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This weekly email searches main media outlets finding stories that may be of interest to high school counselors, college admission officers and related organizations, with links to the original stories. It is published by de facto, inc., publishers of other e-newsletters.
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New Stuff and Sponsor Blog

A Unique Educational Experience for You and Your Students
Post - Feb 1, 2012
Project Innovation: The Start Here Go Places. Competition of Creative Excellence – Deadline approaching - February 6th...
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College Big Picture

Obama 'Putting Colleges On Notice' On High Tuition
NPR.org  - Jan 27, 2012
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — President Barack Obama fired a warning at the nation's colleges and universities on Friday, threatening to strip their federal aid if they "jack up tuition" every year and to give the money instead to schools showing restraint and value....
Cash-Strapped States Cut College Financial Aid
Wall Street Journal  - Jan 29, 2012
At least six states, including Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee, now have "until funds depleted" policies on grants, meaning late filers risk getting nothing. Other states are shrinking the application window...
Is college not for poor kids?
Washington Post  - Jan 29, 2012
A few weeks ago, my colleague Paul Schwartzman introduced readers to a group of Prince George’s County residents known as “the Seat Pleasant 59.” They were promised in 1988, when they were in elementary school....
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Rankings Scandal

Claremont McKenna College under fire for SAT cheating scandal
Los Angeles Times  - Feb 1, 2012
Claremont McKenna College under fire for SAT cheating scandal..
SAT score scandal raises concerns over rankings
CBS News  - Feb 1, 2012
(CBS News) A top college in California has admitted to sending exaggerated SAT scores to college-ranking services. The scandal is raising serious questions about how much we can trust those rankings, which are extremely important for schools and many students...
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College Admissions Process/Strategies

5 Tips to Organize Your College Search
US News & World Report  - Jan 31, 2012
There are no shortage of places to gather information about colleges. But what do you do with the information once you have it?....
For ambitious students, giving it the old college try is getting more cutthroat
NOLA.com  - Jan 31, 2012
The college admissions process has morphed into a focused fight to prove individual exceptionalism and convey unparalleled drive. And it may only get more intense. Colleges nationwide have seen swelling numbers of early applicants this year....
What's Better? A 'B' in a Tough Course or an 'A' in an Easy One?
About.com  - Jan 30, 2012
The question of whether it's better to get high grades or take challenging courses often comes up as high school students choose their classes and plan for college....
Don’t Blame Yourself: Advice for Getting Through an Early Decision Rejection
VOA  - Jan 27, 2012
You’ve toiled very hard for this. I know you have. Some of you may have been planning out your college applications since the early years in high school, while others worked late nights to get things done at the last moment.....
On College: Planning for the summer can help with college admissions
San Jose Mercury News  - Jan 31, 2012
Q: My son is going into his junior year. We are trying to come up with some ideas of what he could do this summer. Where do we start? A: It's great that you are thinking about your son's summer now. In terms of college admissions....
Going the Distance! Should students stay in state for college?
Houston College Admissions Examiner  - Jan 31, 2012
Some students wish to go far, far away for college. They crave that independence, the freedom to not be checked on, and the desire to become an adult on their own terms....
Fresh perspectives on college admission counseling foster student independence and individual goals
Pomerado Newspaper  - Jan 30, 2012
With the New Year comes the anticipation of a changing of the guard for many high school juniors: and as the seniors gear up for graduation, the juniors begin the arduous yet exciting process of planning for college application ....
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Waiting

When Getting That ‘A’ Is No Longer a Must
New York Times - The Choice  - Feb 1, 2012
Although the waiting game has become one of the most stressful times for many seniors, it shouldn’t be that way. I’ve realized that except for first-semester grades, getting into college is relatively out of our hands. Applications have been submitted and interviews have been conducted, for the most part....
Deferred students lobby for admission
Washington Post  - Feb 1, 2012
The boom in the number of students applying to college through early decision or early action programs in recent years has resulted in more students asking questions like: What happens when you get deferred?...
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Essays

The Common Application announces 2012-13 essay topics
DC College Admissions Examiner  - Jan 28, 2012
In case you’re sitting on the edge of your seat waiting for notification of next year’s essay topics for Common Application member colleges and universities, I have great news—the topics will remain the same as they have been for the past several years....
When college applicants plagiarize, Turnitin can spot them
Los Angeles Times  - Jan 29, 2012
The student's admissions essay for Boston University's MBA program was about persevering in the business world. "I have worked for organizations in which the culture has been open and nurturing, ...
Admissions 101: Checking admissions essays for plagiarism
Washington Post  - Jan 31, 2012
arry Gordon had an intriguing story in the Los Angeles Times about universities expanding the use of the Turnitin.com plagiarism check in vetting admissions essays,...

