Welcome back! By now you are all probably in full swing for a brand new academic year and I hope that you are all off to a great start.

I encourage you to visit our NEW website, www.njacac.org, periodically to learn about different professional development events, college fairs, and updates pertaining to our profession. Some of the highlights for the 2009-2010 year include a professional development workshop on November 3 at Princeton University and a workshop in Atlantic City on November 12 in between the two sessions of the NACAC National College Fair. Also, our first ever First Generation workshop which will take place on Saturday, October 24 at Rider University. Visit the website for further details and more events for the coming year.

Lastly, please know that your NJACAC executive board is available to you. If you have ideas, concerns or questions please do not hesitate to contact us.

I look forward to seeing you in the months to come!

Sincerely,
Melissa Mezzina
NJACAC President
Sacred Heart University

I retired from the business of being a college dean of admission nearly nine years ago and many people ask me why I am still involved with NJACAC when I could be on the golf course. My admittedly facetious answer is that I can hang out with my college admission counseling friends without the agony of having to enroll a freshman class – what could be better? And, yes, I am on the golf course a lot, but I’m a better admission counselor than I am a golfer. I have a passion for both pursuits, but admission counseling—perhaps not as much fun as golf—is far more important than whacking a little white ball around a verdant patch of real estate.

And where can one go to learn to be a good, or a great, college admission counselor? Simple, right here in New Jersey and right now at NJACAC, the professional organization that specializes in the providing an effective transition of young people from secondary school to higher education. Most of us have had little, if any, instruction in college admission counseling in our graduate counseling programs, and most of us learned the ropes of that part of our assignments on the job. But for some of us, NJACAC and the National Association for College Admission Counseling, have provided us with the information and instruction we need to provide expert counseling to those in our charge hoping to further their education beyond high school.

Yes, NJACAC matters and a visit to our Web site, www.njacac.org, will begin to tell you why. We are the preeminent source for the latest information about the college admission process, how best students and their families can negotiate the transition from high school to college, what ethical standards must be met by those in our profession, and how we can improve the services of our offices, to name just a few. Your involvement in the activities of this, your professional association, can only enhance your effectiveness as a college admission counselor.

While being an active member of NJACAC since its founding 45 years ago has not improved my golf game, it certainly has made me a better counselor. I hope it does the same for you. Now, I’m off to the first tee!

George Lynes was president of NJACAC twice and has served as chair of several standing committees. He is presently the Alternate Delegate to the National Assembly and co-chair of the NJACAC Awards Committee. His golf handicap is a closely guarded secret.

2010 NJACAC Annual Conference

June 7 & 8, 2010
Ocean Place Hotel & Resort - Long Branch, NJ
www.oceanplace.com

Call for session proposals will be available online soon at www.njacac.org
Hotel and registration information will also be available online in December.
If you are interested in exhibiting at or sponsorships of the conference or for any other questions, please contact:
Susan Makowski, NJACAC President-Elect/Conference Chair
smakowski@rider.edu or 609-896-5250

Call for NJACAC Conference Session Proposals

The New Jersey Association for College Admission Counseling is looking for
professional development session proposals on current topics and trends affecting our profession of school counseling and
admission practices in higher education to be presented at the 2010 Annual Conference.

Possible topics:
Crafting a Freshman Class
Overseas College Options for high school students
The Use of Facebook as a method of Recruitment
Mock Admissions Exercise for School Counselors

A program proposal form will be available on the NJACAC website,
www.njacac.org, in October

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION – November 15, 2009
For further information contact:
Susan Makowski, Conference Chair
smakowski@rider.edu or 609-896-5250

Do you know a student who gets top grades but seems bored and uninspired at school? Do you know a young person who gets excited when given the opportunity to learn experientially? Many high school graduates are at the point in their lives where they want to explore a passion, help a cause, or live within another culture. The gap year is an interlude between high school and college which can invigorate a young person and get the student ready to succeed in college and in life.

Most counselors know something about the gap year, or have perhaps worked with a student who has gone on a gap year. My research has brought out few facts which might be new or interesting information for you.

