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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

How much does SAT affect college admissions?
MSNBC - Mar 9, 2014
The UP panel discusses opening up access to the SAT for students from all income levels and how much the test is weighted during college admissions......
College admissions are a joke: Why the process has nothing to do with education
Salon.com  - Mar 10, 2014
Last week, the College Board announced that the writing portion of the SAT college admissions test would be made optional. The move returns the test to its pre-2005 form with its 1,600-point scale based upon math and reading questions....
Poorer families are bearing the brunt of college price hikes, data show
Hechinger Report - Mar 6, 2014
America’s colleges and universities are quietly shifting the burden of their big tuition increases onto low-income students, while many higher-income families are seeing their college costs rise more slowly, or even fall, an analysis of federal data shows..
What the “New” SAT Misses Big Time
Scientific American - Mar 6, 2014
The “new” SAT is causing a lot of debate and criticism. Rightly so. For many parents, students, educators, and college admissions committees, the revised SAT is just a minor variation on the same theme .....
Students attending their dream colleges at historic low
CBS News MarketWatch  - Mar 11, 2014
A smaller percentage of U.S. students are getting into their preferred school than ever before, a new report shows. ...
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College Admissions Process/Strategies

College Decisions, College Admissions
WFAE.org  - Feb 27, 2014
As we head into spring, college juniors and seniors are paying significant attention to, for many, what’s AFTER high school. It’s the time of year when students are trying to figure out where they want to go to college and planning visits to the schools on their lists.....
Getting into college — and paying for it: A teen’s first adult decision
Hechinger Report - Mar 12, 2014
Karen Rose still remembers the student from a few years ago who was crying hysterically after class because she hadn’t been accepted to Georgetown University. Ms. Rose, a veteran social studies teacher at New Rochelle High School in suburban New York, knew that the girl’s academic record more than qualified her for Georgetown..
13 Things to Do Instead of Freaking Out About College
Her Campus - Mar 6, 2014
It’s that time of year when the question, “What college are you going to?” is enough to send you into a full-blown panic attack. You’ve worked towards this final decision for the past three and a half years, filled out the applications and written countless personal statements..
Mapping the Anxiety About College Admissions
The Atlantic - Mar 10, 2014
This week I came across another version of one kind of news article I find fascinating for some reason—what I think of as the "college-anxiety" article. These pieces have, as their core premise, the anxiety that emerges when students and parents have their eyes and hearts set on a small range of elite colleges...
We Must Inoculate Against Senioritis
Huffington Post - Mar 10, 2014
You would think colleges would send out senioritis alerts to remind those of you who have been accepted that you still have work to do. But they do not. Freshman through junior years gets you in; senior year performance keeps you in. So I will share a few stories to help illustrate the importance of staying in once you get what you want!..
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Essays

Essential Reading for Writing the College Essay
Huffington Post - Mar 10, 2014
I last taught high school in 2005. I've been tutoring and advising individual students extensively since then, and my biggest regret about my classroom teaching has become achingly clear: I didn't spend enough time helping students improve their writing.....
Essays can make or break your college admissions
Post-Tribune - Mar 6, 2014
All other things being equal, the essays will play the decisive factor in your admission. Rejection letters typically are sent to the applicants with the worst essays. Here is how I classify essays:....

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Deciding/Rejection/Deferred

If Rejected from a College, Can You Appeal?
About.com - Mar 10, 2014
Most college decision letters have now been sent out, and, unfortunately, many students have found themselves the recipients of bad news -- the dreaded college rejection letter. The likelihood of a rejection letter is particularly high for some of the country's most selective colleges...
What to Do When You’re Deferred From a College
Her Campus - Mar 11, 2014
So let's get this straight—you weren't accepted to your top college, but you weren't rejected, either. Now what? Like most things in life, college admissions aren’t all black and white. If you applied to college early decision or early action...
Why You Should Avoid a Wait List
The College Solution Blog  - Mar 11, 2014
This weekend I heard from old friends who wanted to share with me stories of brilliant students who got shut out of elite universities. At a party on Friday night, a former colleague of my husband’s mentioned that he was stunned that his son’s friend didn’t get into Stanford University. ...
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Visits/Fairs and Interviews

The College Interview: Information and Tips
Huffington Post - Mar 6, 2014
Most admissions officers say an interview plays only a minor part in the admissions decision, but it may be more important for some if an admission decision has not already been determined. ......
Seniors: Questions to Ask on a Return College Visit
True Admissions Blog - Mar 12, 2014
If you are making a return visit to a college or visiting for the first time after being admitted, make sure you get off the beaten path -- hang out at the student union, visit the study spaces in the library, or browse in the bookstore, ....
Juniors: Questions to Ask when Visiting Campus
True Admissions Blog - Mar 12, 2014
In the official group information sessions colleges offer, an admission officer will usually provide an overview of the college -- the school’s history, academic programs, undergraduate life, athletics, the application process, and financial aid-- followed by a question and answer session for students and parents...
Archives - Visits/Interview
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SATs & ACTs

