“Happiness is an inside job” ~William Arthur Ward Last week I traveled alone to join my family for Christmas and I had some time to think about the current application cycle. This ED/EA round was a wild ride and I was reflecting on the results that I saw at a range of different schools, large […]

I have been thinking about how to write this piece and talk about the part of the admission cycle where colleges release decisions to students that applied either on a binding Early Decision (ED) plan or a non-binding Early Action (EA) plan. I procrastinated because I did not know where to start. Posting the definition

It’s that time of year again. December starts the next phase of the admissions cycle. The most selective schools in the country release their first round of Early Decision letters. This is where the rubber meets the road. If you have a senior in high school that you care about, be aware that this month

“I am thrilled that I have just received my first acceptance to college! I’m extremely grateful for all the things you have done to help me achieve this goal! While I understand that this is not the end of the college admissions process and that I’ll be submitting my other applications…I still feel as though

“The Road to College is a Journey of Self-Discovery*” Happy November 1st! If you are the parent of a senior that is submitting early applications with an 11/1 deadline, I am sure you have been busy!  The quote above came to mind as I was working with a last minute senior that reached out to

Last year, a family reached out to me on the first Saturday in February. The mother and daughter were in deep distress. They had submitted an application with a February 1st deadline late in the evening of January 31st. There had been a glitch with the actual submission and it appeared that the essay had

Happy October 1st! The FAFSA opens today so I thought it would be an appropriate time to talk about college costs. And I received a call over the weekend that provides a perfect introduction to what families need to think about as their children build college lists and where finances intersect with that process. This

This past Saturday I had a conversation with the parent of one of my students. This rising senior finished not only their Common Application and essay, but all of the supplemental writing that they need to do for the schools where they are applying. The parent told me about a casual conversation they had with

Happy August 1st! This is the day the Common Application opens for the 2022 admissions cycle. It’s an exciting month in the college world. Rising seniors can log in and see the supplemental essay prompts for the schools where they are applying. Recent high school graduates are preparing to head to their campuses later this

I have been knee deep in college essays for the past two weeks. My cohort of rising seniors is coming down the home stretch and putting the final touches on their writing. As we embarked on this journey, I was struck by the adjectives that I heard them use to present their ideas after a