Tag Archives: Best of the Blog

Importance of School Counselors

Report: 1.7 Million Students in Schools with Police, No Counselors

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Editor’s note:  This post was originally published on Admitted in March 2019. It’s being republished as part of NACAC’s Best of the Blog series.

High student-to-counselor ratios are a persistent problem in the United States, but what about schools that have no counselor at all?

Using the most recent federal data, the ACLU compared the number of police in schools to the number of counselors, nurses, psychologists, and social workers on campus.

Their analysis found that 1.7 million students are in schools with a police presence but no counselors. Another 14 million students are in schools with police but no counselor, nurse, psychologist, or social worker.

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Cost of College, Paying for College

College Senior Offers Financial Advice to Incoming Freshmen

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Editor’s note:  This post was originally published on Admitted in July 2019. It’s being republished as part of NACAC’s Best of the Blog series.

It’s no secret that a college education is expensive. But there are ways to keep costs as low as possible.

Laura Uzes, a senior at UCLA, shared her tried-and-true advice for keeping college costs down with Homeroom, the US Department of Education’s blog.

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College Readiness, Opinion

The College Counselor Who Left His Own Children Alone

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Editor’s note:  This post was originally published on Admitted in March 2019. It’s being republished as part of NACAC’s Best of the Blog series.

When it comes to dealing with the key moments of my daughter’s life, I’ve always had my hands full. The first one came when she was not even two years old. She decided it was time to climb up on the playscape all by herself, just like she’d seen her older brother do. It didn’t matter that her legs were about half as long, and the diaper she was wearing significantly limited her mobility. It was time, and that was that.

As she eyed the situation, I was about 20 feet away, clearing some brush, and holding a chainsaw, of all things. There was no way I could drop the chainsaw without her noticing it, and not even the slowest gait towards her would do anything but convince her I didn’t think this was a good idea. All I could do was stand there and watch, poised on the balls of my feet to spring the 20 feet in the event I needed to catch her. She didn’t exactly look like Cary Grant in To Catch a Thief, but she made it up, in her own way, safe and sound.

Continue reading The College Counselor Who Left His Own Children Alone →

Access, College Admission

School Districts Can Help Students Adopt New Attitudes About Admission Process

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Editor’s note:  A version of this post was originally published on Admitted in December 2016. It’s being republished as part of NACAC’s Best of the Blog series. 

School districts may be able to boost college-going rates by changing the way they introduce students to the application process, according to an article published by the Harvard Business Review.

Too often, the conversation is focused on ensuring students submit an application to at least one college, writes researcher Lindsay Page. But when teens apply to a range of institutions “they are more likely to get accepted to an institution that is a good fit,” she notes.

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Uncategorized

Parenting Your College Student: Navigating New Terrain Over Winter Break

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Editor’s note:  A version of this post was originally published on Admitted in January 2019. It’s being republished as part of NACAC’s Best of the Blog series. 

The Class of 2023 will soon be home from college for their first winter break and many parents are seeing a new dynamic in their relationship with their children.

These college freshmen have just had their first taste of independence and striking the right balance can be tough for families.

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Access, College Admission

3 Ways to Help Vet Succeed

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Editor’s note:  This post was originally published on Admitted in May 2017. It’s being republished as part of NACAC’s Best of the Blog series. 

More than 5 million post-9/11 service members are projected to transition out of the military by 2020.

Many will seek out higher education. But while veterans can bring tremendous value to the nation’s college campuses, their path to a degree is often more complex than that of a traditional undergrad.

Continue reading 3 Ways to Help Vet Succeed →

Academic Performance

Study: In-Class Use of Cell Phones, Laptops Lowers Test Scores

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Editor’s note: This post was originally published on Admitted in August 2018. It’s being republished as part of NACAC’s Best of the Blog series.

In the age of laptops, tablets, and smartphones, we’ve mastered the art of multitasking — right?

Unfortunately, a new study suggests otherwise and includes some sobering findings for students.

According to research published in Educational Psychology, students who use electronic devices during class lectures have a harder time recalling what they learned in the long-term.

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STEM

Survey: Girls Thrive in STEM, Even Without Tech-Savvy Parents

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Editor’s note:  This post was originally published on Admitted in December 2018. It’s being republished as part of NACAC’s Best of the Blog series.

Parents don’t need to be tech-savvy to raise girls who are interested in STEM.

A 2018 poll found that parents’ proficiency with technology has only marginal effects on girls’ excitement about the subject.

“This survey shows that, contrary to popular belief, girls are interested in tech, and that they will seek out instruction regardless of their parents’ affinity with technology,” according to Tracey Welson-Rossman, founder and CEO of TechGirlz — a nonprofit organization that worked with Drexel University (PA) to conduct the survey. “It should reassure parents they can set their daughters on the path to a rewarding, empowering career in tech with support and encouragement, even if they do not understand the subject matter themselves.”

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College Admission

A College Visit to Remember

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Editor’s note:  This post was originally published on Admitted in November 2018. It’s being republished as part of NACAC’s Best of the Blog series.

We’d like to know a little bit about you for our files;

We’d like to help you learn to help yourself;

Look around you, all you see are sympathetic eyes;

Stroll around the grounds until you feel at home.

Simon and Garfunkel’s lyrics mirror the facts and feelings of visiting prospective colleges these days.

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College Admission

Lessons Learned: Reflections and Advice from a Regional Admission Counselor

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Editor’s note:  This post was originally published on Admitted in July 2017. It’s being republished as part of NACAC’s Best of the Blog series

After 14 years working in the admission office for my alma mater, I had it good. I coordinated the campus visit team, supervised tour guides, worked with transfer students, and held many “other duties as assigned.” In short, I knew what I was doing.

Then two years ago, I was offered an exciting new role that turned my career on its head: I became Gettysburg College’s first West Coast regional counselor.

In the past 24 months I have learned about the challenges of a three-hour time difference, work-life balance, and the importance of communication with the office. I’ve also reflected on how counselors — and campus-based leaders — can work together to make the most out of regional positions.

Here are my tips for counselors and admission leaders who are considering making the jump.

Continue reading Lessons Learned: Reflections and Advice from a Regional Admission Counselor →