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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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Big Picture

Some degrees produce no bump in earnings, research finds
Hechinger Report  - Sep 19, 2014
WASHINGTON, DC – New research unveiled here has exposed an exception to the higher-education mantra that people with degrees earn more than people without them...
Why Women’s Colleges Are Opening the Door for Men
TIME  - Sep 29, 2014
An effort to stop declining enrollment Wilson College, a small women’s school in Pennsylvania, came close to shutting down once before. But a swell of opposition from staff and students in 1979 and a fundraising effort that raised $1.1 million in less than three months kept the college in business...
Confessions Of A Former For-Profit College Admissions Counselor
Business Insider  - Oct 1, 2014
never thought of an admissions counselor as a salesperson. Not until I became an admissions counselor, that is. I was 24 years old, living in Cincinnati, Ohio, and in love with all things academia. When the position of admissions counselor at a local college opened up, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity...
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College Admissions Process/Strategies

Here are the elements of a complete application
San Jose Mercury News  - Sep 29, 2014
We are in the middle of the chaos and excitement known as the college admissions process. While students are aware that their applications and essays are essential pieces of the process, there are several other elements that must be finished before an application is considered completed.....
6 Tips for Applying to College Out of State
NerdWallet  - Sep 29, 2014
If you’re headed for college next year and looking to explore beyond the borders of your hometown, attending an out-of-state school might be a worthwhile option to consider.....
4 reasons to apply to college early
USA Today  - Sep 24, 2014
Although senior year is supposed to be an anxiety-free final year of high school, the stress of applying to colleges makes that nearly impossible. High school seniors spend months searching for colleges, doing tours and then eventually completing the dreaded applications....
When tech helps/hurts college prep
Long Island College Prep Examiner  - Sep 30, 2014
Students can be wasting hours a day or maximizing every second of precious college prep time. Which way the day goes depends on the use of tech devices. Parents may remember their parents telling them to turn off the T.V. Today’s college-bound are distracted by a host of other diverting devices ....
How To Manage The College Admissions Frenzy
Huffington Post  - Sep 28, 2014
Students now apply to an average of a dozen universities to assure acceptance into a college because of the competitive nature of admissions. What has created this competitive environment and how are students empowered to take charge?..
To-do list for college-bound seniors
Buffalo News  - Sep 25, 2014
The to-do list for high school seniors seems to be growing longer each day. Here’s some of what they are thinking about when they’re not doing homework, participating in their extracurricular activities, hanging with friends, sleeping, eating or texting..
4 Key Tips For Ivy League Admission
Forbes  - Sep 30, 2014
There are no guarantees in the college admissions game, especially at name-brand institutions like those in the Ivy League. Not everyone is going to gain admission, even if, as I noted in my previous post, they meet the top benchmarks for acceptance: stratospheric test results and transcripts..
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Letter of Recommendations

Recommendations Matter
Burlington County Times  - Sep 29, 2014
With the first week of the school calendar in the rearview mirror, teachers and students alike are still adjusting to the return of their alarm clock’s discordant daily greeting, hurried breakfasts, and long, regimented days. Soliciting college recommendation letters might be the furthest thing from anyone’s mind which is exactly why it is an ideal time to place them at the forefront of yours ....
Archives - Letter of Recommendations
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Essays

College Application Essay Tips Students Need Now
US NEws  - Sep 29, 2014
With college application season comes the pressure to produce high-quality admissions essays. Make no mistake – regardless of the wording of the question, virtually all admissions essays are truly asking, "Who are you?" Secondarily, they allow college or university admissions staff members to assess your ability to form a coherent narrative.....
5 Tips to Write a College Essay that Hooks Your Reader
TeenLife Blog  - Sep 29, 2014
You sit on your bed, at your desk and in the library wondering where to begin your college essay. It’s not like there’s a Google map showing you how to go from here to there. How do you dig through seventeen years of experiences and select the one that shares your voice, your vision, your passion?...
College Admissions: Common Application Prompt, Learning from Failure
GoLocalPDX College Admissions  - Oct 1, 2014
The intention of this series is to show readers a sample of a good essay in response to each of the Common Application prompts. This essay is an actual college admission essay, written and submitted by a real student. It is followed by comments from admissions professionals about what makes this personal statement effective....
Colleges Make It Easier for Students to Show, Not Tell, in Their Applications
New York Times  - Sep 28, 2014
TOWSON, Md. — Madeline McDonough had a wistful “what if?” moment, pondering the offer that her school, Goucher College, has made to applicants: Instead of showing us your grades, send us a video.....

