High School Counselor Week

Advice From College Presidents On Building Trust to Weather a Crisis
EdSurge – May 25, 2020
As I wrote a few weeks ago, those leaders who put people first as they made these decisions and communicated with vulnerability, kindness and empathy were most likely to get the best results. As we enter summer, though, college presidents, provosts and deans are facing the next wave of decisions, which looks even more menacing than the first.

College Presidents Say Fall Reopening Likely
Inside Higher Ed – May 26, 2020
The survey asked presidents about whether they plan to take certain specific actions in resuming in-person operations. Their answers can be seen in the two charts below.

Covid-19 Will Make Colleges Prove Their Worth
Bloomberg Opinion – May 25, 2020
For colleges and students, COVID presents a game of chicken. Institutions want students to sign up and pay tuition deposits. Students wonder if it’s worth shelling out tens of thousands for what could be a largely online experience. Who will swerve?

What We Aren’t Learning From the Quarantine
Post – May 27, 2020
Counselors’ Corner with Patrick O’Connor Ph.D.

What’s up with The Common Application in 2020?
Tribune News Service – May 27, 2020
College Admissions Strategies with Lee Bierer 

“You worry about them”: Outnumbered school counselors struggle to keep kids safe remotely
USA Today – May 23, 2020
As educators everywhere try to figure out how to do their jobs remotely, the coronavirus pandemic has highlighted another problem facing schools across the country: the instability of relying on one counselor, or just a few, to guide hundreds of students through new academic hurdles, prepare them for an uncertain future, and triage their mental health crises.

Colorado school counselors focus on special needs’ students’ mental health
The Denver Channel (CO) – May 20, 2020
Counselors in the program say students with special needs are experiencing the same mental health concerns that many people are experiencing amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Counselors offer tips for dealing with stress during pandemic
Carroll County News (AR) – May 26, 2020
The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have been difficult for many — whether it’s because of feelings of loneliness or depression from staying home, concerns about employment or financial security, or uncertainty about how things are going to change and how long it will be before everything is back to normal.

Southern Regional Counselors Stay Positive for Seniors During Cap and Gown Pickup
The SandPaper (NJ) – May 27, 2020
Each counselor was tasked with a simple mission – give each graduating senior his or her cap and gown and tell them to be on the lookout for further instructions with regard to participation in the upcoming virtual graduation ceremony, as well as a chance to say whatever they wanted, vent or cry.

Best Part, Worst Part, Opportunity. Admission Advice For Parents
Georgia Tech Admission Blog – May 23, 2020
I asked our team to contribute the one thing they would want parents to consider and embrace in the year ahead.

College Decisions in the Midst of COVID-19
College Parent Central – May 26, 2020
As you try to think through your student’s options for fall semester, you may wonder what other parents and students are thinking. What are your options? What way are others leaning?

Helping your senior with no-graduation blues
Quad-City Times (IA) – May 24, 2020
The COVID pandemic has wreaked havoc on many senior year high school rituals and rites of passage, including graduation. Here is some advice for parents from Harlan Cohen, author of the bestselling college guide, The Naked Roommate: And 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into in College.

The Common Application Introduces an Optional Covid-19 Writing Section
Forbes – May 23, 2020
Many high school juniors will be tempted to talk about coronavirus in their personal college essays this fall, but they’re in grave danger of telling the same story about the pandemic – one any student can tell. This concern has led to the creation of a new writing section in the Common Application.

College Knowledge: 7 ways that applying to college will not change
Oakland Press – May 25, 2020
For high school seniors, the future of college is difficult to envision amid all the changes…But as high school juniors begin to make college plans this spring, they will find that applying to college works a lot like it always has. This happy bit of certainty in an otherwise unpredictable world will include these seven basic parts of the process.

In new podcast series, Yale takes listeners inside the admissions office
YaleNews – May 26, 2020
The new series, “Inside the Yale Admissions Office,” grew out of a desire among admissions officers to increase transparency about Yale’s whole-person review process and to help prospective students, parents, and college counselors understand how the office works.

Picking A College For The Fall? Here’s How To Decide For An Unknown Future
NPR (Listen) – May 26, 2020
An interview with Elissa Nadworny, an NPR Education reporter, about some of the hefty decisions college-bound students are weighing this spring. (Partial transcript provided)

College-bound students to miss out on billions in financial aid due to pandemic
CNBC – May 26, 2020
About 69% of parents and 55% of students entering college in the fall said Covid-19 has impacted their ability to pay for school…Yet fewer families have applied for financial aid. If you’ve experienced financial hardship, it’s not too late to fill out the FAFSA or amend the form you previously submitted.

Where to Find Scholarships for Black Students
U.S. News & World Report – May 26, 2020
Black students and their families are among the groups that tend to borrow more student loans and therefore be more affected by debt. As more organizations and colleges have prioritized diversity in recent years, the availability of scholarships for black students has risen…

My ACT/SAT Test Was Cancelled Due to Coronavirus. Now What?
PrepScholar – May 25, 2020
If you’ve been caught in these cancellations, you’re probably feeling pretty stressed out. When will you get to retake your test? And is there a special process for registering for the SAT after cancellation? In this article, we’ll walk you through what to do…

ACT to offer online, at-home version of test this fall
Star Tribune (MN) – May 23, 2020
Educators worry about fairness, test security and even the validity of the high-stakes exam. ‘We’ve used ‘standardized testing’ to describe the SAT or ACT,’ said Phil Trout, college counselor at Minnetonka High School. ‘But let’s be fair — there’s nothing standard about a testing situation that’s dependent on a student’s home life.’

College Board Says AP Testing a Success
Inside Higher Ed – May 26, 2020
But organization is sued over rules that were in place for students unable to submit their answers.

Will the Coronavirus Kill College Admissions Tests?
New York Times – May 26, 2020
The SAT and ACT could be on their way out. Is that a good thing?