With so many admissions options, when should a student apply? I’ll start with my favorite: 

Rolling Admissions
Under Rolling Admissions, applications to the schools are reviewed as they are completed and colleges accept eligible candidates until all freshmen spots are filled.  This means, applying early to the school has a great advantage. Applications may even be accepted as early as the summer before the senior year. A number of schools, particularly big state schools, use rolling admissions. Check each school's rolling admissions start date. Students typically receive the decision within two months after the completed application is sent in. Applying rolling admissions is...

The key to a college interview is preparation. There are three types of interviews. There's the on-campus interview, one via video conferencing like Zoom, or one with an alumnus in your local area. It's always important for your child to show their  best self, and to ask questions, and share thoughts or concerns about the school or overall college process. 

#1: On-campus interviews are usually conducted by admissions officers and they talk to your child for 25 to 30 minutes about who they are, and what they know about the college they’re meeting with. To schedule an interview, you can usually select a time on a school's website.

#2: Local alumni interviews are conducted by alumni who...

I love my children dearly. As a father of four, there are only a few things I would not do for them to ensure their happiness. Would I choose their friends? No. Would I choose their political affiliations? No. Would I choose their college? Absolutely not. Now remember, “choose” and “influence” are very different and I hope my model of how I live my life helps them to make wise decisions, but I would never outright choose any of the above for them. 

I would, however, help them with their college application process. As a company, we are gearing up to help the Class of 2022 with their essays and applications throughout the summer. If you and your child need help, we can do...

Even this summer, not all colleges are open to visitors quite yet. And, admittedly, you may not be comfortable getting on planes and sleeping in hotels. I understand completely, but at some point soon, you and your kid will want to put your eyes and feet on an actual college campus to which they’re considering. Plus, the initiative to visit schools shows demonstrated interest (some schools care about this, not all) and in a perfect world, your kid wants to build their college list partially based on where it is and what’s around it. Location is the second most important factor when you’re building a college list. Cost, major and career are the other three. 

Here is a...

Whatever you call the school counselor at your child’s high school -- guidance counselor, college counselor, etc -- please know that they are an integral part of the college application process. A few elements of their job are: 

• to offer college advice to you and your child
• weigh in on the selection of courses for each year
• write a school counselor recommendation on behalf of your child
• send the transcript
• communicate with colleges about your child’s application and interest

Some school counselors do this better than others, and usually it depends on their caseload of students. 

As a parent, you should attend any college preparation presentations that your school offers,...

Senior year is here! (or almost here ….) Now is the time to applaud your kid’s junior year efforts and really start to engage them on their college list, essays and application strategies.

Ok, but how? 

By now, they should have started their Common Application, right?!!!  No? Please have them start now. https://www.commonapp.org/ It’s nice to get a jump on this and not wait until the Fall when life can get hectic.

What else? 

Below are the top 3 things rising seniors must do this Summer. 

1) Visit colleges 

Whether you can go in person or have to visit virtually, now is the time for your kid to get more familiar with colleges they may apply to. For...

I'm a big believer in demonstrating interest appropriately. However, I'm not a huge fan of being overly aggressive (assertive, good, aggressive, bad) and annoying. There's a time and a place for everything, and here are a few suggestions to help you and your kid. 

Demonstrated interest is defined as the documented contact or connections a prospective student makes with an institution. Admissions officers then take this record into consideration once a student submits an application for admission. Colleges love to be loved. They crave attention from the RIGHT students at the RIGHT time. Demonstrating interest in one of your top choices can be critical for college acceptances. They, the college,...

Not for you, but for them.

Your job as a parent is to offer perspectives about their potential educational experience based upon your own education and life experiences but NOT to suggest that some colleges are “better” than others. Yes, different colleges have different resources and yes, we associate selectivity with being better, but the most important thing your child can do is have a college list that will best suit their desires for a major and career AND factor the cost and location of the school which affects you.

How can you and your child decide how important a school is?

#1 - Know your child and ask them, and yourself, do you think they will develop there in a way that will be...

With college costs ranging from $25K to $75K annually, a natural question for any parent to ask is “what will be the ROI (Return On Investment) for my kid’s college education?” ROI is the measurement of the difference between total earnings in the 10 years post-graduation, divided by the total cost of college. The higher the ROI, the better a financial bet the school is on average. While parents can ask a college admissions office this question, it really should be directed towards their child who has the responsibility of “paying” for their education by multiplying the cost of college by potential professional earnings. Any parent who asks this question is not expecting...

Parents, if your child's been waitlisted, please consider this: this arduous process just got longer. 

A waitlist decision is not a “yes” and it’s not a “no”. It’s a “wait, and we will see.” The waitlist is used as a pool of students who may be admitted if a university does not meet their expected level of enrollment. Essentially, if their accepted students say “no” then they probably will admit some students who are on the waiting list. The length of these lists varies between institutions but can be from a hundred to thousands of students long. There are many reasons why your child may be waitlisted for a school, including: 

• ...