Category Archives: College Admission

Access, College Admission, College Admission in the News

You Already Know This, But…

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The statistics on college acceptance rates don’t lie. They also don’t come as a surprise to people working in the college admission profession.

Although media coverage and parent perceptions can make it seem as though a handful of selective universities are the norm, most US colleges and universities admit a majority of students who apply.

NACAC’s State of College Admission report has proclaimed this for years, but a new study from Pew Research Center is backing it up and pushing its findings into the mainstream.

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College Admission

Instagram Accounts for Admitted Students Influence Decisions

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Instagram is the new Facebook for college-bound students.

Facebook was originally designed to connect college students. The social network’s audience now skews older, but that doesn’t mean new students aren’t still connecting online before they even get to campus.

Accepted students are now starting Instagram accounts for their class. A new crop of Class of 2023 accounts has just popped up on Instagram and admitted and prospective students are using them to make their final decisions, pick a roommate, and connect before classes begin in the fall.

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College Admission, College Readiness, Importance of School Counselors

Member View: Ditch the College Admission Stress

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The college search and application process can be a stressful time for families and students. But there are ways to manage this stress and anxiety.

Sherri Geller, co-director of college counseling at Gann Academy (MA), recently shared her stress management tips with JewishBoston.

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College Admission, College Readiness, Standardized Testing

A New Way to Measure Student Success

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Could a video game ever replace standardized testing’s role in college admission?

Enter 27-year-old Rebecca Kantar and Imbellus Inc., her start-up that aims to reinvent testing.

Imbellus wasn’t started with the recent bribery scandal in mind, but Kantar told Bloomberg Businessweek that it is “cheatproof.”

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Access, College Admission, NACAC News

AACRAO Panel: Beyond the Bribery Scandal

Courtesy of AACRAO

Earlier this week, attendees at the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) 2019 annual meeting in Los Angeles spoke for the first time at a national event about the “Operation Varsity Blues” bribery scandal.

As part of a panel that included Tammy Aagard, associate vice president for enrollment management at the University of Florida and AACRAO board member, and Phil Ballinger, associate vice provost for enrollment management at the University of Washington, I had the opportunity to provide an update on NACAC’s activities to date, and to hear questions and concerns from the admission officers in attendance.

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College Admission, NACAC Video

Facebook Live Q&A: College Signing Day 2019

It’s never too early to start getting excited about College Signing Day!

College Signing Day has grown into a movement where counselors and students in all 50 states, including DC, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands, celebrate students and build a college-going culture at their schools.

We’ll be counting down to May 1 with Eric Waldo, executive director of Reach Higher, at noon ET on March 13. We’re chatting about plans for celebrating College Signing Day and the 5th anniversary of Reach Higher.

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College Admission

NACAC Members Offer Advice on Appealing a College Rejection

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A rejection from your dream college does not always mark the end of the road with that school.

Appealing the college’s decision can be an option, though one that typically only results in a few overturned rejections each year.

Every school has its own procedure for an appeal process or clearly denotes that all admission decisions are final.

Though the odds are slim for a successful appeal, NACAC members Colleen Ganjian, Eric Nichols, and Parke Muth spoke to Teen Vogue and offered advice to students looking to give it one more shot.

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College Admission

Member View: Change Your Mentality on College Rejection

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Rejection is always tough whether it’s at work, in a relationship, or in college admission.

NACAC member Rick Clark, the director of undergraduate admissions at the Georgia Institute of Technology, has some advice.

First, if you’ve been rejected, Clark writes, you likely need to take a moment. It’s okay that you’re not okay.

“Go ahead and scream, cry, beat your pillow, cook or eat a lot of something (do all of those at once if you’re really upset). You do you. Whatever it takes to begin clearing your head,” he wrote.

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Access, Advocacy, College Admission, Financial Aid

Department of Education Simplifies FAFSA Verification Process

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The Department of Education recently announced changes to FAFSA verification aimed to help make the process less burdensome.

In lieu of IRS tax return transcripts and verification of non-filing forms, the guidance allows institutions to accept copies of signed income tax returns and written statements of non-filing from students who are selected for FAFSA verification. The changes are effective immediately and apply to both the 2018-19 and 2019-20 cycles.

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