New Report Offers 5 Rules for College-Bound Students

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It’s well-documented that investing in a college education pays dividends over a lifetime.

But with tuition and fees rising faster than family incomes, figuring out the best path to a degree is easier said than done.

New guidance from Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce seeks to take out some of the guesswork by outlining five (sometimes contradictory) rules for students to follow as they make decisions about their future.

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College Counselor Compiles Summer Reading List

Looking for summer reading suggestions for yourself or the students you serve?

NACAC member Brennan Barnard has released his annual compilation of book recommendations.

The full list — featuring titles suggested by college admission deans and counselors — appears on The Washington Post website. Some selections are related to education, while other titles are simply good reads.

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Pediatrician: Later School Start Times Could Boost Achievement

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Could shifting school schedules help teens succeed?

Pediatrician Aaron E. Carroll thinks so. In a blog published by New York Times in 2016, the doctor cites research showing that later start times are linked to higher rates of attendance and achievement among high school students.

Teenagers need about nine to 10 hours of sleep a night, Carroll writes. But, in many cases, extracurricular activities and homework — combined with an early school start time — make it difficult for teens to catch enough zzz’s.

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Learn How to Apply for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program

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Still paying off your student loans?

Debt relief is available for qualifying school counselors and college admission professionals through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.

Learn the ins and outs of the program on June 6 during a free webinar hosted by the US Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid.

The one-hour session starts at 2 p.m. ET and will teach you how to apply for and navigate the PSLF program.

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Share Our New Checklists with Your Students

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Researching colleges can be a daunting task. Important questions often go unasked, and it’s hard to keep all the details organized in one place.

A new resource from NACAC aims to simplify the process for college-bound students.

Created in collaboration with the association’s Inclusion, Access, and Success Committee, Ask the Admission Office is a series of six checklists designed to help students determine what to ask when researching college options.

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Report: Cost Puts Many Public 4-Year Institutions Out of Reach for Low-Income Students

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Have low-income students been effectively shut out of public four-year institutions of higher education?

A new report by the National College Access Network (NCAN) examines this question and the results aren’t pretty.

Only 25 percent of residential public four-year institutions meet NCAN’s measure of affordability, data show.

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Upperclassmen Offer Tips to Incoming Freshmen

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Editor’s note: A version of this post was originally published on Admitted in July 2015.

Preparing to send your students off to college?

Upperclassmen and recent graduates from around the world offered their advice to incoming freshmen in a New York Times piece.

The tips range from pragmatic (“always take advantage of free food”) to philosophical (“be willing to learn as you go”).

In all, the story includes advice from 24 students. Tips on finding friends, conquering college coursework and taking care of your physical and mental health are included.

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Join Us for a #NACACreads Discussion about Race

Summer is fast-approaching, which means our next #NACACreads chat is just around the corner.

On June 11, we’ll discuss Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? The chat kicks off at 9 p.m. (ET).

Author Beverly Daniel Tatum, president emerita of Spelman College (GA), will answer questions about her bestselling book as we explore how racism affects students as they make their way to and through college.

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The Waiting Game

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They told me it wouldn’t be until the first week of June, but I continue to check the portal every few days. Exactly 100 days from the moment I hit the “submit” button—this is the amount of time it will take to determine whether they want me or not. Everyone says, “be patient, it’s a rite of passage, and what will be will be.” Patience has never been my strong suit and as I ponder this position I have placed myself in, I reflect on the many students I have told the exact same thing.

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Popularity of Happiness Course Shines a Spotlight on Student Mental Health

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Yale University’s most popular course ever may be one of the best indicators of the mental health of incoming and current college students.

Psyc 157, “Psychology and the Good Life,” a twice-weekly lecture that tries to teach students how to live happier lives, enrolled nearly a quarter of the entire student body this semester. It is reportedly the most popular course in Yale’s 316-year-long history.

The course is led by psychology professor Laurie Santos who speculates that the college admission process and the high-pressure campus environment it fosters are behind the class’s popularity. In high school, she said, students had to deprioritize happiness to gain admission to school, leading them to adopt unhealthy and harmful life habits that culminate in “the mental health crises we’re seeing at places like Yale.”

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