COUNSELORS OF THE YEAR

By Veronica Toney

High school counselors often get a bad reputation, but there is much more to being a counselor than making schedules and reminding seniors when to take the ACT or SAT.
           
Being a counselor is about helping people, and school counseling is one of the toughest fields in the profession. In addition to keeping track of the paper work, high school counselors help students balance school and extra-curricular activities with the pressures of adolescence and planning for their futures.

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THE U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT’S BEST 2007 LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGES

By Brooke Pearl

If you’re a student interested in liberal arts, check out some of the top private liberal arts schools and the intriguing campus quirks that make each stand out in its own way

Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, PA
swarthmore.edu

Fifteen hundred students are currently enrolled at Swarthmore College. It offers a rigorous intellectual and academic education. “Swarthmore revolves around the commitment to a life of the mind and betterment the world,” says Jim Bock, dean of admissions and financial aid at Swarthmore.

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WRITE ON!

How to write an incredible admissions essay

By Sherri Hoffman-Hoye

A close relationship between teachers and college counselors can have tremendous benefits for students preparing their college applications. Starting the writing process for applications during the junior year can keep stress at a minimum for students, parents, counselors and teachers.

Here are some ideas for English teachers, especially teachers of grade 11, to help students prepare their essays for college applications.

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APPLICATION ESSAY PREP CALENDAR

By Sherri Hoffman-Hoye

Here’s a calendar I’ve developed over the years. It’s important to work with your college counselor in creating a plan that works for your school and your students.

August-September

Sit down with the college counselor to create a calendar of advantageous due dates for various pieces of college information. Include scheduled visits from college admissions representatives, college fairs, financial aid information meetings for parents and SAT/ACT testing dates. 

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DIVERSITY MATTERS

Why Colleges Seek to Diversify Their Student Bodies

By Sally P. Springer, PhD

College applicants naturally focus their attention on their own chances of admission to the colleges that most interest them. They see their grades, test scores, extracurricular activities, recommendations and essays as key to determining whether or not they will be admitted. Colleges, on the other hand, take a different perspective on the admissions process. While they admit individual students based on their records and accomplishments, of course, their final goal is to craft an entire incoming class that is well-rounded and meets certain institutional objectives.

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CHOOSING A MAJOR

By Sheila Curran

Several years ago, I received a call from an anxious parent. He said he wanted urgent career advice for his son. His son had finished freshman orientation at Brown University. The problem? The student had come to Brown proclaiming his desire to major in computer science, but in just a few days his new friends had convinced him to major in philosophy.

His father’s lament rang loud and clear: “But there are no jobs as philosophers!” This concern was echoed recently by a group of guidance counselors from across the country when they visited Duke University. I asked them to tell me the number one concern of parents. Unanimously, they asserted that parents wanted their children to use their educational experience to obtain a successful career.

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CAREERS OF THE FUTURE

There are many reasons to go to college: to enrich the mind, to join a Greek organization or to make friends from around the country. But for most people, the main reason to pursue higher education is to prepare for future careers.

Since people spend 65 or more years working, it’s important to explore your options. Here are 13 careers to consider before joining the workforce. Have a flare for dramatics? Consider acting. Love to cook? Why not become a caterer. Want to spend the day outdoors and wear a great hat? Park Ranger might be the perfect fit.

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MORE BANG FOR THE BUCK

By Veronica Toney

Picking the right college or university is not as easy as simply choosing an institution. With tuition rates, school fees and room and board costs rising 38 percent in the last decade, money is playing a large role in the college-decision process. This is why many college guides, such as U.S. News and World Report, The Princeton Review and Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, conduct Best Value surveys.      
           
Best Value indicates schools that blend academics with affordable price tags. The Princeton Review uses three ratings––academic, financial aid and tuition GPA––to calculate a school’s value. Researchers find the academic rating by combining the students’ opinions about their education with admissions and other statistics reported by each school. The admissions statistics tell future students how difficult it is to get into each school.

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TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN

Letters Of Recommendation

By Barb DiAlberto

It is pointless to send letters of recommendation that don’t say something personal about you. You can get letters of recommendation from a teacher, guidance counselor, principal or assistant principal, someone you work for, someone you volunteer for, family friend, neighbor, etc. Basically, you should get a letter from an adult who likes you a lot, who will say wonderful things about you, and is not your parent or someone in your family.

When you ask these adults for a letter, be sure to give them a copy of your résumé. It will help them know more about you, so they can write a better letter. In your résumé, you should have your extra-curricular activities, volunteer experience, work experience, and awards. You can get as many letters as you want, but don’t send more than three. The schools will stop reading, at some point.

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SEARCHING FOR THE PERFECT SCHOOL

By Brooke Pearl

A college fair is a little different from your average county or state fair. Instead of elephant rides and funnel cakes, college-bound students will find enthusiastic representatives and free information on a variety of schools that want you to pick them for your post-secondary education.

At a college fair, students walk into a gymnasium overflowing with numerous booths, each with a college or university spokesperson promoting his or her school using banners, free stuff and, most importantly, lots of information. It’s an event that can be overwhelming, but if you take the right steps, it can be helpful when deciding which school or university is right—or wrong—for you.

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CAMPUS VISITS: PRESPECTIVES FOR COUNSELORS

By Dr. Fritz H. Grupe

High school counselors are always encouraging students and parents to visit campuses on their short list. A campus tour is the best way to determine whether the college will be a good fit. However, high school counselors often forget they are also welcome guests on all college campuses.

Colleges and universities are anxious to accommodate counselors on tours and maintain good relations with high schools. Not only do most campuses provide services to support counselor visits, but many colleges participating in consortia also provide tours of multiple campuses. Regional chapters of the National Association for College Admissions Counseling also schedule visits in conjunction with their annual meetings.

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IT'S INEVITABLE: STUDENTS AND PARENTS NEED LOANS

Find the One That's Right for You

By Mark Kantrowitz

College means debt. Among undergraduate students at four-year colleges, two-thirds graduate with student loan debt that averages $20,000. A quarter graduate with more than $25,000 in debt, and 10 percent graduate with more than $35,000 in debt. These figures are growing by more than $500 per year.

The amount of debt also depends on the type of college attended. Five of every eight undergraduate students at four-year public colleges graduate with more than $17,000 in debt. At four-year private non-profit colleges, the figures increase to nearly six of every eight students and $22,000. At four-year for-profit colleges, seven out of every eight students graduate with debt averaging more than $28,000.

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