Western Edition | Southern Edition | MidWest Edition | Archive | Sponsoring |      March 27, 2014
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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

April madness: The problem with American college admissions
Washington Post  - Mar 21, 2014
What? Were they talking about my 15-year-old, with his bright eyes, pimples and tousled hair, just a 10th-grader at a New Jersey public high school? My son is still a kid who plays hide-and-seek in the fresh snow....
Why many community college students don't graduate
CBS News MoneyWatch - Mar 20, 2014
While students who start at community colleges are less likely to obtain a bachelor's degree, there is little agreement about why this happens. Experts have suggested a variety of possible reasons, including inadequate academic rigor at community colleges, lowered student expectations, poor financial aid and a focus on vocational courses.....
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College Admissions Process/Strategies

What underclassmen can learn from this year’s admissions decisions
Seattle College Bound Examiner  - Mar 24, 2014
Admissions decisions are in the mail. All that’s left for seniors to do is to decide which college to attend. All the choices they have made over the last four years have brought them to this moment. While it’s not possible for them to re-do those years or make different choices...
Are You Ready For College Prep This Summer?
Huffington Post  - Mar 24, 2014
Although many decisions are made during senior year, it is best to begin the college process early. Do enjoy some down time this summer, but remain productive, active and interested... read, exercise, visit campuses while traveling, keep a journal, develop a hobby and collaborate on something meaningful....
College Admissions: No Acceptances? Don’t Panic
GoLocalProv - Mar 20, 2014
As acceptances, rejections and waiting-list notifications arrive, panic has set in for some seniors. What do you do when you were rejected from ALL of your colleges, don’t like your options, or receive only waiting-list offers? First stay calm.....
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Inside the Admissions Office

Inside the admissions process at George Washington University
Washington Post  - Mar 24, 2014
Britt Freitag, an admissions officer at George Washington University, confessed she was “slightly nervous” about a candidate for the Class of 2018. His grades were solid, but not stellar. The student had taken some tough courses, but not as many as Freitag would have liked. Test scores,....
One and done: Many applications to selective colleges get just a single read
Washington Post  - Mar 24, 2014
Students aiming for selective colleges will agonize for days or weeks over every little detail of their applications. But often that file will get just one read, perhaps 5 to 15 minutes, before a gatekeeper decides yes or no....
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Deciding/Rejection/Deferred

You Got Rejected From Your Dream School: Now What?
Her Campus - Mar 20, 2014
Rejection is never fun—particularly when the college you’ve been rejected by has been your dream school for years. But as tired as you probably are of hearing it—and really, who can blame you?—the truth is, everything does happen for a reason.....
It’s not too late: colleges still accepting applications for fall 2014
DC College Admissions Examiner - Mar 25, 2014
I won’t lie. It’s getting a little late in the game. But if you’re a little disappointed with the decisions you’ve received so far, take heart. There are literally hundreds of colleges across the country ready, willing and more than happy to consider an application for fall 2014......
What to do with a college waitlist decision
Spokane College Admissions Examiner - Mar 24, 2014
March is the busy month for high school seniors around the country to receive college admissions decisions. While some decisions – like acceptances and even denials – are easy to understand, the waitlist letter can often cause bewilderment......
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Essays

College Corner: Writing great application essays
Tyler Paper - Mar 24, 2014
The best college application essays pack a lot into their limited length — which is just 650 words at most schools, or slightly more than one page. A good essay must show that a student can organize thoughts and write well, and that the student understands how to support an argument or ideas with facts and logic. ...
Archives - College Essays

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SATs & ACTs

4 Tips for Conquering the ACT, SAT Math Sections
US News & World Report - Mar 24, 2014
The SAT and ACT math sections can be intimidating for many students, even those who excel in their high school mathematics classes. This is because the material itself rarely surpasses what they have already learned, but the presentation of the questions differs greatly.....
Professor Perspectives: The New SAT Test
Nerd Wallet - Mar 25, 2014
SAT test takers will face an updated version of the college admission exam in 2016, the College Board recently announced. Of the proposed changes, the most notable include an optional essay, eliminating the penalty for wrong answers,....
The SAT-Prep Industry Isn't Going Anywhere
The Atlantic - Mar 15, 2014
David Coleman, the president of College Board, thinks companies that offer SAT prep services are “predators who prey on the anxieties of parents and children and provide no real educational benefit.” ...
Archives - SATs & ACTs
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Counselors

HSCW Counselors' Corners
Post - Mar 26, 2014
Counseling Students at College Decision Time
It’s hard to believe, but early April is nearly here—and with it comes the final college admissions decisions. Many of these are first decisions from highly selective colleges, but students will also be hearing back from colleges that may have asked for senior grades earlier in the year.,... More

College Counselors: The Unsung Heroes of American Education
Huffington Post - Mar 24, 2014
At this time of year on America's college campuses, seniors are counting the days until graduation -- always a multi-layered moment filled both with celebration and with sadness......
As need for school counselors grows, numbers decrease
Press-Citizen - Mar 23, 2014
CINCINNATI -- Spring is a busy time for high school guidance counselors. Unfortunately, they've become something of a rare commodity on high school campuses these days.....
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Visits/Fairs and Interviews

5 surefire tips for a better campus visit
Charlotte Observer - Mar 24, 2014
It’s a rite of spring – the spring break campus visit pilgrimage. If you are finding yourself in the throes of scheduling college visits, count yourself among the many doing the same thing....
How to Make the Most of Your College Overnight Visit
Her Campus - Mar 25, 2014
A college overnight visit is like a sleepover, but you get to live the life of a collegiette while you’re doing it! Not only are you there to have fun, you’re also there to learn as much as you can about a university and see if it’s the right fit for you. ....
Archives - Visits/Interview
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Parents

