What First-Generation College Students Want

(The Atlantic) By Emily DeRuy— As policymakers and educators debate how to help high-schoolers from all backgrounds get to and through college, young people’s ideas about the support they need to succeed are sometimes left out of the discussion. Yet conversations with students who are the first in their families to pursue higher education reveal […]

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Undocumented HS valedictorians broaden conversation on college admissions

(Education Dive) By Jarret Carter— Two high school valedictorians in Texas publicly disclosed their undocumented status this spring, both in an effort to challenge stereotypes about immigration and achievement. Reaction has ranged from outrage to support for the students, with detractors saying their achievement exploits systems which could reward exemplary native born students, while advocates […]

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“I will not help you hide your money when you apply for financial aid” and more straight talk from admissions advisors to parents

(The Washington Post) By Valerie Strauss– One of the hardest parts of a college admissions officer’s job — if not the hardest part — is dealing with some of the entitled or unrealistic parents of students who are trying to figure out where to apply to college. Here is a piece on things that college […]

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This is how China preps for the big test

(Bloomberg) Jasmine Zhao– Hu Huifeng, an 18-year-old high school senior from China’s Jiangxi province, is on a strict regimen. Seven days a week she rises by 6 a.m. for a day of classes in Chinese, English, mathematics, chemistry, physics, and biology, with the last one finishing at 9:50 p.m. “Once I get home, I study […]

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