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About HS CounselorWeek - weekly email
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
The Coddling of the American Mind
The Atlantic - Sep 7, 2015
omething strange is happening at America’s colleges and universities. A movement is arising, undirected and driven largely by students, to scrub campuses clean of words, ideas, and subjects that might cause discomfort or give offense ...
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College Calculus
New Yorker Magazine - Sep 7, 2015
College-tuition discounts are now the rule rather than the exception. And that’s sent the higher education establishment into a tailspin. ...
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 | Why Are Colleges Really Going Test-Optional?
NPR.org - Sep 3, 2015
It's an increasingly popular move in higher education. Hundreds of schools no longer require student applicants to submit SAT or ACT scores.
In July, George Washington University became the latest school to throw its considerable weight behind the test-optional movement. Its explanation:...
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Is College Tuition Really Too High?
New York Times Magazine - Sep 8, 2015
To understand the feeling of crisis that many see in higher education right now, it’s useful to start with some figures from 40 years ago. In 1974, the median American family earned just under $13,000 a year. A new home could be had for $36,000, an average new car for $4,400. ...
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College Admissions Process/Strategies
Why Colleges Want Ambitious and Dynamic Students
Huffington Post - Sep 7, 2015
The college admissions process can be overwhelming for many families considering the competitive nature of admissions as well as the many variables high school students must take into account: challenging curriculum, strong essays, excellent standardized test score...
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What makes a good college list?
College Examiner - Sep 7, 2015
The fall of the senior year is the best time to put the finishing touches on a solid college list. At this point, hopefully students have had the opportunity to visit a few colleges, talk to friends who have moved on to new places and had the important conversation with mom and dad about where they might spend the next few years. Now is the time when counselors...
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Related Slideshow: 6 Reasons to Pick a State University
GoLocalProv College Admissions - Sep 7, 2015
As college admissions continue to increase in competitiveness, a debate has emerged among families on the value of private vs. public education. A growing number of parents seem to believe that a private college education is superior in quality to a public university education...
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Application options can be confusing
Charlotte Observer - Sep 7, 2015
The process is full of confusing acronyms. It would be easy to assume that with the increase in the popularity of online applications (www.commonapp.org and www.universalcollegeapp.com) that a variety of decisions would be streamlined for college applicants. Unfortunately, that’s just not the case...
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Honors colleges offer real advantages
Moon Park Acorn - Sep 4, 2015
Some excellent students may not be admitted to elite private colleges because of the intense competition. Some families may not qualify for need-based aid but may be unwilling or unable to pay the full cost for their child to attend a highly selective school....
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Essays
5 Common App Essay Tips That Will Actually Help You
Her Campus - Sep 9, 2015
When it comes to applying for college, it seems like everyone who has ever attended college thinks that they're experts on everything pertaining to the matter. They want to give you advice on everything from where you should apply to how you can write the perfect essay....
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Infographic: What Makes a Strong College Essay
US News - Sep 9, 2015
Writing a college essay could very well be the most high pressure part of the college application process. At some point, there is little students can do about grades, extracurricular activities and what will and won't be said in their recommendation letters ...
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8 Ways to Help the Selfie Generation Write Better College Essays
Huffington Post - Sep 3, 2015
Someone recently told me that every American teenager today knows his or her best camera angle because of all the selfies they take. It's an interesting observation because these are the same students I meet when they're struggling to write their college application essays and have no idea what their best angle is....
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College Admissions: Common Application Prompt #2
Charlotte Observer - Sep 3, 2015
Common Application Prompt #2 This is an actual college application essay written in response to the Common Application prompt: Learning from Failure. It is followed by comments from admissions professionals about what makes this personal statement effective. ...
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Counselors
|  HSCW Counselors' Corners
Post - Sep 9, 2015
The Second Day of School
I’ve often said it isn’t hard to go to the first day of school; what’s hard is going to the second day of school. The energy and excitement of a new start makes that first day something to look forward to More
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Important changes to the Common App school counselor recommendation system
DC College Admissions Examiner - Sep 7, 2015
A couple of years ago, the Common Application announced that counselors would be allowed to officially opt out of providing written evaluations on behalf of students by simply checking a box on the School Report Form indicating they were either too busy or not personally familiar enough..
