As we look for ways to improve the college admission process in the wake of the recent scandals, an important place to start is in our high schools. In my professional career of 26 years, I have served as a high school guidance counselor, a college admission representative, and an independent educational consultant. Having seen the process from all angles, I believe we must do a better job equipping students and their families with the knowledge and perspective to embark on a successful college admission journey.
The school counselor can and should play such a pivotal role in any student’s college search and application activities. But due to oversized caseloads and often inadequate professional training, even the best school counselors are unable to provide the support most kids need in identifying and applying to the colleges that are best suited to their interests and needs.
Michelle Obama’s Becoming proved to be the perfect launching off point for a robust discussion of college access and completion, ways to support first-generation and marginalized students, and a counselor’s role in these goals.
In a #NACACreads Twitter chat Tuesday night, Eric Waldo, the executive director of Reach Higher, shared his insights on these subjects and more. Reach Higher was founded by Mrs. Obama and Waldo has traveled with the former first lady during her recent Becoming book tour.
The tribal college student experience is unique, and its value can often be overlooked.
A new report from the Center for Community College Student Engagement (CCSSE) explores Native student experiences at tribal colleges and the challenges these students can face in earning a college degree.
“Tribal colleges are often overlooked in the field of higher education, but they shouldn’t be. They are creating important opportunities for their students,” Evelyn Waiwaiole, executive director of CCSSE, said in a news release.
More than 8 million high school students play a school sport. But of that group, less than one percent will go on to play sports at the collegiate level. And even fewer of those will ultimately go pro.
What do you do when your identity as a student athlete has been stripped away?
Dr. Hillary Cauthen of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology recently spoke to Teen Vogue about this struggle, which impacts many incoming college freshmen.
May 1 is the deadline for students to accept an offer of admission at many institutions, celebrated as Decision Day or College Signing Day.
Reach Higher, which is celebrating its fifth anniversary, is encouraging schools and communities to host College Signing Day events to help build a college-going culture and to recognize students’ hard work.
NACAC host Crystal Newby talked with Reach Higher’s Eric Waldo about the Signing Day tradition and what it adds to the college admission process.
NACAC issued a statement Tuesday, urging members to redouble their commitment to integrity within the college admission process.
The statement followed news reports of efforts by wealthy individuals to get their children into selective colleges and universities as part of a long-running cheating scam. The Justice Department charged 50 people with participating in this scheme.
Recruitment of rural and low-income students is often a goal of universities. But some schools don’t offer the support system to allow these students to succeed once they arrive on campus.
That was the case for writer Alison Stine.
Stine recently authored an essay recounting her experience as a student from a rural background at a private college.
“I wasn’t the first person in my family to go to college — I was the second generation, after my parents — and on teachers’ and guidance counselors’ advice, I had applied to several schools, including state universities,” she wrote. “But the private colleges were the ones that seemed to really want someone like me. They courted me. They offered me money, and I couldn’t say no to that. I couldn’t afford to.”
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.
