Author: Daryl Capuano

The Rise of “Character and Impact” as Admissions Differentiators Another defining trend is the increasing emphasis on authentic character, particularly demonstrated through consistent leadership, community engagement, and meaningful “impact.” This is a relatively new one.  In my time providing college counseling, this has emerged only recently. Colleges—responding to concerns about fairness, AI-driven essays, and homogeneous […]

The Surge in “Test Score Reinstatement” at Selective Colleges One of the most significant shifts in the last two years is the quiet but unmistakable return of standardized testing at many competitive colleges. While test-optional policies remain, many schools—including MIT, Dartmouth, Georgetown, University of Georgia, and others—reported that applicants who submitted strong scores had significantly […]

Daniel, a 17 year old from Valley Regional High School in Connecticut, had been immersed in Tik-Tok videos regarding college. He was resistant to going to college.  His parents are from the new-but-flawed-good-parent-playbook of parent as a friend were deeply concerned but did not want to confront him. So it was my job as part […]

“You are like an Uncle to Gus.”  I used to be more like an older brother but I understood. I am the only other elder who guides Gus – and many others – outside their parents. We do not live in a village.  I’m not sure if the tropes about town elders, which often included […]

If you have read any news about recent college graduates, you might get depressed. College- not so long ago- nearly guaranteed employment post-college.  This is less true.  But it still is true – wildly true – in comparison to not going to college. Those Tik-Tok influencers who claim otherwise are mostly attempting to validate their […]

The Return of the SAT: Why Colleges Are Bringing Back Standardized Testing “This is great for East Lyme High School students.”   So said an East Lyme educator and client of The Learning Consultants as she showed me an article indicating how important SAT scores were for last year’s college admissions. She correctly understood what so […]

“Why this year?!” Deena was nearly in tears. I knew Deena since she was a high school student at East Lyme High School and worked on SAT prep and college counseling.  Now we were working on LSAT Prep and law school admissions counseling. I know.  Not to self-reference, but I applied to law school – […]

Stonington Families: Algebra II & Pre-Calculus Tutoring — The Learning ConsultantsFor two decades, The Learning Consultants has helped Shoreline students excel in high-level math. We’re now prioritizing individualized Algebra II and Pre-Calculus support for Stonington students. Curriculum coverage: quadratics & polynomial division, trigonometric functions and unit circle fluency, exponential/log models, sequences/series & sigma notation, limits […]

Algebra II & Pre-Calculus Support in Waterford, CT — The Learning ConsultantsThe Learning Consultants (the Shoreline’s top tutoring team for 20+ years) is opening additional slots for Waterford students seeking mastery in Algebra II and Pre-Calculus. Focus areas: functions & transformations, trig identities, systems & matrices, exponential/logarithmic equations, complex graphing, and precalculus foundations for AP/college […]