The Texas OnCourse Educator Blog

Academic undermatch occurs when students would qualify academically for admittance to a college or university that is more selective than the alternative they choose. For example, a student would be academically undermatched if their achievements permitted them to attend Harvard, but the student chose to attend a local community college or not attend college at all. Assisting students with building a well-balanced and comprehensive college list plays an important role in avoiding academic undermatch. Research shows academic undermatch as a potential source of low and stagnant college completion rates, and low-income students are more likely to undermatch. 

When preparing students and their families to complete college applications, one of the most important aspects is to help them understand the various types of admission options that are available. A student's selected colleges may offer the following admission options: Early Action (EA) I or II, Early Decision (ED) I or II, Restrictive Early Action (REA), and Regular Decision I or II. Review and share the following document to help your students learn more about each option.

Happy October! You know what the first day of October means: The FAFSA is officially open! Today, we have a couple of important FAFSA and financial aid updates to share with you.

Normally this time of year, many high schools and districts would be hosting in-person financial aid nights to boost FAFSA completion. Because of social distancing guidelines, many of these sessions need to become virtual. Read on for tips on how to host one and what information to include.

We have made some significant updates to modules in the Texas OnCourse Academy! The Academy is our premiere college and career planning resource for educators. 

Gone are the days when students and their families (or entire classes!) waltzed casually onto college campuses for carefree, in-person visits. While in-person visits haven’t been entirely wiped off the map, many students and families are finding comfort and security in the online college visit process. What’s more, virtual college visits are less cost prohibitive and can be done from the comfort of home with fairly little planning. So let’s talk about Texas college virtual tours – what options major schools are offering, and how your students can get in on the from-home fun!

We are super excited this week for the launch of Future Focused TX, a campaign to help ensure that our students stay on track for college enrollment despite the effects of COVID-19. 

Future Focused TX was created for counselors by leaders in college and career advising and experts in deep student engagement. By signing on to the campaign, you’ll receive monthly digital packages of free, compelling, research-based content to help your students graduate from high school and successfully matriculate into college.

We’ll be taking a break from our live videos next week, as I’ll be away on vacation, but we’ll be back September 10 at 4 p.m.. As always, leave requests in the comments if there’s anything you like us to research. And if you find the videos helpful, like and share to help us spread the word!

In 2018, 121,000 Texas students graduated without demonstrating college, career, or military readiness. That number will likely be even higher in 2020 due to the effects of COVID-19. Students have been unable to take the ACT, SAT, or TSIA, or they may not have finished college prep courses given the limited ability of these courses to deliver remote instruction. 

In our bonus webinar for August 2020, we covered Navigating Social Justice Issues in College and Career Advising. Recent civic action and racial injustices will undoubtedly impact your counseling, advising, and teaching practices as you move into the 2020–2021 school year. We know it’s important to serve as a resource and provide a network for you.