For Students….
“Stop worrying about what your friends think! This is your college search and your education. You need to discover for yourself whether a school is a match.”
“Just because you haven’t heard of a college, doesn’t mean it isn’t ‘good.’ College is what you make of the experience, not the experience that is handed to you. You are going to be fine wherever you end up, as long as you put some effort into it.”
“Deadlines are real.”
“Be open minded – there are SO MANY excellent schools out there!”
“It’s OK to admit you don’t know what you want. In fact, you probably shouldn’t know what you want. Everyone around you who says they wished they had been more directed and goal-oriented when they applied to college has forgotten what it was like to be a senior in high school.”
“The U.S. News and World Report is a list of schools. It has no bearing on the type of experience you will have nor the type of person you will become by the time you graduate.”
“Relax!! It will all be okay! Believe in yourself and your abilities and things will work out.”
“Failure is the bedrock of learning. Embrace your failures as opportunities.”
“Trust your gut. Get out of your comfort zone. Don’t put artificial boundaries on yourself. VISIT SCHOOLS! Finally, there are lots of schools that are ‘the one.’”
“Let us know what you are feeling. This can be a stressful time; let us help you.”
“When I recommend you apply to a school with more than a 30 percent acceptance rate, I am not saying that you are not ‘good enough.’”
“No matter what you believe right now, I am not encouraging you to ‘lower your expectations’ because I don’t believe in your intelligence, drive, compassion, and overall greatness. I am encouraging you to think more broadly because I have enough experience in this field to know where a student with your record of academic and extracurricular accomplishments and your particular interests will and will not be a competitive applicant and a happy student. I believe it is more important to experience and enjoy all the benefits that your high school education offers you than it is to spend four years thinking only about what it can get you.”
“College admissions is not fair, and there is nothing you can do to change this. Some of the decisions being made about your application have little/nothing to do with you — it has to do with institutional priorities, who else is in the applicant pool, and what the board of that particular college is telling the admission office it wants/needs. College admission is also not an indication of your self-worth as a human being. You are more than the bumper sticker your parent will put on his/her car. Challenge yourself to learn about at least one or two new colleges every month of your search.”
“You can only attend one college. You only need to be admitted to one college. If every college on your list is one you can afford and where you will be successful, you have accomplished what you set out to do when the first one admits you.”
“After 21 years at this, I can no longer count the number of students who were devastated when they didn’t get into their ‘first choice’ college, then ended up thriving at the school they attended instead. Year after year, we hear from those alums who say that they can’t imagine themselves at any other college. Everything happens for a reason, even if the reasons aren’t clear at first.”
“Just because you attended an elite independent school, that doesn’t mean that you deserve a spot at an Ivy. “
“’You just never know,’ and ‘It’s worth a shot,’ are not good strategies.”
“Be grateful…grateful that you are even having the conversation about where to attend college. Most in this world do not get that opportunity. Thank your parents.”
“It doesn’t matter what school you go to; what matters is what you do once you’re there. Pick a place where you’d be happy to wake up every day, where you’ll enjoy yourself, and where you’ll be confident instead of stressed out.”
“You will always lose if you live your life by comparisons to others, and the college process is no different in that regard. Compare yourself to your best self–not to other applicants.”
“The college admission process isn’t fair and neither is life.”
“Be your authentic self! Don’t bend to the will of your parents or the pressures of packaging yourself for the colleges. “
“I encourage you to have a top group of colleges – not a ‘top choice.’ When someone asks where you want to go to college, tell them ‘I don’t know, but if I’m admitted to any of these five I know I’ll be happy.’ Announcing to the world your one dream school before you’ve been admitted raises the stakes to an unhealthy height. If it’s a reach school, the chances of you being admitted might be slim, and you risk characterizing the school you do end up attending – one you’ll probably love – as a disappointment.”
“If you’re beginning your sentence with, “Would colleges rather see…”, then STOP! You’re asking the wrong question!”
“Essay writing: Who are you? Sit down and write an essay answering that question. Don’t ask 35 people to edit it for you.”
“You’re only 17 once. Don’t forget to have fun. ”
“Your parents mean well, but please learn to do for yourself.”
“If the admissions rate is 5 percent, what makes you think that you will be one of the students who is admitted?”
“Just because a school wait-listed you, doesn’t mean that it is better than the ones that accepted you.”
“This is one of the best adventures you will embark on. Enjoy it!”
“A smaller, thoughtfully assembled and BALANCED list of colleges (one that includes probable, possible and reach schools) will serve you best.”
“Even in the Olympics, not every national champion wins the gold.”
“Life is not fair. So do everything you can to learn to deal with the ups and downs of life.”
“This is not the most important decision you will make in your life.”
“The ideal college fit is like a jigsaw puzzle. The four pieces – academic, social, co-curricular, and financial – all need to match up for the college to be a ‘good fit.’ The wonderful and difficult news is that most students will find multiple ‘good fit’ colleges where you will be happy and successful.”
“Be your own self-advocate, don’t expect your parents or guidance counselor to remember things and do everything for you.”
“Please don’t let the college application process dictate every decision you make.”
“Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.”
“The college admission process is not instantaneous. Applying to colleges will be a lesson in patience.”
“It is your responsibility to make certain that you are giving the best representation of yourself to colleges and universities where you are applying, and nobody else’s.”
“Step up and be an adult. You’re about to go to college, so you need to start to speak for yourself, to advocate for yourself. Don’t let your parents do your work. You don’t deserve a merit award if you can’t even ask admissions about it, or don’t even write your own appeal.”
“You should view admission counselors as partners in this process rather than adversaries. Believe it or not, we constantly look for reasons to say yes to applicants.”
