Guide for Admissions Counseling Position paper

CEP 588
Mr. Dave Gervase

1. Choose a topic from the choices given, carefully reviewing what

needs to be covered.

2. Investigate your topic and develop a comprehensive 5-7 page

paper. Research your topic using no less than 10 viable sources
of information regarding your topic. Your paper should include a
concise synthesis of recent research along with a clear
expression of your point of view and ideas regarding the topic
you chose.

3. Your paper should be written using APA format and, in addition,

should include a proper Works Cited page. Proofread your work
carefully as points will be deducted for grammar and spelling
errors.

4. In addition to the paper, you are responsible for a short

PowerPoint presentation of no more than 10 slides that clearly
and concisely explain the main ideas of your topic and your
viewpoint/ideas. Your peers will have an opportunity to comment
on your findings through Discussion Board.

5. The paper itself is worth 20 points, the presentation 10 points.

TOPIC CHOICES (each student will select a different topic)

Topic What to Cover

The pros and cons of using race in
the college admissions process.
The pros and cons of using
standardized tests in the college
admissions process.
Summarize Michigan undergraduate and
law school legislation. What compelling
reasons are there to consider race? What
do the demographics tell us? What are
the advantages of having a diverse
campus? What has happened to colleges
that have stopped being race conscious?
What factors can be used instead of race
and why?
Focus on SAT. What does it measure and
is it valid? How is it used and why is it
useful to colleges? What has happened in
colleges that have stopped using it?
What measures (quantitative and non
quantitative) can be used instead?
Private vs. public higher education
Disclosure and confidentiality issues
(sharing of student records, test
scores, criminal record info) What
are the rules?
College Rankings- What do they
really mean?
Pros and Cons of free SUNY tuition
Adolescent Development
College Marketing: Whom does it
serve?
What are the benefits of each? What do
private colleges do to help defray the
cost? If public education is so expensive,
how are states operating without
compromising quality? How do students
fare who go to each? Are more students
attending public colleges in lower income
ranges? What about class size, quality of
faculty, retention and graduation rates at
private and public colleges?
What is FERPA? What are the rules for
high schools and colleges? How much say
does a school counselor have about what
to share with colleges or not Beyond
legislation, what are the typical
guidelines that high schools have? What
do colleges have to share with students?
Parents? What can they ask and what do
colleges do with the information they
receive about a students criminal
record?
What are the major college
guides/rankings and what is the history?
How exactly do they measure/compare
colleges (factors that are taken into
consideration) How are they
harmful/helpful to consumers? Colleges?
What advice can you give about use of
rankings? Is the public generally informed
about what they actually mean? If not,
what should they know?
The governor of New York has a plan for
offering free tuition to SUNY colleges and
universities for eligible students. This has
raised questions and controversies
among members of the state legislature,
some New York State residents, private
colleges, et al. What are some of the
aspects of this proposed legislation? Why
is it causing controversy? What is your
viewpoint?
At the time they are applying to colleges,
what is happening with adolescents
developmentally? How might this impact
their college application/admission
experience? What might parents and
students to do address this? What should
school counselors be sensitive to, and
how can they respond to the
developmental needs of their students?
How do colleges market to students? How
do they keep the attention of students?
(you may want to speak with college
marketing departments) Do these
marketing efforts help or hinder students

Common Core Standards
Decline in College enrollment
projected
Use of Ranking In American High
Schools
Leveling the Playing Field to College
Access
Helicopter Parents: Looking at the
Role of Parents in the College
Process
efforts to learn more about colleges? Are
there practices that may go beyond
ethical? What does the SPGP (Statement
of Principles of Good Practice) have to
say about marketing colleges to
students?
With over 40 states pledging
official commitment to this nation-wide
experiment in education policy, the
Common Core State Standards will likely
play a pivotal role in shaping
academic characteristics of future classes
of college freshmen. What do these
standards mean for school counselors for
student advisement and college
admissions? How will it affect those
students already disadvantaged? What is
happening today with the common core
given its implementation over the past
few years?
After experiencing significant increases
since 1993, enrollment at secondary and
postsecondary institutions is expected to
decline, according to a projection report
from the U.S. Department of Education
(DOE). During the projected period, 2007-
08 and 2020-21, the number of high
school graduates is expected to decrease
by three percent. What are factors
causing this? What can be done to help
prevent this declination in enrollment?
Many colleges have discontinued the use
of High School Ranking of seniors as one
of the criteria of admission. How are
students ranked? What is the controversy
associated with high school ranking? Why
do many college/high schools still use it?
What do you think?
The College Board published a
comprehensive literature review entitled,
Capturing the Experience of Young Men
of Color. (2010) It found that African
American & Hispanic males are less likely
to go to college than their Asian
American and White counterparts. What
are factors that lead to this discrepancy?
How can school counselors to level the
playing field and help counteract this
trend?
Many parents have become increasingly
more involved in the college selection
and application process of their sons and
daughters. How involved are parents
becoming? What may be some reasons

The Knowledge Gap
Exploding College Costs
How Far is Too Far
Navigating College Admissions for
Foreign Born Students
College Binge Drinking and Other
Social Issues: Preparing our High
Schoolers to Face this Reality
for this? How far is far enough? How can
school counselors create a healthy
balance of parent involvement and
student responsibility?
Isyourteenagershighschoolcounseloranexpert
oncollege?Isyourcounselorsknowledgeabout
collegeadmissionstrategies,standardizedtesting,
financialaidandscholarshipslimited?Theseare
questionsparentsmayaskwhenentrustingtheir
studentstoschoolcounselorswhoareguidingthem
inmakingoneofthemostimportantdecisionsof
theirlife.Whatdoyouthink?Investigatingthis
topicisvitalinunderstandingwhatshappeningin
schoolcounselorofficeswhenitcomestocollege
andcareercounseling.
Nothingobstructsastudentsdreamsforattending
collegethanthecostsofattending.Isthisproblem
asbigasthemediaposits?What,ifanything,is
beingdonetohelpliftthefinancialburdenfor
many?Whateffectdoesthishaveoncollege
enrollment?Thereismuchtoinvestigatewiththis
hottopic.
Inthiscompetitiveageofcollegeadmissions,
schoolcounselorsareeagertohelptheirstudents
obtainanedgeintogettingintothecollegeoftheir
choice.Buthowfardocounselorsgo?Someofthe
issuesthatmaybeaddressedarehelpingstudents
writingoreditingessaysandsupplements.The
phoneinfavorstocollegeadmissionsoffices,etc.
Aninterestingtopictoinvestigateandweighinon.
Intodayshighschools,manystudentsthatattend,
especiallyinoururbancenters,arenotnativeborn
American.Therearemanybarriersforthese
studentswhenapplyingtocolleges.Whatare
problemstheyencounter?Whatcanschool
counselorsdotohelpthesestudentsachievetheir
academicandcareergoals?
Itiswelldocumentedthroughsocialmediathat
effortstothwartdrinkinganddruguseincollegeas
wellasothersocialissuessuchasdaterapemayor
maynotbesucceeding.Whatdoyouthink?What
canschoolcounselorsdotohelppreparestudents
fortherealitiesofcollegelife?