Western Edition | Northeast Edition | MidWest Edition | Archive | Sponsoring |      February 27, 2014
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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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ARCHIVES Something New - Something Old  

We have been asked more than once to have access to the archives. It sounds easy, but it required some thought on how to make it really useful. We are still working on it but here's what we have so far. Archives you will also see at the end of some of the topic sections a link to the archive for that topic. Let us know what you think. Thanks.

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Big Picture

Dwindling Midwest High School Grads Spur College Hunt
Businessweek/Bloomberg  - Feb 26, 2014
A waning number of high school graduates from the Midwest is sparking a college hunt for freshman applicants, with the decline being felt as far away as Harvard and Emory universities....
Colorblind Notion Aside, Colleges Grapple With Racial Tension
New York Times  - Feb 25, 2014
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — A brochure for the University of Michigan features a vision of multicultural harmony, with a group of students from different racial backgrounds sitting on a verdant lawn, smiling and conversing.....
Duke: $60,000 A Year For College Is Actually A Discount
NPR.org  - Feb 21, 2014
In 1984, it cost $10,000 a year to go to Duke University. Today, it's $60,000 a year. "It's staggering," says Duke freshman Max Duncan, "especially considering that's for four years."....
High Schools, Districts Work to Boost Graduation Rates Higher
US News - Feb 24, 2014
The nationwide high school graduation rate has reached 80 percent – the highest in American history. That's what a new study released by the U.S. Department of Education revealed last month. ...
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College Admissions Process/Strategies

Focus on Creativity, Passion to Create a Killer College Application
US News  - Feb 24, 2014
Given the plethora of options available to help students improve their marks on college entrance examinations like the ACT and SAT, as well as the popularity of the Common Application, it can be difficult for students to distinguish themselves to admissions committees....
College Admissions: 5 Reasons to Attend College in Canada
GoLocalProv College Admissions  - Feb 24, 2014
With many U.S. universities exceeding $50,000 per year (and some $60,000+), families are struggling to pay for college in a stagnant economy. Yet few consider the bargains available in Canada. Before you dismiss this northern option, consider a few compelling reasons to venture across the border:....
10 Ways to Have a Gold Medal-Worthy Senior Year
Huffington Post  - Feb 19, 2014
Just like the Olympics are a demonstration of athletic superiority, so is senior year of high school for college readiness. Colleges want students who take their academics to the next level. Senior year of high school should be a time for mastery, of exploration and of rigor....
Use Your Most Powerful Tool for Getting Into College
Lamorinda Weekly  - Feb 26, 2014
As a college advisor I give college related advice all year round. One of the most common conversations I have with families is about high school coursework-what to take, when to take it and how much it matters (to get into a good college).....
How to "Demonstrate Interest" When Applying to College
About.com  - Feb 21, 2014
A study by NACAC, the National Association for College Admission Counseling, found that about half of all colleges and universities claim that an applicant's demonstrated interest in their school is either highly or moderately important in the admissions process....
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Letters of Recommendation

The Art of the College Recommendation Letter
The Atlantic - Feb 24, 2014
In late September, seniors case my classroom in the early morning and charge in before I’ve turned on my laptop. They corner me at the copy machine and at the entrance to the faculty lounge. They each want the same thing: a letter of recommendation.”...
Archives - Recommendation Letters
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Visits and Interviews

Try practice campus visits close to home
Charlotte Observer - Feb 24, 2014
Common wisdom dictates that when you are approaching a big project, the best way to deal with it is to break it down into smaller bite-size pieces. When tackling the campus visit component of the college admissions process, I advise families to “start local.”...
Archives - Visits/Interview
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Essays

What Makes a Great College Essay
Huffington Post  - Feb 21, 2014
A great college essay is more than a good story. Students should ask themselves some questions before writing and while proofreading any rough drafts.....

Archives - College Essays
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SATs & ACTs

BIG SCORE - When Mom takes the SATs.
New Yorker - Mar 4, 2014
Taking the SATs is not something to do lightly. Nevertheless, on a frigid Saturday morning not long ago, I found myself filing into a classroom with twenty sleep-deprived teen-agers. One of the girls was carrying two giant SAT review books studded with pink Post-its.....
Colleges that do NOT superscore the SAT
DC College Admissions Examiner - Feb 24, 2014
Calculating a “superscore” is the process by which a college considers a student’s best score from each individual SAT or ACT section, regardless of the date the test was taken......
How students can ace the SAT
Yahoo - Feb 25, 2014
The typical student preparing for the SAT might raise his or her score by 20 points or so through studying and practicing. Debbie Stier raised her score by 340 points. Her son Ethan raised his score by a stunning 590 points.....
Low ACT Scores? What Now?
About.com  - Feb 24, 2014
There's so much hype surrounding a few of the country's most selective colleges that many applicants feel they need a 35 or 36 composite score on the ACT to get into a good college. The reality is quite different....
Job Hunting? Dig Up Those Old SAT Scores
Wall Street Journal  - Feb 25, 2014
Stephen Robert Morse was a candidate for a communications job when the recruiter told him to be ready to discuss his SAT score in a coming interview....
Archives - SATs & ACTs
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Counselors

