Every week, I or one of our most veteran counselors will get an email from someone who wants to schedule time to “”pick our brain” about starting a college counseling practice. They’re not wrong to ask—in fact, it’s flattering at some level. But it also feels like a selfish request. We’ve rarely met the people who […]
Read More >The 10-4 customer service rule
Zingerman’s Deli is one of those rare successful businesses that’s insanely profitable, innovative in their practices, and prolific in their teaching—all with a fantastic culture that makes people want to work and shop there. I wish I could spend a summer making (and eating) sandwiches just to experience what they work so hard to create […]
Read More >Age-induced perspective
There’s a lot happening in the world of college admissions, with some seemingly big changes coming down the pike. The SAT is changing. Eighty selective colleges have proposed a “Coalition Application” that would require applicants to begin creating online portfolios as early as 9th grade. And just this week, more than 50 colleges, including all […]
Read More >Nervous, comfortable, and just right
The most frequent comment I hear from college interviewers: most applicants are far more nervous than they need to be. The truth is that college interviews almost never make or break an applicant’s chances. In fact, interviews are the least important part of the process. Colleges that offer them do so to inject a small […]
Read More >The early bird…
From 3 Steps to More College Financial Aid From FAFSA: “Because some aid is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, the sooner you file your FAFSA, the better. [Financial aid expert, Mark] Kantrowitz says his research indicates that families who file before March 30 typically get more than twice as much aid as those who […]
Read More >Leaving legacies
One of the questions I ask counselors interviewing for jobs at Collegewise: If and when you leave your current job, what will you be leaving behind as a legacy? While some of my other questions look for more information about what they’ve accomplished in their current job, their answers to this particular one tell me […]
Read More >“I can always transfer…”
Many seniors rationalize their choice of which four-year college to attend with some version of, “I can always transfer.” But invoking the transfer option, especially before you ever arrive on campus, can be both helpful and harmful, and it’s important to leverage that tool in a productive way. Note: I’m not talking about students who plan […]
Read More >Treat it like an adventure
While flying home from a meeting with my business partners this week, a parent sitting across the aisle from me was flipping through pictures on her iPad. I’d typically avert my eyes and not be the creep who looks at someone else’s photos over their shoulder, and I didn’t look for long. But the photos […]
Read More >Advice for bad test-takers
The worst thing about standardized tests is that they make kids who don’t score well feel badly about themselves and about their chances of admission to college. Standardized tests measure how well you take standardized tests and just about nothing else. There are good test-takers and bad test-takers, and they sometimes have wildly overlapping levels […]
Read More >The failure formula
Failure is a loaded word for high school students. In the pressure-packed process of college admissions where even apparent perfection isn’t enough for some schools, it’s hard to imagine how anything resembling a failure could ever help you get into college. But there are two kinds of failure, and while one is inherently a lot […]
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