High School Counselor Week

Don’t make students choose between college or career — preparation for both is crucial
The Hechinger Report – May 25, 2026
High schools have been working hard to expand and diversify prospects for students. Walk through any building and you’ll see a plethora of enriching experiences: students earning college credits, mastering technical skills and exploring careers. But these programs typically provide limited opportunities to integrate pivotal skills — too often the kids enrolled in them are tracked into two categories: “college” or “career.” Academic knowledge and technical skills aren’t opposing forces; they’re complementary building blocks. Preparation for both is crucial.

This big university system is embracing AI. Students and faculty aren’t all on board
NPR – May 25, 2026
Colleges across the country – from Syracuse University to Dartmouth College to the University of Minnesota – have inked similar deals with AI companies, but as the largest public four-year system in the U.S., the CSU’s partnership stands out.

The U.S. Education Department fired thousands of workers. Now, it’s on a hiring spree
NPR – May 21, 2026
Plans to close the U.S. Department of Education have run headlong into an awkward reality: The agency does important work that still needs doing. After losing roughly half its staff in last year’s big reduction-in-force, the department’s student loan office is in a hiring boom. The Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) is adding around 380 new workers, according to internal documents obtained by NPR.

Meeting your students where they are: How social media can help
ACCIS AdmitAll Blog – May 21, 2026
Working with teenagers means being up-to-date with social media trends that have caught their attention. From TikTok dances to meme trends, finding ways to meet students where they are is a great way to showcase a school’s college counseling program while also having fun with colleagues.

Unlocking Students’ Pathways to College & Career
EdTrust – May 27, 2026
An honest look at how unclear pathways are leaving graduates unprepared for what comes next, and what schools and districts can do and are doing to help prepare students for college and career.

A New Digital Divide: College Search in the Age of Social Media
The 74 – May 27, 2026
Depending on the algorithms, students can receive helpful information on admissions or a steady diet of college-bashing posts.

How to Find a College That Prioritizes Student Mental Health
U.S. News & World Report – May 21, 2026
Pointers on making the most of campus tours and developing necessary soft skills for college.

Seizing the Summer Before Senior Year
U.S. News & World Report – May 21, 2026
The summer before senior year of high school can feel daunting because of the outside pressure to be the most productive in your college search. As a recent college graduate, I’m here to give some pointers on making the most of the school break – and not letting it be consumed by the college process.

How Mandatory College Fees Like SMU’s $8,080 Catch Families Off Guard
The College Investor – May 26, 2026
Buried in the fine print, the mandatory student fee can add $1,000, $4,000, or even $8,000 to the annual bill before housing and food. These are the costs that make true apples-to-apples comparisons between schools almost impossible without a spreadsheet. But why not just roll these into tuition and not surprise families? Well, several forces push schools to keep these charges separate.

How Much Student Loan Debt Can You Afford Calculator
The College Investor – May 21, 1989
Paying for college often means borrowing student loans, but families rarely get a clear picture of how much debt is reasonable before committing. A new interactive calculator aims to close that gap. The tool goes beyond simple loan estimates by linking borrowing amounts to projected earnings after graduation, to determine if debt load will be manageable.

The ‘sibling discount’ is gone: How families with multiple college students can navigate college funding gaps
SunHerald – May 26, 2026
The change was designed to level the playing field for families who have multiple children without overlapping years in college, but it’s a drawback for those with multiple children in college at the same time. Here’s what the parents we surveyed had to say about how they navigated the problem.