The Three-Year Bachelor’s Degree Is Gaining Momentum

A growing number of states and colleges are exploring accelerated bachelor’s degree programs that allow students to graduate in three years by reducing required credits from the standard 120 to roughly 90 to 100. This summer, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Massachusetts, Ohio, and Indiana have all announced plans or studies around the concept.

At least 119 such programs had been publicly announced as of May 2026, according to a Rand Corporation study, with fields like business, cybersecurity, criminal justice, public health, and health administration leading the way.

The appeal is straightforward: one fewer year of tuition and living expenses, and an earlier entry into the workforce – the math is compelling for families.

There are several criticisms of this potential approach. The American Association of University Professors and the American Federation of Teachers have raised concerns that compressing the curriculum risks shortchanging students on the broader intellectual development a four-year degree is designed to provide.

For counselors, it’s worth knowing this option is expanding, particularly for students who are cost-conscious, career-focused, and clear on their direction. Three-year programs are still far from standard, and availability varies significantly by institution and field. But as more schools add them, it’s a question families will start asking.

Diversity Scholarships Are Shrinking – Here’s What Counselors Should Know

If you’ve routinely pointed students toward scholarships designated for students of color, women, or other underrepresented groups, the landscape has shifted.

New data from the National Scholarship Providers Association, which tracks more than 33,000 scholarships, shows the share of scholarships with eligibility requirements tied to race, ethnicity, gender, or other demographic factors has dropped from 15% in 2023 to 11% today. The decline follows the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling barring race-conscious college admissions, as well as subsequent legal pressure and federal scrutiny that has pushed many scholarship providers to revise their criteria.

Importantly, most of these scholarships aren’t disappearing. Organizations are more often opening them up to all applicants or shifting eligibility to factors like income level, first-generation status, or geographic background. But for students who previously would have qualified based on identity, the pool of targeted funding is smaller than it was.

A few practical implications for counselors:

• Broaden the search strategy. Students who in past years might have led with identity-based scholarships should now cast a wider net, including merit-based, field-specific, employer-sponsored, and community foundation awards.
• First-generation and income-based criteria are growing. Many providers are redirecting funding toward socioeconomic factors as a race-neutral alternative. Students who qualify on those grounds may find more opportunity than before.
• The situation is still evolving. Providers are navigating uncertain legal territory and criteria changes can take a year or more to work through. Scholarship databases may not reflect the most current eligibility requirements, so it’s worth verifying directly with providers.

More Colleges Are Dropping Supplemental Essays for 2026-27

A growing number of selective universities have announced they will not require supplemental essays for the 2026-27 admissions cycle, and the list has been building throughout the summer.

Schools making the change include Tulane (dropping its “Why Tulane?” essay), the University of Georgia (dropping its well-known book essay), UNC Chapel Hill (removing two short-answer prompts), the University of Miami, Washington University in St. Louis, and Cornell (removing its university-wide essay, though school-specific essays remain). UVA made the same move last cycle.

The official reason at most institutions is reducing applicant stress and simplifying the process. But there are other factors at work. Admissions offices have grown skeptical of short supplemental essays since the rise of AI writing tools, which have made it harder to assess authentic student voice in a 250-word prompt. The Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling on race-conscious admissions also made identity-focused supplemental prompts legally complicated, giving schools another reason to step back from them.

A few things counselors should be ready to address with students:

• Application volume will likely rise at these schools. When UVA dropped supplementals last cycle, applications jumped more than 50%. This could push acceptance rates lower.
• The Common App personal statement now carries more weight. With no supplemental essays, a student’s 650-word personal statement is the only real writing admissions officers will read.
• Demonstrated interest may matter more. Some schools dropping essays, including WashU, have simultaneously announced they will now consider demonstrated interest in their review. Students should treat campus visits, information sessions, and early application deadlines as more important than before.

NACAC CEO Angel Pérez framed the shift as part of a broader rethinking of admissions complexity, noting that institutions are asking themselves what they really need from applicants. Whether this becomes the new norm or levels off remains to be seen, as schools typically continue announcing application changes throughout July.

ETS Is Acquiring ACT

On June 30, ETS, the nonprofit behind the GRE and TOEFL, announced it is acquiring ACT, one of the most widely recognized names in college and career readiness testing. The deal combines two of the biggest players in educational assessment into a single organization reaching roughly 35 million people annually.

For counselors, the immediate question is: what does this mean for my students?

