The Texas Assn. of College Admission Counseling always serves up a great annual conference. This year's Houston conference provided a great venue for college counselors and higher ed admission counselors to keep current and strengthen relationships.
My favorite takeaways include:
* Hearing YES Academy and uAspire share how collecting college-bound seniors' award letters to analysis institutions' financial aid practices can be used to inform next year's senior college lists. Thanks especially to Donald Kamentz, with YES Academy. Understanding how colleges and universities distribute financial aid is essential when crafting the college list.
*Marie Bigham, with Greenhill School, provided some great prospective on the high school side during The Common App Year-In-Review. High Schools using Naviance must examine how well The Common App and Naviance are integrating their systems to ensure all forms are successfully submitted and received on the college side.
*College Board Jason Langdon and Ismael Rodriguez shared more details about the upcoming redesigned PSAT/NMSQT. Watch for College Board and Khan Academy webinars and tutorials.
*Rachel Masson, with Beacon College, shared which attributes best serve students with learning differences for college success. Students with learning disabilities must understand their learning difference and become strong advocates; they must evaluate academic support programs for 'fit' prior to making a college commit.
*Verna LaStrapes, with Texas State Technical College, shared major employment and Texas industry trends driving the demand for more skilled technical employees, in turn impacting high school guidance and higher ed programming. Verna is a passionate voice in encouraging more students to consider preparing for one of these highly sought after careers before taking the traditional route of 4 year college.