The Rise of “Grade Inflation Awareness” in College Admissions Over the last several admissions cycles, colleges have become far more attentive to grade inflation when evaluating transcripts. Admissions officers understand that high schools vary widely in grading standards. As a result, they now look closely at: grade distribution at the high school percentage of students […]
Read MoreMarketing The Student As A College Admissions Product Ugh… just writing those words makes me uncomfortable. I am an idealist, a practical one but nonetheless someone who left the practice of law to follow my calling into educational counseling to help others. Telling students to figure out how to best “market themselves” is not something […]
Read MoreIn working with teens through the years, I have deep anecdotal evidence that their social skills have been declining at a rapid rate. The pandemic merely accelerated but did not create the decline. We are facing an epidemic of anxiety and depression in teens. Given my work, I’ve researched and considered the issue extensively. I’m […]
Read MoreWhile our company tutors students of all ages, I primarily work with high school students in the Shoreline, CT area. In doing so, I often uncover gaps in learning. This has always been the case but during the last two years I have observed massive deficits in abilities, particularly math. The “normalcy” of post-pandemic life […]
Read More“The Learning Consultants has been so successful because Daryl accurately describes why students should care about school.” So said a mom from Daniel Hand High School when introducing me to another parent from Madison, CT. I liked the way she phrased the comment. My focus has always been on inspiring students. And, I suppose my […]
Read MoreApproximately 60% of college students are women. Delighted for the success of women. But it also confirms the thesis of my book: boys are underachieving at a dizzying rate. Anecdotally, I noticed the problem in my SAT classes. I started teaching test prep in Guilford, CT in 2002. Our classes would fill the big back […]
Read MoreLiving on the Connecticut shoreline, particularly in a small town like Old Saybrook, leads to running into former students frequently. One of the more common comments from past students has been that they used the framework of growth from our SAT class and applied it elsewhere. Recently, Liam, an old student from neighboring Old Lyme, […]
Read MoreI wrote Motivate Your Son in 2012. The principles are timeless but I certainly did not anticipate the effect of Covid and how much social media would devastate the psychology of teen boys (and girls, but that will be a different post). This is a problem that could have lasting effects well beyond the early post-Pandemic years. […]
Read MoreTip #3 Be authentic! This might sound cliched, but it’s useful advice for students writing their college essays. It’s much easier to write about yourself when you’re not trying to be someone else. I’ve been especially reminded of this wisdom over the past few months as I work with twins from Essex, CT on their […]
Read MoreTip #2 “I don’t know what to write about!” This is the number one source of frustration for students starting their college essays. A typical scenario occurred last week with one of my students from Madison, CT. She struggled to choose between two different essays. One, she really liked, but feared it wasn’t “traditional” enough. […]
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