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3 Ways U.S. Colleges Evaluate Applications
US News - Sep 3, 2015
A couple of years ago, the Common Application announced that counselors would be allowed to officially opt out of providing written evaluations on behalf of students by simply checking a box on the School Report Form indicating they were either too busy or not personally familiar enough..
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Parents
Guest Column: Should You Save For College?
WBUR.org - Sep 3, 2015
Because I founded a nonprofit organization that helps underserved students go to college, I am often asked if saving for college still makes sense. Is it smart to start saving for your child’s college education, ....
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6 secrets to get your kid into college
USA Today - Sep 6, 2015
New technology is enabling students to apply to more colleges now than ever before, but that same technology is also increasing competition among students....
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Parenting: Simple phone call can help with college choice
Herald Tribune - Sep 6, 2015
When it comes to planning the high school years, it is best to start with the end result in mind. Are SAT or ACT scores important for college admission? Maybe. Does your kid need to be in the top 10% of his class to get into a good school? ....
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SAT & ACTs
New SAT: a help or hindrance to college admissions?
Poughkeepsie Journal - Sep 6, 2015
These days, the “new” SAT is a very hot topic in the college admission world. In case you don’t keep up with this stuff, the SAT has undergone a total revision. Its latest iteration, which will make its debut in March, is causing quite a stir among college admission officers. ...
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Here’s the SAT Score You Need to Beat
TIME - Aug 26, 2015
If you want to be better than average. Members of the high school Class of 2015 performed no better on their SATs than students in the class before them, continuing a six-year streak in which average scores either fell or held steady, according to a report released today. ...
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Uh oh...bad news on SAT test results
DC College Admissions Examiner - Aug 26, 2015
Teenagers who took the SAT test during the latest standardized testing season performed worse on the controversial test than they have in many years. ...
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What the new SAT scores reveal about modern school reform
Washington Post - Aug 26, 2015
The newly released scores on the SAT college admissions test turned out to be the lowest since the exam was redesigned in 2005. My Post colleague Nick Anderson wrote in this story that the “test results show that gains in reading . ...
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Rankings
9 Ways to Find the Best College for You
TIME - Sep 9, 2015
Build your own personalized college rankings using these important criteria.
Lots of magazines and websites publish lists of the “best colleges.” But those general purpose rankings may not put enough emphasis on the factors that are most important for y...
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FinAid/Scholarships
The Time Has Come to Scrap FAFSA
USA Today - Sep 6, 2015
While it’s true that numbers don’t lie, the way that colleges present financial aid can be confusing and misleading. Some colleges only account for direct costs of education, ... ..
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The Time Has Come to Scrap FAFSA
New York Times - OpEd - Aug 27, 2015
When it comes to federal grants for college, the government cannot get out of its own way. The process is encased in bureaucracy. Every family must fill out a mega form in order to receive grants (SEOG and Pell). A lot is at stake because these grants offer big benefits for those paying for college... ..
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CTE
U.S. manufacturers prevail upon parents to hire in-demand kids
Reuters - Sep 8, 2015
When 17-year-old Brian Dardon told his mother he wanted to pursue a career in manufacturing, she was full of apprehension. To Diane Dardon, a Protestant chaplain at a Chicago university, manufacturing meant performing rote, unskilled tasks with little job security..
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West
New California tests present sobering picture of student achievement
LA Times - Sep 9, 2015
hoing a downward trend in test scores nationwide, most California students have fallen below grade level and are not ready for college, according to results from new, more rigorous standardized tests. The picture is worse in L.A. Unified, the nation’s second-largest school system..
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Group wants more college graduates in Arizona
LA Times - Sep 9, 2015
PHOENIX — On Aug. 27, College Success Arizona, an organization that works to raise college graduation rates, released a policy brief highlighting the need to increase the percentage of Arizona degree and certificate holders...
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Teen Vaping
Teens using e-cigarettes to "vape" pot
CBS News - Sep 7, 2015
Nearly one-fifth of high school students who use e-cigarettes have tried putting pot into the devices, according to a new study of Connecticut teens. ..
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 Big Pic
Process
Essay
Counsel
Parents
SATs & ACTs
Rankings
FinAid
CTE
West
Vaping
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