In light of the recent Varsity Blues Scandal, which continues to be in the news four weeks after the first headlines, I thought I would revisit an article that I wrote in 2015 about options to college admissions’ testing. As you know, the two assessments used by college admissions’ counselors are the SAT or the…
The days of high school juniors and seniors waking up early on a Saturday morning to take the 3-hour and 45-minute SAT will soon be coming to an end. In June of 2022, the College Board announced the rollout of a new, digital SAT, one that is shorter, with results received in days rather than…
One of my students recently called me, frantic as he had been deferred from Duke, which is his dream school. “Does this mean I am not getting in? Why? What should I do?” The questions came fast and furious. I could feel his anxiety and worry over the phone. I asked him to take a…
It is a rainy Wednesday in July 2018. I am sitting with a Mom and her daughter as they share with me their hopes and dreams for college as well as their fear about the college essay. When I mentioned the essay for the first time, Mom began bombarding me with questions: Does she have…
On a Wednesday in August, I traveled with a colleague to visit Denison University in Granville, Ohio, about five hours from my home in Maryland. Granville is charming and picturesque, reminding me of a small New England community. Plus, Denison’s campus is impressive and beautiful. What is equally impressive and exciting are the academic opportunities offered…
It was the last day of February 2016, when my phone rang. Without taking a breath, the father of one of my freshman began: “I have some questions about Advanced Placement. My daughter doesn’t want to sign up for AP World, but I have heard that taking an AP class will help her get into…
A BIG congratulations to all of my students that I worked with this past year who got into many of the colleges on their list! Many of them got into most, if not all, of the schools on their list. I even had one student share that she wishes she had dreamed bigger! You reached…
I was sitting in my office one rainy Wednesday afternoon talking to a student new to my practice. Joe was enthusiastically answering my questions because both he and I were hoping to uncover the answer to the age-old question: “What do you want to do when you grow up.” I oftentimes imagine myself a detective…
More colleges each year are requesting that students to a counselor at Tufts University“Interviewing with a college is a signal of the applicant’s interest in actually attending the college. This process should be looked at as a student’s time to ask questions about the college as well as for the interviewer to learn about the…
Last month, raincoat in hand, I traveled to Portland, Oregon. I definitely needed the raincoat as I walked on the campuses of the University of Oregon, Oregon State, the University of Providence, Providence State, Willamette, Lewis and Clark and Reed. I was especially impressed with Reed, which is a coeducational, independent liberal arts and sciences…