My current cohort of applicants is putting the final touches on their Common App essays as I write this. There are days when I feel more like a stalker than a consultant. As I was wrapping up things with my graduating seniors this past month, many of them thanked me profusely and told me that […]

I am slipping this post under the wire. My goal is to write a minimum of once a month and June ran away from me, in part because I have been working hard with my rising seniors on their applications. The essay is a critical part of any application and also one of the most

“Communities are built like Legos, one brick at a time. There is no hack.” ~Jenny Anderson, Beyond Mindfulness   A friend posted the most beautiful piece on community in March. It was written by Jenny Anderson and it resonated with me. I have been the recipient of support from my community in ways that are too

I posted earlier this month about the office lease that I secured in late March. I got access to my space early April and I set a goal to be up and running by May 1st. This is a significant day in the college admissions world because it is National Decision Day, the deadline for

“Double dipping” has different connotations. In some places, it means a generous portion of ice cream. I remember years ago, a sweet little friend of one of my children telling me at an ice cream parlor that he was allowed to “double dip” and get two scoops. And who can forget the Seinfeld episode where

  If you are the parent of a senior, you have exactly two weeks to make a deposit to a college that your student will attend in August. If your son or daughter knows where they are heading at the end of the summer, congratulations! If your child is still deciding, this post is for

     Exactly one month ago, I was driving through the town where I live and I spotted a For Sale sign at a house that offered the option for commercial use. The past year or so I have kept my eye out for office space but I have found the market for what I

If you are the parent of a senior, you are probably aware that your child must submit a deposit to one school by May 1st. This is an exciting time as the last round of acceptances have been released and your student makes a final decision. Here are some things to consider as the May

For the socially and economically hopeful, I would explain, raising a child in America is an eighteen-year process of investing in the college-admissions system. ~Masha Gessen, The New Yorker, March 13th, 2019 I have spent the weekend bingeing on articles about the recent college admissions scandal. They are too numerous to mention by name.  As usual,

  I was beginning to write the second part of my thoughts on the scandal and I stumbled upon this article in Architectural Digest, dated March 13th, 2019. I honestly thought it was a joke when I first saw the title of the article. I nearly thought I was reading something from The Onion and when I