The Slate.org Scoop: Inaugural Edition

INTRODUCTION

What's the latest scoop on Slate.org? We're here to tell you! As an active user enrolled in Slate.org, you'll receive the quarterly Slate.org Scoop to keep you updated on features, announcements, and community news. We'll also feature a counselor spotlight section in each edition to highlight members of our community as well as the amazing work they do to impact education. Lastly, the COVID-19 outbreak has certainly had an impact on college counseling. As a part of this inaugural edition, we've added a section with tips and resources for adapting your process to these challenging times. 
 

UPDATES & ENHANCEMENTS

Feedback Forum
As we look to make updates and enhancements to Slate.org, we want to hear from you! Once logged into Slate.org, you can provide feedback directly from the home page. We've added Slate.org Feedback FAQs to provide additional context.

Student Lists 
Did you know that custom student lists can be created to streamline caseload management? Review the step-by-step guide for creating student lists.

College Lists
Wish you could create custom lists for colleges and universities? You can! Review the guide to creating college lists. This functionality can assist with organizing institutions by type, region, and name. Use lists to send invitations to events or easily track student applications.
 

THE MORE YOU KNOW

Slate.org Troubleshooting FAQs
Has it been a while since you logged in? Do you have some lingering questions? We've put together some frequently asked questions with tips and explanations. Still stuck? Don't hesitate to reach out to us at info@slate.org. 

📺 Now Showing on Slate.org TV

ADAPTING DURING COVID-19 

As schools across the nation are moving to online instruction, many of you are being asked to remotely advise students. As a community, we can all play a role in helping each other out. We hope that Slate.org can foster stronger communication between you, colleges and universities, and your students. 

Below are some tips and resources to consider:

• Cancelling Visits: Did you schedule spring campus visits or college fairs using Slate.org and need to cancel them? Remember that you can set the status of these visits to cancelled, which will then trigger a notification to any confirmed registrants. 
• Viewing Decisions and Tracking Applications: Advising students remotely? Don't forget to log in frequently to check their application statuses and in some cases—decisions! We recently sent a reminder to our Slate college and university partners to encourage them to share applicant data and decisions with counselors in Slate.org.
• Messaging Students: Need to update students regarding a missing document or have a discussion regarding the status of their application? Message students individually in Slate.org.
• College Admissions Status Update: Information about changes in college admission events, deposit dates, and more can be found online. Don't forget that many colleges and universities that use Slate are hosting online admitted student days!
   

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

🌟 NACAC Imagine Fund 
Access and opportunity are pillars of our community. Slate.org was delighted to contribute $25,000 to the Imagine Fund. Additional support poured in from fellow attendees at the national conference. We can't wait to hear about the amazing things these grant recipients achieve this year!

🌎 We Are The World
The Slate.org community has grown to close to 15,000 users across 104 countries and all six habitable continents. 

🎵 Always Something There to Remind Me
Watching your seniors get accepted to college and wondering where time went? Looking for some throwback tunes to add to your playlist while social distancing? Check out some of our community's favorite 80s pop songs! 
 

COUNSELOR SPOTLIGHT

Philip Weisgold
Assistant Director of College Counseling
Bullis School | Potomac, MD

What motivated you to become a school counselor?
Other than wanting my Bar Mitzvah theme to be "Colleges and Universities" back in 2003 (true story), I wanted to help students and families in a different way than I had been doing in admissions and financial aid. College counseling allows me to help students follow their dreams.

What advice would you pass along to a fellow counselor?
Find a good mentor and check in with them regularly. In our profession, there are so many seasoned and helpful people whose experiences, perspectives, and trajectories are full of teachable moments.

If you could have a superhero power, what would it be?
Freezing time!