It’s an exciting time at DCCC as many of our clients have just finished their high school classes, and for others, there are only a few more days to go! ☀️☀️☀️ While we know it’s important to enjoy that hard-earned rest, it’s also time to book some more appointments and make progress on those college application materials! Our coaches are looking forward to spending a lot more time working directly with your students on their essays. (And also taking some vacations … when there’s time!)

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

Major Change at Indiana’s Kelley School of Business

Incoming pre-business students at Indiana University received a welcome email this past week that came with an unexpected twist: the Kelley School of Business changed its internal admissions requirements. Not exactly the kind of thing you want to find out a month after you committed to attending the school! At IU, pre-business students enrolled with the expectation that they will be able to transfer into Kelley as long as they meet the standard admission criteria: a 3.5 GPA with some flexibility in individual course grades.

But beginning with the Class of 2029, students must now earn a B+ or higher in every single class during their first year at IU Bloomington to gain guaranteed admission to Kelley. This is a major shift in policy. While the announcement frames the change as a commitment to academic excellence and student support, it’s landing poorly with many families and counselors. We love Kelley and think it provides a phenomenal education, but this kind of midstream policy change raises serious questions about transparency and fairness.

Note: Just before publishing this post, we noticed that Kelley’s website now includes an updated list of admissions requirements for students admitted to the Summer 2025 semester or later. However, this updated list does not match up with the information provided in the letter. Very strange!

College Athletes Are Finally Getting Paid!

In the landmark settlement House v. NCAA, U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken gave the final go-ahead to revise a model that has, for over a century, prevented college athletes from getting paid directly by their schools. Starting July 1, colleges can share up to $20.5 million of their revenues with the actual athletes who are filling their stadiums, not only providing much-needed rights for student athletes but also helping to avoid some of the shady third-party dealings that were approved in 2021. Better still: the $2.8 billion settlement means that schools will be able to offer back payments for athletes who competed between 2016 and 2024! While the bulk of the money will be going to student-athletes in the highest revenue-earning sports – namely, football, this is a major win for athletes in all NCAA sports. On the flip side, others worry that this move could change the nature of college sports altogether, blurring the line between student-athletes and professionals. We can definitely see both sides!

Travel Bans Worry International Students

On June 4, President Trump announced plans to ban travel to the U.S. from 12 countries, including Iran, Somalia, and Sudan – countries from which many visa-holding students have come to the U.S. for their college education. As summer vacation starts at colleges and universities, many international students are anxious about leaving the U.S. to see their families, fearing they won’t be permitted to re-enter the country. Others already abroad rushed to try and make it back before the enforcement of the ban, which began Monday, June 9. According to the Washington Post, over “24,000 international students from the affected countries studied in the U.S. as recently as the 2023-2024 academic year,” so it’s not merely a handful of students who are impacted. Here at DCCC, our hearts go out to all the college students and their families worrying about their futures as a result of these recent restrictions.

A Different Kind of Legacy Admission in California

While the Supreme Court overturned affirmative action policies in 2023, the state of California is still fighting to provide opportunities for students who can prove they are directly descended from U.S. slaves. The goal of the bill is to address structural racism by allowing students who can prove that they have slave ancestors, regardless of their race or color. The bill, AB7, passed the State Assembly and will now be considered by the State Senate. If it passes there as well, it is sure to spark larger debate and could even reach the Supreme Court, as it continues to reinforce the divide between those who think colleges should offer reparations for historical injustices versus those who reject the idea of race-based special preferences.

Will Columbia Lose Accreditation?

As the Trump administration continues to target higher education, Columbia University remains (alongside Harvard) in the crosshairs. The Department of Education is trying to get Columbia’s accreditation status revoked, citing anti-semitism and a violation of anti-discrimination laws. However, accreditation is provided by federally-approved third-party groups, so there is no guarantee the president’s push to have this crucial status removed will move forward. Still, it’s a source of major concern as accreditation is required for federal student loan eligibility, federal grants, and even for credits to transfer or carry forward to graduate education at other colleges and universities. We’ll be watching this issue closely at DCCC as it could very seriously impact admissions and student aid at a school where many of our clients have sought (and gained!) acceptance in the past.

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

This week, I wanted to start by addressing a question I’m asked all the time: is it better to send my child to private school or public school?