1. The gap year does not have to be expensive. And in fact, for thousands of students, it is entirely free. Students who spend their gap year with AmeriCorps or other select government agencies receive not only a free program, but also a stipend and a college tuition bonus of $4750, which is then doubled by many universities. Bentley College and Dickinson College offer large financial incentives to students who complete a year of service prior to enrolling.
   Students are able to use their federal financial aid to cover tuition and airfare for select overseas gap year programs. There are also innovative, new gap year programs which have the private support that enables them to offer full scholarships to select low-income students. And finally, many hard-working students have funded their own travels and program fees by working for the first part of the year to fund their travels. Very often, the working block of the gap year is the one which students cite as having affected them the most.

2. Students can apply to college from their gap year: Of course the safest route is to get accepted at your college of choice, and then defer your admission to go on a gap year. But things don’t always work out so smoothly. Students who are not happy with their college acceptances, for whatever reason, can start the process again. Those attending “post graduate year” or other academic gap year programs will get the added opportunity to improve their grades and test scores.

3. The gap year does not have to involve travel or volunteering. There is a gap year program for just about any interest a student has. Independent-minded students forgo structured programs and use the time to work on an invention, join a political campaign, write a novel, or study music. There are gap year programs which focus on such varied subjects as oceanography, sailing, sports, art, or archeology; and there is even a program on the art of being a DJ!

4. All types of students can benefit from a gap year. There are some people who think that a gap year is targeted to young people who haven’t been successful academically. There are others who think the gap year is mainly for Ivy Leaguers or for brilliant and creative types. In fact, the gap year is truly for all types of learners. Students often find their passion in a gap year, or they remember how to love learning again-- new ideas which will help them make a great transition to college life.

Kristin White is the author of "The Complete Guide to the Gap Year: The Best Things To Do Between High School and College” published by Jossey Bass, an imprint of John E. Wiley. Contact info at: www.completegapyearguide.com.

Last year the College Board announced that as of March 2009, high school students would have the choice of which of their SAT scores they could have sent to colleges. Believing that they could select the test dates where their scores were best to share as part of their applications, some high school students registered for the tests many times, considering some to be practice and feeling they had nothing to lose. Then some colleges decided that they wanted to continue to see the entire record of SAT scores and choose the highest set or “cherry-pick” the highest critical reading, math, or writing scores from the scores submitted.

As school counselors sought information to best advise their students, the College Board posted a document on its website (about 20 pages) that listed the testing requirements of each college. It seemed like the best advice, to be safe, was to have students send their entire SAT record to colleges as had been done prior to March 2009. This seemingly small change in score reporting has set off a whirlwind of questions, and finding the right answer has not been easy. It seems that school counselors and students are not alone in their confusion; some admissions offices have not yet decided what their procedures will be; or have not made them clear on their web site. A most interesting compilation of the issues, responses and unanswered questions can be found at www.theadmissiongame.com/blog.

Take a look at the discussion and add your viewpoints and experiences, in hopes of creating one less point of confusion for students in the already complicated college application process.

Claire Cafaro
Independent Counselor, Clear Directions
Immediate Past President, NJACAC

Get the latest information about NJACAC including workshops, professional development opportunities, conferences and other great information now on Facebook. We can be found at www.facebook.com, "New Jersey Association for College Admission Counseling NJACAC".

Princeton University, Richardson Auditorium
Tuesday, November 2, 2 pm-5 pm

For further information, please contact
Rich Freccia, School Counselor, Allentown High School at:
thecoachrich@verizon.net or freccir@ufrsd.net or 609-259-2076 ext. 404

The New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA) is pleased to announce their annual Fall Series of Financial Aid Workshops for New Jersey Secondary School Counselors. The curriculum for the workshops includes:

• Updates to state and federal financial aid programs

• Details on newly created programs

• Numerous changes to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the upcoming year

• How to handle situations counselors may have encountered such as guardianship, divorce, citizenship status, etc.

These sessions give counselors a window into the financial aid process; how the EFC is calculated and how aid is awarded. The workshops will also take a look at sample award letters from New Jersey institutions to give counselors a better understanding of what awards a financial aid package may contain.

If you would like to attend a workshop, please view the dates below. If you have any questions, please contact Amy Novosel at 609-584-9622.

