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.
Three Quick Wins to Help Seniors Before Break
Seniors are stretched thin in December, and counselors often have limited time before break. These three quick tasks help students stay organized, check their portals, and prepare for January deadlines without adding stress. A simple, student ready checklist is included.
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.
After Applying: The College Portal
After students hit “submit,” their work is not over. This post helps counselors teach seniors how to use college portals to confirm materials, track missing items, and take responsibility for their applications after submission.
Supporting Students Who Haven’t Started Yet
Every counselor has a few seniors who reach late October and still haven’t started. This post offers an empathetic, realistic plan to help those students get moving… with reminders that Regular Decision is still a strong option and that it’s better to submit one thoughtful, complete application than several rushed ones.
The Counselor’s Quick Application Check
As November deadlines approach, counselors are flooded with “can you take one last look?” requests. This five-minute application checklist helps you spot weak spots quickly — from missing transcripts to last-minute essay issues — so students can submit with confidence.
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 […]