Wall Street Journal had a recent article about adolescent boys (Gr 7 -8) struggling with disorganization. It talked about challenges like ‘doing the work but not turning it in’, ‘no follow through on assignments’ and ‘back pack being a mess’.  This article resonated with me causing me to reflect on my numerous conversations over the years with parents of boys in this age group.This is not to say that girls in this age group don't face their own challenges such as a tendency to be a perfectionist, worrier, and/or pleaser; however, the article's focus was particularly on boys.  Of cour ..read more

Any search engine will explain building your college list using the following categories: Safety: where you have a 75% or higher chance of getting accepted. Target: where you have about a 50/50 chance of getting accepted. Reach: where you have a 25% or lower chance of getting accepted. This is the old-age methodology that has not considered the evolutions of college admissions such as holistic evaluation, test optional or test blind, institutional priorities, single digits acceptance rates, 25-35% increase in applications.  When students build a list solely based upon safety, targ ..read more

If you answer yes, you are allowing marketing statistics and comparison data to choose your journey. Both resources are relevant tools to assist you in researching schools, but building your list should begin with your needs and your wants in academic and social settings. The environment that will support your transition to adulthood, personal growth, and professional goals is the right school for you.   Let’s break down what these tools really do. Scattergrams are based on historical data from your high school. While it's an effective tool, however, you may be missing the conversation an ..read more

    The Common Application is a standardized template with text boxes and easy call to action, “Let’s get started.” The website/application is user friendly and even offers suggestions and tools to help students navigate the application.   However, the devil is in the details and that makes a big difference in how your application is received.   We wrapped up a successful College Application boot Camp last week. Students walked in ready to go with their accounts created and colleges loaded in. I, on the other hand, was waving my yellow caution flag to slow down and pump th ..read more

    As our class of 2022 practice their pomp and circumstance, let's reflect on the 2021-2022 admissions cycle and share our wisdom with the parents of rising high school students.     This we know…  The number of applicants and the number of applications each applicant submits are on a rising trend. Common App data reports applicants rose by 13% and the number of applications rose by 22% in this admission cycle.  We strive to understand test-optional policies and patterns and how they affect admissions.  Deferments and Waitlist were more common than ..read more

    Spring break and summer plans may be in the planning stages. Many families with high school juniors will plan vacations and getaways based upon colleges of interest.   Whether you are attending on-campus or virtual tours, visiting schools is a crucial part of the college admissions journey. Many families use this opportunity to jump start the college conversation.  While exposing the student to college atmosphere is critical, some careful planning will make this exercise lot more meaningful. Recognizing and accepting what your child needs to thrive academical ..read more

    SAT and ACT will hold a place in college admissions because they correlate to some extent with college grade point averages, providing a value to predict which students will perform well once they matriculate. The perpetual debate among higher education professionals on either side of the issue always question accessibility and who the score favors? Is it an accurate measure of college success? The pandemic thrust the test optional admission process into an experimental phase because of accessibility that will continue through the 2022 admission cycle.  Interestingly, data ..read more

    Seniors have reached the halfway mark…and there is still plenty to do and not a minute to spare. A good place to start is to evaluate your goals (dreams) and assess your college application list. Here are some suggestions to follow up or consider as second semester begins: ·       Accepted ED: Send in deposits and possibly create new social media accounts to start fresh in your search of a compatible roommate. ·       Deferred, Waitlisted, Denied ED or EA: this is a perfect time to adjust your lens in seeing how holisti ..read more

    Early Decision notifications will begin rolling out first week of December and will continue through the 3rd week December depending on a particular University and their admission timeline. The best advice during this waiting time is to be prepared and READ every email completely and follow directions.   Being prepared and staying positive is the mental and emotional side of the journey and the best way to avert anxiety and negative narratives is to focus on what you know to be true.   Truths:  Holistic admission is unpredictable. Chances are your E ..read more

    Whether the college fair is online or in person, the students have an opportunity to hear (and hopefully meet) an admissions associate dean promoting their school and increase awareness. As well as mentioning a few key words to hopefully pique your interest. Depending on your high school year and where you may be on your college search journey,  Fall college fairs can serve many purposes.  Seniors Finalize college list keeping in mind your list drivers and preferences. In person, make a lasting impression with a greeting, intuitive questions, and follow up communic ..read more