College prep: keeping college-bound students on track requires vision and an early start.[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THERE WAS A TIME WHEN GUIDANCE counselors guidance counselor Child psychology A school worker trained to screen, evaluate and advise students on career and academic matters helped students choose and apply to four or five colleges, after which they could count on at least two acceptances, ideally from a first-choice school and a backup. Now counselors encourage students to apply to more schools to increase their odds of getting into their top choice and more than 30 percent of students apply to seven or more colleges. Thus, developing a strategy for admissions these days seems more like hedging bets at a roulette roulette (r  lĕt`), game of chance popular in gambling casinos, and in a simplified form elsewhere. In gambling houses the roulette wheel is set in an oblong table. table than simply picking a top choice and a backup.
According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC NACAC National Association for College Admission Counseling NACAC National Association of College Admissions Counselors NACAC North American Council for Adoptable Children NACAC National Agricultural Compliance Assistance Center ) report The State of College Admissions 2006, while the most elite colleges in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. are becoming more selective--with 73 percent of U.S. colleges reporting an increase in applications from the previous year--most schools are still accepting seven out of 10 applicants. And what colleges have been seeking--in order: grades, SAT scores, and GPA--hasn't changed much over the last 15 years. Given the larger talent pool generated by an increase in applications, the most elite schools can practically engineer the composition of their freshman classes, says Jim Conroy, chair of Post-High School Counseling for New Trier New Trier may refer to:
Advisors will tell students that "special something" is ephemeral Temporary. Fleeting. Transitory. at best. Belonging to the Spanish club and volunteering at an organic farm look good on an application, but spending a month in Nicaragua building houses or launching a new neighborhood recycling recycling, the process of recovering and reusing waste products—from household use, manufacturing, agriculture, and business—and thereby reducing their burden on the environment. program might be more attractive to admissions officers at the most competitive schools. But nobody knows for sure what's going to garner a second look when all candidates look equally strong. "Most kids want the same 10 percent of top-tier schools: Duke, UNC (Universal Naming Convention) A standard for identifying servers, printers and other resources in a network, which originated in the Unix community. A UNC path uses double slashes or backslashes to precede the name of the computer. , Vanderbilt," Conroy says. "We have great schools in this country, but more students are trying to get into 'name-brand' schools, when there are so many great ones out there. We have to remind parents and students that college is a match to be made, not a prize to be won." Meanwhile, the increased competition has been a boon Boon A general term that refers to a benefit or improvement for investors. This can include such things as increased dividends, a stock market rally and stock buybacks. Notes: to state universities across the nation, many of which offer honors programs to appeal to top students, not to mention tuition rates that private schools can't match, Conroy adds. Trends in Advising Given this climate, guidance counselors are needed more than ever, particularly in public schools, where it's not uncommon for a single counselor to serve the therapeutic counseling and postsecondary advising needs of more than 300 students. Everyone agrees that college advising offers a significant benefit for students. But when just 25 percent of a counselor's time goes to college counseling--in private schools, that number is around 58 percent--most students can't rely on a single counselor to meet all their needs. And when there are cuts in the education budget, school counselors A school counselor is a counselor and educator who works in schools, and have historically been referred to as "guidance counselors" or "educational counselors," although "Professional School Counselor" is now the preferred term. are among the first to go. As a result, parents with the means to pay are increasingly outsourcing (1) Contracting with outside consultants, software houses or service bureaus to perform systems analysis, programming and datacenter operations. Contrast with insourcing. See netsourcing, ASP, SSP and facilities management. advising services--22 percent of 2006 college freshmen at private colleges used private counselors to assist them with the admissions process, according to Katherine Cohen cohen or kohen (Hebrew: “priest”) Jewish priest descended from Zadok (a descendant of Aaron), priest at the First Temple of Jerusalem. The biblical priesthood was hereditary and male. , president of educational consulting company Noun 1. consulting company - a firm of experts providing professional advice to an organization for a fee consulting firm business firm, firm, house - the members of a business organization that owns or operates one or more establishments; "he worked for a IvyWise, as quoted in the Chronicle of Higher Education higher education Study beyond the level of secondary education. Institutions of higher education include not only colleges and universities but also professional schools in such fields as law, theology, medicine, business, music, and art. . From writing support in crafting the perfect personal statement to charting a multiyear plan for getting into Harvard, private counselors individualize in·di·vid·u·al·ize tr.v. in·di·vid·u·al·ized, in·di·vid·u·al·iz·ing, in·di·vid·u·al·iz·es 1. To give individuality to. 2. To consider or treat individually; particularize. 3. academic support in a way that most school counselors can't. At the New Trier district, more than half the faculty participate as advisors in a model advisory program that pairs students with the same advisor from grade 10 through graduation Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the associated ceremony. The date of event is often called degree day. The event itself is also called commencement, convocation or invocation. , Conroy says. Instead of hiring generalist gen·er·al·ist n. A physician whose practice is not oriented in a specific medical specialty but instead covers a variety of medical problems. generalist counselors, social workers are on-site to provide therapeutic counseling, while teacher-counselors meet with individual students for 30-minute advising meetings each day throughout the year, he says. Most districts can't afford an advisory program like the one at the New Trier district, but that doesn't stop some from trying. For example, Bend-La Pine (Ore.) Schools has adapted the best elements of private counseling to better assist students in their career and college planning by developing college advising programs that enlist en·list v. en·list·ed, en·list·ing, en·lists v.tr. 1. To engage (persons or a person) for service in the armed forces. 