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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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College Big Picture

College Branding: The Tipping Point
Forbes  - Feb 5, 2013
There are nearly 4,000 colleges and universities in the United States. Somehow, almost all of these institutions have continued to attract enough students to stay in business year after year....
Best Value Colleges strive to cut tuition sticker shock
USA Today  - Feb 5, 2013
Their tuition sticker prices may look daunting, but many of the nation's most selective colleges and universities are producing graduates with student loan debt below national averages,...
Why smart, low-income students aren't applying to elite colleges
Minnesota Public Radio  - Feb 4, 2013
Why aren't high-achieving, low-income students going to elite colleges and universities? Turns out, they're not applying....
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College Admissions Process/Strategies

Should Affordability Be the First Question for College-Bound Students?
Ed Week  - Feb 1, 2013
The whole college search process is backwards, according to high school counselor Frank Palmasani. Most students start by visiting colleges first to figure out the best academic and social fit...
College Admissions: High School Classes Colleges Look For
GoLocalProv College Admissions  - Feb 4, 2013
At most schools, course selection for next year is around the corner--leaving many families wondering what the best choices are for college-bound students. How many years of a lab science or language are really necessary? What is the right balance of honors and AP courses? ...
Do you need help finding college that’s a good fit? (Video)
DC College Admissions Examiner  - Feb 5, 2013
If you're like most students, the answer to that question is probably "yes". The simple reason is that finding a college that's a good fit for you isn't always easy. ....
What to do if you’re not a straight A student
Charlotte Observer  - Feb 5, 2013
The frenzy of college admissions is a regular headline grabber. Increasingly lower acceptance rates – last year Harvard accepted 5.9 percent, rejecting 94.1 percent of the applicants – have encouraged students to apply to more and more colleges, feeding the frenzy even further...
February College Checklist for Juniors
New York Times - The Choice - Feb 5, 2013
You’ve made it to the critical midwinter transition in your college search, a time when academic and personal maturity has set you up to dig into research and self-assessment in earnest....
Juniors: Plan Your Senior-Year Coursework
True Admissions Blog - Feb 6, 2013
Meet with your counselor to plan your senior-year coursework. A fourth year of math and a laboratory science as well as a fourth year of science are highly recommended.....
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High School Seniors

College: How To Do More Than Just 'Get By'
NPR.org - Feb 5, 2013
Many of the college students who have returned to campus for another semester will struggle to pass their classes and graduate. To find out how students can get on the path to success, host Michel Martin talks with Melvina Noel, author of How to Thrive in College....
February College Checklist for Seniors
New York Times - The Choice - Feb 4, 2013
By now you’re either in or you’re waiting. If you’ve been admitted already, congratulations! Make sure that if you were admitted under an early decision plan, you have sent your deposit to secure your spot and notified the other colleges to which you have applied to withdraw your applications.....
Seniors: Following Up with the Colleges
True Admissions Blog - Jan 30, 2013
Follow up with each college to which you have applied to make sure all forms and documents have been received. Many colleges have status pages available online. If you can’t check online, send an email or place a phone call to the admission office....
College rejection not the end of the world
PhillyBurbs  - Feb 7, 2013
If you’re a high school senior like me, you’re approaching a very exciting time in your life. Maybe you’re already accepted into a college, or maybe you’re anxiously awaiting your decision. .....
10 Tips for Women Starting Their College Careers
Huffington Post  - Feb 5, 2013
The summer after I turned 18, I packed up my teenage life and loaded it into my dad's car. I was moving to Cincinnati, five hours away, to live in a tiny dorm room with someone I'd never met....
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Campus Visits

Admissions 101: Learning from your campus tour mistakes
Washington Post  - Feb 2, 2013
My daughter’s return to college this week happened to coincide with my son’s receipt of that initial influx of e mails from colleges looking to be noticed by prospective students. “We invite you,” one typical message says, “to continue your commitment to learning by exploring our rich academic community.”...
Make your campus visit effective
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution - Jan 31, 2013
With the abundance of information, photos, virtual tours and live chats available on college websites, how important are campus visits these days? “You can’t overstress the importance,” said Chuck Byrd, senior counselor and director of admissions at St. Pius X High School in Atlanta....
No Plans for the Break? Visit Colleges
Huffington Post - Feb 1, 2013
February is almost here and most high schools have a break coming up in February. This break is a great time for juniors to begin the process of narrowing down their college choices by visiting the colleges they are considering....
10 Ways to Visit Colleges That You Can't Visit
San Ramos Express - Feb 5, 2013
Although colleges expect students living within a reasonable distance of their campuses to make an effort to visit, it may not always be possible to tour all the colleges on your list. If that's the case, here are great alternatives to the in-person tour:...
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Essays

Common Application's New Essay Prompts
Inside Higher Ed  - Feb 5, 2013
The Common Application has released its new essay prompts -- which have been the subject of some concern because of the elimination of a "free choice" essay topic and the announcement that the length limit would be strictly enforced. ....
4 Ways to Make Your Scholarship Essay Stand Out
US News & World Report  - Jan 31, 2013
It's not easy to separate your scholarship application from the crowd. After all, even if you fit the criteria to a "T," you're still likely to be one of a number of applicants with similar grades, goals, activities, and aspirations.. ....

