Weekly News Roundup

What I’m reading related to high school, college admissions, grad school, careers, and more.

College applicants: your social media game can help you get into college, not hurt your chances if you play it right! We recently launched a new service aimed at helping high school students (and college students starting the internship/job hunt process) do just that by making the most of their digital footprint. (Here & Now)

Humans have an average eight-second attention span. With that in mind, I’ll just link to this article on becoming a better listener and not say much else as you might be near the 8-second mark right about now. (Fast Company)

The sole admissions criterion for some of NYC’s top specialized high schools is a student’s score on the multiple-choice admissions test. As this NYT’s op-ed states, “The traditional hallmarks of a great student — consistently excellent grades, critical analysis skills, leadership and even performance on other state-mandated tests — are all irrelevant under the admissions policy.” Not unlike college admissions at many schools…. (New York Times)

Often, I’m a fan of going against the grain. A new prize for disobedience, funded by LinkedIn’s Reid Hoffman, wants to reward creative nonviolent protest by activists or government officials who stop illegal acts. The award, a $250,000, no-strings-attached cash prize, will go to a person or group responsible for an “extraordinary” example of disobedience for the good of society. (Fast Company)