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As we all count down to graduation ceremonies, I’ve been thinking about a question that typically starts the year. Every August, when applications are underway, I ask seniors: “What do you want your family to know about how you’re feeling in this process?” By that point, students have spent months researching colleges, visiting campuses, drafting and revising essays, and speaking directly with admissions officers. They’ve had quiet car rides home after tours. They’ve compar

What Are You Building? If you’re in high school, that’s a question worth asking every year. As a freshman, you might be building habits. As a sophomore, clarity about how you want to engage and contribute. As a junior, strategy—especially around your list and application approach. As a senior, confidence to make your decision and take ownership of what comes next. In the broadest sense, I like to ask families to consider high school as a construction phase. It's a time of

We can care about results without teaching students to live for them. Conversations I frequently have with students at this time of year revolve around a simple but uncomfortable reality: In the college application process, students are evaluated across multiple dimensions—academic strength, community involvement, leadership, self-awareness—but their time, energy, and attention are finite. That tension shapes nearly every decision they make. When students (and families) confr

If you’ve ever watched the show House Hunters , you know the pattern. Buyers begin with a list of “must-haves”: a specific location a certain size a particular style and a price they’re comfortable with In the end, almost no one ends up getting all four "must-haves" in the house they decide to buy. That’s often because getting all four was unrealistic. The buyers didn’t yet know which tradeoffs they would need to confront—and which ones they would be willing to make once rea

Helping students navigate high school with purpose—and the college process with clarity “What should my student be doing in high school so they look ‘ready’ for college?” It’s one of the most common—and most anxiety-filled—questions families ask. But the truth is this: Engagement isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing what matters and doing it with intention. One of the frameworks I use in working with students is something I call The Pillars of Engagement. This framework h

Values-first, systems-aware decision making in the college process.

The college application pressure is peaking — and for many students, it's a whirlwind of essays, deadlines, and tough decisions. At our practice, we’re deep in one of the most intense phases of the college process, supporting students as they: Draft and refine their main + supplemental essays Condense years of leadership and impact into tight Common App character limits Tackle nuanced application questions — especially around major selection Set up and navigate STARS accounts

Helping students make decisions that are both values-aligned and systems-aware The college admissions process is anything but simple. To...

Flexibility is essential this cycle — but keeping your direction matters, too. Every summer, we start to see institutions rolling out...

In the past week, I read four distinct posts on LinkedIn. When connected, they stood out to me for a complex but important story that I'm...

Students have demonstrated to me many times that they understand and accept they can't fully control any college outcome. But they still...

As the landscape of higher ed and college admissions continues to shift, so does the work of college counseling. Here are a few of the...