In this case, I am not focused on reputation but rather location. When we first meet students for college counseling, I understandably field the desire for warmer weather coming from Connecticut students.  I get it. All things being equal, I, too, would choose warm weather.  But as I sometimes say – half-kiddingly – I would […]

“I hate math!” So said Maria, a bright 7th grader who flourished in reading and writing but in her words “felt stupid” in math. Maria – like many students – had not been grounded in the fundamentals. When she started working with The Learning Consultants, she had aspirations to attend either Choate or Hopkins, as […]

Over the years, The Learning Consultants, without any strategic decision to do so, became what might be the largest provider of SSAT services in Connecticut.  At one level, this makes sense.  The Learning Consultants has staffed itself with top-notch educators and parents considering the investment in private schools will find the best.  At another level, […]

Every generation looks with dismay at the next one.  I’ve made it a point not to fall into the same trap.  I am often the great defender of the young. But now the facts seem undeniable: young people are in crisis. They are not as happy and not as successful. The reasons are multifaceted, although […]

“Young adults in the United States experience anxiety and depression twice as frequently as teenagers, according to a new nationally representative survey by Making Caring Common, a project of Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education. Thirty-six percent of young adults — ages 18 to 25 — reported anxiety, compared with 18 percent of younger teenagers […]

“Andrew just likes to meet with you.”  Allison, a mom from Old Lyme noted as she was explained as he had already finished high school but he wanted to meet before college started.  “He just wants to discuss a few things with you.  He’s probably nervous about moving away but feels weird talking to us […]

I have been preaching the benefits of career education for high school students for over a decade. High schools do not provide career exploration. Colleges – surprise – do very little other than offer classes in majors that could lead to careers. After the financial restructuring of last decade our career counseling services grew (and […]

If you are heading into senior year, you might not know where you will apply (we can help) or if you will take your SATs again (we can help) but… you do know that you will apply to college and, if you are, you will need to write a college essay. Here, we can help […]

Parents of soon to be high school juniors…. Junior year is brutal.  It is easily the most busy year of high school. In addition to the hardest classes and grades that really matter, the whole college process takes on a life of its own. Whatever you have heard about the optionality of the SAT, I […]