Before you share anything in an electronic format—an email, a photo, a blog post, etc.—ask yourself if you would be comfortable with it showing up whenever anyone Googles your name. Forever. Potential viewers include the colleges you’ll apply to, friends, your family, future employers, and people you haven’t met yet but will one day want […]
Read More >“I will be the student who…”
A lot of colleges are asking questions on their applications about how you plan to contribute to their campus community. A good way to think about that question is to finish the statement, "I will be the student who…" How you finish it doesn't really matter as long as it's honest, legal, and not, well, […]
Read More >For college information, always go to the source
When you have a question about college application deadlines, how many letters of rec are required, whether or not an interview is offered, etc., the safest, smartest way to get that information is from the colleges themselves. A parent emailed one of our counselors last week and asked: “If [a student] takes the SAT or […]
Read More >The best way to grow your business, club, college, etc.
It’s counterintuitive, but the way to grow your business is to focus entirely on your existing customers. Just thrill them, and they’ll tell everyone. Anything You WantDerek Sivers (Founder of CDBaby) Turns out that's not just true for businesses. The best way to grow your independent school is to make your current families so happy […]
Read More >From our class of 2011
We just finished collecting testimonials from our Collegewise class of 2011. I'm sharing the link here for two reasons, one of them admittedly selfish. 1. We're proud of them. Our counselors work really hard to make our families happy and it feels good to read their nice words. 2. The testimonials are documented proof […]
Read More >Have questions about financial aid?
The folks at Finaid.org have a great FAQ section here. And in the "I can't believe it's free" department, they have a service called "Ask The Aid Advisor" in which over 100 financial aid administrators from across the country have volunteered to answer questions for free. You fill out a form, submit your question, and […]
Read More >Don’t wait for someone to pick you
If you have a dream college, it’s not entirely up to you whether you get to go. You have to hope they admit you. But one of the nice changes in the world today is that for most things you want to do, you don’t have to wait for someone to pick you. If you […]
Read More >Judging your admissions chances based on someone else’s results
It’s natural for students (and their parents) to judge their chances of admission at a particular college based on the results of people they know. Students compare their classes, GPAs, test scores and activities and conclude, “If I do what my friend who got in did, I should get in, too.” But the problem with […]
Read More >Whose stories do colleges want to hear?
It’s important to remember that colleges want to hear the kids’ versions of their life events. And that story is often very different from the parent’s version. A parent might see her son’s three year tenure on the water polo team as an impressive display of commitment to his goals. But if the student sees […]
Read More >If you’re worried you won’t get in anywhere…
If you're not sure whether or not you'll be accepted to any college at all, here's something that might encourage you. Go to the College Board's website and use their "College MatchMaker" function. Select "Four Year" colleges and then, under "Admissions" select "More than 75% accepted." You'll find over 400 colleges (roughly 20% of the […]
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