Helping Students Define Their Own College Fit
In my last post, I talked about how prestige is often just an illusion—especially when it comes to college choice. We know the highest-ranked school on a list isn’t necessarily the best fit for every student. But if students are going to take ownership of their college process, they need tools and frameworks to actually […]
“Prestige” is an Illusion… Literally: Helping Students Understand College Fit
Fun fact: The word prestige actually comes from the Latin praestigium, meaning illusion. So when students say they’re only interested in “prestigious” schools, it’s worth remembering that what they’re often chasing is the appearance of excellence—not necessarily what’s best for them or where they’ll be successful and happy. Over the past few years in college […]
Junior Year College Planning: A Guide for Counselors and Students
Maybe the biggest surprise to me when I started this job was how crucial junior year is in college planning. When I did this decades ago, I don’t think I even started thinking about college until my senior year started. Not sure how much of that was due to changing times and how much was […]
Helping Students Take Ownership of the College Process
In my 20 years in education, it seems like students have needed more and more hand holding. A lot of teenagers are hesitant to take initiative, frequently look for reassurance, and often get overwhelmed by the idea of making decisions for themselves. At the same time, I get paranoid that I’ve become the old man […]
The Evolution of College Counseling
I’ve always been fascinated by how things evolve – how things got from point A to point B. My dissertation on the Spanish Civil War explored how understanding history helps us work through the past and make sense of the present. When I started college counseling, I felt that same curiosity about this strange and […]
Welcome!
Welcome to the Blog: Practical College Support for High School Counselors Why This Blog? I’ll be honest—starting a blog wasn’t on my to-do list. Like many of you, I’m a full-time high school counselor helping students with college admissions and constantly learning as the field evolves. I definitely don’t have all the answers, but I’ve […]