Standing Out in the Selective Admissions Process
The college admissions landscape has changed. Gone are the days of the “spray and pray” approach, where students simply applied to as many schools as possible, hoping for the best. Today’s colleges—especially selective and highly selective ones—are more competitive than ever. As acceptance rates decline, it’s crucial for students to craft strategic applications that help them stand out.
In this session, we’ll explore what selective colleges are truly looking for. We’ll dive into three key student case studies with important components—such as academic profiles, leadership profiles, personal narratives, and recommendations—that make the difference in a highly competitive pool.
Through practical strategies and valuable resources, we hope that both students and counselors will feel more confident about approaching this process in the Fall.
Speaking to Your Students About Life After High School
Preparing students for life after high school is one of the most critical roles of a counselor or college advisor. While academics, applications, and financial aid are essential components of a student's postsecondary journey, the most impactful conversations go beyond logistics. We have the unique opportunity to help students navigate their motivations, values, and long-term goals—ensuring they make informed choices that truly align with their futures. By fostering deeper discussions, we can empower students to approach life after high school with confidence and clarity. So let’s get into it!
How You Go to College Matters More Than Where
Not long into my early years of working at St. Agnes, I saw a link to an article in Inside Higher Ed, one of my favorite news sources. In it was a link to the list of Rhodes Scholars for that particular year.
And the contents of that article changed everything for me.
“Don’t Just Take My Word For It”
When it comes to college enrollment tasks, graduates may find more relevance when the checklist comes straight from their post-secondary school of choice.
Making Parents and Students Happy
This session will highlight two successful programs/initiatives that are done by the College Counseling Department at St. Agnes:
College Information Night: A virtual event that brings in college admission representatives from across the country to present on a variety of admission topics (Target Audience: Sophomore and Junior Students/Parents)
Letter of Recommendation Matching Process: A way in which teachers and students are best matched for letters of recommendation
Beyond Traditional Pathways
As students explore postsecondary options, educators need strategies to present the full range of available pathways. This webinar will equip high school counselors and educators with practical knowledge about apprenticeship programs and how to integrate them into college and career conversations. Drawing from experience across Chicago's education system, we'll explore how to identify opportunities, connect with local resources, and effectively guide students and families in understanding apprenticeships as viable postsecondary options.
Beyond the Bell
This webinar will equip school counselors with actionable tools, strategies, and insights to effectively support high school students as they transition to life after graduation—whether that’s college, the military, or entering the workforce. Attendees will walk away with practical checklists, resources for building strong relationships with college staff, and tips on helping students navigate the financial aid process. Counselors will also gain valuable insights into fostering a seamless, organized transition for their students, ensuring they don’t miss essential steps along the way.
The Spring Push
The college application work doesn’t stop at submission. After the break, families and students need a plan to keep up momentum—especially when it comes to financial aid, application completion confirmations, and important spring deadlines. This webinar is designed to help counselors prepare students and families for the critical steps they'll need to take in January to ensure all applications are on track and complete. Learn actionable strategies to guide families through financial aid steps, “confirming complete” on submitted applications, and reviewing key college communications to stay on top of important deadlines.
Maximizing the Impact of College Campus Visits
As a counselor, one of the most exciting—and honestly, most enjoyable—parts of my job is attending college campus visits with my students. These trips are often the turning points in a student's college decision-making journey, giving them a tangible feel for what their future could look like. But as much as these visits are about the students, they also present a golden opportunity for us as counselors to expand our own knowledge, build connections, and gather resources that will benefit our entire student population. This guide will provide you with actionable strategies to make the most of your future trips.
NCAA: Advising Student Athletes
Join us for an essential webinar designed to equip high school counselors with the knowledge and tools needed to help student-athletes navigate NCAA compliance. This session will cover the NCAA eligibility requirements, including GPA and core course standards for Division I and II, as well as recent updates on standardized testing policies.
NCAA Recruitment
College sports attract hundreds of thousands of fans and make billions of dollars for colleges and universities all over this country. None of this success would be possible without the hard-working student athletes that make up these beloved sports teams. But how did these student-athletes land a spot on these teams? How does NCAA recruitment work?
To be honest, it is a chaotic process that differs for each sport and each individual athlete. As the parent of a now D1 athlete, the entire recruitment process felt like a blur; we were pulled in so many different directions and given so much varying advice. But the one consistent component of the entire process was the academic piece.
NCAN 2024 Team Takeaways
At this year’s NCAN conference in Anaheim, our team was inspired by the wealth of knowledge shared on everything from FAFSA changes to innovative postsecondary advising practices. Each session sparked new ideas and insights that will help us better support students and educators in their postsecondary journeys. Below, our team members share their key takeaways from the conference, highlighting important trends, tools, and strategies that can be applied in schools and districts across the country.
Outcomes Bonus and TPRS Update
Previously, Contigo Ed published two blog posts sharing information on TPRS (A guide to TPRS: Our go-to source on Texas data) and the CCMR Outcomes Bonus (July 2024 CCMR Outcomes Bonus (OB) Updates). In this post, we’ll provide some updates on TPRS and CCMR Outcomes Bonus data.
4 Things You Might Not Be Doing In Your Counselor Letters, But You Should
I’ll never forget my first interaction with my coworker when I became an Admissions Counselor at my alma mater, Pepperdine University. It went something like this:
Co-Worker: “Welcome to the office!”
Me: “Thanks! I’m really excited to work here.”
Co-Worker: “What were you doing before this if you don’t mind me asking? Did you just graduate?”
Me: “Actually no. I spent the past five years as a sports anchor at a television station in Texas.”
Co-Worker: “Oh that’s cool! Wait, how old are you then?”
Me: “I’m 27.”
Co-Worker: “Oh…wow.”
Transcripts, Course Selection and Career Pathways…Oh My!
It’s that season once again counselors. You know that season, we know all too well! Teams and Zoom invites adorn our calendar and our College and Career Ready Centers and offices are all abuzz with college application, career exploration chats and of course, course selection requests, inquiries and pathways …oh my!
Tune In, Take Away: Free Resource Share to Kickoff the School Year Strong
If it wasn’t for that binder of resources back in 2010 passed on to me by an expert counselor, I have no idea where I would have even started creating materials for my individual and group advising sessions! That binder must have been 1,000 pages long, filled with notes, resources and tools.
We might not have a binder for you, but the spirit is the same: come, see what we have and take all that you need and make it your own! Spend less time making stuff, and more time building relationships with your students and families.
July 2024 CCMR Outcomes Bonus (OB) Updates
This blog post will explore all things related to the College, Career or Military Readiness Outcomes Bonus. This includes sharing the latest Outcomes Bonus data release from Texas Education Agency (TEA), as well as sharing an Outcomes Bonus calculator that Contigo Ed created and has used with many of our district partners. We are excited to share it with you, too!
Equipping Educators in San Antonio
Counselors and advisors deserve high-quality, relevant professional learning opportunities. Having spent over a decade as a teacher and then the other half of my career as a college counselor, I can say that my experiences differed widely. When I was a teacher, my learning was often aligned to some standards, and had clear learning outcomes with activities designed to meet those objectives. Here at Contigo Ed, we believe school counselor and advisor training can be like that and so much more.