Weekly Update: July 9
Colleen is out of the office today, so it’s Shannon here with this week’s update!
BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK
COLLEGE PERSISTENCE RATES SEE PANDEMIC DROP
As you have probably read already this year, on this blog and elsewhere, the number of students enrolling at colleges during COVID-19 dropped dramatically, particularly at community colleges. Now, statistics are showing an alarming drop in college persistence rates as well - the largest single-year fall since 2009. The college persistence rate (not to be confused with the retention rate) measures the percentage of students entering college in fall 2019 who returned to school in fall 2020 - this year, 73.9%. Like enrollment, persistence and retention rates declined most at community colleges.
IS YOUR COLLEGE REQUIRING THE COVID-19 VACCINE?
With vaccine requirements changing by the day, it can be difficult to keep track of what you need for next year! This helpful graphic tracks the rules that states have when it comes to vaccinations (colleges in Florida and Texas, for example, are legally prohibited from requiring vaccinations), as well as providing a comprehensive list of colleges that will require the vaccine next year.
2021-2022 SAT REGISTRATION IS OPEN
Seats for the SAT are filling up fast, so make sure that you register now! Many local schools are already full (Madison filled up the first day!) so getting a seat could be challenging if you plan to take the test this fall. We recommend completing your registration as soon as you can.
BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK
Discussions about student loan debt often focus on undergraduate students, but many young adults are in debt due to a graduate or professional degree - particularly one that did not lead to higher income to pay down the loans. This Wall Street Journal article explores “the elite master’s degrees that don’t pay off,” including programs at Columbia like film, history, social work, and architecture. The same held true at other top colleges and universities, like NYU, Northwestern, and USC, where students with six-figure loan debt from their master’s programs were making low five-figure salaries two years after graduation. Unlike undergraduate loans, there are no limits on the loans that graduate students can take out, making them very profitable for these universities.
For students who are touring colleges this summer and fall, make sure to check out this list of places you should explore on a college tour! Some of my favorites include “facilities associated with your desired major” - these are the building where you’ll be spending most of your time, and it is easy to go the entire tour seeing only the most renovated buildings on campus. Great if you’ll be studying in one of them, but not if your department is housed in that unairconditioned building all the way across campus! Same goes for any facilities related to your hobbies or extracurriculars you’d like to try. The article also recommends keeping an eye on the bulletin boards, which is a great way to see what types of activities are happening around campus.
OFFICE HAPPENINGS
We have continued to be extremely busy working with students on their supplemental essays (and researching to ensure that our supplemental essay prompts list remains up to date!). We love working with our students on essays - reading their writing really helps us get to know them even better!
We also have a big announcement coming up next week about a project that I have been working really hard on with one of our client parents - stay tuned!
Enjoy the weekend!