All posts by Mary Stegmeir

Admitted writer/editor Mary Stegmeir welcomes additional comments and story ideas at mstegmeir@nacacnet.org.
College Admission, National College Fairs

Help Your Students Prepare for National College Fairs

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

All hail the humble highlighter.

Neon markers are a vital part of Dana Lambert’s efforts to help students make the most of their National College Fair experience.

“I make them come in with a plan,” said Lambert, a counselor at West Milford Township High School in New Jersey. “Once the list of fair exhibitors comes out, we have them sit down and highlight the schools and the tables that they want to stop at.”

Continue reading Help Your Students Prepare for National College Fairs →

Academic Performance, College Admission, College Completion

Engagement Key to Retaining Non-Traditional College Students

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Determining which returning adult students are at risk of dropping out of college is a complex process, according to results from a recent national survey.

Common data points — such as demographics, choice of major, and hours devoted to studying — can’t reliably predict whether a nontraditional student will struggle to complete their degree.

As it turns out, the most dependable factor for identifying at-risk non-traditional students is the extent to which they make effective connections to their college, a factor that can be difficult to measure. After all, the very students who are most in danger of dropping out often have limited contact with professors, peers, and college staff, according to a recent report from Barnes & Noble College Insights — a division of the bookseller that produces quantitative and qualitative research related to higher education.

Continue reading Engagement Key to Retaining Non-Traditional College Students →

Access, Advocacy

New Advocacy Resources Available to Support Undocumented Students

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Campus leaders who want to support undocumented students have a new place to turn for information.

Earlier this month, the Protect Dreamers Higher Education Coalition, of which NACAC is a member, created a new website highlighting facts about undocumented students and providing advocacy resources.

The coalition is encouraging colleges and universities to recognize Oct. 16-20 as Protect Dreamers Week. New resources created to help educators and others advocate on behalf of DREAMers include a fact sheet and talking points.

Continue reading New Advocacy Resources Available to Support Undocumented Students →

Transfer

Celebrate National Transfer Student Week

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Who are America’s transfer students and how does your institution play a role in their journey to a degree?

Share success stories during the inaugural National Transfer Student Week, which runs through Friday.

The celebration is organized by the National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students, with support from the New England Transfer Association and the New York State Transfer and Articulation Association.

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International Education

International ACAC Calls for Equal Access to Admission Tests

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A NACAC affiliate is calling on testing companies to ensure all students worldwide have equal access to US college admission exams.

Fewer ACT and SAT test dates were provided this year for international students when compared to their peers living in the US, according to a statement from the International Association for College Admission Counseling. In addition, in recent years students outside the US have had to deal with frequent test cancellations or changes in testing due to concerns about test security. Communication about those developments “has neither been comprehensive or timely,” the statement notes.

Continue reading International ACAC Calls for Equal Access to Admission Tests →

Financial Aid

Reminder: Keep an Eye on Financial Aid Deadlines

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Need financial aid for the 2018-19 academic year?

The US Department of Education is reminding students to remain cognizant of deadlines when completing the FAFSA.

While the FAFSA is primarily used to award federal financial aid, many colleges, states, and scholarship programs also use the form to assess eligibility for their aid programs.

Continue reading Reminder: Keep an Eye on Financial Aid Deadlines →

Financial Aid

Expert Advice: Listing College Options on the FAFSA

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Getting ready to help students fill out the FAFSA?

The Department of Education released a list this week highlighting the eight steps that need to be followed when filing for federal student aid. And included in the article is an important reminder: Students can — and should — list multiple colleges on their FAFSA.

Continue reading Expert Advice: Listing College Options on the FAFSA →

Access, College Admission, College Completion

Report Examines Experiences of First-Gen Students

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Prospective first-generation college students cite high educational aspirations as 10th graders, but take longer to enroll in college and are less likely than their peers to earn a degree.

Those findings are included in a new research brief from the US Department of Education’s Institute of Educational Sciences. The report uses 10 years of data collected from a nationally representative sample of students who were high school sophomores in 2002.

Continue reading Report Examines Experiences of First-Gen Students →