Our latest blog posts
From a School Board Member’s Perspective
Being a school board member, I usually try to avoid the conflict of selling my services to my school district as a private college admissions counselor. But I will accept business from our school district — and have. And I find myself having concerns about our schools...
Summer 2025 Visits
The University of Pittsburgh’s Tower of Learning is the tallest university building in America. After the University of Moscow, it's the tallest in the world. Right next door, I visited Carnegie Mellon University. Carnegie Mellon is a private research university just...
Spring 2025 Visits
Dickinson College is a beautiful college located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. With a 35 percent acceptance rate, the college is accessible for many students. The college was founded by Dr. Benjamin Rush, a founding father of our nation. It’s named for John Dickinson,...
What’s in a Name?
In 2021, my alma mater removed the name Mead from the Mead Chapel and named it simply, Middlebury Chapel. My convocation was in Mead chapel. My Facebook profile picture has Mead Chapel in the background. John Abner Mead was a progressive governor of Vermont, a...
Not Your Father’s SAT
Don’t ask your father or mother what their SAT scores were. It’s an unfair question. If your parents took their SAT before 1995, they took it before it was “recentered.”Scores are higher now. And recentering has a lot to do with it. I’ve been told (by a fellow college...
Seven Ways to Demonstrate Interest and Why it’s Vital to a College Application
Nobody likes being rejected. Colleges don’t like being rejected either. So it’s very important for college applicants to show their interest in attending. Demonstrated interest is one way for colleges to differentiate between students with identical credentials....
Notes from Spring 2024 Adventures Visiting Colleges & Universities
James Madison University sits in the peaceful and bucolic Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. While UVA, William & Mary, and Virginia Tech are favored by the top Virginia students, JMU provides an excellent education and boasts 139 bachelors, masters, and doctorate...
Dual Enrollment or AP?
It’s that time of year. It’s that time to consider which classes to take junior or senior year. There’s a lot to consider. You may have heard about dual enrollment courses and AP courses. Students often are looking for options that can help with their college...
When a Kid Torpedoes the College Application
Some kids torpedo their own college applications. Why? They may not feel ready for college, on a conscious or subconscious level. Or they might not want to attend the school their parents want them to. I don’t see much that’s been written...
Notes from Summer Adventures Visiting Colleges & Universities, Part III
Calvin Coolidge didn’t travel far when he attended Amherst College. I traveled a little farther to visit it, but not much. The school and city are named for Lord Jeffery Amherst, Commander-in-Chief of British forces of North America during the French and Indian War....
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