Choosing Where You Matter: The Art of Balancing Head and Heart in College Decisions
Barbara Sams, Managing Partner There comes a moment in every college search when the spreadsheets are built, the pros-and-cons lists are color-coded, and yet…nothing feels settled. That’s because choosing a college isn’t just a decision, it’s a negotiation between your head and your heart. On the practical side, the questions [...]
Critical Consumer
Alison, Klinger, College Consultant Think about the last major purchase you made. A car. A home renovation. You probably didn't walk into the dealership and take the salesperson's word for it. You compared. You questioned. You looked for sources you could trust before making a big decision. You were, in [...]
The Future is Now
Elizabeth Schnell, College Consultant “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” I heard this catchphrase in a cereal commercial many years ago and it has stuck with me, because of the notion of constant renewal, every day a new opportunity. But I’ve realized some first [...]
What do you need to be succcessful?
Nelie McNeal, Founder and Managing Partner Where do I want to go to college? Many high school students ask themselves this. Where will home be a year or two from now? Where will I be happiest? Fair enough; we’re all curious about what lies ahead for ourselves. But if you [...]
Are we building a person or building a resume?
Elizabeth Schnell, College Consultant At colleges that use holistic admissions, we know that that admissions readers rely on students’ activities to gain context for evaluating a candidate. So how should students decide what activities to pursue and how to highlight them? Our best advice for students is to reframe this question and aim to develop your whole self rather than developing your activities resume. Feeling like you must “check all [...]
Admission Processes
Susan Lutz, College Consultant One of the most common misconceptions I see in the college admission process is the belief that all colleges review applications the same way, or that there’s a “game” to winning admission. In reality, colleges use different admission systems. Some rely on a rubric or criteria-based [...]
Your College List Is Not a Bracket
Barbara Sams, Managing Partner Every fall, college rankings are released—and overnight, otherwise rational families begin behaving like the list is a legally binding document. Colleges rise, colleges fall, group chats explode, and suddenly a school your student loved last week is “off the list” because it slipped four spots. Four. [...]