It’s not clear yet, but here’s what we know as of now:

• No immediate changes to the ACT. Both organizations have confirmed that ACT will continue operating as its own entity. Students shouldn’t expect changes to the test, scoring, or test dates in the near term.
• The ACT stays for-profit, for now. ETS is a nonprofit but plans to keep ACT’s for-profit status for the time being, with the possibility of changing its legal status down the road.
• The deal comes at a pivotal moment for testing. The acquisition arrives as more colleges, including all Ivy League schools by 2027, are returning to standardized test requirements after the test-optional wave of recent years.
• Longer-term changes are likely. ETS has signaled plans to invest in ACT’s products and expand offerings in K-12, higher education, and workforce development. The details are still being worked out.

For now, the advice to students doesn’t change: take practice versions of both the SAT and ACT to see which plays to their strengths, and research the specific testing policies of the schools on their list.

Student Loan Auto-Pay Now Comes With a 1% Interest Rate Cut

Starting July 1, federal student loan borrowers who enroll in automatic payments will receive a 1 percentage point reduction on their interest rate – a significant jump from the 0.25% discount that has long been the standard.

The benefit is temporary, running through June 30, 2028, but the enrollment window extends to September 30, 2026, so there’s time to spread the word.

Here’s what counselors should know to pass along to recent graduates and current students with federal loans:

Who qualifies: Borrowers with Federal Direct Loans first disbursed on or after July 1, 2012 including student and parent borrowers.

Already enrolled in auto-pay? No action needed. Servicers will automatically apply an additional 0.75 percentage point reduction, bringing the total discount to a full 1%.

Not yet enrolled? Log into your loan servicer account, select auto-pay, and enter your bank account information before September 30, 2026.

One catch: If auto-pay is canceled due to three consecutive failed payments, the rate reduction is lost.

Auto-pay enrollment dropped sharply during the pandemic payment pause – from over 80% of borrowers before COVID to roughly 40% today. This initiative is designed to bring more borrowers back into active repayment as major changes to federal repayment plans also take effect July 1.

For borrowers on income-driven repayment plans, the rate cut won’t lower monthly payments (those are based on income), but it can slow interest accumulation over time.

Source: StudentAid.gov

June SAT & ACT Score Release

Students who took the June SAT or ACT should have acces to their scores by now.

If your student recently received an SAT or ACT score, now is a great time to evaluate what it means in the context of their college goals. A score report can help identify strengths, areas for improvement, and whether another ACT or SAT administration may be worthwhile.

Questions families should consider:

• Is this score competitive for my student’s target colleges?

• Would another ACT or SAT attempt likely improve admissions outcomes?

• How should testing fit into the rest of the application timeline?

• What should our testing plan look like for the remainder of the year? 

90% of Gen Z Face Workplace Consequences Over Social Media Activity

New research from Zety offers a useful data point for counselors talking with students about social media and their future careers.

The survey of over 900 Gen Z employees reveals a workforce navigating intense pressure to connect with colleagues online, leading to widespread self-censorship and severe consequences for those who share too much.

Key Findings

• 95% have avoided posting their real opinions online because they believe it could hurt their career.
• 90% have faced negative workplace consequences (e.g. warnings, reprimands, or conflicts) because of something they posted online.
• 67% have felt pressure from managers to connect online, and 25% have felt the same from coworkers.
• Nearly one-third (34%) have separate personal and professional accounts to manage their online presence.

Blurring Boundaries Between Work & Social Media

As workplace relationships extend into personal platforms, many Gen Z employees report feeling pressure to connect online—67% from managers and 25% from coworkers—shaping who they allow into their social media circles.

Gen Z has added the following people on social media (excluding LinkedIn):

• A coworker – 57%
• A direct manager – 57%
• A manager in another department – 44%
• A subordinate – 21%
• An executive (CEO, VP, etc.) – 9%

How Employees Are Managing Their Online Presence

Workers are taking deliberate steps to shape how they appear online and limit potential professional risk:

• 69% keep some or all of their social media platforms private
• 57% curate what they post so it appears professional
• 34% maintain separate personal and professional accounts
• 30% delete or archive old posts
• 11% restrict their content to close friends only 

“We’re seeing a shift where employees are thinking much more carefully before sharing what they really believe on social media,” according to Zety career expert Jasmine Escalera. “It’s less about authenticity and more about risk management—people are weighing how a post might be interpreted by someone they work with or for. Over time, that kind of calculation can quietly reshape how people show up online.”

For detailed insights on the Gen Z Digital Boundaries Report, access the full study at https://zety.com/blog/gen-z-digital-boundaries-report.

Common behaviors you notice among your students may become addictions

Pay attention to your high school students’ behaviors.  If they’re not acting present for your meetings, not going out with friends, spending too many hours gaming, you may be seeing an emerging mental health condition known as a process addiction or behavior addiction.

If this is the case, trying to limit these behaviors by imposing restrictions typically won’t work because these young people literally can’t stop what they’re doing, even if they want to.

Adolescents and young adults, especially those whose brains are susceptible to addictive behaviors, may develop a process addiction in high school, where they are more on their own with fewer guardrails.

