Hi there First name / friend,
I'm excited to share this May newsletter with you.
It's hard to believe that we're already on the verge of summer, which marks the completion of MSquared College Counseling's first year!
I am so grateful for the cohort of senior families who trusted me with their students' application journeys this year, and I'm thrilled for those students and the adventures that await them at great colleges and universities across the US, from small liberal arts to STEM-focused schools to flagship public universities.
My class of 2024 student clients are deep into college research and list-making. After the busy end of the school year, we'll keep working on that effort, discuss any summer campus visit plans, and begin the first steps of application preparation and essay brainstorming.
My class of 2025 and 2026 students will continue exploring their interests, learning about their strengths, and reflecting on their experiences in school, their activities, and their summer explorations. Later this year, we'll begin to turn the conversation to initial steps of identifying college priorities and beginning to learn about potential fits.
For all these students, I believe that the most powerful anchors in this search are
confidence in your self-knowledge and voice, and understanding of your personal guiding values. These can help you build the search around meaningful priorities, and help you avoid the distracting noise of outdated opinions about prestige and
someone else's view of what's “best” in education. Establishing these guideposts is the first focus of our work.
This month I've curated some reading and listening that I hope is timely for the season and your thinking. You'll note that many of these entries are linked to
my blog, which I recommend following or checking frequently, as I will continue to share timely insights there throughout the year.
Let's get to the summary of what you'll find in this email:
- The Roadmap to the Entire College Counseling Journey is a 30,000 foot overview of the key milestones on the path that I guide students through. Though there are steps almost every student will need to fulfill on this road, what I enjoy about my work is the ability to meet every student where they are, and to customize their travel plans and experiences along the way.
- Some reading from an old counselor friend who left us a few years back. His thoughtful piece gets to an invaluable truth about the best mindset for navigating high school, the college search, and life beyond.
- An update on a partnership with Compass Prep. I am far from the only counselor who thinks Compass is the most trustworthy test preparation company. Compass is providing free practice digital SAT and ACT exams for my clients at the link.
- Lisa D'Amour is a psychologist specializing in adolescent development. Her new book, The Emotional Lives of Teenagers, is a must read for parents. This conversation on the Rich Roll Podcast is a helpful overview of the factors influencing teens' emotions and the stress and anxiety that can be produced when factors like college application pressures come to bear.
- On a similar but more tongue-in-cheek note, the Sh*t Your Teenagers Won't Tell You Podcast features two Silicon Valley teen coaches and former college counselors sharing their unfiltered takes on the ways that prestige and selectivity focus in the college search can backfire and have negative impacts on our kids-- and healthier ways to approach high school life and college apps. They use a little NSFW language, but they hit many nails on the head in this refreshingly honest conversation.
- A compilation of articles about the current state of the college admission profession and the real people who read applications and make decisions. I think this set of articles and companion podcast are incredibly valuable for helping students and families understand the conflicting demands on these folks, as well as the fact that admission work is a labor of love done by people who care about their institutions and the young people applying to them.
- The Colleges That Change Lives are a group of around 40 liberal arts colleges that offer wildly diverse learning experiences, while sharing a focus on undergraduate teaching, learning and mentorship. Membership requires being somewhat accessible from an admission standpoint, to boot. There is truly something for every student in the CTCL group. From July through August, they travel as a collective to hold information sessions and college fairs in cities around the country. If they'll be near you, you will absolutely learn something valuable to your college search if you attend.
- Finally, in honor of the class of 2023, a compendium of the best ever commencement speeches. I recommend any student bookmark the link and browse through it when they need a jolt of inspiration!
Last thoughts and MSquared notes:
As I mentioned in my last email, I'll be physically located in Saratoga Springs, NY by the end of June, and will continue to work with students anywhere by Zoom and Google Meet.
I can still accommodate a couple of current juniors to onboard soon and have a healthily paced research and application process. Starting our conversation before the summer allows for more time exploring options and getting to know each other! If anyone you know is looking for help, let them know. Early September will be the latest we can start and have an accelerated but thoughtful application process.
Families with students in grades 8-10 can begin a comprehensive advising package at any time. Note: my Class of 2025 is shaping up with some thoughtful students, and is already about half-full. We'll schedule regular check-ins to discuss course selection, extracurricular engagement, test prep, summers, and other topics related to making the most of high school and preparing for a low-stress college search. I really enjoy getting to know these young people and building a rapport with them ahead of the college conversation.
Follow the links at the top for all this month's insights, and share with your friends!