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SATs & ACTs

SAT Tip: How Do the SAT and ACT Tests Differ?
BusinessWeek  - Feb 6, 2013
If you’re in your sophomore year of high school, it’s important to start getting serious about your college applications. For most, this means taking a standardized test such as the SAT or ACT. Confused between the two tests? Not sure which one to take? Let’s see how they size up......
Timing Tips for the ACT and SAT
New York Times - The Choice  - Feb 6, 2013
What’s the best way to ensure you have enough time on the SAT and ACT? In the latest edition of Education Life, The Times’s quarterly supplement on higher education, John Saavedra Jr.....
3 important things parents should know about the PSAT
NBC Latino  - Feb 6, 2013
Some parents of high school 11th graders (some school districts offer it in both 10th and 11th grade) might not even be aware their children took the PSAT standardized tests in the fall and got results in December.....
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Rankings

2013 Princeton Review 150 Best Value Colleges
USA Today  - Feb 5, 2013
Their tuition sticker prices may look daunting, but many of the nation's most selective colleges and universities are producing graduates with student loan debt below national averages, according to affordability data from The Princeton Review released today.....
Can College Rankings Giant Keep Schools from Cheating?
The College Solution Blog - Feb 6, 2013
The steady trickle of colleges and universities that have admitted to fudging the figures that they send to U.S. News & World Report could end up changing the college rankings submission rules......
Peace Corps releases 2013 ranking of colleges that produce the most volunteers
Washington Post  - Feb 5, 2013
Yes, yes, the college ranking craze has hit even the public service sector. Today, the Peace Corps plans to publicly release its latest ranking of colleges and universities that produced the most volunteers during their last fiscal year, as self-reported by the volunteers.....
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Counselors

HSCW Counselors' Corners
Post - Feb 6, 2013
Common Application Changes You Need to Know
School counselors received an early but welcome present for National School Counseling Week when Common Application released their essay topics for next year. ... More

Commentary: High school counselor Robert Bardwell says speed, compromise needed to address gun violence in wake of the Newtown shootings
The Republican - Feb 5, 2013
It’s not often that I write back-to-back columns on the same topic, but the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting and the gun-control-related aftermath is such a hot topic I couldn’t resist. ...
Poll: Counselors are more important for school safety than police ...
Ed Source - Feb 6, 2013
To improve school safety, Californians overwhelmingly believe that having guidance counselors in every school would be more effective than deploying armed police officers. ...
Help your counselor celebrate 'National School Counseling Week'
DC College Admissions Examiner - Feb 4, 2013
Most of the high school guidance counselors I know won’t have much time to celebrate National School Counseling Week (February 4-8) this year. They happen to be too busy....
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Student Athletes

On College: Admissions for student-athletes
San Jose Mercury News - Feb 6, 2013
In light of the recent Super Bowl, I thought this would be an opportune time to talk about athletics in the admissions process. If you are a student-athlete serious about playing a sport in college, this will help you to better understand how the admissions process for you will be different. ...
The NCAA vs. Student Athletes: The End of the 'the Best Business Model in the World'?
The Atlantic - Jan 30, 2013
College sports is a multi-billion-dollar business. Do its workers deserve to be paid? It's a simple question taking a convoluted journey through our legal system. ...
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FinAid/FAFSA

Don't forget to complete the CSS Profile!
Raleigh College Admissions Examiner - Jan 25, 2013
While most parents and students are aware of the need to complete a FAFSA form in order to receive financial aid, many often overlook the additional CSS/Profile that is required by many private, and some public universities ...
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Summer

Hey, High Schoolers! What Are You Doing This Coming Summer?
Huffington Post  - Feb 5, 2013
When you were in grammar and junior high school, what did teachers ask you the moment you walked into class the first day of school in the fall? "What did you do this summer?"....

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Midwest

Retooling schooling: Colleges add lures as they fish a smaller student pool
Crain's Detroit Business - Feb 5, 2013
Higher education institutions always are under pressure to attract students. This is why they advertise, invest in their campuses, run popular sports programs and launch fundraising campaigns....
Colleges see jump in number of applications
The Columbus Dispatch - Feb 5, 2013
Several Ohio universities, both public and private, are seeing spikes in the number of applicants this year, even though the state has fewer high-school students.....
House bill would tie college financial aid to state exams
South Bend Tribune - Feb 5, 2013
Hoosier students will have to improve their academic skills if they want state financial aid to attend college under a bill being considered by the Indiana General Assembly...
State officials urge parent of college-bound kids to fill out student-aid forms
The Republic - Feb 5, 2013
SPRINGFIELD, Illinois — February is Financial Aid Awareness Month, and officials are urging parents of college-bound kids not to delay seeking assistance....
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Teens and Adderall

Adderall On Campus: Use And Abuse
WBUR.org - OnPoint - Feb 6, 2013
The United States has four percent of the world’s population, and produces 88 percent of the world’s legal stimulant drugs. Including Adderall, the amphetamine-based drug widely prescribed for ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Impressive numbers......

 
 

Contents

Big Pic
Proces/Strat
HS Seniors
Visits
Essays
SATs & ACTs
Rankings
Counsel
Athletes
FinAid
Summer
Midwest
Adderall

Sponsors

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CPA
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CMU
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