I’m providing a factual report and not one with an opinion attached. College admissions officials, at least those from competitive colleges, are having great difficulty choosing whom to admit among the vast number of qualified candidates. While getting top grades is always critical for college admissions, school officials have told me that they have […]
Read MoreI was at the Saybrook Point Inn’s restaurant Fresh Salt a few weeks ago. The waitress handed me a bottle of wine – “the couple over there sent this to you.” To my chagrin, I didn’t recognize them. This is not particularly uncommon as I often know my students better than their parents, particularly those […]
Read MoreThis is a direct quote from a college admissions official I spoke with this weekend: “Grades are becoming meaningless. Grade inflation is now so out of control that we are forced to rely on standardized tests to make admissions decisions.” Perhaps it was an overstatement. Grades still matter a lot. But his point is one […]
Read More“It is different now.” Ron, a father of a junior from Guilford High School, noted when his wife suggested that maybe they were making to big a deal about the college process. Ron is an executive in a multinational company and is also involved in a New Haven not-for-profit organization that helps those in challenging […]
Read MoreAs a parent of three, I wish the work world was going to be easier for my children than for me. When I give college and career talks throughout Connecticut, I see parents nod their heads when I say: “it used to be that if you graduated from a decent college with decent grades, you […]
Read MoreAbout 10 years ago, Kevin, a friend from Old Lyme called, about his son Luke. Could you give him one of those career tests? “Isn’t Luke entering 9th grade?” I asked incredulously. Kevin explained that Pfizer was making noises about leaving Connecticut. Kevin and his family would have to make a choice if that happened: […]
Read More“This is therapy.” a mother with a Daniel Hand High School junior recently said to me in relation to our kick-off to college counseling session. “I have been driving myself crazy with all the things that I thought my son had to do and I appreciate that you narrowed the list.” “Eat food. Mostly plants. […]
Read MorePerhaps the silliest thing I occasionally hear from parents – who are likely trying to calm themselves and their children down about the college process – is “it doesn’t matter where you go to college.” I realize that some parents are saying this in an effort to defuse the competitive nature of the college process […]
Read More“My guidance counselor suggested that I apply to 6 schools: 2 safety, 2 range, and 2 reach.” Some version of this phrase has been repeated to me over the last decade by dozens of Connecticut high school students. For most students applying to college – particularly those from Connecticut’s Shoreline schools who are applying to […]
Read MoreThrough the years of editing college essays for students throughout Connecticut, I have probably read a few thousand college essays. This puts me in the position of a college admissions reader who similarly has read thousands of college essays and through that process knows what works and what doesn’t. The one big takeaway from this […]
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