High School Counselor Week

Fewer high schoolers went to college this fall. It’s unclear why.
USA Today – October 23, 2024
Amid struggles with financial aid and anxiety over the affirmative action ban, researchers have yet to figure out what influenced the shrinking pool of first-year students this semester. Whatever the reason, new national data published Wednesday recorded a 5% dip in first-year undergraduate enrollment compared with last fall – a figure researchers referred to as ‘startling.’

Low-income students work more amid rising college costs, analysis finds
Higher Ed Dive – October 24, 2024
Lower-income students worked more hours to cover the rising net cost of college, while middle- and upper-income families have taken out more loans, according to a recent analysis from the Brookings Institution. Moreover, research shows students who worked 20 hours a week experienced ‘deleterious’ effects on grades and credits earned, while larger payments from well-off families posed a threat to their longer-term financial stability.

Undergraduate enrollment rises 3% despite drop in first-year students, early data shows
K-12 Dive – October 23, 2024
Undergraduate enrollment rose this fall for the second year in a row, up 3% compared to similar early data from fall 2023, according to preliminary figures released Wednesday by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. However, enrollment among first-year students shrank 5%, the first dip since the decline seen at the start of the pandemic. Declining enrollment among 18-year-olds — a proxy for students who attend college directly after high school — accounted for most of that drop, the clearinghouse said.

How to help kids and teens use the internet safely
EdSource – October 23, 2024
As children and adolescents have become increasingly isolated from their support systems at home and at school, they have become more vulnerable to threats such as cyberbullying and predatory behavior online. Kids’ first line of defense, ultimately, is an adult who has earned their trust and is able to guide them when necessary. For Fareedah Shaheed, a children’s online safety expert, prevention and intervention start with the parents, teachers and school counselors interacting with kids on a daily basis. For example, many students don’t approach school counselors about their online problems, and many might not recognize that online interaction could be unsafe or outside the norm. In that case, how can schools better identify the issue and intervene, and how can school counselors specifically help?

How Parents Can Support Teens Through The College Admissions Process
Forbes – October 28, 2024
As teens wrestle with stress about grades, extracurriculars, and standardized tests, they can seem distant—retreating from the very people who want to help the most. But the solution isn’t to back off completely or, on the flip side, to control every aspect of the process. The key is to stay engaged in a way that promotes trust, openness, and shared support.

The surprising source of kids’ stress lurking on parents’ phones
Vox – October 24, 2024
Blackboard, Schoology, ClassDojo, the list goes on — these apps help teachers communicate with families, and parents and other caregivers keep track of their kids’ learning. Good, right? Kind of. The apps have raised privacy concerns, with some experts fearing that sensitive data about children could fall into the hands of cybercriminals or be used to limit kids’ opportunities later on. Others fear that by encouraging parents to monitor every fluctuation in their children’s grades, the tools are fueling an achievement-obsessed culture that can lead to stress and burnout among kids.

New Research Emphasizes Importance of College Proximity
Inside Higher Ed – October 29, 2024
Two new studies emphasize the ways geography impacts access to college—and how such impacts can be especially harmful for marginalized students. Together, the studies show that living a significant distance—30 minutes in one study and 25 miles in another—from an institution of higher education is especially likely to prevent Hispanic, Black, low-income and first-generation students from getting a postsecondary education.

Top Colleges That Still Require Test Scores
U.S. News & World Report – October 25, 2024
SAT and ACT scores have historically been key to the college admissions process, but that’s changing quickly. For several years, many schools have adopted test-optional or test-blind admissions policies. In fact, more than 80% of schools will not require applicants to submit scores for fall 2025 admissions. Below are lists of the 10 highest-ranking National Universities and the seven highest-ranking National Liberal Arts Colleges that have maintained their SAT/ACT requirements.

US universities are struggling to increase diversity. Are legacy admissions part of the problem?
The Guardian (US Edition) – October 27, 2024
Since the US supreme court banned affirmative action in college admissions in June 2023, US colleges and universities have grappled with how to boost campus diversity amid recent, troubling data. But results on increasing diversity among students by decreasing legacy admissions have been mixed.

Some colleges are targeting financial aid to middle-class families
NPR – October 24, 2024
There are many Americans in the middle who earn too much to qualify for need-based financial aid, but not enough to simply write a check to send their kids to college. Now a handful of schools — many of them private, nonprofit institutions trying to compete with lower-priced public universities — are beginning to designate financial aid specifically for middle-income families in an attempt to lure them back.

Students are testing out the FAFSA before it goes live in an effort to avoid last year’s mess
Chalkbeat – October 23, 2024
Thousands of students are helping test out federal financial aid forms before they go live to the broader public on or before Dec. 1. By participating in the testing, students get early access to completing the form, extra technical assistance, and their information sent earlier to colleges of their choice. So far, advocates and officials who have helped with the testing report fewer problems overall, as well as what they’ve said is ‘cautious optimism’ that the FAFSA will be a simpler form that offers a faster overall experience than the previous version.

The FAFSA Change Behind Colleges’ Pell Progress
Inside Higher Ed – October 29, 2024
Colleges are touting big boosts in Pell recipients this fall, made possible by the new FAFSA’s revised eligibility requirements. Does that mean they have more low-income students?