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SATs & ACTs

Develop your testing strategy
Charlotte Observer  - Jan 31, 2012
Last week I wrote about the practice tests (PSAT and The PLAN) many students take before taking the SAT or the ACT and how to interpret the scores. If you are one of the lucky ones whose school district administers either or both the SAT or the ACT, you need to compare the scores.....
College Admissions: SAT Myths Busted
GoLocalProv  - Jan 30, 2012
For high school juniors, SAT time has arrived. Many are beginning test prep courses and going online to register for winter and spring test dates. The SAT has undergone some significant changes over the last 5 years...
What the Monster Wrote: How Will the College Board Grade a Well-Written Endorsement of Evil?
Huffington Post  - Jan 31, 2012
I wrote the following after I pretended to be a teenager and took the SAT. My experiment was to write an essay endorsing evil and see how it got scored. The result was written up by the New York Times...
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Counselors

HSCW Counselors' Corners
Post - Feb 2, 2012
The Column to Send out Anonymously to All Your Parents
February 6-10 is National School Counseling Week, and before you go rushing down to the mall to find the perfect card, let me save you the trip ... More

School counselors offer valuable service
Jacksonville Daily News - Jan 26, 2012
School counselors need to be recognized and thanked for their hard work and dedication. These professionals are often overlooked concerning the tremendous impact they make on the lives of students....
College Counseling Could Be Better: Just Ask Your School Counselor
Chronicle of Highr Ed  - Jan 30, 2012
The recent wave of college admissions decisions shows more high school seniors applying to more colleges than ever before. This puts top-tier colleges in the position of rejecting more applicants than ever before,....
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Financial Aid/FAFSA

College Aid Advice From Ivy League Aid Director
Forbes  - Jan 30, 2012
Want a rare look behind the scenes of the financial aid office at a top university to hear how it’s done, how they calculate your aid eligibility, look at your finances on using the FAFSA and CSS Profile, listen to unusual circumstances ....
Don’t Fall for These 4 Financial Aid Myths
The College Solution Blog  - Jan 30, 2012
Many of the biggest misconceptions that people have about the college process revolve around financial aid. Now that we’re in the midst of financial aid season, I wanted to share four financial aid myths that are probably the most common....
Applying for Financial Aid? Do Your Homework
Huffington Post  - Jan 31, 2012
It's no surprise that financial aid is a big part of a student's decision to go back to school and get a degree or job training -- in this economy, help to pay for school is needed now more than ever ....
Completing the FAFSA form just got a lot easier
CBS News MoneyWatch  - Jan 30, 2012
If you have ever filled out the FAFSA form, you can appreciate how complicated it can be. Millions of American parents have wrestled with this federal financial aid form and many of them have made mistakes. ....
Experts Advise Doing FAFSA Forms Early for Best Chance of Aid
Education Week  - Jan 30, 2012
Although families could start filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on Jan. 1, many put it off. However, with dwindling financial-aid dollars, some institutions and states are doling out awards on a first-come, first-serve basis until funds are depleted....

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Scholarships

What Are the Most Common Scholarship Scams?
US News & World Report - UNIGO  - Feb 1, 2012
As one college counselor put it, "I actually hate this question because I want to believe that good people are doing good work…" However, the sad reality is that college scholarship scams are real...
Scholarships That Help Students Who Have Lost a Parent
US News & World Report  - Jan 26, 2012
The death of a parent is an extremely difficult burden for any student to bear, especially in the context of growing up and preparing for college. .
5 Surefire ways to NOT win a college scholarship
Grand Rapids Community Colleges Examiner  - Jan 28, 2012
30 seconds. That’s all it takes for most college scholarship applications to get skimmed by the judges and thrown into the reject pile. Unfair? Maybe, but with hundreds, and more often, thousands of application packets to read through in order to find a winner or two .
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Parents

Vassar un-accepts students and parents overreact
Washington Post  - Jan 31, 2012
Dozens of high school seniors got a rude awakening to adult life late last week. They opened electronic early-acceptance letters from their top college choice. They celebrated, spread the news,...
Parents help guide children through college athletic recruitment
Post & Courier  - Jan 29, 2012
Stembridge was on the Notre Dame campus in South Bend, Ind. She was with her son, Chris Brown, a standout receiver for Hanahan High School who committed on a previous recruiting trip to play football for the Fighting Irish...
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International

An Indian Student’s Guide to the SAT and ACT Admissions Exams
New York Times - India Ink  - Jan 25, 2012
Standardized tests are important when applying to American colleges and universities, but do not play the same decisive role in admission as they do in India....
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South

Educators criticize latest Florida school rankings
Orlando Sentinel  - Jan 30, 2012
Florida's more than 3,000 public schools have been ranked from best to worst in a new database released this morning by the state.....
Lawmakers in Florida, Georgia Debate Bills on Undocumented Students
Inside Higher Ed  - Feb 1, 2012
Legislators in Florida and Georgia are having contentious debates this week about undocumented students and public higher education. In Georgia, lawmakers are debating legislation that would bar from public higher education ...
Virginia High Schools Join in Safe-Driving Campaign
Insurance Journal  - Feb 1, 2012
Nearly three dozen Virginia high schools are participating in a safe driving campaign starting this week....
Breaking Down Barriers to High Quality Education in Georgia
Gwinnett Gazette  - Feb 1, 2012
According to Complete College America, an organization funded by the Gates Foundation, of 100 Georgia ninth graders entering the ninth grade, 54 graduate. Twenty-seven go to our University System. Fourteen come back their sophomore year and six graduate....

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High School Dropouts

In School Until Age 18
WBUR - OnPoint  - Jan 31, 2012
In 1970, the United States had the world’s highest high school graduation rate. Today, we’re number 21. That is not a good ranking ..
The True Cost of High School Dropouts
New York Times  - Jan 26, 2012
ONLY 21 states require students to attend high school until they graduate or turn 18. The proposal President Obama announced on Tuesday night in his State of the Union address ..
 
 

Contents

Big Pic
Scandal
Proces/Strat
Waiting
Essays
SATs & ACTs
Counsel
FAFSA
Scholar
Parents
International
South
Dropout

Sponsors

Randolph
WIT
CPA
philographica

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