Choosing A College

After more than 20 years as a college admission counselor, I’ve heard countless variations of the same disconcerting refrain from students and families. “My dad won’t let me apply to that college because he’s never heard of it,” or “I haven’t heard of those schools you suggested, so they couldn’t… Read more Read More

When I ask clients why they are considering hiring me, most respond, “I want you to help me get into a good college.” On the surface, this sounds like a totally reasonable answer. But, of course, I always ask a follow-up question like, “What’s a good college?” Most students and… Read more Read More

For the record, I’m not a big fan of early decision plans. Applying for early decision requires young people to make a big decision in junior year (or early senior year) of high school to choose the one perfect university they will commit to.  I am a lifelong student of… Read more Read More

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… Read more Read More

In part one of this post, I identified the difference between what students believe they want in a college education versus what they truly need and ways that students might focus on their wants to the detriment of a quality educational experience. In part two, I’d like to discuss examples… Read more Read More

Many years ago, walking through a large department store, I overheard a conversation between two shoppers. The young man picked up an expensive leather jacket with an eager grin and exclaimed in a breathless voice, “I need this.” His girlfriend slowly looked up from the clothes rack with a look… Read more Read More

It’s good to be back in your inbox. My last blog post was in August 2021 when I finished writing a series of “Rules for Applying to College.” (Many of you who have been recently added to the list may not even know that I have a blog.)  Why did… Read more Read More

If you read my previous post, “The Sixth Rule of Applying to College,” you might think it’s not worth applying to a college with a very low admit rate because, statistically, you’ll never get in. You may even think, “Why bother applying to any college since the statistics are stacked… Read more Read More

As an experienced college admission counselor, I think about applying to college all the time!  In my blogs, I have listed many of the “most important things to consider”—probably too many times. I also visit a lot of colleges, as often as I can. A recent visit to Depauw University… Read more Read More

When I was in elementary school, I had an extraordinary opportunity to attend a sleepaway camp that specialized in competitive downhill snow skiing. The coaches were some of the most accomplished ski racers in Europe and the United States. While I have the fondest memories of spending time on the… Read more Read More