This two-part post will help you understand more about how colleges use teacher and counselor letters of recommendation in the college admission process. In Part 1 we’ll give you some details about how letters of recommendation work; Part 2 addresses frequently asked questions about letters of recommendation in college applications. Colleges have changed the … Read more
Curious about how to apply to college theater programs? You’ve endured it for years: they sing on the way to breakfast. And in the carpool. They dance down your hallways. And during back-to-school night. You’ve attended more shows than you ever thought existed. You have a theater kid! But are they serious about pursuing it– … Read more
As you’re deciding whether to apply Early Decision or Early Action, you might be wondering how the colleges may respond to your application. Click here to learn more about what Early Decision and Early Action actually mean! Click here for some help in deciding if you should apply ED or EA. So here are the … Read more
Parents often want to help their kids with their college essays. The question is, how much “help” is too much? How can you truly help your child craft a college essay that will best represent them, and where are you stepping over the line? Suzie Wynne, Diana Hanson and I (Evelyn Jerome-Alexander) have been … Read more
It’s become a staple of the college application process – the “Why Us?” supplemental essay! As colleges review applications in a holistic manner (what does that mean?), they look at grades, test scores (sometimes but also sometimes not!), activities and leadership, recommendations from your teachers, the quality of your writing, and finally, in many … Read more
If you missed our “Four Keys to Success in College Admission” webinar, it’s here to the right, and the slide deck is below. These tips are specifically geared to help YOU – parents of high school seniors – through your child’s college admission process, while maintaining your sanity and your relationship with that very … Read more
Junior year – here we go! It’s super-important in the grand scheme of your college search and application experience. In the short video to the right, Michelle and Evelyn give you a few tips to make the most of your junior year: Visit some colleges! Local, far away from home, doesn’t really matter – … Read more
You probably have situations thrown at you in your professional life in which your approach is to analyze the problem, review different options, determine the wisest path forward from a budget, personnel, efficiency and/or timing perspective, and then proceed. You may even use a structured process to complete all of these analyses, like this … Read more
When parents call to inquire about our services, we make a point of letting them know that all of our counselors have a Certificate in College Counseling (from a variety of available programs), and that we are all involved in professional college advising organizations, which help us ensure that we continue to educate ourselves about … Read more
After a 16 month gap in our usually-busy college visit routine, Magellan counselors were back on the road yesterday and visited our first campus since March 12, 2020. Suzie, Diane, Fay and Evelyn visited Westmont College, a small Christian college in the hills above Santa Barbara. You can find our writeup and photo gallery from … Read more