HSCW Counselors' Corners
Post - Feb 19, 2014
An Update on the State of Counselors and College Admission Training
It’s been a little over two years since The Chronicle of Higher Education published a column on the lack of training counselors receive in college admission counseling ... More

Support college counselors - an investment in our future
SFGate - Feb 25, 2014
Across the country, relentless financial pressures are forcing public school leaders to make difficult choices about programs and staffing. School systems are trying to save dollars wherever possible....
Students need college counseling more than ever: Guest opinion
The Oreginian - Feb 20, 2014
Across the country, relentless financial pressures are forcing public school leaders to make the most difficult choices about programs and staffing in their districts....
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Parents

A Fellow Traveler's Advice on Parenting Through the College Admission Process
Tue Admissions Blog - Feb 25, 2014
Lists are objects of affection here at College Admission. There's nothing like a checklist to help students and families break down the big challenge of college applications into its manageable parts....
The Role Of Parents In The College Application Process
The Huffington Post - Feb 25, 2014
It's incredibly hard to believe that our kids are heading off to college or are already there. As parents, we reflect on their growing years, our involvement at their schools, at sporting events or making costumes for their plays...
How a College Roommate Can Affect Your Child
New York Times - Feb 24, 2014
When you have a child off at college, you worry about his general health, state of mind, alcohol use — and, as you sign those tuition checks, academic achievement. But how much thought do you give to your child’s roommate?...
Claiming Valuable Education Tax Credits
The College Solution Blog - Feb 24, 2014
If you have a child in college, do you qualify for a federal tax credit or tax deduction? These are valuable tax benefits that can help you defray the rising cost of a college degree and yet some parents have no idea that they exist or whether they would qualify....
Archives - Parents
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FinAid/Scholarships

How Many Colleges Were Misleading Students About Financial Aid?
Washington Monthly - Feb 21, 2014
Trying to find enough money to pay for college is a challenge for many high school students. Along with the escalating cost of college, and the institutions’ much-publicized habit of obscuring their true costs, just finding where the money is available is a big challenge...
How Exactly Do Colleges Allocate Their Financial Aid? They Won’t Say
Philly.com - Feb 25, 2014
At the center of the admissions and financial-aid process is a massive information imbalance: Schools make their decisions with detailed data about each applicant that goes well beyond test scores and transcripts.....
David Haufler: College financial aid how-to a must-read for parents
Dallas Morning News - Feb 23, 2014
We all know the importance of a college education — studies indicate it can even increase one’s earning potential by up to $1 million over the course of his or her career — but we also know the daunting numbers involved. College costs vary widely, but many students receive some form of financial aid from scholarships and grants...
Archives - FinAid/Scholarships
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Summer

Summer college programs help high schoolers test waters
Washington Post - Feb 21, 2014
Rebecca Golub, 18, is a driven student. So when it was time to plan the summer after her junior year at Wootton High School in Rockville, she wanted to make it count....
The 12 Best Pre-College Summer Programs
Her Campus - Feb 20, 2014
As a high school student, it’s hard to know what colleges are looking for in their applicants. Officer positions in clubs and good grades in advanced-level classes are always a nice place to start, but it’s the students who go the extra mile (literally!) who tend to catch the eyes of admission officers....

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South

Texas Public Colleges Freeze Tuition -- What Does That Mean For Students And Families?
Kera News - Feb 25, 2014
This year, Texas became the second state in the nation offering fixed-rate tuition for students attending state colleges or universities. That means a freshman’s tuition won’t rise for four years. And that's something students applaud....
Mississippi could adopt ACT as high school exit exam
The Sun Herald - Feb 20, 2014
JACKSON -- Mississippi high school students could soon be using the same test to get out of high school and get into college...
Texas's Cost-Benefit Guide to Choosing a College
The Atlantic - Feb 24, 2014
If you're a high school student in Texas and dream of a career in the arts, you might want to know that fine-arts and studio-arts graduates at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls make, on average, about $10,000 more per year than alumni who majored in the same subjects at Sul Ross State University in Alpine..
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Teen Jobs

Teenage unemployment is so high that more teens are heading to college
Morning Journal - Feb 25, 2014
WASHINGTON — In Detroit, Akil Alvin, 19, is struggling to land a job as he competes with older, more skilled applicants. Alex Lothspeich, 17, of Charlotte, N.C., is choosing not to enter the workforce to focus on high school....
Teens face job search hurdles as older workers fill entry-level spots
Morning Journal - Feb 25, 2014
Keifer W. Thomas, 18, said lots of his teenage friends are having a tough time finding a job in Watertown....
 
 
Online College Fair - CollegeWeekLive

Contents

Big Pic
Proces/Strat
L.O.R.
Visits
Essays
SATs & ACTs
Consul
Parents
FinAid
Summer
South
Teen Jobs

Sponsors

CPA
AllCollege_Essays
Hollins</a
Richmond_London</a
philographica
Randolph
WIT

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