College Board Previews Revisions To SAT
NPR.org - Mar 6, 2014
The upcoming changes that were announced on Wednesday by the College Board will affect more than a million college-bound, high school students. It's the second major revision in nine years......
The new SAT: big changes will affect this year's freshmen
College Admissions Examiner - Mar 6, 2014
The College Board announced sweeping changes to the SAT which will take effect in the spring of 2016. There is no word on the PSAT scheduled for October, 2015, but it’s probably safe to bet it will be a condensed version of the new test.....
5 things you need to know about the new SAT
Charlotte Observer  - Mar 10, 2014
College Board, creator of the SAT, rocked the world of college admissions with last week’s announcement of major changes in store for the 2016 SAT.....
College Admissions: SAT Announces Biggest Changes EVER
GoLocalProv  - Mar 10, 2014
Last week, the Collegeboard announced sweeping changes to the SAT which will take effect in 2016. The changes come at a time when SAT has been losing market share. As of 2012, the ACT surpassed the SAT as the most popular college entrance exam. Additionally, colleges have been flocking to join the Fairtest....
Archives - SATs & ACTs
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Counselors

HSCW Counselors' Corners
Post - Mar 4, 2014
How the New SAT Must Change Your College Advising Program
Last week’s announced changes to the SAT have brought a mixed reaction. Many school counselors welcome the news that the 2016 version of the test will no longer penalize students for guessing, and most counselors cheer the news that the required essay and its counterintuitive grading system will now be optional.... More

Local guidance counselors' reaction to planned changes in SAT positive
The Day - Mar 7, 2014
As guidance counselors at high schools across the region begin to take stock in substantive changes to the 88-year-old SAT - the standardized test long used as a staple for college admission - first impressions are that the revisions better reflect what today's students are learning in classrooms....
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Summer

Summer fun takes a back seat to college resume-building
Boston Globe - Mar 10, 2014
Ever since he was an eighth-grader at Sharon Middle School, Shridhar Singh and his parents have planned his summer activities with one main goal: getting into college...

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Parents

The Spring Break College Tour: A Survival Guide
Wall Street Journal - Mar 12, 2014
March Madness is upon us, by which I mean the tradition of taking your high school junior on a manic tour of college campuses. I've done it twice now, so I feel that I have some perspective on how to survive it.....
Are Parents Obligated to Pay For College?
WBUR - Here & Now - Mar 6, 2014
The case of a New Jersey high school senior who is suing her parents over payment for her education, is raising questions about parental obligations and higher education....
Archives - Parents
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FinAid/Scholarships

Haggling over college financial aid could end up costing you
NBC News - Today Show - Mar 7, 2014
With apologies to Charles Dickens, the spring of senior year in high school, full of college acceptances and rejections, can be the best of times and the worst of times......
8 Myths About College Financial Aid and What You Can Do To Get Free Aid
WWLP - Mar 12, 2014
Paying for college is stressful, but knowing how financial aid is awarded can reduce parents’ anxiety and also make college more affordable. Paul Hemphill, College Planning Expert and Author of “How to Win The College Game,” shared more about the myths surrounding financial aid.....
5 College scholarship myths: Busted!
Examiner.com - Mar 10, 2014
There are thousands of college scholarship opportunities available for students who take the time to apply. Unfortunately, the majority of students incorrectly assume that they cannot win money for school for several reasons. Here are five college scholarship myths, busted!....
Archives - FinAid/Scholarships
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CTE Career & Technical Training

Report: High school students benefit from college and technical career credit programs
NJ.com - Mar 6, 2014
A new report outlines the benefits of dual enrollment programs that allow high school students to complete post-secondary or career and technical training credits. ....
Expanding Definitions of Career Readiness
Education Week - Mar 12, 2014
The academic community has responded with vigor and good intentions to ensure our students will be college- and career-ready. In fact, 70 percent of our students enroll in colleges within two years of high school graduation, according to the Harvard Graduate School of Education's "Pathways to Prosperity" ....
VIDEO: Welding workshop shows youth the value of skilled trades
The Spec - Mar 12, 2014
Nine at-risk teens were handed guns and put to work. The guns were loaded not with bullets, however, but with opportunity. ....
Archives - CTE
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Midwest

Emphasis on vocational ed
Columbus Dispatch - Mar 10, 2014
Getting Ohio youths more engaged in classes that would help prepare them for in-demand careers would benefit all: the students and their families, schools and employers who would have access to a better-trained work force...
Five Things To Know About Vocational Ed in Ohio
State Impact - Ohio - Mar 7, 2014
After a twenty year decline in enrollment, vocational education is back in vogue. As employers around the state complain about not being able to find enough qualified workers to fill the jobs they have open, schools and political leaders are starting to take notice....
School nurses, counselors respond to dating violence
Kokomo Tribune - Mar 6, 2014
When her boyfriend threatens to hurt himself if they break up, a student may turn to the school nurse for guidance. But she will have to compete with her peers’ medical needs to gain the nurse’s attention.....
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Bullying

Bullying among kids tied to suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts
Reuters - Mar 11, 2014
(Reuters Health) - School children who are bullied are more than twice as likely to think about killing themselves and to make suicide attempts as their peers who aren't bullied, according to a new analysis....
Cyber Bullying: approaches parents can take to prevent it
tehachapinews.com - Mar 11, 2014
There are three different approaches that a parent can take when trying to prevent cyber bullying: Best approaches The first approach is more subtle. It is important to educate teens about the signs of cyber bullying....
 
 
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Contents

Big Pic
Proces/Strat
Essay
Wait/Reject
Visits
SATs & ACTs
Consul
Summer
Parents
FinAid
CTE
Midwest
Bullying

Sponsors

CMU
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