There’s no one right way to answer that question, as there are many different factors involved: how much will it cost? Which private schools are you considering? Which opportunities do public schools have in your area? While our team can advise people on a one-to-one basis, I think this short video from Scott Galloway (public speaker and professor of marketing at NYU’s Stern School of Business) sums it up really well: in many ways, it’s more beneficial to save and invest the money you would have spent on private education. Your local teachers could be really great, and it’s not too difficult to fill in any education gaps. I would still say the decision should be made on an individual basis, because there are many nuances that affect individual situations. In a general sense, though, his advice here is on point, and the video is worth a watch for any families considering this decision.

Of course, if your child isn’t getting enough sleep, they won’t be doing very well in their classes regardless of which type of school they attend! It can be hard to tell if your emotionally-volatile teenager is sleep-deprived or just … well … acting like a teenager, but one school in Ohio is offering classes on improving sleep! Studies show that our kids just aren’t sleeping enough. As the article explains, many are getting 3-4 fewer hours per night than needed. It even suggests that the rise in mental health concerns among teenagers could at least partially result from sleep deprivation and its impacts on the brain. Other factors are involved, of course, but I wouldn’t risk blaming everything on social media if you know your teen is only clocking 5 hours per night! So it might be time to consider implementing better sleep habits for your teens, especially as we move into summer when sports, internships, and social activities are a constant – we want those minds sharp for writing college application essays!

Once your child is accepted to the college of their dreams, sleep deprivation won’t be the only problem! Uncomfortable interactions with other students on campus can also lead to major concerns, which is why most schools offer “No Contact Orders,” or NCOs. Initially designed to help with instances of sexual misconduct, NCOs ensure that both parties in a dispute avoid each other to prevent further escalation – which is especially helpful if there is a legal concern involved. However, according to the Wall Street Journal, there has been a significant rise in the use of NCOs on campus in recent years, in part due to Gen Z’s challenges in navigating interpersonal challenges. The article discusses some really absurd cases, such as a student requesting a NCO for her roommate after an accusation of stealing bagels! And many of these NCOs are being served as a direct result of parental involvement.

Unfortunately, they’re being dished out so frequently that they can lead to as much harm as good, since they can “leave students vulnerable and violate due process.” For instance, the article discusses a student with ADHD who was served an NCO by a female classmate he didn’t even know – she mistook his symptoms as stalking, and he spiraled into anxiety as a result. We’re raising a generation taught to block anyone they don’t like on social media, one that was deprived of the chance to learn the complexities of social engagement thanks to the pandemic. Before we send them away, let’s see what we can do to give them the skills they need to resolve conflicts in a healthy manner … or at least to determine if a situation is bad enough to call for an NCO!

Finally, let’s circle back to Indiana University, where some administrative and organizational changes are causing a stir. In accordance with the Trump administration’s attempt to impose sweeping changes at colleges and universities across the country, Republicans in Indiana passed a new law that limits the voice of tenured faculty in public university decision-making, gives the state’s governor power over the IU governing board, and eliminates degree programs with too few students, primarily those in the humanities. IU Bloomington is known for its strong arts and humanities programs, which is one of several reasons many are concerned about these changes. Meanwhile, IU’s president, Dr. Pamela Whitten, has calmly accepted this legislation, leading many faculty to publicly condemn her silence. Additionally, Indiana’s public universities are facing 5% in budget cuts over the next 2 years. I am sure IU will remain a highly regarded school for many reasons, but before committing yourself to becoming a Hoosier, you should definitely keep an eye on some of these changes in case they impact your degree program.

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

The Individualized Education Plan (IEP) process is definitely challenging to navigate, and we have worked with families over the years to figure out how to align a student’s IEP goals with their college admissions search and application process. However, even just securing the IEP itself can be a huge obstacle for many families.

Fortunately, the Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center (PEATC), in collaboration with the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) regularly offers a free, self-paced course to help parents better understand this process – there’s even a certification of completion at the end.

“IEP University” is something I would highly recommend to any of our parents with students who have IEPs, and I’ll even be taking it myself so I can get a handle on some best practices and strategies for productive IEP meetings. While the June class has already started, you still have until June 29 at 11:45 pm EDT to complete the course. If this is relevant to you, register here.