High School Counselor Week

Weekly stories, facts, trends, and other information from around the country

 

January 24, 2019

Big Picture

Think before you major
MarketPlace.org – Jan 22, 2019 – (LISTEN)

Picture this: After years of hard work, the world is your oyster. You’re about to graduate with an advanced degree into a prestigious field.

A New Initiative Looks To Save Failing Students — and Their Colleges
Forbes – Jan 22, 2019
During my years as a college administrator and faculty member, I was saddened each winter break to learn just how many of our seniors were not on target for graduation in the spring

Attention, college shoppers. These schools are slashing their prices.
Washington Post – Jan 21, 2019
As soaring tuition scares off many families, a growing number of private colleges have embraced a marketing tactic associated more with selling airline tickets or flat-screen televisions than higher education: a price cut

Finding a job is work, which is why some colleges use winter break to advise students
The Hechinger Report – Jan 23, 2019
CLAREMONT, Calif. — Tiny Scripps College is still on winter break, and the Spanish colonial revival-style campus 30 miles east of Los Angeles seems deserted

America’s Teachers Are Furious
The Atlantic – Jan 22, 2019
In Los Angeles, more than 30,000 teachers remain on strike; it took union and city officials more than a week

Columns and Blogs

Picking a College? Don’t Do This
Post – Jan 23, 2019

Counselors’ Corner with Patrick O’Connor Ph.D 

Tips so you don’t tank on your interview
Tribune News Service – Jan 22, 2019
College Admissions Strategies with Lee Bierer

Common App essay prompts remain the same for 2019-20 while strategic plan suggests future change
Post – Jan 23, 2019
The Explorations Blog with Nancy Griesemer

How to Appeal a Financial Aid Letter
Post – Jan 17, 2019
The College Solution Blog with Lynn O’Shaughnessy

Counselors

LA’s school counselors strike back
The Hechinger Report – Jan 23, 2019
The walkout succeeded in putting a spotlight on the dire shortage of counselors, who are key to helping students navigate school and plan for life after graduation

1 on 1: School counseling bill passes Virginia House
WHSV – Jan 22, 2019
Doug Alderfer, an Assistant Superintendent with Rockingham County Schools, discusses the bill that requires school counselors to spend at least 80

School counselors help bridge the communication gap between school and home
WWLP.com Mass Appeal – Jan 16, 2019
School counselors are great resources to help children in the school system. Here to tell us more about their role and how they can help our kids are Shamis A. White and Maura Ryczek

Parents

More Parents Are Putting Limits on College Help
Associated Press – Jan 23, 2019
Tyler Luker of Plano, Texas, is a high school junior who already knows which college he wants to attend (University of Missouri), how much it costs ($43,300 for out-of-state residents) and how much he can expect his single mother to contribute: nothing

Here’s How Average American Taxpayers Saved $2,238 on College Costs
Motley Fool – Jan 19, 2019
Anyone with a child knows just how expensive a college education can be. Unfortunately, tuition, fees, and other costs are so high that millions of students have to borrow extensively in order to pay for college

Can I be forced to pay for college?
Boston Herald – Jan 19, 2019
When we divorced, I had a good paying job. The idea of eventually contributing to college for our daughter seemed like a no-brainer. I agreed we would figure out how to share the cost at the appropriate time

The Grand Adventure: Selecting a college and how grandparents can help
Houston Chronicle – Jan 18, 2019
If you applied for the college of your choice 50 or 60 years ago, you might be in for a surprise when it comes time for your grand darlings to go through the same process. I know I was!

Tips for getting your teens to open up
WTHR – Jan 21, 2019
It’s no secret that as your kids get older, it can be harder to get them to open up about their lives. But there are some new tips from doctors that can make it easier to have a conversation with your teens. 

Video

Homelessness on campus
CBS News Sunday Morning – Jan 20, 2019
College senior Jasmine Bigham can almost taste graduation. Like most students at Humboldt State University, nestled in the shade of the California Redwoods, finals are coming, and she’s studying hard

Admissions Process & Strategy

Want to Learn How the World Sees Your College? Look on YouTube
The Chronicle of Higher Education – Jan 22, 2019
Nicolas Chae has a typical morning routine: He wakes up early, heads to the gym, and then changes clothes for class.

The Daunting Prospect of Paying For College & What To Do About It
New Hampshire Public Radio – Jan 22, 2019 – (LISTEN)
For many families, paying for college can be an overwhelming proposition, including not just the cost of tuition – but also books, housing, and food.