2. To engage the support or cooperation of. v. local volunteers. Others, such as Miami-Dade County Public Schools, are redistributing responsibility for college advising by getting students more involved in the process of finding and developing interest areas that will shape their academic choices and building college prep advising directly into the curriculum. Starting Early Beginning this fall in Miami-Dade County Public Schools, with more than 340,000 students and a counselor-student ratio of 1 to 485, college advising starts in eighth grade. More than 23,000 students will participate in the first rollout of the Eighth Graders Go to College program, a two-day exploration of life on a local college campus under the guidance of counselors from the district and participating colleges. Deborah Montilla, administrative director for the division of student services in Miami-Dade County, explains that the program attempts to expand guidance counseling to an earlier, crucial point in students' education--that transition point between eighth and ninth grade when, for many, truancy increases and grade point averages dive. Another force behind the program is the Florida legislature The Florida Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. The Florida Constitution mandates a bicameral state legislature with an upper house Florida Senate of 40 members and a lower Florida House of Representatives of 120 members. , which now requires ninth-graders to select an academic emphasis before attending high school. As a result, advising for high school and beyond has had to start at a much younger age. That's why day one of the Eighth Graders Go to College program highlights the activities available at the high school that students will attend; day two focuses on academic readiness and college life. Still, decisions about interest areas and in-school academies may be premature for some students who need more guidance with their decisions. Barbara Millard, Miami-Dade's instructional supervisor for guidance and counseling guidance and counseling, concept that institutions, especially schools, should promote the efficient and happy lives of individuals by helping them adjust to social realities. , explains, "We don't expect students to be locked into anything. But we liken lik·en tr.v. lik·ened, lik·en·ing, lik·ens To see, mention, or show as similar; compare. [Middle English liknen, from like, similar; see like2 college and academic success to preparing for a long trip--and there are many different routes to get there--because not every student is going to tune in until junior year. High school is just part of the journey." Millard adds that the district is starting these programs now, rather than waiting until junior and senior year, to expose students--particularly those who may not be thinking about postsecondary education and may be among the first generation in their families to graduate from high school--to the opportunities they have upon graduation. As Miami-Dade's early advising program takes shape, the goal is that students will be more prepared to optimize the district's College Assistance Program (CAP), which places a dedicated college admissions counselor in every high school in the district to advise and help students with the applications process during their senior year. Private Counseling in Public Schools In the Bend-La Pine district, where once only a handful of students received an honors diploma, now 10 percent of students graduate from a rigorous honors program that includes four years of English, math, and science, at least two years of foreign language, and five additional courses at the AP or college level. As the number of students looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. a college-bound curriculum has increased, so too has the need for college preparatory pre·par·a·to·ry adj. 1. Serving to make ready or prepare; introductory. See Synonyms at preliminary. 2. Relating to or engaged in study or training that serves as preparation for advanced education: advising. "We have a lot of students who contract privately for college advising," says Superintendent of Schools Doug Nelson. "Our goal is to bring that type of service to all of our students." That type of service includes a range of programs that involve teachers, guidance counselors and community volunteers. It begins by administering the ACT to all eighth- and ninth-graders to identify interests and aptitudes, information that can then be used to guide advising decisions. Two of Bend-La Pine's five high schools are piloting a program that will pair juniors with trained mentors from the community who hold advanced degrees; for example, working professionals from a range of fields who understand the application and admissions process will meet with students during the school day to give advice, answer questions, and help students with their admissions applications. Also helping students on their way to postsecondary education is Oregon's graduation requirement that stipulates all students must have experience outside the classroom, in a career pathway, to graduate. For example, a student interested in pursuing engineering in college might spend a day shadowing an engineer in his or her work. A student considering business school could participate in a field project that would have him or her working on real-life problems in an office or at a work site. Such programs complement Bend-La Pine Schools' college advisory program, which builds planning and preparing for postsecondary education into the curriculum. "We learned early on that a student-counselor ratio of 400 to 1 doesn't allow people to advise," explains Vicki Van Buren, executive director of high school programs for Bend-La Pine schools. "The student advisory program allows us to expand advising services throughout the school. College advising happens between students and teachers." Thanks to funding from a federal learning communities grant, students in grades 9 and 10 are grouped so that they are in classrooms with the same cohort cohort /co·hort/ (ko´hort) 1. in epidemiology, a group of individuals sharing a common characteristic and observed over time in the group. 