 It’s not defiance or disobedience. It’s literally an addiction, not unlike substance addiction in its effects. As counselors, it’s something we should be aware of.

What is a process addiction?

A process addiction is a compulsive desire to engage in a specific activity despite negative consequences. Here are a few common types:

Gambling: People used to have to go to Las Vegas or Atlantic City to gamble. Today, they can gamble from the comfort of a sofa or bedroom. Someone (frequently a young man) who gets caught up in the risk-reward of gambling and can’t stop despite mounting debts may have a process addiction. Young men in their teens may have  thousands of dollars of debt.

Gaming: This is specifically related to internet or video gaming and was noted as a condition for further study by the American Psychiatric Association.

Buying and shopping: Characterized by problematic urges to shop that can lead to functional and financial consequences, this is a disorder that affects more young women than young men.

Internet/social media: The compulsive need to continually check Instagram, Tik Tok, Facebook can become an addiction. Some experts believe that these apps are designed to encourage this type of compulsivity.

Exercise: Kids can have too much of a good thing. Excessive physical activity despite negative consequences, such as injury, is often accompanied by eating disorders.

Sex and love: A sex addiction can start in early adolescence, when boys discover there’s such a thing as pornography. An addiction to love can lead someone into dangerous relationships and behaviors, such as stalking, which can be virtual or real-life.

“At least it’s not drugs”

It may not be easy for a counselor or parent to identify a process disorder. It’s even tempting to dismiss it by saying, “At least the kid isn’t using drugs.”

But a process disorder has many of the same hallmarks as a substance abuse disorder.

●       Loss of control: An inability to stop or limit the behavior even when the person wants to.

●       Negative consequences: Continuing the activity despite damage to finances, relationships, school or work.

●       Cravings: The activity becomes the most important thing in the person’s life, and they experience intense urges to engage in it.

●       Reward-seeking: The behavior is initially driven by a sense of pleasure or a “high,” rather than just to reduce anxiety.

●       Withdrawal: Stopping the activity leads to physical withdrawal symptoms, such as anxiety, irritability and depression.

Diagnosis and treatment

If possible, it’s beneficial to keep a watchful eye on how your students are spending their time and money. All of these behaviors can appear innocent, but realize that it may not be the child’s fault.  If you deem it concerning, speaking to the parents may be advised.

Treatment often involves a combination of therapy and, in some cases, medication to address underlying brain chemistry. Therapists that specialize in these addictions frequently utilize Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which can be very effective at helping individuals identify triggers and changes in thought patterns. There are also community support groups and 12-step programs.

Left untreated, a process addiction can linger into adulthood, damaging relationships and careers. Many individuals with process addictions also struggle with other mental health issues like depression, anxiety or trauma.  Counselors may be helpful getting the student help.  Treating these underlying conditions can significantly improve their chances of successful recovery from a process addiction.

Bonnie Lane, M.S., is principal consultant with Family Support Services specializing in supporting families whose loved ones suffer from severe mental illness or substance use disorder. Contact her at 847-651-1554 or bonnielane@thefamilysupportservices.com.

Why your senior in high school may need a HIPAA form

Research indicates that the brain doesn’t fully mature until around age 25, but nonetheless: In most states, 18 is the age at which a child is considered to be a legal adult. And it’s when parents lose their right to that child’s medical information.

That’s why – once they hit that magic age – parents need their authorization under the Health Insurance Privacy and Accountability Act, better known as HIPAA.

HIPAA required the creation of national standards to protect sensitive patient health information from being disclosed without the patient’s consent or knowledge. The law doesn’t care if the young adult is on their parents’ insurance and they are responsible for the bills. It also doesn’t care whether the child is an 18-year-old high school senior or a college grad out on their own.

Or maybe the child was out on their own, but came back to the nest. Thanks to the pandemic and associated job losses, the share of adults ages 25 to 34 who lived with their parents reached historic highs in 2020, according to the U.S. Census: 22 percent of men and 13.4 percent of women.

The numbers aren’t quite as high now, but they’re still significant. Young adults who are disabled or have mental or emotional disorders also tend to live with mom and dad.

Health issues arise unexpectedly – the young adult could be involved in a car accident, diagnosed with cancer or need an emergency appendectomy. You may want to remind parents and students to prepared with documentation so that health care can proceed.

Verbal authorization can take the place of a signed HIPAA release. A child only has to tell health-care providers, “I authorize my parents to receive my medical information and be involved in my health-care decisions.”

That works if the patient is awake and alert. But what if every parent’s nightmare comes true? You get a phone call in the middle of the night that there’s been an accident and your child is unconscious. Now what?

