Enjoying winter break?

So are we. NACAC offices are closed Dec. 24 through Jan. 1.

Check back for a new post on Jan. 2. Until then, enjoy these top stories from 2018.

Saving High School Admission Visits
Plagued by low attendance when college reps visit your school? Specialized College Topics could be the saving grace for the traditional high school admission visit, writes NACAC member Barbara Tragakis Conner.

Stanford Report: College Rankings are Deeply Flawed
Researchers at Challenge Success — a nonprofit organization based at the Stanford University Graduate School of Education — released a white paper this fall that calls into question the value of university rankings.

By the Numbers: Student Scholarship Chances
Though movies and television make it seem like a full-ride scholarship will be readily available for nearly every student, reality is starkly different.

6 Ways Colleges and Universities Award Financial Aid
Help the families you serve by familiarizing yourself with the most common methods used by colleges to award financial aid.

Why I Love Being a School Counselor
Despite the difficult tasks and topics, it is a gift to be a part of a community that works to create engaged, confident, balanced, happy, bright, creative, and proactive young men and women, writes NACAC member Kelly Herrington.

Student-to-Counselor Ratios: See How Your State Stacks Up
Counselors in US public schools serve an average of 482 students, a caseload nearly twice the recommended maximum of 250.

Op-Ed: Life Skills Key to College Success
It takes more than good grades to make it in college. Life skills also play a role in determining whether a student succeeds or struggles away from home.

Achievement Pressure Linked to Anxiety, Depression
In response to the trend, a growing number of communities are working to address the sometimes-harmful effects of achievement culture.

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

Study: Perfectionism Rising Among College Students
A blessing? A curse? No matter how you view perfectionism, a new study shows that today’s college students are more likely to exhibit its traits than past generations.

Admitted writer/editor Mary Stegmeir welcomes additional comments and story ideas at mstegmeir@nacacnet.org.