Supporting Deferred Students
Deferrals are more common than ever as colleges manage record application volumes. This post helps counselors guide students through next steps with clarity, perspective, and a simple checklist they can use right away.
Understanding Admissions Decisions – Fall Edition
Students receive all kinds of decisions in December and early January, from admits to referrals to incomplete applications. This guide gives counselors clear, calm language and practical steps to help students understand each outcome and plan their next moves.
Test Optional in 2025
Since the pandemic, test-optional policies have reshaped how students approach college applications. While some colleges have returned to requiring scores and others remain flexible or test blind, counselors still face the same question from students every year: “Should I send my SAT or ACT scores?” This post breaks down how to evaluate that decision in 2025 with practical advice you can share right away.
The Power of 150 Characters in the Activities List Week 2 Application Season Series
The Activities List may be short, but it’s one of the most revealing parts of a college application. In just 150 characters per line, students can show initiative, responsibility, and impact. This post helps counselors teach students how to make every word count—and uncover the power hidden in this small section.
July Reset Week 2: The School Profile
Many schools still don’t have a school profile — but this quiet document plays a big role in how colleges read your students’ applications. Here’s what it is, why it matters, and free tools to help you create one that supports equity and context.
College Essay Brainstorming… Tips on Guiding Students
College Essay Brainstorming – College Counselor Guidance and Resources This is a bit of a deep-dive on a previous post I wrote about college application materials. However, here I will focus specifically on college essay brainstorming for the “main essay,” “CommonApp” essay, or “personal statement” – although much of this could apply to other essays. […]
Building a College List That Works
There’s the occasional moment in a junior meeting where I can see the pressure mounting — students staring at a blank college list, parents eager to suggest the alma mater or the “top” school they read about in U.S. News, and me trying to bring the focus back to fit. Because the truth is: A […]
When the Decisions Come In: Helping Students Understand the Four Types of College Admissions Outcomes (and Themselves)
One of the most important parts of my job—especially this time of year—is helping students make sense of the decisions they’re getting from colleges. But I’ve found that the real work often starts long before those emails hit their inboxes. Over the years, I’ve realized how crucial it is to guide students toward healthy expectations. […]
“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 […]