If a child does end up in the hospital, the HIPAA authorization will come in handy. Because hospitals do not want to be fined for violating HIPAA, most will err on the side of caution and refrain from disclosing any information to family members without the properly executed documentation. Without this exchange of information, families can left out of the loop and doctors may miss important family medical history.

As a companion to the HIPAA authorization form, it is also important for young adults to have a Health Care Power of Attorney so that someone will have the authority to make medical decisions on behalf of the child if they are incapacitated. Without this document, parents may have to go to court in order to have someone appointed to make crucial medical decisions.

These aren’t necessarily easy conversations to have with an adult child because no one – particularly a young adult who is healthy – wants to think about the possibility of illness or injury.

HIPAA authorization and health care power-of-attorney forms are available on state websites, or an attorney can help execute them. The signed forms should be shared with the child’s health-care providers and kept in an accessible place in case they’re needed.

We all buy insurance and hope we never have to use it. Encourage your students’ families to prepare a HIPAA authorization and health care power of attorney, and then hope they’re never needed.

Teri (Dreher) Frykenberg, R.N., a registered nurse and board-certified patient advocate, is the founder of www.NurseAdvocateEntrepreneur.com. She is the author of “How to Be a Healthcare Advocate for Yourself & Your Loved Ones” and her new book, “Advocating Well: Strategies for Finding Strength and Understanding in Health Care,” available at Amazon.com.  

Which Jobs are Getting Workers Hired Fastest in 2026?

According to Monster’s Jobs Hiring Now Report, the best opportunities for job seekers in 2026 are increasingly defined not just by salary or demand, but by how quickly employers are hiring.

Based on U.S. job posting activity from October 1, 2025, through April 30, 2026, Monster® analyzed the 30 highest-volume non-healthcare occupations and ranked them by hiring speed using average fill times and fill rates.

Key Findings

• Fastest to Land: Business Analyst, Analyst, and Branch Manager roles are among the quickest to fill, signaling strong employer demand paired with efficient hiring pipelines.
• Competitive but Moving: Roles like Manufacturing Engineer, Software Engineer, and Account Executive continue to see strong demand, though hiring timelines are longer as employers become more selective in competitive, higher-paying fields.
• Hardest to Fill: Transportation, sales, and specialized technical roles remain the toughest for employers to hire, with openings in this category taking an average of nearly 65 days to fill.
• Highest-volume role: CDL Driver remains the most active occupation by net postings among non-healthcare jobs analyzed.

The findings reveal a clear divide: while some high-demand roles are filled quickly and efficiently, others, despite significant volume, remain persistently difficult for employers to hire.

“Some of the most in-demand jobs are actually the slowest to hire for,” said Vicki Salemi, Career Expert at Monster. “Job seekers who focus only on volume could be waiting weeks longer than they need to. The real advantage comes from targeting roles where employers are moving fast.”

Fastest to Land (High Demand + Shorter Hiring Timelines)

These roles benefit from well-established hiring pipelines, broad candidate pools, and relatively standardized skill sets, making it easier for employers to screen and move quickly. For job seekers already in business or finance, lateral moves within this tier can happen fast.

1. Business Analyst
2. Analyst
3. Branch Manager
4. Program Manager
5. Accountant
6. Operations Manager
7. Financial Analyst
8. Product Manager
9. Regional Driver
10. Business Development Manager

Competitive But Moving (High Demand + More Selective Timelines)

Longer timelines here reflect employer selectivity rather than talent scarcity. These are competitive roles where companies invest more time vetting candidates. The tradeoff for job seekers: the process is slower, but the roles tend to offer stronger compensation and career trajectory.

1. Manufacturing Engineer
2. Sales Manager
3. Consultant
4. System Engineer
5. Engineer
6. Account Executive
7. Software Engineer
8. Technical Project Lead
9. Dedicated Driver
10. Account Manager

Hardest to Fill (Openings Remain Active Longer Due to Shortages, Specialization or Turnover) 

Hard-to-fill roles remain open for an average of nearly 65 days, due to a mix of labor shortages, turnover, and specialized hiring requirements. Transportation roles such as CDL and truck drivers continue to face a genuine supply gap, with too few licensed workers available to meet employer demand. Sales roles often struggle with high turnover and compensation structures that can deter candidates, while specialized positions involve lengthy credentialing or highly selective hiring processes. 

Job seekers in these fields may actually have more leverage than the ‘slow’ label suggests.

1. Controller
2. CDL Driver
3. Truck Driver
4. Sales Representative
5. Estimator
6. Attorney
7. Superintendent
8. Flatbed Truck Driver
9. Electrical Engineer
10. Project Engineer

As the labor market continues through 2026, employers are expected to prioritize roles that directly support revenue generation, operations, and infrastructure, while candidates who target high-demand, fast-moving roles will have a clear advantage over those pursuing slower, more competitive paths.