2. of teachers for core classes that include English, social studies, and health. In grades 11 and 12, students are grouped by their interest areas, which are the foundation for their career pathway experiences, and their teachers advise them on topics ranging from writing an application essay to networking and how to pay for college. Counselor as Knowledge Broker Since the advising services that most students need cannot realistically be met by a single counselor, guidance professionals need to function more as knowledge brokers than information gatekeepers, advises David Hawkins, NACAC's public policy director. "Counselors operate more effectively when they bring services into the schools and put students in touch with those services and organizations." Successful advising programs are taking a management approach to advising high school students. "Rather than gophers who will track down information, counselors put parents and students into contact with the right resources," Hawkins adds. The Price of Admission But according to NACAC, guidance counselors report that "lack of information about financial aid" and access to enough financial support discouraged nearly 40 percent of students they know from applying to college. It's also often the first reason students don't think a college education is possible. When it comes to financing a college education, counselors agree that the long-term financial benefit of a college education more than pays for the loan used to achieve it, says Hawkins. "And kids receiving free and reduced lunches need to know they will be eligible for [federal] Pell grants The Pell Grant program is a type of post-secondary, educational federal grant program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. It is named after U.S. Senator Claiborne Pell and originally known as the the Basic Educational Opportunity Grant program. " for low-income students. Beyond making general information available, though, most counselors don't have time to work with families to help them make the best financial decisions. Moreover, recent scandals involving conflicts of interest between student-loan providers and college student-aid officials have muddied mud·dy adj. mud·di·er, mud·di·est 1. Full of or covered with mud. 2. a. Not bright or pure: a muddy color. b. the already confusing con·fuse v. con·fused, con·fus·ing, con·fus·es v.tr. 1. a. To cause to be unable to think with clarity or act with intelligence or understanding; throw off. b. process of applying for financial aid. However, according to Marcia Weston, director of College Goal Sunday operations for the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, the scandal does not impact high school guidance counselors since they weren't in a position to encourage families into going with specific lenders. Still, Weston adds, financial aid advisors haven't done enough to make sure information is easily understood and reaches the right audience. College Goal Sunday programs are free weekend events where college-bound students and their families receive help filling out financial aid forms. Now in 36 states, the program has adopted grassroots marketing strategies to improve in communicating financial aid options. And the man behind it did so by looking at where his target audiences gathered socially. Franklin Davis, higher education awareness program coordinator for the South Carolina South Carolina, state of the SE United States. It is bordered by North Carolina (N), the Atlantic Ocean (SE), and Georgia (SW). Facts and Figures Area, 31,055 sq mi (80,432 sq km). Pop. (2000) 4,012,012, a 15. Commission on Higher Education Commission on Higher Education can refer to
In England during the 18th cent. teachers, by having them announce the event and discuss it with their congregations. It worked: 90 percent of College Goal Sunday attendees were low-income minority students, most among the first generation in their families to graduate from high school. As more districts generate creative solutions to meet their students' advising needs, and as financial aid information and assistance makes its way through targeted channels that flow directly into communities of need, college advising can move productively away from the single-counselor model to collaborative approaches that involve local colleges and community members, teachers, and students. Tips for Counselors * Assume all students are college-bound, experts in the field say. Send the message early, such as in eighth grade, that postsecondary education is not only an option but is also something all students should plan for. * Embrace nontraditional pathways. A year or more between high school and college can be filled productively with work experience and training. The traditional four-year college is highly successful for some, but spending two years at a community college and then transferring to a four-year school is a better option for others, according to Doug Nelson, superintendent of Bend-La Pine (Ore.) Schools. * Teaching and guidance go hand-in-hand. Involve math and English teachers English Teachers (airing internationally as Taipei Diaries) is a Canadian documentary television series. The series, which airs on Canada's Life Network and internationally, profiles several young Canadians teaching English as a Second Language in Taipei, Taiwan. in the process. Financial planning Financial planning Evaluating the investing and financing options available to a firm. Planning includes attempting to make optimal decisions, projecting the consequences of these decisions for the firm in the form of a financial plan, and then comparing future performance against in math classes and writing a personal statement for English take stress off the guidance office and give students' work real-world applications, says Marcia Weston, director of College Goal Sunday operations for the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. RESOURCES Bend-La Pine Schools www.bend.k12.or.us Howard Greene & Associates www.greenesguides.com Miami-Dade County Public Schools www2.dadeschools.net National Association for College Admission Counseling The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) is an international organization of professionals dedicated to serving students as they make choices about pursuing postsecondary education. www.nacacaet.org National Association of Financial Aid Administrators www.nasfaa.org New Trier Township High School District There are several Township High School Districts in Illinois:
www.aewtrier.k12.il.us South Carolina Commission on Higher Education www.che400.state.sc.us Helpful Web Sites for Counselors TESTING www.act.org www.collegeboard.com www.petersons.com www.princetonreview.com SCHOLARSHIPS AND FINANCIAL AID www.collegegoalsundayusa.org www.ed.gov www.fafsaonline.com www.fastweb.com www.finaid.org www.studentaid.ed.gov STUDENT CHANCES OF BEING ADMITTED TO TOP CHOICES www.go4ivy.com www.mychances.net www.thickenvelope.com COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY ONLINE TOURS www.campustours.com www.collegeNET.com www.collegeview.com Kristen Kennedy is a teacher of writing and composition theory to college students and a freelance writer in Seattle. |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion