Rather than enroll in pricey summer enrichment programs on college and university campuses across the country, high school graduates who want to continue their academic progress during the summer months can take advantage of community college offerings.

“This is around the time that fliers fill mailboxes wooing students to pricey residential enrichment experiences for the summer at universities or camps. But perhaps an overlooked alternative for high school students looking to continue academic progress this summer is community-college courses. “

Read the complete article on the academic offerings of community colleges.

There is a lot that goes into choosing a college or university. Parents, teachers and guidance counselors alike help high school students decide which college or university is best for them. But can guidance counselors do students a disservice by instructing them to set their aims too low?

Teresa M?ndez, staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor, wrote an article about the danger of guidance counselors failing to encourage their students to aim high when it comes to college. While no one advocates filling students with unrealistic dreams, it is dangerous to eliminate possibilities altogether.

Read more about how you, as a guidance counselor, can help your high school students aim high.

Nowadays, the majority of high school graduates go on to college of some form. Whether it is a traditional four-year college, a two-year college, a career college, a technical college or an apprentice program, higher education is a necessity in our technology-driven world.
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When they hear talk of college commitment letters, most people automatically think of athletes who must commit to a school to secure their athletic scholarships. April is the time of year when all future college students commit to a college or university.

Choosing among the many options can be the first step toward the rest of a student’s future. Students must weigh the pros and cons of each school to select the one that best fits their academic and social needs. With so much going into the selection process, it can be a stressful decision for 17 and 18 year-olds to make. High school counselors can work with parents to help students make wise choices when they commit to a school.
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It’s that time of year again. The trees are sprouting leaves, the grass is slowly turning green, flowers are blooming and high school graduations are in the air. The question that weighs on every senior’s mind is, “What will college be like next year?”

This is a hectic time for high school guidance counselors as they help with applications, letters of recommendation, financial aid applications, college visits and a host of other responsibilities related to helping high school seniors prepare for college. Another responsibility that many high school guidance counselors take upon themselves is helping students make the transition from high school to college.
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CNN.com recently reported on another hurdle for college hopefuls in the next few years. In addition to covering the cost of tuition, room and board, books, travel and living expenses, students might now be forced to carry health insurance as well.

A growing number of public universities are requiring that students have health insurance before they step into the classroom, a move aimed at saving the uninsured from huge bills and college hospitals from getting stuck with the cost.

If President Bush has his way, high school guidance counselors are likely to see the end of a productive 40-year relationship they enjoyed with Upward Bound.

Upward Bound is a federally-funded TRIO program designed to help both low-income and first-generation college students prepare for, and gain admittance to college. There are more than 700 Upward Bound programs in the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands.
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For many students, college is all about exploring the world. They are eager to take a variety of classes like the history of rock and roll, or kickboxing or the dating habits of metrosexuals. While that might make for interesting lectures, it’s not likely to lead to a career. It is relatively pointless to earn a degree in an area that will not translate to a job in the future.
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Everyone knows college is expensive, but most students aren’t aware that just getting into college can be a substantial burden.

Before your students ever step onto a college campus, they’ll have to pony up for application fees, test fees and more. Many high school students will pay hundreds, maybe even thousands of dollars, just getting into college.
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For a majority of your students, the campus visit is as much about getting out of school as it is about gathering information in order to make an informed decision about college. We all know that. The trick for you and other guidance counselors is to give the students a quick, fail-safe checklist for evaluating each college during a campus visit.
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