Kevin McMullin

College admissions advice for students, parents, and counselors

Play the game right

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Jim, my friend from college who, as I shared here, died suddenly last fall, had spent years coaching his sons’ Little League baseball teams. As the new season opened in their hometown recently, the league honored Jim with an unveiling of jerseys bearing his initials, the welcoming of his younger brother, Mark, to throw out the […]

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Final college decisions: the financial piece

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As senior families begin considering their college options among the schools that said yes, it’s also important to consider the financial questions tied to those decisions, like “How much does each school really cost?” “Should we take out loans?” and “Should students be expected to help pay?” Here are a few past posts, with some […]

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Long-term payoff

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My senior year of high school, our boys basketball team won the league title. But on a team full of all-leaguers and future college players, the fan favorite was a scrappy junior on the bench named Dave. He didn’t get much playing time. But when Dave would enter the game, that’s when the show—and the […]

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For those playing the admissions waiting game

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Kavita Varma-White, a parent whose senior is completing the college admissions process, posted 8 things I wish I’d known about the college admissions waiting game on the Today Show’s website. I found her advice sensible and timely. And of course, I enjoyed the shout out to Collegewise counselor Tom Barry in point 8, where Varma-White writes about celebrating every […]

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How to search for scholarships safely

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Last week, I posted a recent listing of scholarship search platforms, along with a warning from a high school counselor that she’d stopped recommending one site based on the spam it generated for her students. Here’s a recent Time piece, The Scary Thing You Don’t Know About ‘Free’ Scholarship Searches, with advice from privacy and […]

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Our new filmmaker is here, and soon to be filming!

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This week, Collegewise welcomed our new full-time filmmaker, Frank Martinez, to the family. We got over 70 applications for the position, we narrowed it down to three applicants, and we extended one offer—Frank’s. There are some important lessons that applicants to both jobs and colleges can learn from the way Frank approached this recent hiring […]

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The best scholarship search sites?

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Reviews.com just published a list, The Best Scholarship Search Platforms of 2017. Like most rankings lists (especially college rankings), it’s not an exact science. But I do like that they “spent over 40 hours researching 17 of the most popular sites across five core metrics including search functionality, scholarship availability, ease of use, application tools, […]

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Where do leaders come from?

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Is it necessary to hold a club office, or found an organization, or otherwise do something worthy of a leadership title to impress colleges? No. Not even close. There are countless roles on college campuses that require students from different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives to fill and flourish in them. Your particular skills can come […]

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Do your kids know what’s expected of them?

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I may preach that kids need to take charge of their college admissions process. But parents, especially those paying the bill, have every right to voice their opinions, including what you expect from your kids when it comes to their education. But are those expectations clear to your kids? That’s a different question than, “Have […]

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