High School Counselor Week

How can colleges maintain diverse student bodies?
Higher Ed Dive – October 21, 2024
When the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against race-conscious admissions last year, experts predicted diversity at some institutions would take a hit. Now, data from several selective institutions is showing just that.

Harvard and Yale among dozens of universities targeted in financial aid price-fixing lawsuit
NBC News – October 9, 2024
Forty of the top private universities across the U.S. are under fire after a lawsuit was filed accusing the institutions of conspiring to overcharge students for their education. According to the lawsuit, these universities bilked applicants from divorced or separated homes by including the financial backgrounds of noncustodial parents when determining financial aid packages.

This Counselor Used AI to Help Students Apply to College. Here’s How
Education Week – October 23, 2024
High school counselors have a lot on their plates. They’re holding individual meetings with students to help them think about their futures, fostering connections with college admissions officers, and writing letters of recommendation. Much of the work can get repetitive, as they field the same questions from multiple parents every year and write dozens of recommendation letters. That’s where artificial intelligence tools can help. In this interview, Director of College Counseling Jeffrey Neill discusses best practices, as well as his experience with incorporating AI tools into counseling.

Why Teens Are Using TikTok to Self-Diagnose Mental Health Conditions
Parents – October 17, 2024
In addition to using the platform to connect with their peers, teens are finding and creating content on TikTok in an effort to better understand their mental health. With insufficient access to mental health care—in schools or elsewhere—a growing number of young people have been turning to TikTok to self-diagnose certain mental health conditions. Here’s what parents need to know about their teens using social media to diagnose themselves, including how to help a child seek support offline.

Don’t helicopter-parent your kids into college. Let them take the lead
WBUR Boston – October 23, 2024
Success in the college admissions process can mean a lot of things, but the emergence of kids’ autonomy should be at the top of the list. Many kids think they are bettering their chances the more highly selective schools they apply to, while some just find comfort in the idea of throwing in as many applications as possible and seeing what sticks. These conversations are hard, but when a student realizes they can remove a school that their parents added from the list, or one that is simply too far from home, they start to understand that the choices are theirs to make.

What Happens to Students Who Back Out of Early Decision Offers
U.S. News & World Report – October 16, 2024
Early decision applications typically require the signature of the student, parent and counselor verifying the commitment to a particular institution. The agreement is not legally binding, so a college would not go after a student for tuition. But depending on the school, there can be consequences if a student doesn’t accept an offer.

8 College Application Myths Debunked
Forbes – October 16, 2024
As the college admissions season is in full swing, with many Early Action and Early Decision applications due in mid-October and early November, students should have already started working on creating a polished application. Here are eight top myths about college applications and the real truth behind them.

At selective colleges, fewer students are disclosing race in their applications
USA Today – October 21, 2024
Fewer students in this fall’s class of college freshmen chose to disclose their race or ethnicity in their applications to some top schools, data shows. The pattern, which is nuanced and only affects a sliver of the nation’s universities, is among several early indications of the potential impacts of the Supreme Court’s decision last year that has effectively prohibited colleges from considering race as a factor in admissions.

U.S. Department of Education Announces Successful First Beta Test for 2025-26 FAFSA
The 74 – October 17, 2024
The U.S. Department of Education announced on Tuesday, Oct. 15, the launch of the second stage of testing (Beta 2) for the 2025–26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid — which is set to launch for all students and families by Dec. 1. This second round of testing includes 16 organizations that will work together to recruit thousands of students from diverse income, geographic, family, and educational backgrounds.

How Much Student Loan Debt Does the Average College Graduate Have?
U.S. News & World Report – October 21, 2024
Average student loan debt has been on the rise as families try to keep up with soaring college costs. Though 2023 college graduates who borrowed to pay for school took out, on average, $43 less in loans compared with the prior year, the average total student debt continues to hover above $29,000, according to U.S. News data. However, a smaller percentage of students are borrowing money to pay for college.

How college leaders can articulate higher education’s ROI — beyond earnings
Higher Ed Dive – October 22, 2024
For years, educators have relied on clear and convincing research to show that college degrees significantly improve adults’ employment prospects and earnings potential. But there are many personal and societal benefits a college degree imparts, such as financial security, access to critical benefits and healthy behaviors. Below are several benefits associated with earning a college degree that college officials can use to explain the ROI of higher education.

Skilled trades gain traction with Gen Z, report finds
Higher Ed Dive – October 21, 2024
Social media is increasingly driving an interest in skilled trades careers among members of Generation Z, generally defined as people born from 1997 to 2012, according to a report from home services app Thumbtack. The Thumbtack report also found that 93% of the Gen Z graduates and 80% of the parents surveyed said learning a skilled trade can be a better route to economic security than college.

For Girls to Succeed in STEM, Confidence Matters as Much as Competence
EdSurge – October 17, 2024
While women are not just outpacing men in degrees — girls are doing better academically and completing high school on time more frequently than boys — the push for parity has been moving at a glacial pace in STEM. Though on the rise, women are still underrepresented in both degrees and employment in the sciences and technology. A recent report by Ruling Our Experiences — a nonprofit that studies the aspirations, behaviors and opinions of girls — found a myriad of outside factors and social pressures that may be keeping girls from taking STEM classes or seeing themselves in science jobs.