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The Curse of the Average “Above-Average”
Suddenly, students find that they are running in a race against many other students, all working hard to outdo themselves to get into a “good” college.
Are You Standing on Hot Coals?
There is often a “hot coal moment” for many families and students I work with.
It is hard to predict when this moment will happen.
Sometimes, it happens immediately after students finish the junior year PSAT. Some parents get a nagging feeling they may be too late helping their student plan for college admission.
Need versus Want – Part 2
In many ways, the list of what students need from a college is probably fairly short. Below are a few ideas, but this might not be a comprehensive list of all the needs.
The reason it’s so difficult to filter out “want” from “need” is that most of what a student needs from a college is subjective and perhaps a little abstract. It’s hard to easily measure most of what colleges do in terms of education.
Need versus Want – Part 1
Qualities you may want from your college education but probably do not need…..I often hear students confusing qualities they want with qualities they need.
The Year of Translucence
The quality of translucence lies halfway between opaque and transparent. And on the one hand, some aspects of this year’s admission cycle were transparent. Many colleges made admission decisions that were predictable and expected.
The Tenth Rule of Applying to College: The Ultimate Answer to Life, College, and Everything
In my long career in education, I have worked as a college admission officer, high school director of college counseling, college admission consultant in private practice, university administrator, teacher, and fundraiser. I have also been a student for many years, culminating in a doctorate in education leadership. Throughout all these educational experiences, I learned that…
The Ninth Rule of Applying to College: Having the Right Mindset
Most of the students and families I work with come to me to solve an urgent and, at times, painful problem. And I understand that the many steps involved in applying to college can seem overwhelming. Thus, it may feel like just one misstep can have dire consequences.
The Eighth Rule Applying to College: Stop Listening to the Monkey!
There is a deafening “noise”—online, in social circles, or in classrooms—about the “best” college, “best” SAT tutor, the correct number of AP classes to take, secret strategies to make it easier to get into a “better” college, and the “best” and “worst” majors. It is hard to ignore the steady stream of articles in news feeds about the latest frightening evidence that the best colleges are out of reach
The 10th Grade Standardized Testing Dilemma
For high school students nearing the end of 10th grade, right now is a challenging time to figure out what to do about their standardized test plan for college applications. There’s been a tidal wave of test-optional policies implemented by colleges across the United States. Some colleges have done away with testing altogether. Some have…
The Seventh Rule of Applying to College: Stockdale’s Paradox
As a college counselor, I want students to be realistic about their chances of admission. At the same time, I want students to be hopeful, ambitious, and confident that they will be admitted to great colleges that look like a reach. While statistics do not lie, statistics are not the whole story.