High School Counselor Week

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

 

January 31, 2019

Big Picture

Colleges have been under pressure to admit needier kids. It’s backfiring
Washington Post – Jan 24, 2019

Pressure has been building on colleges to stop chasing the same small subset of privileged, highly test-prepped applicants and start admitting needier kids

Why Colleges May Be Chasing the Wrong Numbers to Enroll More Low-Income Students
The Chronicle of Higher Education – Jan 25, 2019
A new report by a pair of researchers known for their work on low-income students suggests colleges are thinking about serving that group in the wrong way.

As jobs grow hard to fill, businesses join the drive to push rural residents toward college
Hechinger Report – Jan 28, 2019
When the Chemours chemical plant in New Johnsonville, Tennessee, needed workers to maintain its high-tech machinery, it advertised for them as far as 90 miles away in Nashville in one direction and 150 miles away

Columns and Blogs

Eight Reminders for Your College Applicants
Post – Jan 30, 2019

Counselors’ Corner with Patrick O’Connor Ph.D

What to do if you’re deferred… Part 1
Tribune News Service – Jan 29, 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

The School Counselor Who Encouraged Me To Go To College
Forbes – Jan 28, 2019
When I was a junior, getting ready to start my senior year of high school, I found myself struggling with thoughts in my head telling me I wasn’t good or smart enough for college

The Stories Counselors Hear at Hoover High
Iowa Public Radio – Jan 29, 2019 (LISTEN)
For many of today’s high school students, life is a daily drama filled with plenty of outside-the-classroom distractions. The job of keeping these young people focused on their studies falls often times on the school counselors.

School counselors can prevent violence, but there’s not enough of them
13newsnow.com WVEC – Jan 24, 2019
NORFOLK, Va. — School shootings have become almost routine in our country. After each one, there is sadness, outrage and the question of how do we…

Parents

Dear Admission Dean: What Parents Can Learn From Their College Applicant
Forbes – Jan 30, 2019
Everyone has heard that “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” What fatherhood has taught me, however, is that “the tree doesn’t grow far from the apple.” In other words, the lessons I have learned from my two children

It’s a…freshman! College reveals are a new trend for parents, teens
NBC News Today Show – Jan 29, 2019
Forget pink or blue. High school seniors and their parents are throwing a different kind of reveal party!

Apps you’ve never heard of that your teen is already using
CNN – Jan 25, 2019
It’s a new year, and that means new apps on your tweens’ and teens’ phones. While the old standbys like Snapchat and Instagram are still going strong, 

More Parents Are Putting Limits on College Help
NerdWallet – Jan 17, 2019
A growing number want their kids to help pay and fewer are willing to sacrifice their retirement funds. That’s a good thing.

Video

Last school year, 4 million students were on lockdown
PBS Newshour – Jan 27, 2019
During the last school year, more than 4 million students participated in at least one lockdown, most often in response to a perceived gun or violent threat, a Washington Post report found.

Admissions Process & Strategy

Colleges for the “B” Student
TeenLife – Jan 29, 2019
Listening to the mainstream media, one might conclude that getting into college has never been a more competitive or harrowing venture

Colleges Mine Data on Their Applicants
Wall Street Journal- Jan 27, 2019
To determine ‘demonstrated interest,’ some schools are tracking how quickly prospective students open email and whether they click links

A Letter To College Applicants
Forbes – Jan 24, 2019
It is easy for college applicants and their parents to get caught up in the fear, frustration, and frenzy of the admission experience.

The Mistakes That Will Ruin Your College Audition + What to Do Instead
Backstage – Jan 29, 2019
Let’s be frank: The college audition process is stressful. … you never know when you may receive a pre-screen or college admissions decision from another

College corner: Does it matter if classes are taught by TAs?
Davis Enterprise-Jan 24, 2019
What do Purdue University, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and University of Kansas…

Career & Technical Education

New-Collar Workers- Who Are They And How Are They Contributing To Our Labor Shortage?
Forbes – Jan 24, 2019
Artificial Intelligence is changing jobs today and creating an increasing demand of skilled workers. The US Department of Labor is predicting a shortfall of over 2 million skilled workers by 2020

‘Not your grandfather’s BOCES’: Vocational training returns with a different look
Buffalo News – Jan 27, 2019
A vocational education is in vogue again. Only now it’s called “career and technical education” — CTE, for short — and it looks a lot different than what you, your father or your grandfather might remember from high school. 

Financial Aid/Scholarships

The top 10 colleges for financial aid
CNBC – Jan 29, 2019
When it comes to college affordability, most families are wary of pricey private …. to Adam Sapp, Pomona’s senior associate dean and director of admissions.

How To Appeal Your Financial Aid Offer And Get More Money: A Step-By-Step Guide
Forbes – Jan 27, 2019
If you are afraid you have to give up your dream school because the financial aid offer wasn’t enough, you shouldn’t give up just yet.

What International Students Should Know About the FAFSA
WTOP – Jan 29, 2019
While the FAFSA is the standard financial aid application used by U.S. colleges and universities, schools may have varying requirements and forms to computer

Tips on how to land a scholarship for college
The Philadelphia Tribune- Jan 29, 2019
1. Visit scholarship databases You could Google until your fingers go numb and still not uncover a fraction of the legitimate scholarship opportunities that have been pre-screened and neatly packed into the following easy-to-navigate databases:

Subscribe to our Weekly Emails

Teen Health

Vaping among teens, kids “threatens five decades of public health gains,” experts say
CBS News – Jan 28, 2019
The American Academy of Pediatrics called Monday for a major new effort to discourage children and teenagers from using e-cigarettes. 

Many Parents Conflicted About Opioids for Their Teens’ Pain
U.S. News & World Report-  Jan 27, 2019
Many Parents Conflicted About Opioids for Their Teens’ Pain … collection center at a local police station or drug disposal program at a pharmacy or health clinic

Health Tip: Prepare Teens to Make Medical Decisions
U.S. News & World Report-  Jan 28, 2019
(HealthDay News) — As your child ages, he or she should play a greater role in getting medical care, the American Academy of Family Physicians says. 

SAT, ACT & AP

How to Read Your ACT Score Report
U.S. News & World Report (blog) -Jan 28, 2019
Both the ACT and the SAT are accepted by college admissions committees, and both are extremely popular among college applicants. However, while the SAT is often the favored assessment of the coastal United States

When Should you Take the SAT?
TAPinto.net – Jan 26, 2019
Wondering when to take the SAT? Not sure where it fits in during your high school career so you will be ready in time for college admissions? Check out these guidelines, and then contact us if you have more questions.

Disabilities

I couldn’t have gone to university without support for my disability
The Guardian – Jan 23, 2019
I couldn’t have gone to university without support for my disability … Many expect their college to have passed on information about their condition to their…

Gap Year

Why A Gap Year is Important Before College
TeenLife Blog – Jan 29, 2019
Do you yearn to be in the real world and discover life beyond a classroom? Consider a gap year before college. Whether you spend it volunteering, traveling, interning, or working, a gap year is the kind of experiential learning…

30 unique ways to spend a gap year before college
Twin Falls Times-News – Jan 26, 2019
If you’re searching for a gap year program, this comprehensive list of the 30 best ways to spend a gap year before college will help you narrow it down.