“The waiting is the hardest part.” – Tom Petty. Unless your high school student was accepted to his or her first choice college through Early Decision or Early Action, your family is probably still in waiting mode. Your student may receive some Regular Decision notifications by mid-March. But the final
Read more →
“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” ― Maya Angelou. We have recently learned that the Common Application’s personal statement essay prompts for 2019-20 will be the same as they were last year. As stated on the Common Application website, “Based on extensive counselor feedback,
Read more →
“The first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want.” -Ben Stein. Building one’s list of prospective colleges is the key first step in the college admissions process. If an applicant’s list is appropriate, the college process will be far
Read more →
“Learn to cultivate your own garden.” – Voltaire. Your high school guidance department probably does not officially start the college application process until January of junior year. That timing is partially driven by staffing, since during the fall of your teen’s junior year, the guidance department is focused on seniors
Read more →
“A university is what a college becomes when the faculty loses interest in students.” – John Ciardi. It’s no secret that the rise in the cost of an American college education has outpaced inflation for decades. A compelling summary by finaid.org reveals a 1.5 ratio of tuition inflation
Read more →
“I go to seek a Great Perhaps.” -François Rabelais. You just got a notice from your 11th Grader’s guidance counselor that parents are strongly encouraged to attend upcoming “Junior College Night.” They want you to know it’s time to get serious about your student’s college future. What to
Read more →
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill. This post offers suggestions for next steps after receiving a deferral or denial from an Early Action or Early Decision college, with advice from Admissions Matters: What Students and Parents Need to
Read more →
“It always is harder to be left behind than to be the one to go…” -Brock Thoene. Years ago, I sat in a graduate psychology class on family systems therapy. The first day, our professor asked us to reflect on our families of origin, and introduce ourselves
Read more →
“Say what you need to say.” – John Mayer. For the budding J.K. Rowlings among us, the best part of the college application process is writing the essay. However, for many high school students, it looms like tomorrow’s trip to the oral surgeon to have wisdom teeth
Read more →
“We need the sweet pain of anticipation to tell us we are really alive.” – Albert Camus. Your high school student has just completed those last (excruciatingly long) weeks of senior year. It has definitely been a grueling year, despite the many milestone celebrations, and both you and your
Read more →