Decisions, decisions... Sound Bites, No Sympathy and Seizing the Moment for Parents
True Admissions Blog  - Mar 26, 2014
When college acceptances or rejections arrive, the most important thing that a senior needs is a bit of psychological space. You have to give your teenager time to let you know what he or she wants from you. ....
3 Ways Parents Can Help Students Make Smart College Choices
Huffington Post  - Mar 26, 2014
It is really getting to be crunch time right now for high school seniors and their parents. For those students who have not yet made the decision about which college to attend, it is time to finally sit down and make what could be some very hard choices. ...
Is A College Bumper Sticker Tantamount To Bragging?
WBUR.org  - Mar 26, 2014
Beginning this week, college stickers will slide out of the fat envelopes of lucky families all across Boston. My son is a high school senior, so while awaiting his admission decisions, I’ve been pondering the most pressing question of all....
Maze Of College Costs And Aid Programs Traps Some Families
NPR.org  - Mar 17, 2014
In the past 20 years, the average burden for a four-year college graduate in the U.S. has gone from about $9,000 to nearly $30,000 today. The percentage of students carrying debt has shot up from less than half to nearly 70 percent these days.....
College applications and the ‘car ambush’
Washington Post - Mar 23, 2014
Hey parents, listen up. Here’s a hot tip for success in college admissions from an insider named Britt Freitag: No ambushes in the car......
Archives - Parents

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FinAid/Scholarships

Decoding College Financial Aid
NPR.org  - Mar 25, 2014
Many high school seniors are hearing from colleges about admissions and financial aid. Scott Juedes, director of Student Financial Services at Wellesley College, gives tips on decoding aid offers.....
Some Common Misconceptions About Paying For College
NPR.org  - Mar 25, 2014
In reporting on students navigating the maze of college costs and financial aid, I kept running into misconceptions about paying for a degree. Here are some of the most common ones:...
9 Things We Bet You Didn't Know About College Financial Aid
Forbes  - Mar 25, 2014
Paying for college can be a nerve-wracking rite of passage. Not only are you probably dealing with huge sums of money, but the complex process of making decisions about loans is often trusted to 17-year-olds, who may or may not have ever managed money before.....
Don’t Be Tricked By Misleading Financial Aid Letters
The College Solution Blog - Mar 17, 2014
FInancial aid letters are often confusing. I believe many colleges and universities intentionally make financial aid awards hard to decipher to trick families into thinking that their institutions are being generous even when they aren’t.....

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Archives - FinAid/Scholarships
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Rankings

Which College—and Which Major—Will Make You Richest?
The Atlantic  - Mar 26, 2014
A Bachelor of Science from Harvey Mudd College, the small California science and engineering school, is the most valuable college degree in America. Stanford's computer science program pays off more than any single major in the country.....
Students Don't Actually Care That Much About College Rankings
Huffington Post  - Mar 24, 2014
Although college rankings play a significant role in the decisions that colleges and universities make, few students actually pay attention to them, according to a report issued last week....
Archives - Rankings
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Career and Technical Education (CTE)

The Crisis We Can't Afford
Huffington Post  - Mar 25, 2014
One of the most promising experiments in American education is taking root in Chicago's South Side. The Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy is a new type of public school designed to achieve two of our country's most urgent goals...
Who should decide who is college material and who isn’t?
Washington Post  - Mar 26, 2014
College, of course, isn’t for everybody, but who should decide — and how and when — which students should go and shouldn’t? In this post, Kevin Welner and Carol Burris ask whether the decision should be made by policy makers and school officials or parents and students...
Commitment to career, technical education key to thriving workforce
Las Vegas Sun - Mar 24, 2014
Last week, I joined with Rep. John Kline of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce in hosting a congressional field hearing to examine career and technical education programs in Nevada and throughout the nation....
Archives - Career and Technical Education (CTE)
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Northeast

MEFA helps seniors "After the Acceptance" with seminars, more
Boston.com - Mar 24, 2014
The Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority (MEFA) is offering a suite of free services through its "After the Acceptance" program to high school seniors who have been accepted to college in order to make the decision process easier, according to a press release....
Achieving better opportunities for all Delawareans
Delaware Online - Mar 24, 2014
Recognizing that access to a quality education is essential for all of our young people to unleash their potential, we should be encouraged by recent news about our traditionally underserved African-American community and we must now take the opportunity to build on our progress.....
State Measure Takes Aim At Chronic School Absenteeism
The Hartford Courant - Mar 24, 2014
HARTFORD — Lawmakers are considering a bill that aims to ensure that children who are chronically absent from school get help early — before they become truants or get poor grades or drop out....
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Teen Dating

Teen boys who play sports twice as likely to admit abusing a girlfriend: study
NY Daily News  - Mar 26, 2014
Teenage boys who played football, basketball or both were about twice as likely as other boys to have recently abused their girlfriends in a new study from California.....
Lancaster family turns teen’s death into a battle against teen dating violence
Herald Online  - Mar 1, 2014
Most people aren't aware that teen dating violence is a problem, said Joan Harris, a sexual assault educator and preventionist with Safe .....
 
 
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Contents

Big Pic
Proces/Strat
Inside
Wait/Reject
Essay
SATs & ACTs
Consul
Visits
Parents
FinAid
Rankings
CTE
Northeast
Teen Dating

Sponsors

NYC_Poly
Dean_College
Richmond_London</a
Bay_State_College
CPA
St_Vincent
WIT
AllCollege_Essays
Hollins</a
Dedham Savings

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