Method Learning in the Periodicals

We don't often take the opportunity to shamelessly self-promote, but occasionally doing so actually helps us better inform the students, parents, and educators we work with.

Recently, Dr. Amanda Sterk, our Co-Director of College and Career Advising, and Evan Wessler, our Vice President of Student Success, published articles in the spring 2024 edition of LINK For Counselors, a digital magazine geared toward high school guidance counselors but equally valuable for college-bound students and their families. 

In "Discussing College Success Plans," Dr. Amanda Sterk asserts that gaining admission to college is merely the first step in ensuring students' undergraduate success; indeed, nearly sixty percent of college-bound students either take longer than four years to earn their degrees or don't graduate at all—costly results that leave students saddled with debt and potentially without credentials. To address this problem, Dr. Sterk writes, counselors should work with their students to formulate financial, academic, and social plans that can be used to intelligently structure undergraduate experiences. By encouraging their students to anticipate the various challenges they'll face upon matriculation, counselors can significantly increase the likelihood of successful, timely graduation.

In "The Standardized College Admissions Exam As Extracurricular Activity," Evan Wessler considers an apparent paradox: despite an almost-uniformly test-optional college admissions landscape, the past few years have seen a surprising increase in the number of SAT® and ACT® test takers. This phenomenon, Wessler argues, should cause us to reframe our conception of the exams—they are no longer hurdles destined to be loathed, but opportunities for students to showcase their academic excellence and initiative in unique ways.

We hope you enjoy reading these articles as much as we enjoyed writing them. If you read them, let us know your thoughts in the comments below!