CTCL E-News December 2010

AVOID EXCESS STUDENT LOAN DEBT BY CHECKING OUT FREE SOURCES OF INFORMATION AS PART OF THE EARLY COLLEGE PLANNING PROCESS

In the wake of the economic downturn, family conversations about the cost of college and loan debt are figuring more prominently during the search and choice process. According to data compiled by the College Board for the 2008-09 academic year, the average debt for students who borrowed money for college was $19,800 at public, four-year colleges and $26,100 at private, non-profit colleges. NACAC (National Association for College Admission Counseling) offers great information and multiple resources to help families ask the right questions to avoid surprises surrounding financial aid late in the admission process: Looking Ahead: Student Debt and the College Admissions Process.

ADMISSIONS TESTS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

"Project Kaleidoscope" at Tufts University, which claims to produce a better class that is more fairly chosen, is as far away as you can get from the traditional use of SAT and ACT testing for college admissions. Robert Sternberg's passionate take on this topic in his book College Admissions for the 21st Century, challenges long held practices of evaluating human intelligence using skills such as memory and vocabulary. His research posits that tests like the SAT and ACT overvalue analytical abilities at the expense of leadership qualities like creativity and wisdom. Sternberg's interview in Inside Higher Ed sheds light on how he thinks this research might be applied more broadly in college admissions.

GAP YEAR CAN BE A GREAT WAY TO FIGURE OUT "WHY" COLLEGE INSTEAD OF "WHICH" COLLEGE

As the pressure to do more and more during the high school years increases and the worry of affording college adds stress, greater numbers of students are choosing to take a break between high school graduation and entering college. A common practice in Europe and Australia, the popularity of a "Gap Year" and the number of programs and services to help students choose among options are growing in the U.S.: "More U.S. students taking 'gap year' break".

CTCL 2011 PROGRAM DATES AND LOCATIONS ANNOUNCED

The dates and locations for the 2011 CTCL national program series, "How to Choose a College That's Right For You," have been chosen. In a shift from previous years, the Midwest series will move from September to Late August, starting in St. Paul, MN on Saturday, August 27 and will include a return to Kansas City, MO on August 31. The Mid-August/South Tour, starting on August 13 in Houston and Austin, TX, will include a return to Raleigh (Cary), NC on August 16. As always, all of the CTCL programs are free of charge and open to the public. Details of all 28 programs in 2011 can be found on the Events link at ctcl.org.