launch in beta on Dec. 22 to a limited number…

New Website Connects Students To College Alternative Courses
Parentology – December 9, 2019
Currently boasting 20,000 courses taught by 2,300 different organizations, the Alternatives to College site provides access to training in a variety of fields. Its goal is to help people avoid a costly college investment that isn’t guaranteed to benefit them.