Western Edition | Southern Edition | MidWest Edition | Archive | Sponsoring |      December 20, 2012
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.
Syndication

HS Counselor Week can be added to your school's or PTO's web site for free. It's a great way to keep parents and students up-to-date. Just email us if you're interested. Thanks. -

Editor's Note

There will be no HSCW published next week due to Christmas.
Merry Christmas!

Back to top of newsletter

College Big Picture

High-Profile Studies Overrate Going to College and Picking the Right Major
The Atlantic  - Dec 17, 2012
Whether to attend college and, if so, what to study are decisions of great financial and personal importance for younger Americans. It has become conventional wisdom that as many people as possible should graduate college and that college students should increasingly major in technical fields... .
Why Top Colleges Miss Some Great Students
Bloomberg  - Dec 18, 2012
The real crisis in American higher education is that our best colleges never see a large chunk of our smartest students. In an important recent study, the economists Caroline Hoxby and Christopher Avery found that very few high achievers from low-income families ever apply to top colleges,... .
College Admissions Fever
Wealth Management  - Dec 17, 2012
It’s that time of year. Teens are putting the finishing touches on their college essays; parents are bracing their wallets for the coming tuition expenses; and most college applications are coming due. .... .
Catching Up With Remedial Courses In College
NPR.org  - Dec 19, 2012
There's a lot of talk about students struggling in K through 12 classrooms. But once they get to college, many students fall even further behind. Host Michel Martin speaks with Sarah Gonzalez, .... .
Back to top of newsletter

College Admissions Process/Strategies

Beyond Grades and Test Scores: What Matters in College Admissions?
Imperial Valley News  - Dec 6, 2012
Los Angeles, California - Nearly 200 college admission deans, higher education scholars, state and federal policymakers and school leaders will gather to examine the attributes of a successful college student and how these traits could be considered in college admissions policies.... .
The College Search Process Revs Up to a Fever Pitch
Huffington Post  - Dec 14, 2012
This is the time of the year when highly selective institutions of higher education start releasing results of their Early Decision Admission applications, often to a certain media frenzy. ... .
For students in the arts, acceptance into college means auditions as well as essays
Press of Atlantic City  - Dec 14, 2012
Gianna Cirillo is hoping to dance her way into college. The Hammonton High School senior has been dancing for 13 of her 17 years, and wants to make it a career. Last month she came to Richard Stockton College with her mom, Angela, to audition for its dance program. ... .
Back to top of newsletter

Early

Colleges with early decision 2: What does it mean and how will it affect you?
LA College Bound Examiner  - Dec 17, 2012
Colleges created early decision 2 relatively recently as a means to increase their yields, one of the statistics considered by newspaper outlets and others to determine college rankings. Every student should be aware about how exactly this program works. .... .
What to Do if You Are Deferred to the Regular Decision Pool
New York Times - The Choice  - Dec 18, 2012
From small liberal arts colleges to Ivy League schools to large universities, I have yet to speak to a college that has seen a decrease or remained stagnant in early applications. I am no statistician, but this seems like fuzzy math..... .
10 ways to deal with deferral
DC College Admissions Examiner  - Dec 17, 2012
All too many students who applied early this fall are finding they’ve been neither accepted nor rejected, but deferred to the regular admissions pool. If you’re in this position, know you’re not alone.... .
On College: Admissions and the 'it's not fair' lament
San Jose Mercury News  - Dec 17, 2012
This time of year brings good and bad news as the early application decisions roll out. And while many acceptances are welcomed with glee and excitement, denials bring out different emotions.... .
College Admissions: Handling Early Admission Rejection
GoLocalWorcester  - Dec 17, 2012
For many seniors around the country, early admission returns have begun to roll in. For some, it is a time of exuberance because they have been accepted to their first choice college..... .
Back to top of newsletter

Essays

New college application questions encourage creative thinking
Los Angeles Times - Dec 19, 2012
"So where is Waldo, really?" That's not the kind of question most high school seniors expect to find on their college admission applications. But it is one of the essay options that applicants to the University of Chicago ...
'What are you looking at?' and other college application questions
Los Angeles Times - Dec 19, 2012
Taboo topics for college essays
Charlotte Observer - Dec 18, 2012
“What should I write my essay about?” is one of the most frequently asked questions by college applicants. They’re nervous, they want to please and most don’t have a clue how to present themselves to an admissions committee....

Back to top of newsletter

Counselors

HSCW Counselors' Corners
Post - Dec 20, 2012
A College Admissions Mission
“Dr. O’Connor?” “Hello, James! I understand you received some good news.” “I didn’t think Yale would take me at all, let alone as an early applicant. I can’t thank you enough.” “All I did was sign a few forms and point at the calendar. You took care of the rest.”... More


Counselors share insights
Fairmont Sentinel - Dec 19, 2012
FAIRMONT - The three roles of a school counselor are to assist students with their academics; their future careers; and their personal and social lives.... .
Back to top of newsletter

SATs & ACTs/AP Tests

SAT Tip: Critical Reading Shortcuts
Business Week - Dec 18, 2012
By now you’ve probably encountered some Critical Reading questions with such words as “not”, “except,” and “least” in the question stem. The SAT loves to try to trick students with these, especially those who have difficulty completing the passages in the allotted time and are rushing through the final questions. ... .
Higher SAT, ACT scores pay off with bigger college scholarships for Oregon grads
The Oregonian  - Dec 18, 2012
Students who score in the top 10 percent of test-takers -- about 2000 out of 2400 on the SAT or a 28 out of 36 on the ACT -- can count on being offered merit scholarships as large as $20,000 a year at many great colleges. ... .
Back to top of newsletter

