A FREE Subscription that's Worth Its Weight in Gold

Thompson Memorial Library

The 2011-12 school year is winding down, and it’s time to thank Gene Kalb for the outstanding work he did this year putting together High School (HS) CounselorWeek—one of the best national news sources for information on colleges and admissions.

For those who aren’t familiar with Gene’s weekly postings, HS CounselorWeek is a FREE internet newsletter containing links to stories and resources targeted to counselors, educators, or anyone with basic curiosity about the college admissions process.

And it’s not just for professionals. Parents, students, hobbyists, and other admissions junkies are more than welcome to subscribe.  It costs nothing but delivers a wealth of information on topics related to colleges and admission.

With HS CounselorWeek, you get no videos, gadgets or gimmicks. Only substance.  A few discrete ads support the site but they aren’t intrusive.  And no one is out to develop a mailing list or sell private information about readers.

Subscriptions are divided into editions—Western, Southern, NorthEast, and MidWest. I receive the maroon and gray NE edition, but I could as easily receive the aqua and gold southern edition—DC seems to fall somewhere between.

Within each newsletter, links are provided to articles subdivided into areas of interest—big picture, college admissions process/strategies, campus visits, college price, parents, summer, athletics, etc. Links to articles with specific geographic content are also provided. But I really appreciate the attention paid to important subjects such as bullying and teen drinking.

Recent additions to the newsletter include a “Space Available” section highlighting colleges still accepting applications for the fall and a “Summer Resource Guide” designed to connect counselors and parents to enrichment programs. 

What’s truly amazing about what Gene does is that somehow he manages to read every article in every major media outlet in the country and hit the best, most useful, and current.

You’ll find links to USA Today, Inside Higher Ed, Forbes, Time Magazine, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, US News & World Report, and the Washington Post.

Smaller and more regional news outlets are also included such as the San Ramon Express or the Charlotte Observer. And once in a while, links appear to articles in the Washington, DC edition of Examiner.com. Those are the weeks I really take notice.

Gene makes it very easy to subscribe and/or unsubscribe depending on where you are in the admissions process. The newsletter may be shared free-of-charge on school websites or as a link within PTSA/PTO communications.

All the best in-school and independent college counselors I know subscribe to HS CounselorWeek. It’s free, dependable, and a truly wonderful resource.

Thank you, Gene. And have a great summer!