Carina College Counseling

I have been watching what schools are planning for the fall, and how the virus has been playing out. While I truly believe that we learn best together, and that Zoom cannot replace the flow and exchange of ideas that can happen where we are physically with others, I do think that school reopenings will create risky environments. This is a good article.

Higher Ed: Enough Already | No Mercy / No Malice 5-min read US university presidents and chancellors, enough already. It’s time to end the consensual...

Helpful to keep college admissions in context, and to focus on what is important.

A Letter To College Applicants Whether you are a high school senior awaiting college admission decisions, or an underclass student just beginning your search, consider these suggestions for a more intentional and meaningful experience of applying to college with hope, gratitude, and excitement.

The University of California sent out the following announcement. Action items? TAKE those abbreviated AP tests - credit will be given... IF YOU CAN, still take the SAT/ACT - while it won't be required this coming application season, it will be looked at...

ANNOUNCEMENT APRIL 2020
UC temporarily eases admissions requirements in response to educational disruptions
As measures to combat COVID-19 have closed schools, cancelled standardized tests and upended nearly every aspect of students’ education, students and their families are understandably worried about whether those changes will hurt their college prospects.

The University of California has taken steps to ensure that students can strive for and attain a world-class UC education, despite disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Tuesday, March 31, the university announced that it has temporarily relaxed its admissions standards for both newly admitted students and prospective high school and community college students to account for changes in instruction methods, grading and administration of standardized tests.

UC campuses will provide maximum flexibility to students who need more time to meet registration, deposit and transcript deadlines. The university also expects to work with students to adjust financial aid packages if family financial circumstances have suddenly changed.

To serve students and their families during this crisis, UC has enacted the following temporary measures, which are explained in detail in an online FAQ.

UC has temporarily suspended the letter grade requirement for A-G courses completed in spring 2020 for both prospective and admitted students. For transfer students, the university has relaxed the cap on Pass/No Pass courses eligible for transfer to enter UC as a junior.



UC will suspend the standardized test requirement (SAT and ACT) for students applying for fall 2021 freshman admission. This modification is not intended as an admissions policy shift but is rather a temporary accommodation driven by the current extraordinary circumstances.



The deadline for students to accept their admissions offers remains May 1 for freshmen and June 1 for transfer students. However, the university has asked campuses to provide maximum flexibility for students who request extensions. Students should contact campus admissions offices directly with these requests.



UC will also provide flexibility to students and schools who are unable to submit transcripts by July 1. No student’s admission offer will be rescinded for missing the deadline.



Despite changes to the format and content of AP exams this term, the university will continue to award credit for exams with scores of 3, 4 or 5.

For more information, please see the press release and the Undergraduate Admissions COVID-19 page.

Summer plans up in the air due to the Covid-19 restrictions? You can still do things from home that will help you, help others and enhance your college application...

40 Resume-Worthy Activities You Can Do From Your Living Room Sofa - The Mauler Institute I have often said that students who leverage their four high school years of summer breaks have a full year of growth and development over those who don’t. However, as academic programs cancel in-person sessions, international travel remains questionable, and internships and research opportunities...

The marketing that comes from colleges and the sources that make money from rankings need to be viewed for bias, like all marketing.

College Admission Fake News The informed consumer is best served by careful research and a critical eye to what's real, what's thorough, and what's subjective. Here is a quick way for students and families to cut through the noise, access accurate information and determine how it applies to them and their college hopes.

The UCs will be announcing admissions decisions as below. Berkeley is notifying some "highly qualified" admission folks already, but don't worry.. all notifications will be out by March 31

The proposed Trump budget will hurt those who work hard to afford a college education. It contains

-Elimination of the federal subsidized loan program in which the government pays the interest on a portion of undergraduate student loans while the student is a full-time undergraduate, in effect doing away with need-based student loans

-Creation of a single income-driven repayment plan on federal student loans at a rate of 12.5 percent of discretionary income, an increase from the 10 percent that many currently pay

-Elimination of the public service loan program in which teachers, police officers, government workers, and other public servants could have the balance of their loans forgiven after 10 years of uninterrupted payments

This administration is NOT trying to help the students of our country get higher education. It is again eliminating programs that help disseminate education and make it available to many!

Use your voice and use your VOTE

While these changes provide some opportunities for the top students, I think that many will be left with limited options as the college application process and pricing of schools becomes more opaque.

Colleges Agree to Allow Increased Competition for Applicants An agreement between college counselors and the Justice Department should free up colleges to woo early-decision applicants with financial aid.

In Alisio Viejo, Orange County, this small Liberal Arts college has a beautiful campus, huge dorm rooms and mandatory overseas semester...

The scandal of the "side door" to getting a child into college has upset me for a couple of reasons.

First, that someone who called themselves an Educational Consultant would be so unethical. That is one reason to look for College Admissions advisors who belong to HECA (the Higher Education Consultants Association). We abide by our Code of Standards and Ethics. We do not guarantee admission into a specific college and we do not break the law!

Second, that the parents involved in this scandal do not believe in their children and their children's abilities. They view the goal as "getting in" to a "name" school, not their children gaining an education and growing through he application process.

Yet, I still believe that the people I work with have the goal of helping students find a school where they will succeed in preparing for life.

One of the things that helps people succeed in school, college and life is a growth mindset. A good way to help introduce and model a growth mindset is here:

How to Teach Growth Mindset to Kids (The 4-Week Guide) We ALL have beliefs about ourselves and the world around us. How we understand and react to that world depends on our mindset. Discovered by psychologist Dr. Carol Dweck, mindset refers to the way we look at our abilities and intelligence as qualities we can change and grow. Mindset shapes our every...

Stanford is no longer considering home equity in its financial aid. Perhaps other schools will follow...

Stanford expands financial aid for middle-income families as trustees set 2019-20 tuition | Stanford News Home equity will no longer be a factor in the financial aid calculation for undergraduates.