October 16
DeVry University - Commons
630 U.S. Highway One, North Brunswick, NJ 08902

October 20
Atlantic Cape Community College - J Building Theatre
5100 Black Horse Pike, Mays Landing 08330

October 22
Rider University - Student Center Theatre
2083 Lawrenceville Road., Lawrenceville 08648

October 27
Bergen Community College - Technology Bldg. Rooms 128 A, B & C
400 Paramus Road, Paramus 07652

October 30
The Enterprise Center at Burlington County College
3331 Route 38, Mount Laurel 08054

November 17
College of St. Elizabeth - Mahoney Library
2 Convent Road, Convent Station 07960

November 19
Georgian Court University - Arts & Sciences Bldg., Little Theatre
900 Lakewood Avenue, Lakewood 08701

November 24
Seton Hall University - Bishop Dougherty Student Ctr., Main Lounge
400 South Orange Avenue, South Orange 07079

AGENDA
8:00 - 8:30 Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:30 - 10:30 General Session: State & Federal Update
10:30 - 10:45 Break
10:45 - 12:30 Breakout Sessions for Level I, Level II & Case Study Analysis

ACT College and Career Readiness Workshops

College and Career Readiness Workshops
(Formerly Educator Workshops)

Workshop Highlights
The College and Career Readiness Workshops will focus on the role of each team member in utilizing data as the foundation for building systems of excellence. Each workshop will include an in-depth look at the types of information available to every school district and will also provide engaging activities focused on:

Sharing student-level and aggregate data across the team, school, and district
Translating data into actionable information
Integrating data as a foundation for supporting student growth

Additionally, each workshop will:
Include Peer Group Roundtables
Provide each team member with specific resources customized to his or her role

Dates and Locations for New Jersey
October 16, Ramapo College
October 19, Seton Hall University
October 20, Monmouth University
October 28, Rider University
October 29, Rowan University

For further information, please visit the ACT website at www.act.org/ccrw.

College Board Fall Counselor Workshops

The College Board's annual Fall Counselor Workshops offer educators an opportunity to hear important information about many of the programs, tools and services that help prepare students for college success.

College Board workshops are free of charge. For registration information, please visit www.collegeboard.com.

On October 24 at Rider University, NJACAC will be hosting a workshop for high school juniors who will be in the first generation in their family to attend a four-year college. Entitled College Key NJ, the day will include a series of presentations and mentor sessions that aim to introduce students to the college application process and help them get started finding schools that will be a good match for them. Students will work with high school counselors and admissions representatives to explore topics such as researching colleges, applying for financial aid, and filling out college applications. In addition, several current college students, who were also the first in their family to go to college, will be on hand to mentor to those attending the workshop. All students will also be assigned a mentor, with whom they can continue to correspond. Mentors will help students craft an individual plan for his or her college process.

This event is free to participants and is being funded, in part, by a NACAC President's Council grant. Students must apply for this program. Applications are due October 9, 2009 and are currently posted on www.njacac.org. We encourage counselors to recommend students to apply for this event.

Questions can be directed to HRNJACAC@gmail.com.

My name is Tim Conway, Director of Guidance at Lakeland Regional High School, Wanaque, NJ.

I have recently begun writing a book with a colleague of mine, Dr. Lona Whitmarsh, to create a school counselor-based case book entitled Cases in School Counseling: Theory in Action.

The case book is being created to address the need of school counselors who would like examples that would provide them a point of reference on how other counselors have addressed similar cases in their experience. This book will be an excellent tool for new and experienced counselors alike, as it will allow us to see across districts, cultures, socioeconomic status, etc. The book will also allow us to broaden our minds as to how other school counselors in the field have addressed a difficult case and its outcomes.

In our niche of counseling, the sharing of ideas, cases and peer dialogue are the best ways for us to learn and grow as a profession, and this school counseling case book will help provide a framework for that goal. I also believe that this case book would serve as an excellent learning tool for school counselors working toward their masters in school counseling. Most notably, it will provide them with theoretical case references which will better prepare them for entering the school counseling profession.

At this time, I would like to ask for your assistance in gathering cases that you have experienced as a school counselor. The cases, names and details should be altered to protect the innocent, and the only reference to the case would be that it was presented by you. A sample case can be provided for your reference to see the format, layout and components needed in the case itself should you be interested.

If you would like to participate and submit a case, please e-mail tconway@lakeland.k12.nj.us with any questions and/or to gain a copy of the case template for submission. All submissions received must use the sample case layout template. All submissions must be received by no later than Friday, October 9, 2009. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to e-mail me at the above address or call me at 973-835-1900 ext.123.

Thank you all for taking the time to consider this proposal and I greatly look forward to your case submissions!