High School Counselor Week

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

 

September 16, 2021

Big Picture

Are We Asking Schools to Do Too Much?
Education Week – September 14, 2021
We’re asking schools to accomplish more than what their funding allows and their employees to do far more than they’ve been trained to do. And we’ve been doing it for a long time. It’s time to abandon the notion that more money is too much for schools to ask.

Every question from Today’s Coronavirus and the Classroom town hall, answered
Today Show – September 13, 2021
Read all of the questions that parents, teachers and students asked during Today’s town hall with CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky and Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona.

Men are skipping college. Here’s why that trend could have devastating consequences.
USA Today – September 15, 2021
Nearly 60% of students are women while only about 40% are men, an education gap that has been widening for decades.

Columns and Blogs

Why College?
Post – September 15, 2021
Counselors’ Corner with Patrick O’Connor Ph.D.
Is it worth sweating over the college essay?
Tribune News Service – September 15, 2021
College Admissions Strategies with Lee Bierer 

Counselors

Counseling professor helps others emerge from pandemic stress
UTSA Today (University of TX San Antonio) – September 9, 2021
UTSA Today connected with counseling professor Priscilla Prasath recently to discuss the new phenomenon of post-pandemic stress disorder. During the following Q&A, she provides valuable insight about how people can grow beyond this new condition.

Should Students Be Allowed to Miss School for Mental Health Reasons?
The New York Times – September 13, 2021
New laws in several states allow children and adolescents to declare a mental health day. Is this a good trend? Do you wish your school gave you the option?

Districts investing in grief support to help students cope with COVID-19 loss
The Denver Channel – September 13, 2021
Returning to school can come with mixed emotions for students, especially those processing the death of a loved one from the pandemic.

Video

Have a kid in college? Parenting experts share top tips for success
St. Louis Post-Dispatch – September 13, 2021

At the request of parenting expert Tina Payne Bryson, eight of the country’s top parenting authors created a video with tips on how to best support your children as they head off to college. [written summary included]

Parents

College Application Mistakes – What Could Doom Your Child’s Candidacy?
Parentology – August 31, 2021
Rising seniors are learning the ins and outs of college applications, causing a range of emotions—from angst to avoidance. Sure, there’s plenty of time to apply. But it’s never too soon to be aware of the pitfalls in the process, common college application mistakes that your child may make (And you may even contribute to the problem.)

A parent’s guide to helping students pay for college
KMTR Eugene OR – September 14, 2021
As a parent or guardian, set your eyes firmly on the future, and do it sooner rather than later. Your wallet will thank you as you use these seven strategies to navigate the difficult path toward paying (or helping your child pay) for college

Admissions Process & Strategy

Complete List: Colleges With Rolling Admissions
– September 15, 2021
Deadlines are stressful—so why not get rid of them? Well, some colleges do just that. Rather than having a fixed application deadline, these schools open up a period of time for you to submit your application. Rolling admission doesn’t mean you won’t have any timeline, though. This guide…

For Veterans Starting College, ‘Academic Boot Camps’ Ease The Transition To The Classroom
Texas Standard – September 14, 2021
The boot camps, which are for those who don’t already have bachelor’s degrees, are free of charge. About 90 percent of the 1600 transitioning troops and veterans who have attended the camps have graduated or are on track to. 21 colleges and universities so far have hosted the boot camps — including Harvard, Yale, Williams, and Amherst College.

College Rankings

College Raptor College Rankings 2022
CollegeRaptor
College Raptor’s college rankings are based on a huge database of publicly-available data collected from a variety of sources. We aim to have our rankings cover the many aspects of what makes for a great college experience.

Niche 2022 Best Colleges in America
Niche
The Best Colleges ranking is based on rigorous analysis of academic, admissions, financial, and student life data from the U.S. DOE along with millions of reviews from students and alumni. This year’s rankings have reduced the weight of ACT/SAT scores to reflect a general de-emphasis on test scores in the college admissions process.

