High School Counselor Week

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

 

February 13, 2020

Big Picture

Poaching Enrolled Students: Once Taboo, Now OK
The Chronicle of Higher Education – February 5, 2020
If you’re already feeling jittery about enrollment trends, please put down that coffee before reading any further. The rules of competition are changing.

Harvard, Yale Under U.S. Investigation Over Foreign Funding
Bloomberg Markets – February 12, 2020
Harvard and Yale universities are under investigation by the U.S. Education Department for potentially failing to report gifts and contributions they received from countries including China and Saudi Arabia.

‘Employer U’ Is Here, And It’s Here To Stay
Forbes – February 7, 2020
New models of higher ed and employer partnerships will bring us a dynamic new ‘Employer U’ era.

Trump Admin. Unveils School Safety ‘Clearinghouse.’ Here’s What You Need to Know
EdWeek – February 12, 2020
A joint effort of the U.S. departments of Education, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, and Justice, the website—https://www.schoolsafety.gov—went live Monday as several parents…

Columns and Blogs

Recipe for a Counseling Disaster
Post – February 12, 2020
Counselors’ Corner with Patrick O’Connor Ph.D

Making a good first impression in the interview
Tribune News Service – February 12, 2020
College Admissions Strategies with Lee Bierer 

Common App essay prompts remain the same for 2020-2021
Post – February 12, 2020
The Explorations Blog with Nancy Griesemer

Counselors

How some California school districts invest in counseling – and achieve results
EdSource – February 10, 2020
Investing in counseling can raise graduation and college-going rates, schools find

Op-Ed: The Necessity Of College Counseling Training
NACAC Admitted Blog – February 6, 2020
I was in over my head. I was a new school counselor for a high school’s inaugural senior class. From my first day…

OPINION: At-risk youth aren’t the problem — but they can be part of the counseling solution
The Hechinger Report – February 11, 2020
What peer-to-peer college guidance is getting right

Why are Washington’s school counselors monitoring recess?
Seattle Times – February 6, 2020
Lawmakers are considering a bill that would tighten the definition of a school counselor’s duties. The measure is designed to maximize the amount of time these largely master degree-level staff spend counseling kids, and keep schools from treating counselors as generalists who fill any vacant role.

Parents

Colleges enlist anti-dropout agents: Mom and Dad
EdSource – February 3, 2020
It wasn’t a weekend music concert or sports event that brought Vilma and David Martinez to the Cal State Los Angeles campus on a recent Saturday morning. Instead, they came to hear counselors and faculty suggest ways to encourage their son’s success at a university where only about half of incoming freshmen finish within six years.

Helping vs. Helicoptering: Parents And The College Admissions Process
Road2College – February 6, 2020
Here is some parent-sourced advice on when parents should offer help, how to provide it, and what kinds of help cross the line into too much help.

Admissions Process & Strategy

College Admission Fake News
Forbes – February 12, 2020
It is impossible to get into college. At least this was the impression of the high school junior sitting in my school counseling office talking about admission.

Show the Love: 5 ways love can lead to college admissions success
The Oakland Press (MI) – February 10, 2020
Some students think they need to be passionate about the ‘right’ things when they apply to college. However, a student will truly stand out by expressing their own unique interests. As a professional college admissions consultant, I advise students to show the love for the things they genuinely care about.

From Jeff Bezos to Mark Cuban: What some of the world’s richest billionaires studied in college
CNBC Make It – February 6, 2020
So if you aspire to be a billionaire one day, does it matter what you study in college? Maybe so…

Career & Technical Education

Microsoft, Twitter and Walmart want to help you get a job in tech — without racking up student loans
CNBC – February 7, 2020
Tech apprenticeships offer a new way for Americans without a college degree or tech background to land a job in the field without going back to school.

Why the Myth of the College-Dropout Billionaire Is So Enticing
Entrepreneur – February 12, 2020
Ivy League dropout successes are, in fact, the vast exception to the rule.

What Minnesota college grads should know about the job search
Star Tribune (MN) – February 11, 2020
Career counselors share their advice for how recent graduates can land their first jobs.

Financial Aid/Scholarships

4 Ways To Get Tricked By A Student Loan Scam
Forbes – February 8, 2020
Want to get tricked by a student loan scam? Do these 4 things…

Financial Aid Options for Incarcerated Individuals
U.S. News & World Report – February 7, 2020
College financial aid for people in prison and their children comes from a breadth of sources.

Here’s how to break down your college financial aid award letter
CNBC – February 12, 2020
Before deciding on a college for next year, families should look at what kind of aid is being offered and the conditions that apply. What may look like the largest offer might not be the best.

A college president’s advice to students: Don’t borrow to pay tuition
MarketWatch – February 11, 2020
A reality check from the president of a 10,000-student university near Amarillo, Texas

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Inside The Admissions Office

Typ0S, Repeated Words Words, And Other Signs Of Humanity On Your College Application
Georgia Tech Admission Blog
February 7, 2020

That Moment You Find an Error…

Your College Application Checklist: 8 Tips for Success
Azusa Pacific University
February 11, 2020

As a high school senior, applying to colleges is an exciting milestone. You’re planning for your future and envisioning potential career paths. But gathering all your information and filling out those college applications can seem a bit overwhelming. We get it!

Teen Health

Cannabis Use in E-cigarettes Increases Among Teens
Technology Networks – February 6, 2020
A new survey shows that vaping marijuana is rising among teens — and at record rates.

More Evidence Links Social Media Use to Poorer Mental Health in Teens
HealthDay – February 10, 2020
Smartphones, and being on Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok and the like may be taking a big toll on teens’ mental health, a new survey of collected data on the subject shows.

SAT, ACT & AP

California Report Gives Boost to College Admissions Tests, For Now
U.S. News & World Report – February 5, 2020
The findings and recommendations dealt an immediate blow to opponents of admissions policies that require students to submit an SAT or ACT score…but in affirming that position and recommending a slow move away from the current admissions process, the task force also put testing companies on notice: The status quo won’t stand.

College Board: AP participation and performance grow ‘in tandem’
Education Dive – February 6, 2020
But CEO David Coleman said a “real crisis” still exists in expanding access to AP courses in rural schools.

Student Voices

Applying to college in the internet age
The Sopris Sun (CO) – February 5, 2020
The author is a senior at the Colorado Rocky Mountain School
While researching for this column, I’ve talked with dozens of future college students, and far and away the most common impact of the application process that they identify is the impact it’s had on their self-perception.