I just received this announcement today. The CTCLs are a group of liberal arts that offer a transformative education to undergraduate students.


2023 marks the 25th year that CTCL has offered a national series of information sessions and college fairs for students, parents and counselors featuring the colleges and universities that inspired the book, Colleges That Change Lives.Each program opens with a 30-minute presentation on the student-centered college search, the value of the liberal arts, and an overview of what makes this collection of schools distinctly different.
After the opening presentation, attendees are invited to attend a 30-minute financial aid workshop and a 90-minute college fair. The fair provides students, families, and college access professionals with an opportunity to connect directly with admission officers from the CTCL member schools.
Join us for the 2023 programs:
March 11 | Boston, MA
March 12 | New York City, NY
March 13 | Washington, DC
Charter Schools Program
March 13 | Washington, DC
Counselors Roundtable
March 13 | Washington, DC
March 14 | Charlotte, NC
March 15 | Atlanta, GA
July 29 | San Diego, CA
July 30| Los Angeles, CA
July 31 | San Jose, CA
August 1 | San Francisco, CA
August 2 | Seattle, WA
August 3 | Seattle, WA
Counselors Roundtable
August 3 | Portland, OR
August 12 | Houston, TX
August 12 | Austin, TX
August 13 | Dallas, TX
August 14 | Chicago, IL
August 15 | St. Paul, MN
August 16 | Denver, CO
August 17 | Nashville, TN

The teenage years are known for their emotional volatility, but it feels like it's getting worse. This month, several students have come into my office, and, as we discuss topics for their Common Application essay, tears begin to slowly roll down their faces. These  students are not crying because of college application pressures, those are still to come, they are weeping because they eat lunch alone everyday, they aren't accomplishing what they hoped to academically, they have sacrificed too much to excel at a sport, their mom and sister fight a lot, they feel alienated from their friends, their parents, their world.

I do my best to prop them up, assure them that life will get better. We talk about their dreams and all the wonderful times ahead. But my heart aches for everyone of them, why is life so difficult for these students?

We have all read about the mental health crisis our teens are experiencing. The Surgeon General, Vivek Murthy issued a warning in February that social media is a main contributor to depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems, according to an NBC News report. We know about Congress' attempts to regulate social media, which have failed repeatedly. According to Senator Amy Klobuchar, the only way things are going to change with social media is when Americans decide they have had enough.  Recently the American Psychological Association issued recommendations for guiding teen's use of social media. I wish it had had the courage to recommend that parents prohibit social media use completely. Then perhaps students could reconnect, leave their bedrooms, and participate in life fully and joyously.