We talk a lot about the achievement gap, but there’s another problem in US high schools. How well-prepared is your child’s school counselor to guide them – and you – through the twists and turns of the rapidly changing college admission process so that you and your child end up with the best possible result? … Read more
When we tell people what we do as independent college counselors, they usually have one of three reactions: Wow, I wish someone had done that for me when I was in high school. Wow, I wish I met you two years ago when my son was going through that. Wow, you must have the most … Read more
Many people think that only superstar, top-scoring students can benefit from working with an independent educational consultant (IEC). Not true! In reality, IECs help students at all academic performance levels find the best education for the best value. Independent educational consultants often have more flexibility and more time to spend with each student, as they … Read more
At Magellan, counselors work with students to help them find a college that is the right “fit” – a place that they can call home for the next four years and thrive. As a class dean at Wellesley College, I worked with the members of my class, helping each student to achieve her academic and … Read more
A few words of wisdom on starting your college essay strong, with some links and resources below the video: https://youtu.be/5CJaIvm0Df8&w=600 Read some sample essays and ask yourself this question after the first line of each one: DO I WANT TO KNOW MORE? Steven’s essay has a great opening line! Jacqueline’s essay makes you want to … Read more
Remember the Nixon-era “Nattering Nabobs of Negativism?” Well, they’re back – but this time they are not just the media – they are your friends, relatives, neighbors and people you work with. And they love to “natter negatively” about college! We believe that all of the chatter surrounding college admissions does nothing but ratchet up … Read more
Magellan counselors visit colleges frequently, and people often ask us why we visit so many, and how we keep them straight. Here’s a short (< 3 minutes!) video with a few tips on visiting colleges. Here are a few more college visit tips from a previous article. Click below to download the college visit tracking … Read more
With just a few weeks left before school starts, summer is a great time for touring colleges. Having been on over a dozen college tours in the past 2 weeks, I wanted to offer a few words of guidance: • Make sure to register and sign in when you arrive for an info session. Some … Read more
I had dinner last night with Mark Presnell, the Director of the Johns Hopkins University Career Center. As an active Hopkins alum, I have been involved with several facets of the school, including the Career Center, over the past 2 decades. Mark was visiting Los Angeles and asked me to introduce him to alumni interested … Read more
Interested in learning a little bit more about college admissions? Feel free to attend either or both of these: I’ll be giving a short (10-minute) presentation called “Selecting the Right College: A Mutual Choice” at the JNET networking group’s September 23rd meeting in Santa Monica. The flyer is here: JNET September 23 Meeting Flyer I’ll … Read more