Transfer is Trending: Conference Highlights Best Practices for Working with Transfer Students

NACACs David Hawkins addresses attendees at the TAAC conference in Philadelphia.
NACACs David Hawkins addresses attendees at the TAAC conference in Philadelphia.

Consensus is growing within higher education: Successful transfer pathways incorporate strong advising components.

The strategy is one of three essential practices highlighted in the recently released Transfer Playbook, and was discussed at length last week during a conference hosted by the Transfer Admissions & Advising Committee (TAAC).

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#NACACreads Author: Overparenting Hinders College-Readiness

how-to-raise-an-adult_300With thousands of quality colleges spread throughout the US, parents shouldn’t stress over getting their child into the “right school,” according to #NACACreads author Julie Lythcott-Haims.

Their challenge instead? Helping their child develop habits early on that will allow them to thrive wherever they go.

Lythcott-Haims made those comments during a Tuesday night #NACACreads discussion focused on her bestselling book, How to Raise an Adult. Counselors and admission professionals from across the country participated in the hour-long Twitter chat and shared tips to help students build the skills and experiences they need to succeed in college and beyond.

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#NACACreads Author: Applying to College Teaches Teens Crucial Skills

nacacreadsvideoimageuse#NACACreads author Julie Lythcott-Haims knows it’s tough for parents to turn over the reins, especially when it comes time for their child to apply to colleges.

But if teens aren’t able to complete the application process independently, they are more likely to falter once they arrive on campus, she notes in How to Raise an Adult. Counselors and admission professionals from across the country will discuss her book on May 17 during a #NACACreads Twitter chat.

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Honor Society for Community College Students Hopes to Expand its Reach

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An honor society for community college students wants to recruit more members, and organization leaders say the move has the potential to bolster US degree completion rates.

Members of Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) are far more likely than their peers to earn a two- or four-year degree, data show.

But currently, only 11 percent of students eligible for membership join the honor society, according to a recent article published in Community College Week (CCW).

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Taking a Deeper Dive to Improve Transfer Student Experiences on Your Campus

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For the second year, NACAC sponsored the annual conference of the National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students (NISTS). At the sold-out event in February, attendees gathered to learn new ideas and share best practices designed to help students navigate the transfer process.

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#NACACreads: Learn More about the Students Featured in ‘Hold Fast to Dreams’

hold_fast_to_dreams_pb_350For many participants in last month’s #NACACreads chat, the highlight of the evening was hearing from Michael Forbes and Abigail Benavente — two of the 10 students featured in Hold Fast to Dreams.

Admitted asked author Joshua Steckel for updates about the rest of the young people profiled in his award-winning book examining college access and success.

Now in their late-20s, all the students are upwardly mobile and engaging in fulfilling work, said Steckel, who co-wrote Hold Fast to Dreams with Beth Zasloff.

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#NACACreads Author: Access and Success for Low-Income Students Starts with Understanding

hold_fast_to_dreams_pb_350It takes more than generous financial aid packages to get first-generation students to and through college.

Make no mistake: Monetary support is crucial. But college counselors on both sides of the desk also need to understand the structural inequalities that define the lives of many low-income teens.

That was the message author and public school counselor Joshua Steckel shared with participants during Wednesday’s online #NACACreads chat. His book, Hold Fast to Dreams: A College Guidance Counselor, His Students, and the Vision of a Life Beyond Poverty, follows 10 young people from New York City as they apply to colleges and go on to pursue higher education.

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#NACACreads Author: ‘Quality School Counseling Shouldn’t be a Luxury’

steckel475#NACACreads author Joshua Steckel sought a job in New York City’s public school system nine years ago because he wanted to help low-income teens access higher education.

In Hold Fast to Dreams Steckel and co-author Beth Zasloff seek to further that work, this time by spotlighting the barriers first-generation and minority students face in the college admission process.

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#NACACreads: Frank Bruni Urges New Approach to College Admission

whereyoullgoLife isn’t scripted, and neither is success.

Yet, increasingly, students and families engaged in the college admission process fall prey to the idea that only a certain set of elite colleges can provide the necessary education and experiences, New York Times columnist Frank Bruni told #NACACreads participants Monday night.

The result? Undue stress, regimented resume-building, and an unsettling shift in values. It’s a trend Bruni wants to see changed.

“Success isn’t where you got IN,” he noted during the Twitter chat. “It’s what you do with it.”

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#NACACreads Chat: Rewarding Creativity on College Apps Would Have Trickle-Down Effect

oneworldschoolhouseColleges that accept video essays or provide other avenues for students to express themselves in the admission process may be on to something.

That was the assessment made Wednesday by participants in the inaugural #NACACreads Twitter chat.

The issue was raised during a discussion of Sal Khan’s The One World Schoolhouse: Education Reimagined. In the book, Khan — founder of the online learning platform, Khan Academy — notes that “today’s world needs a workforce of creative, curious and self-directed lifelong learners.”

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Regular updates on NACAC and the world of college admission counseling. For more information about NACAC, visit nacacnet.org.