FinAid/Schoalrships

Paying for College 101 -- Financial Aid and More
Huffington Post - Dec 18, 2012
Even if you haven't heard back from your colleges, it's time to think about paying for college. If you're new to this discussion, you need to come up to speed in a hurry: ... .
Six Places to Look for College Funding if You Can’t Get Merit Aid
Wall Street Journal - Dec 19, 2012
More than 25 states award some financial aid to college students based on academic achievement, as opposed to need. Thirteen states award more than half of their financial aid based on merit.... .
Prospective CPA’s—Be quick and creative and win a great scholarship
DC College Admissions Examiner - Dec 20, 2012
Once again the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) has come up with a creative approach for attracting high school students to the accounting profession.... .
Work-Study Students: Do Your Homework
Wall Street Journal - Dec 18, 2012
Evaluating and comparing financial-aid packages from colleges is never easy, and one piece in particular often leaves parents and students scratching their heads: deciding whether a work-study offer is worth taking. ... .
A goldmine for college scholarships
CBS News MoneyWatch - Dec 18, 2012
A much richer source of scholarship funds are colleges themselves. That's especially true for affluent families. Students with wealthier parents don't qualify for federal Pell Grants earmarked for low-income students or need-based grants from states. ... .

Kaarme Banner Ad
Back to top of newsletter

Career Training

The 10 Best-Paying Jobs For Community College Grads
Forbes - Dec 19, 2012
With college tuition costs skyrocketing—an estimated $1 trillion in student loan debt now exceeds credit card debt in the U.S.—many families are rethinking the traditional path to career success... .
Economic reality marries age-old idea — apprenticeships — with college
Hechinger Report - Dec 4, 2012
TACOMA, Wash. — Five-foot-two Jesica Bush exudes confidence, whether she’s scribbling notes in a 6:30 a.m. class at Bates Technical College here or wrestling 900-pound girders atop a mock two-story building.... .
Back to top of newsletter

Parents

How wealthy parents save for college
CBS News MoneyWatch  - Dec 18, 2012
(MoneyWatch) A small percentage of American families are saving for college through so-called 529 college savings plans, and the parents who are embracing these accounts tend to be wealthier... .
4 Tips for Grandparents Helping Parents Save for College
US News & World Report  - Dec 19, 2012
Elizabeth O'Hara's goal for her grandchildren and great-grandchildren was for them to never have to borrow money to pay for college. While she couldn't afford to pay for everyone's education herself, she came up with an idea in the 1990s to make this possible.. .
A Mother Returns to the College Search, With Daughter No. 2 in Tow
New York Times - The Choice  - Dec 19, 2012
It’s hard to believe that last month I found myself sitting, again, in the tiered classroom of my local high school, listening to a presentation about precollege testing... .
Back to top of newsletter

Northeast

Skills credential may aid disabled students
Times Union  - Dec 11, 2012
Jackson Aarons had a job waiting for him when he graduated from Lansingburgh High School in June. He washes dogs and helps out at the Bloomingrove animal hospital in East Greenbush.....
State Report Card Reveals Black-Latino Gap
New Haven Independent  - Dec 11, 2012
Two-thirds of black students, but only half of Hispanics, graduated from Wilbur Cross High School in four years. That was one piece of new information that emerged Monday as the state released grades for all Connecticut public schools.....
Back to top of newsletter

Shooting in Newtown - Resources

Resources: Talking and Teaching About the Shooting in Newtown, Conn.
New York Times  - Dec 14, 2012
On Dec. 14, 2012, a gunman killed 27 people, including 20 first graders, in an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., about 65 miles northeast of New York City. It was the second deadliest school shooting in the country’s history. Below, some ideas and resources for addressing the news.....
Tips For Parents & Teachers Following School Violence
CBS Local - Dec 17, 2012
The National Association of School Psychologists has shared a guide with all Connecticut Schools including tips and best practices for parents and teachers following school and community violence. It has very good advice for teachers and parents on what to do for children when a national tragedy occurs.....

 
 

Contents

Big Pic
Proces/Strat
Early
Essays
Counsel
SATs & ACTs
FinAid
Career
Parents
Northeast
Newtown

Sponsors

AllCollege_Essays
Pine_Manor_College
Bay_State_College
UMaine
St_Vincent
Student_Housing
Lesley
Dedham Savings
philographica
Hollins</a
NYC_Poly
Limrick
WIT
Dean_College
CPA

To view pages in PDF format, you need Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Click the icon for a free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader:
Get Adobe Acrobat Reader

(Acrobat and the Acrobat logo are trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated)

About This E-Mail
You received this newsletter because you registered your name and email address requesting HSCounselorWeek, or because you are a member of a cooperating organization. To unsubscribe, change delivery options or your e-mail address, see http://www.HSCounselorWeek.com.  

Suggestions and feedback are welcome at suggestions@hscounselorweek.com.

How to Advertise
For information on advertising in e-mail newsletters or other advertising opportunities with HS CounselorWeek, contact sales@hscounselorweek.com or visit our sponsoring page.

Disclaimer
Send all correspondences to de facto, inc. PO Box 602 Bedford MA 01730 . Neither the US Government nor any agency, nor de facto, inc, nor any of the contractors, subcontractors, advertisers, or employees makes any warranty, expressed or implied including any warranty of completeness, or merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose, nor assumes any legal liability or responsibility for any party's use or the result of such contents of the newsletter. In no event will de facto's liability, if any, exceed the value of the weekly charge for the information provided giving rise to such liability.

Copyright 2005 - 2012 de facto, inc. other newsletters by de facto www.fenceweek.com