College Admission, College Readiness

Girl Scouts Introduce College Knowledge Badge

3 Comments
iStock

The Girl Scouts have introduced their first badge dedicated to college exploration.

The College Knowledge Badge — launched in July —is for scouts in grades 11 and 12.

“By showing girls how to research the admission process, financial aid, and other key factors, our College Knowledge Badge meets a specific need and addresses the life skills girls have told us they’re interested in—and that many don’t find support for outside of Girl Scouts,” according to a recent post on the organization’s blog.

Continue reading Girl Scouts Introduce College Knowledge Badge →

Access, Paying for College

Textbook Costs Dropping Thanks to Digital Resources

iStock

College students are paying less for class materials, thanks in part to the success of OpenStax – an organization that provides free textbooks and digital resources.

The nonprofit, started six years ago by Rice University (TX), serves more than 2.2 million students, according to a recent article in Diverse: Issues in Higher Education. Nearly half of all US colleges currently use the service, which offers 29 free textbooks for college and Advanced Placement classes.

And for the first time in five decades, average textbook costs are decreasing, according to recent data analyzed by the National Center of Education Statistics.

Continue reading Textbook Costs Dropping Thanks to Digital Resources →

Access, Transfer

New Guaranteed Admission Program Will Offer More Choices to California’s Community College Students

iStock

Community college students in California now have even more options when planning their path to a four-year degree.

The Board of Governors that oversees the state’s community colleges approved a plan last month that offers guaranteed admission to students who take specific community college courses geared toward their intended four-year major.

Continue reading New Guaranteed Admission Program Will Offer More Choices to California’s Community College Students →

Advocacy, Importance of School Counselors

Survey Shows Schools Plan to Use Grant Dollars to Improve School Counseling

iStock

Preliminary findings from a survey administered by AASA: The School Superintendents Association show that many school districts plan to use funding from the Student Support and Academic Enrichment grant program to improve school counseling.

Continue reading Survey Shows Schools Plan to Use Grant Dollars to Improve School Counseling →

Uncategorized

Conversations that Count: Making Mental Health Part of the College Prep Process

iStock

Should mental health be a part of college admission and college prep process?

Grace Gedye, a recent graduate of Pomona College (CA), thinks so.

“Before I went to college four years ago, my parents and I had a ‘work hard in class’ talk and a ‘safe partying’ talk. But we didn’t discuss what to do if stress morphed into anxiety or depression. We should have,” she wrote a recent op-ed for the LA Times.

“Instead, that summer almost every conversation I had with an adult included some variation on: ‘These are going to be the best four years of your life.’ So I was prepped for highs. And when the lows hit, I thought I was alone.”

Continue reading Conversations that Count: Making Mental Health Part of the College Prep Process →

College Readiness, NACAC News

#NACACreads: Join Us for a Discussion of ‘The Self-Driven Child’

For years, we’ve hammered home the importance of good grades, solid writing skills, and extracurricular activities to college-bound students.

But a new book, The Self-Driven Child, makes a compelling case that something less tangible — a sense of control over their lives — may ultimately determine the long-term success and happiness of today’s teens.

And that key component is missing for far too many young people, leaving them feeling “powerless and overwhelmed,” write co-authors William Stixrud and Ned Johnson. As a result, students on both ends of the achievement spectrum often leave high school unprepared to chart their own path in life.

Discuss the implications and share your own insights during a #NACACreads chat on Sept. 12. The hour-long discussion will kick off on Twitter at 9 p.m. ET.

Continue reading #NACACreads: Join Us for a Discussion of ‘The Self-Driven Child’ →

Regular updates on NACAC and the world of college admission counseling. For more information about NACAC, visit nacacnet.org.