104. MVCAP fyi

See free MVCAP e-books on college admissions and financial aid for sharing, printing, and downloading at this online resource library: http://fb.me/HOUIYNqq

1. When a College Visits Your High School#more-23569 - http://nyti.ms/dAVQym

"A few weeks ago, I joined a producer and crew from the “Today” Show on NBC as they shadowed Seth Allen, the dean of admission at Grinnell College in Iowa. We watched Mr. Allen as he visited two New York City public high schools, the Bronx High School of Science and DeWitt Clinton. The segment — which is something of a primer for students on such information sessions — was shown today on “Today,” and can be viewed above."

2. Hello Again: A Field Guide to Parents’ Weekend by Susan Stewart #more-23627 - http://nyti.ms/dhQIzp

"Blogger’s Note: Periodically on The Choice, we look past the college search to the college experience itself. No matter how old (or young) their children, I suspect many parents will relate to this essay. –Jacques Steinberg

Parents’ weekend at college is for parents to admire the ivy-covered fairyland where most of their income is going, and for their children to get away from it."

3. How Much Will Parents Pay for College? http://t.co/91ld49m

"Considering that college represents the second biggest expense for many families, parents and teenagers aren’t spending a lot of time talking about this milestone. According to the survey, only half of parents have had detailed discussions with their teenagers about college by the time their children are half way through their senior year in high school. Most of the rest of the families have had general conversations, while 3% haven’t discussed college at all."

4. Tracking Early Progress Could Boost College Completion http://t.co/CuH6UNG via @educationweek

"Solid indicators of success include completing 20 credits in a certain period, such as a year, and completing summer credits, says Jeremy Offenstein, a research specialist with the Institute for Higher Education Leadership & Policy, California State University, Sacramento, and co-author of the report. Also, making it through the first college level math and English courses is a good sign."

5. How to Help Students Complete a Degree on Time http://chronicle.com/article/How-to-Help-Students-Complete/124839/

"From the 1970s to the 1990s, the proportion of students who completed a bachelor's degree in four years shrank by 13 percentage points, said Sarah Turner, a professor of economics and education at the University of Virginia and the author of the research. These days earning a bachelor's degree takes at least five years, Ms. Turner said. The decline, however, was found mostly at public four-year universities that are not flagship institutions, she said. In fact, at highly selective private institutions, the number of students completing their degrees in four years increased by 8 percent between 1972 and 1992." This is very much a story of stratification," Ms. Turner said. One explanation for the decline at public colleges, Ms. Turner suggested, is that students today often find it hard to finance their educations and have to work during college. Work is crowding students' time to take courses."