Articles of Interest Relating to Education, the College Journey, and Finding Your Purpose for Students and Families
COVID-19-Specific Articles Regarding Testing, Admissions, and College Choices
The Common App Adds COVID Question
From the Common App Blog: COVID-19 Question on the 2020-2021 Common App
On choosing your school during social distancing…
From NY Times: How to Make College Decisions When Campuses Are Closed
NACAC Tool for Families…
NACAC: National Association for College Admissions Counseling's (NACAC) online tool
Articles of Interest for Families and Students
On the benefits of college consulting…
Counselors help students present their best selves, says Brooke Daly, president of the Higher Education Consultants Organization. “What have they accomplished and how can they present that in a compelling way?”
Finding a college takes a lot of energy, time and bandwidth. “If you feel overwhelmed and can’t handle another parenting duty, an independent educational consultant might be a good solution,” says Maruta Vitols, an independent college consultant with A+ College Consulting in Newton, Mass.
I think the most valuable service for my family is the list of reach, midrange and safety schools that [...] are a good fit academically, socially and financially.
On what education is really about…
From the Chicago Tribune: What I want high school seniors to hear loud and clear, in the wake of the celebrity college cheating scandal
Here’s what I want seniors, all college-minded kids, really, to hear above the white noise of college acceptance letters and a prestige/self-worth-conflating culture and Aunt Becky.
College is a feast.
You fill your mind with ideas and you just keep getting hungrier. You binge on new philosophies. You try on new personalities. You fall in love with new friends, new books, new buildings, new partners. You get your heart broken. You keep going. You grow.
You’re away from your old life. Even if you don’t go far, geographically, you’re a world away from what mattered in high school. How you were measured in high school. Who you wanted to be in high school.
You’re learning, one day at a time, what the rest of your life will call for. The stuff you learn from your major, sure. But also: Showing up prepared and on time. Living up to your word. When to say yes. When to say no. What sort of human you want to be.
College doesn’t define you. College shapes you. College takes the high school you and molds it into a grown-up you. But the key component there is you. Your ideas. Your work. Your voice. You bring all of those things to college, and college helps you figure out what to do with them.
How much does GPA really matter?
From the Washington Post: Making the Grade Still Matters: At Least in College Admissions
A recent survey of college admissions officers found that nothing carries more weight in deciding which applicants to accept than high school grades. Why? Research shows that a student’s high school grade-point average is consistently a better predictor than test scores of a student’s likely performance in college.
On getting going...
On becoming a first generation college student…
On success in college...
On the value of the introvert...
From the New York Times: Micro-Progress and the Magic of Just Getting Started
From the Washington Post: ‘They all kind of live through me’: What it means to be first in your family to go to college
Nationally, first-generation students were about one-third of the U.S. undergraduate population in 2011-2012, according to a 2018 federal report. The path to graduation is often rockier for those who are the first in their family to go to college — those students who do enroll can’t rely on their parents’ experiences to navigate campus and may possess other characteristics associated with dropping out, such as coming from low-income households.
“They all kind of live through me, I guess,” she said. “It means a lot to them that I have interests and I’m not working 24/7 and that I can live a life and have the opportunity to go to college.”
From the National Association for College and Admissions Counseling (Op-Ed): Life Skills Key to College Success
From the Washington Post (opinion): One Group That Definitely Faces Prejudice in College Admissions
Avoiding senioritis…
From “Admitted,” the official blog of the National Association for College Admission Counseling: Avoiding Senioritis
Senioritis is easy to catch and hard to get rid of. It can also put your future plans at risk.
Every year, poor academic performance causes colleges to take back their offers of admission, put students on academic probation, or change financial aid packages.
Follow these tips to stay on track.
It's a changed world...
From the New York Times: What Colleges Want in an Applicant (Everything)
On happiness…
The college visit…
From “Admitted,” the official blog of the National Association for College Admission Counseling:
Dispel vague impressions with facts about academic and co-curricular life.
*Transform a first-choice college to a fifth-choice, or the other way around.
*Establish a satisfying alternate destination should a first-choice college not offer admission.
*Uncover a community surrounding a college that fascinates, educates, and employs.
For Virginia students…
On the detriments of perfectionism...
From the Washington Post: Perfectionism among Teens is Rampant (and We're Not Helping)
“It’s so hard right now to feel like anyone is successful enough,” you might say. “We are all feeling the pressure, and I hope you’ll tell me if I can do anything to make things easier.”
On considering a Liberal Arts education…
Looking for a reading list?
From the Washington Post: A reading list for educators, parents, and students: A Different 2019 Summer Reading List
On considering a gap year…
From “Admitted,” the official blog of the National Association for College Admission Counseling: Op Ed: Taking a Gap Year Builds Resistance
On considering transferring to another college…
From “Admitted,” the official blog of the National Association for College Admission Counseling: 7 Considerations to Make When Transferring Schools