Sharing some of my pictures taken at American University in Washington DC.  Beautiful campus and students can take advantage of all the DC has to offer, including concerts, art, food, and of course, internships!  

From columnist Brennan Barnard, history and trends in college rankings. "The anti-ranking train is leaving the station and colleges and universities who want to be on the right side of history are wise to hop on. What is it going to take? "

​www.forbes.com/sites/brennanbarnard/2023/03/13/college-rankings-withdrawal/?sh=5ea0986f7c27

Photo above of Colorado College, taken by Joan Stern

The latest news about applications at the University of California and more specifically, UC Berkeley.  

UC Receives Record In-State Applications by the Daily Cal

Time to get back to posting relevant articles and information!  This opinion article, written by Jon Boeckenstedt of Oregon State University, highlights the leadership and influence of College Board, owners of the SAT, PSAT, and AP curriculum.  If you are a student who took the PSAT last year, this article will answer the question about why you are suddenly receiving so many emails from colleges!  (Photo below of the  University of Texas, Austin, taken by Joan Stern and not related to this article)
College Board and the Florida African American AP Curriculum
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Here's another important blog from Rick Clark at Georgia Tech.  US News released their latest rankings this past Monday, but rankings aren't what they seem to be!  So many other considerations for students as they develop their college lists.  
Top 3 Reasons NOT to Trust Rankings 

Here is the final installment of the three-part series from Brennan Barnard and Forbes.  This article discusses the data that should be made available to students and families as they research and decide to which colleges the student wants to apply. " In an age of information overload and creative “massaging” of data, it is incumbent upon colleges and universities to continue to seek approaches that better represent the value and experience of education on their campuses. Systematically we need to standardize the delivery of this information in equitable, logical, and comprehensible ways. Meanwhile, students and those who support them must look beyond facile averages that a basic web search will produce and demand better from the institutions of which day hope to be part. After all, “knowledge is power.”

​Be A College Admission Data Scientist

Brennan Barnard, education writer and college counselor, shares information about college rankings and information overload in the world of admissions.  From Angel Perez, CEO of the National Association for College Admission Counseling: “We need to do a better job of centralizing college admission advice in just a few places where students can turn to for quality, trusted, information. Students are currently overwhelmed with information overload. It’s too much.”  

​This is the first of a three-part series.  

College Admission:  Data, Transparency, and Match

From one of my favorite college admission writers and Forbes magazine, a thoughtful article about choices and college decisions.  So many important ideas here, including:  "College can be transformative in many ways, but it is what you make it and the power of this experience, as he points out, is not about the one school you choose. It is more dependent on the approach you take once you are there and how you engage with the opportunities around you."  Seniors, juniors and parents ...please take a few minutes to read this article.  
​The College Admission Paradox: Opportunity and Choice

From CNN Health, an important article on how parents can help their kids through the college planning and admission process.  So many tips here, including "What research has shown — but our ego and anxieties can obscure — is that the prestige of the college a student attends is not necessarily a direct indicator of their success in life."  Focus on fit, rather than the college's name.  

CNN Health A Top-Ranked College May Not Be Best for Your Kid
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As college decisions come in this month, I have to agree with writer Jeff Selingo that the college admissions process is in need of change.  Please read this thoughtful article by someone who closely follows college admissions. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/03/change-college-acceptance-application-process/627581/?utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share

Here is a scholarship opportunity for high achieving seniors who also are involved in their communities.  The application is due September 10
Byron Cameron Education Foundation 

Several organizations, including the National Association for College Admission Counseling, have asked US News to remove SAT and ACT as a criteria within their rankings.  "​"Using average scores of incoming students to rank an institution has never made sense, but is even more preposterous during a deadly pandemic."

​​Inside Higher Ed:  Groups as US News to Exclude SAT and ACT