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All Campus Visits13 College Essays4 College News12 College Planning24 College Testing2 Newsletter3

Getting a Running Start

One of the big differences between the college experience a generation ago and now is that these days we expect our students to have some experience in the workplace before they graduate—and this is gained through the ubiquitous opportunity for a college internship.

Don’t Worry: It’s Out There

What I hear most often from the parents of my students is that the college process is so different nowadays. They often say, “I just picked some colleges to apply to, sent in my applications, and went to school. No one helped me and my parents didn’t even know where I was applying.” Well, today’s college admissions process is different than it was twenty or thirty years ago.

The Right Fit

My brunch with six friends yesterday gave me food for thought: Of the four couples, my husband and I were the only ones who hadn’t met at college! It got me thinking about how these people had met in their late teens and early twenties, and how they are still together, many years later. And it made me think about the “fit” of college, and how each of these individuals, whether they knew it at the time or not, choose their school, in great part, because of a feeling of social inclusion.

Tips for a Compelling Essay

The best essay I ever read from one of my students (who is well into his 30’s by now) was about him riding the commuter bus from our town in New Jersey to New York City. Nothing much happened in the essay; in fact nothing happened at all.

Don’t Mind the Gap

We had already put down a deposit for my son’s college of choice when he came bounding down the stairs on a cold March day with an announcement. “I’m not going to school next year; I’ve decided, so don’t try to change my mind.” Changing his mind was the last thing I’d do. In fact, I was secretly thrilled.

It’s Decision Time

Most students have chosen where they are going to college, but there are those who are biting their nails as time winds down. Each day I speak to another confused student: “Should I pick the school that has the better curriculum or the one where I feel more comfortable socially? The one with the better dorms or the one with the better science labs?”

Follow Your Passions

Extracurricular activities have become part and parcel of students’ lives, and they are included in college applications and the interview process. What makes something a worthwhile addition to a student’s résumé? How much community service should you do? Don’t sweat it—the bottom line is: Do what you like!

Data Mining

We’ve entered a new digital age, where your decisions about what emails to open, links to click, websites to visit, and social media to engage with are collected and combed through by Big Business for information, both general and specific. Unfortunately, it’s no different in the field of higher education.

State University of New York at New Paltz

Every autumn, tourists descend on this small, upstate New York college town to take in the foliage, as the Hudson Valley’s wardrobe changes from summer to winter. But besides these “leaf peepers,” as they’re called, students also flock to this town at the end of summer—to attend the local SUNY, one of 64 campuses run by the state as part of its system of higher education.

Talking Frankly

I have to be honest: Raw talent is not a guarantee of admission to the school of your dreams. While many schools are becoming more and more holistic in their approach to selecting their incoming students—relying on much more than simply GPAs and test results—these metrics are still extremely important and can be real deal-breakers.

Hard Times for the Small College

Some small colleges face serious decisions about their viability, and it seems like the news is peppered with announcements of their demise.

University of Vermont

Every time I visit the University of Vermont I find even more to like about this most intimate-feeling of flagship state schools. Burlington is a great college town—not too big to overwhelm its scenic New England charm, but not so cozy that it lacks a vibrant arts culture and a robust outdoor-activity culture.

The Parent Trap

How much can we expect from our universities when it comes to keeping our students safe? Is the idea that schools should act in the place of their students’ parents simply a way to avoid litigation, or do schools owe it to students to help them grow up safely?

Dartmouth University

If you close your eyes and try to picture a quintessential New England Ivy League campus, what you will most likely bring to mind is something nearly identical to Dartmouth University, in the small, affluent town of Hanover, New Hampshire.

An Opportunity for Reflection and Change

College should be an exciting opportunity for personal discovery and growth, so it has saddened and angered me to see in this week’s breaking news how some have treated a diploma from an elite school as a commodity to be bought through any means necessary, however immoral or illegal. I endorse the response to this news given by the professional organization of which I am a member, and I encourage you to read it.

Lying in Plain Sight

The New York Times reports that with increasingly lower acceptance rates at competitive universities, coupled with the pressure of putting forth a fantastic application, there is increasing temptation for some students to “embellish.”

Champlain College

Champlain College, in Burlington, Vermont, is a different type of college—one with an eye focused on its students’ future careers. Over 90% of recent grads found employment directly upon graduation, and of those, close to 85% found it in their chosen field of study.

How To Manage College Search Emails

Here’s a tip to manage all the emails you will be sending and receiving related to the college search process: Before you begin the process of communicating with schools you are interested in attending, consider creating an email address specifically for your college-related communications.