Archives - Essays
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Counselors

HSCW Counselors' Corners
Post - Oct 2, 2014
Didn’t Apply in July? It’s All Good
The college application season got off to an unexpectedly rocky start this year when a number of colleges decided they didn’t want to wait until September to start recruiting students. Instead, these colleges sent notices to juniors as early as July,.... More

School Counselors Do More Than You’d Think
Pacific Standard - Sep 25, 2014
Hiring just one additional school counselor in an average American school could have about a third of the effect of recruiting all the school’s teachers from a pool of candidates in the top 15 percent of their profession, according to a new analysis. ....
Homeless High Schoolers Face Barriers to Education
US News - Sep 29, 2014
Homelessness among public school students is at an all-time high, and teens without a home face unique challenges. Some teens are homeless with their families. But others are on their own, simply trying to get through life without anyone looking out for their well-being....
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Campus Visits and Interviews

5 Tips to Improve Scholarship and College Admissions Interviews from Reality Star Dan Gheesling
Forbes  - Sep 30, 2014
Dan Gheesling is known for winning Big Brother season 10 and coaching another player to third place in season 14, but his journey to getting on Big Brother is an inspiration for any student trying out for scholarships or applying to colleges this fall.....
Archives - Campus Visits and Interviews
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Parents

College Admissions: Top 5 Mistakes Parents Make
Huffington Post  - Oct 1, 2014
The Fall College Application Season has arrived. And kids are showing up on college campuses nationwide, dressed in their finest duds, scouting out the hallowed halls of the ivory tower...
Parents saying no to too much homework
Washington Post  - Sep 29, 2014
A Prince George’s County reader who identifies herself on my Web page as JenPam2003 did not like my suggestion that parents enforce a reasonable amount of time for their children’s homework. I said their kids should do something else when that time expired, even if the assignments are not finished.....
Note to parents: Do not write your student's college admission essay
DC Higher Education Examiner  - Sep 27, 2014
Can admissions officers tell when a student has not written their own college application essay? Yes, in many cases, they can. How? First of all, the admissions officer has a student's English class grades in hand, as well as reading and writing test scores and writing samples (such as from the writing portion of the SAT or other parts of the college application) to use for comparison....
10 Ways For Parents To Stay Sane During The College Application Season
Huffington Post  - Sep 26, 2014
If there is a more stressful time in a parent-of-a-teenager's life than the college application season, we don't know about it. How can parents turn it down a few notches and stop the family dynamic from heading off a cliff?...
Archives - Parents
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SATs & ACTs

Goal Setting on the SAT
BusinessWeek  - Oct 1, 2014
Setting a goal score for the SAT can be intimidating and confusing, but it’s one of the most important parts of any SAT prep plan. Knowing where you are and where you want to go will help focus your prep, making it more efficient....
ACT vs. SAT: Which Test Is Right for Your Teen?
TeenLife Blog  - Sep 26, 2014
Even though the SAT and ACT are both nationally recognized college admission tests, the tests are very different. While some colleges and universities have decided to become “test optional” (see list below), the majority of schools still require applicants to submit a standardized admission test score. How can parents help teens choose which test is right for them?...
Archives - SATs & ACTs
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FinAid/Scholarships

The 2015-16 financial aid season officially kicks-off with the CSS PROFILE
DC College Prep Examiner  - Oct 1, 2014
It’s the “other” financial aid application. And most families who are new to the process have no clue that the College Scholarship Service (CSS) Financial Aid PROFILE is required by well over 200 colleges for scholarship consideration in addition to the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)......
Colleges That Meet 100% of Financial Need
The College Solution  - Oct 1, 2014
If your family will need to depend on financial aid to attend college, your best bet is to find a school that will offer an excellent financial aid package to your child.......
Most Financial Aid Should Go To First-Generation College Students
TIME  - Sep 29, 2014
Sometimes, vague can be misleading—and harmful. For years, colleges have identified disadvantaged students based primarily on “diversity” and “need.” But those categories are broad and unspecific, and can be gamed by sophisticated applicants and parents. The result? Schools aren’t helping the students that really need it......
Archives - Financial Aid & Scholarships
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Midwest

School counselors outnumbered
WTHR  - Sep 29, 2014
INDIANAPOLIS - The recent and tragic number of local teenagers committing suicide has many parents asking if schools are doing enough to save students' lives. We found counselors educated and trained to help, but alarmingly out numbered. Only six states have fewer school counselors than Indiana....
Governor Snyder wants to put more emphasis on Vocational Education
WTHR  - Oct 1, 2014
LANSING (WKZO) -- Governor Rick Snyder has signed a bill that will encourage school districts and the Michigan Department of Education to do a better job of on informing students about vocational education programs, both locally and statewide....
Ohio’s Urban Graduation Rates Are Getting Better, But Still Fall Short Of A Passing Grade
WTHR  - Sep 26, 2014
With the observance of American Graduate Day on September 27th, we thought it appropriate to take stock of how Ohio is doing in boosting its graduation rate....
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Teen Drinking

Fighting underage drinking at its roots
The Times News  - Sep 25, 2014
Underage drinking is a longstanding problem not just here, but everywhere in America. In some ways, though, we’re fortunate in Alamance County to have organizations such as Alamance Citizens for a Drug-Free Community, which has put teen consumption of alcohol front and center......
 
 
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Contents

Big Pic
Process
LOR
Essays
Counsel
Visits
Parents
SATs & ACTs
FinAid
Midwest
Drinking

Sponsors

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TeenLife
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