As we are writing this post, the college admissions scandal took a new turn. You can read about it in “Students Receive `Target Letters’ in College Admissions Scandal, Lawyer Says,” an article by Jennifer Medina and Anemonia Hartocollos that was published in The New York Times on April 16, 2019. It reports that children whose parents paid bribes to get them into college could now be charged in criminal cases. Read more
Why do high school students take the time to volunteer and help people?
Many of them, if not most, have a sincere desire to do good in the world. However, as most teachers, parents and counselor know, many are also motivated by the need to do things that make them look good to the colleges where they are applying. Read more
Since news broke about the college admissions cheating scandal, I have been reading a lot of articles about it, and watching a lot of news programs. It has been encouraging to see that most people are truly indignant about all the harm that has been done by parents who have attempted to get their children into elite colleges through bribery and lying. Those parents have done untold harm to their own children and to students who have been denied admission to top-tier colleges. How will those students ever recover from this scandal in the years ahead? Read more
Only three years ago, students at Mt Diablo High School in Concord, CA had only a vague idea of what they wanted to achieve in their lives. When asked, many simply replied that they wanted to make their parents proud. Read more
Are online colleges improving the quality of education they provide? Are more of their students completing four years of study and graduating? And are online colleges becoming fully viable options for students who, due to factors such as having children or being employed, want to complete all their coursework online? Read more
On February 11, the College Board released statistics that show, beyond a doubt, that participation in its AP program has increased substantially over the last decade.
Here’s some of the news that the College Board shared: Read more
What percentage of students who are attending four-year American colleges started out at community colleges? Are they more, or less, likely to graduate than students who entered directly from high school? Read more
Are you a teacher, a parent or a guidance counselor who is helping American students select colleges?
If so, how much do you know about Canadian colleges and universities? If you are not sure, please take a moment to answer a few questions. Read more
Back in 1985, a group of educators founded fairtest.org, an organization dedicated to the idea that standardized tests like the SAT and ACT should no longer be used to evaluate college applicants. In the years since, the “test optional” movement has picked up speed. On the fairtest.org website today, you can find a list of more than 1,000 colleges and universities that do not require either the SAT or the ACT. Read more
If you have a son who has developed strongly conservative political views, should you encourage him to apply only to schools that support his outlook? Or if you have a daughter who leans left on the political spectrum, should you encourage her to apply only to schools where she can comfortably express her liberal viewpoints? Read more