All posts by Mary Stegmeir

Admitted writer/editor Mary Stegmeir welcomes additional comments and story ideas at mstegmeir@nacacnet.org.
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Campus Hunger: 36% of College Students Don’t Get Enough to Eat

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Over a third of college students aren’t getting enough to eat, according to a survey of more than 43,000 students at 66 US colleges and universities.

The data was collected by the Wisconsin HOPE lab. And while researchers say the survey wasn’t designed to be representative of colleges nationwide, it is believed to be the best national estimate available — and it raises important questions about college access and success.

Continue reading Campus Hunger: 36% of College Students Don’t Get Enough to Eat →

Access, College Admission

College Signing Day: Watch our Facebook Live Q&A

Decision Day is fast approaching.

May 1 is the deadline for students to accept an offer of admission at many institutions. And for the fifth year, Reach Higher—in coordination with Better Make Room—is encouraging schools and communities to host College Signing Day events in recognition of their students’ hard work.

Continue reading College Signing Day: Watch our Facebook Live Q&A →

College Admission

Study: March Madness Victors See Boost in Applications

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Villanova Men’s Basketball Twitter

Call it the March Madness effect.

New research confirms what college admission officials have been saying for years: Impressive performances by student-athletes can spur increases in freshman applications.

“Research by Devin and Jaren Pope, two economists, has found that colleges whose men’s basketball teams qualified for March Madness, the sport’s championship tournament, saw a 2.4 percent average increase in the total number of applications, as measured by the number of SAT college-entrance exam results received,” according to a recent article published by The Economist. “Colleges whose teams made the Final Four saw a 5.8 percent increase in applications, while colleges whose teams won the entire tournament saw a 10.9 percent increase in applications in the year after their victory.”

Continue reading Study: March Madness Victors See Boost in Applications →

Access

Report: Millions of Americans Live in Education Deserts

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Roughly 3.1 million Americans reside in education deserts, according to a recent report from the Urban Institute.

In other words, they live more than 25 miles from an open-access public college and lack the broadband Internet connection needed for online education. The resulting isolation acts as a barrier to higher education.

Continue reading Report: Millions of Americans Live in Education Deserts →

College Admission Resources, NACAC News

Learn How to Evaluate Financial Fit with Financial Aid 101

Seniors are busy weighing their college choices, and for many students, that means decoding often-confusing financial aid award letters.

Get up to speed and gain the knowledge you need to confidently field college cost questions with Financial Aid 101 — NACAC’s new e-learning course.

Continue reading Learn How to Evaluate Financial Fit with Financial Aid 101 →

NACAC News

#NACACreads: Learn New Strategies to Help Students Succeed

Looking for a good book to curl up with over spring break?

Check out our next #NACACreads selection — The 160-Character Solution: How Text Messaging and Other Behavioral Strategies Can Improve Education.

A Twitter discussion of the book with author Benjamin Castleman is scheduled for April 18 at 9 p.m. (ET).

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Career Exploration, College Admission, College Readiness

Occupational Outlook Handbook Helps Students Explore Careers

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iStock photo

Editor’s note: A version of this post was originally published on Admitted in December 2015. It’s being republished as part of NACAC’s Best of the Blog series.

For Gail Grand’s students, the college search process is about more than just picking a campus.

Teens complete an aptitude and interest test and explore careers before ever submitting applications. The strategy is a smart one.

Fewer than four in 10 college students graduate in four years, federal data show. And as tuition rates continue to grow, extra years in school can often mean additional debt.

Tapping into resources like the Bureau of Labor Statistic’s Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) helps teens make wise college choices, said Grand, an independent college counselor based in California’s Westlake Village. It also increases students’ likelihood of graduating on time, she noted.

Continue reading Occupational Outlook Handbook Helps Students Explore Careers →