Students don’t graduate for many reasons, but one critical reason, within an institution’s power to change, is that students don’t see a connection between their studies and a possible career. Way too often higher education relegates career preparation to select majors, separate classes, and special offices on campus. But breaking down these barriers helps all students succeed.
Continue reading Bridging the Gap Between Curriculum and Career
Although most American parents want their children to complete a bachelor’s degree, a significant number of families would like other options for their students, according to a new national survey.
The opinion poll, which was released last week by Gallup and the Carnegie Corporation of New York, found that 46 percent of respondents preferred an alternate postsecondary path for their child, such as community college, skill training, military service, or paid employment.
In addition, although 84 percent of parents of current middle and high school students said they were satisfied with the four-year college, two-year college, and/or technical training programs currently available, 45 percent wished more alternatives were offered.
Continue reading Poll: US Families Want More Postsecondary Options
Getting to and through college is an amazing feat for first-generation students. But, the challenges this student population faces do not stop post-graduation.
From parental connections to internships to the ability to buy a suit for interviews, the road from first-generation student to first-generation professional is a bumpy one.
Continue reading First-Generation Students Continue to Face Barriers Post-Graduation
The school year is almost over and motivation for many high school seniors is quite low.
Commonly known as “senioritis,” this is the time after college acceptances arrive and high school seniors start to feel like school isn’t important.
Senioritis often has a negative connotation. But past #NACACreads author Ned Johnson thinks the term and the feeling need a rebrand.
Continue reading The New ‘Senioritis’: Finding Your Motivation
The Federal Work-Study program currently offers low-income students the opportunity to work while enrolled in higher education. But could it also serve as a career-readiness program?
A new report from the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) gives recommendations for how colleges can rethink work-study programs to more intentionally prepare students for the “real world.”
Parents don’t need to be tech-savvy to raise girls who are interested in STEM.
A recent 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.”
Continue reading Survey: Girls Thrive in STEM, Even Without Tech-Savvy Parents
Editor’s note: A version of this post was originally published on Admitted in October 2016. It’s being republished as part of NACAC’s Best of the Blog series.
On-campus jobs aren’t optional at Berea College (KY).
Students at the NACAC member institution work 10 to 15 hours a week in approved positions either at the college or within the surrounding community.
The requirement has been part of the Berea’s formal educational program since 1906, and college president Lyle Roelofs thinks more institutions should consider the model as a way to address the growing challenges of access and affordability.
Continue reading Campus Work Programs Could Help Expand Access
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.
Continue reading New Report Offers 5 Rules for College-Bound Students
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
Requiring undergraduates to complete an internship would benefit both students and colleges, according to Brandon Busteed, executive director for education and workforce development at Gallup.
“The top reason students, parents, and the public value higher education is to get a good job,” Busteed noted in a blog post co-written by Zac Auter, a consulting analyst at Gallup. “Yet, among bachelor degree graduates from 2002-2016, only 27 percent had a good job waiting for them upon graduation.”
Continue reading Opinion: Make Internships a College Graduation Requirement