The Best 387 Colleges: 2022 Edition is here
The Princeton Review
For our 30th edition, we surveyed 154,000 students from across the country and looked back at our ranking lists from the past to find those schools consistently recognized for things like financial aid, career services, and great food.

U.S. News & World Report Unveils the 2022 Best Colleges Rankings
U.S. News & World Report
Now in its 37th year, the rankings evaluate more than 1,400 colleges and universities on up to 17 measures of academic quality. New this year, Best Undergraduate Nursing Programs

Washington Monthly’s 2021 College Guide and Rankings
Washington Monthly (DC)
Welcome to the Washington Monthly’s annual College Guide and Rankings, where we rate schools based on what they do for the country. We also rank Best Bang for the Buck colleges…

World University Rankings 2022
Times Higher Education (THE)
The 2022 rankings include more than 1,600 universities across 99 countries and territories, making them the largest and most diverse to date, measuring an institution’s performance across four areas: teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook

Career & Technical Education

With an Eye Toward the Future, This Program Connects Students to Tech Careers
EdSurge – September 13, 2021
One of the most common concerns in education, especially at the secondary level, is the need to connect students to careers.Some new programs are connecting students directly to employers, industry professionals and career mentors.

Building the Trade Workforce of the Future: Stanley Black & Decker Launches 5-Year, $25 Million Commitment to Train More Than 3 Million Skilled Trade Workers
Yahoo! Finance – September 14, 2021
Due to a lack of skilled trade workers, there are 430,000 open construction jobs in the U.S. alone, and 10 million unfilled manufacturing jobs globally. The pandemic has exacerbated this problem, and the shift to remote and hybrid learning significantly impacted CTE schools and classes, which rely heavily on hands-on learning

When Technical Education Is a Lifeline
EdSurge – September 9, 2021
Sal’s situation is one that many students in the U.S. experience. When a four-year college degree is neither desirable nor realistic, schools need to figure out a new path, which will depend on the student and their interests.

Financial Aid/Scholarships

Do you have to pay back money you get from the FAFSA?
Business Insider – September 14, 2021
You can get various types of aid from the FAFSA, and you’ll know what you qualify for once your school gives you your complete financial aid package. You’ll need to repay some, while you won’t have to pay back others.

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Counselor  Survey

from RNL and HSCM

Survey: Counselor Preferences for College Information
Ruffalo Noel Levitz and High School Counselor Marketing (publisher of HSCW) are surveying high school counselors to understand your preferences for college information. The survey will take 10 minutes to complete. Data will be reported in aggregate, and no respondent will be identified. Aggregate results will be summarized and may be shared with counselors and institutions. This information will not be used for sales purposes, and you will not be contacted about your responses to this survey.

We greatly value your participation and perspectives!

Inside The Admissions Office

How Does the Admission Review Timeline Work?
Georgia Tech Admission Blog – September 10, 2021
Have you ever wondered how the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade works? Or how sneezing works? What about the Manhattan Grid? One of my favorite podcasts has got you covered. Stuff You Should Know indulges your curiosities about the stuff you didn’t know that you didn’t know. But, in over 1600 episodes, it seems there’s one question they still haven’t answered: How does the college admission review timeline really work?

Count Me In — Extracurriculars
Tufts Admissions Blog – September 15, 2021
Any activity done outside of the classroom can be described as extracurricular, but there are some limits on what you should list in this section. Read below to see if it counts!

Coronavirus-Related Resources

Emergency Broadband Benefit
An FCC program to help families and households struggling to afford internet service during the COVID-19 pandemic. Provides a discount of up to $50 per month towards broadband service for eligible households.

ASCA Toolkit: Virtual High School Counseling
American School Counselor Association

College Board Coronavirus Updates
College Board

AP Online Classes and Review Sessions
College Board on YouTube

U.S. DOE: COVID-19 (“Coronavirus”) Information and Resources for Schools and School Personnel
U.S. Department of Education