How International Students Can Prep for US College Apps
U.S. News & World Report – Jan 22, 2019
As prospective international students begin the new year, it’s not too early for them to think about their future studies in the U.S. There are things applicants should keep in mind when putting together their list of U.S. colleges to apply to in the fall

Read this before signing up for an online college course
MarketWatch – Jan 18, 2019
Online courses aren’t living up to their promise to disrupt higher education. That’s one conclusion from a pair of studies released this week analyzing trends and outcomes of different types of online learning opportunities

More Ways To Improve College Admission In 2019
Forbes – Jan 21, 2019

How to Get a College Application Fee Waiver
University Magazine – Jan 18, 2019

Students Share Tips for Preparing for College Reading Assignments
US News & World Report – Jan 21, 2019

Career & Technical Education

Impacts and Perceptions of Career-Focused Education
Gallup Blog – Jan 18, 2019
The high price of a college education and the time associated with obtaining a bachelor’s degree are prompting people to seek alternatives to a four-year education

Is college really the only pathway to success? Here’s what some states are doing to help young people
Deseret News – Jan 19, 2019
SALT LAKE CITY — College costs are rising and many students fear amassing significant student loan debt, but college is often drilled into high school students as the only option if they want to succeed.

College is not for everyone
Port St. Joe Star-Jan 17, 2019
For decades, government has been working to improve high school curriculum so our kids are college-ready. What about the kids who aren’t going to college?

Financial Aid/Scholarships

How To Be Smarter About Online Scholarship Searches
TeenLife Blog – Jan 16, 2019
Online scholarship search and matching sites abound on the Internet, but signing up for each and every one of them is a huge mistake that can lead to student frustration and angst

InFocus: College applications and financial aid
WWLP.com – Jan 18, 2019
It may only be January, but for those considering college in the fall, it’s time to start filling out college applications and begin looking for financial aid

Is Sanity Breaking Out in Washington? A Bipartisan Fix to FAFSA Complexity?
Forbes – Jan 21, 2019
Literally for decades, a major impediment for individuals wanting federal student financial assistance is the Free Application for Federal Student Assistance (FAFSA) form

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Teen Health

Mental illness in the family raises marijuana risks. Parents, please talk to your teens
USA TODAY – Jan 22, 2019
A mentally ill relative increases the psychosis risk of marijuana use. Have that painful conversation with your kids. It could change their lives

Why vaping is so dangerous for teens
CNN – Jan 17, 2019
(CNN) Most of what we know about nicotine addiction in teens, we know from cigarettes. But experts say the technology and chemistry of vaping might pose

SAT, ACT & AP

Ruling May Make It Easier to Sue Test Makers
Inside Higher Ed – Jan 22, 2019
A New Jersey judge has found that the binding arbitration requirement everyone who takes the ACT must sign is “unconscionable” and may not be enforced in the case of a student suing the testing organization.

More Colleges Than Ever Have Test-Optional Admissions Policies — And That’s A Good Thing
The University Network – Jan 18, 2019
Back in the 1980s, Bates College and Bowdoin College were nearly the only liberal arts colleges not to require applicants to submit SAT or ACT test scores 

Disabilities

Research: Students with ADHD Benefit Most from One-to-One Support for Self-Regulation
ADDitude – Jan 22, 2019
A new study finds that individualized interventions focused on teaching students how to manage their emotions and behavior most significantly improves academic outcomes for students with ADHD

‘Sometimes you feel alone’: studying at university with a disability
The Guardian – Jan 17, 2019
While the number of disabled people studying at university is growing, they are still far less likely to go than their non-disabled peers

Student Athletes

Young athletes confront pressure to specialize in a single sport, despite risks
Hartford Courant – Jan 23, 2019
Steve Boyle remembers exactly when he realized that young athletes faced too much pressure to specialize in a single sport

NCSA: When do college coaches stop recruiting?
USA Today HSS – Jan 17, 2019
The recruiting landscape has experienced a shakeup over the last several years. From the advent of social media recruiting to junior year official visits to early signing periods

Just For Fun

Man Regrets Wasting Money On College After Failing To Secure Perfect Dream Life By 24
The Onion – Jan 24, 2019
NEW YORK—Noting that his four years at Fordham University hadn’t even led to a 3,000-square-foot penthouse apartment on the Upper East Side yet, local 24-year-old Alex Michaelson, who still hasn’t achieved his dream life…