Don't miss the wonderful post from psychologist Madeline Levine on the Challenge Success blog: Six Things That Matter More Than Perfect Grades. One of the many gems in this piece: #4 Interests/Passions -- I’ve had moms call me worried that their four-year-old child doesn’t have a “passion.” Life is their passion. Depending on temperament, for many kids, interest is enough... Real interests and passions grow out of talent, time and practice. They make life rich. Read the whole thing here.

Madeline Levine is a psychologist with over 25 years of experience as a clinician, consultant, and educator, and author of the New York Times best-selling book, The Price of Privilege.

Challenge Success, began life as the highly successful SOS (Stressed-Out Students) Project at Stanford University. Today, the research-based organization develops curriculum, conferences and other programs for parents, schools, and kids looking for a healthier and more effective path to success in the 21st century.

Dan Gin had been a generalist high school counselor for four years when he boarded the Illinois Association for College Admission Counseling (IACAC) Bus O' Fun Tour. Road tripping for a week through ten college campuses in Illinois, Indiana and Michigan, Gin realized he had found his calling. "I could be the one who helps students find the right college," he said. And for the past eight years, Gin has, as the College and Career Counselor at Niles West High School in Skokie, Illinois.

Set in a suburb eight miles north of Chicago, Niles West is a culturally diverse public high school serving more than 2,600 students. Among those students, there are 96 different spoken languages, with the most common being Urdu, Spanish and Assyrian. Thirty per cent of the students are English language learners. Another 30% are on free and reduced lunch. And since Skokie is in the first ring of suburbs on the borders of Chicago, one in four students are transfers. So as the only college counselor on staff -- though he's assisted by 11 generalist counselors -- Gin faces some special challenges.

Thank you, thank you to the more than 650 readers who entered our book giveaway on Goodreads! And to the lucky ten selected by the Goodreads staff: your book is on the way! Stay tuned for future giveaways and, in the meantime, please visit us at CollegeAdmissionBook.com. With additional thanks to the wonderful site Goodreads!

A new undergraduate scholarship program available to high-performing high school seniors with financial need from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. Check out all the details of this excellent opportunity here. Hat tip: Evan Read via College Admissions Counselors.