Community college students in California now have even more options when planning their path to a four-year degree.
The Board of Governors that oversees the state’s community colleges approved a plan last month that offers guaranteed admission to students who take specific community college courses geared toward their intended four-year major.
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 and a recent New York Times op-ed encourages parents not to overlook the importance of fostering independence in their teen long before freshman orientation.
Preliminary findings from a survey administered by AASA: The School Superintendents Association show that many school districts plan to use funding from the Student Support and Academic Enrichment grant program to improve school counseling.
Continue reading Survey Shows Schools Plan to Use Grant Dollars to Improve School Counseling
Should mental health be a part of college admission and college prep process?
Grace Gedye, a recent graduate of Pomona College (CA), thinks so.
“Before I went to college four years ago, my parents and I had a ‘work hard in class’ talk and a ‘safe partying’ talk. But we didn’t discuss what to do if stress morphed into anxiety or depression. We should have,” she wrote a recent op-ed for the LA Times.
“Instead, that summer almost every conversation I had with an adult included some variation on: ‘These are going to be the best four years of your life.’ So I was prepped for highs. And when the lows hit, I thought I was alone.”
Continue reading Conversations that Count: Making Mental Health Part of the College Prep Process
A mobile-friendly version of the FAFSA website went live this week, the first step in a months-long process aimed at making it possible for students to apply for financial aid using their smartphones.
A beta version of a companion app — myStudentAid — is planned for next month, with the complete version available Oct. 1.
You might want to think twice before advising your students to find their passions.
Although the advice is well-intentioned, a new study suggests the guidance may encourage young people to close off their minds to other subjects.
Continue reading Find Your Passion? Experts Say the Advice May Lead Students Astray
For years, we’ve hammered home the importance of good grades, solid writing skills, and extracurricular activities to college-bound students.
But a new book, The Self-Driven Child, makes a compelling case that something less tangible — a sense of control over their lives — may ultimately determine the long-term success and happiness of today’s teens.
And that key component is missing for far too many young people, leaving them feeling “powerless and overwhelmed,” write co-authors William Stixrud and Ned Johnson. As a result, students on both ends of the achievement spectrum often leave high school unprepared to chart their own path in life.
Discuss the implications and share your own insights during a #NACACreads chat on Sept. 12. The hour-long discussion will kick off on Twitter at 9 p.m. ET.
Continue reading #NACACreads: Join Us for a Discussion of ‘The Self-Driven Child’
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 a recent piece 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.
Continue reading School Districts Can Help Students Adopt New Attitudes About Admission Process
How can college-bound high school students use their summer break to their advantage?
Stowe High School (VT) counselor and NACAC member Patricia Tomashot recently offered some advice in The Stowe Reporter.
Does your organization help low-income youth access and complete college or vocational degrees?
You may be eligible for financial support to help you reach more students.
The Evergreen National Education Prize—launched by The Greenwald Family Foundation in conjunction with the Nudge4 Solutions Lab at the University of Virginia—will award $125,000 to an organization that can demonstrate evidence of increasing college or vocational success for low-income students and that has a plan to scale its program’s impact.
Continue reading $125K Prize Launched to Promote College and Vocational Success
