The Insider: College Admissions Advice from the Experts

Turning the Tide: An In-Depth Look At The Harvard Admissions Report 

One thing is clear about the recent Turning the Tide report on the state of college admissions, released recently by the Harvard Graduate School of Education: a single conversation simply isn’t enough to cover all the issues raised by the report. Regular listeners will recall that, in the March 17 episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation, host Ian Fisher and guest experts Elyse Krantz and Beth Heaton introduced the report’s basic findings. But in order to provide a more comprehensive analysis, this week they continued their robust conversation, digging more deeply into the effect and impact the results will have on college admissions, and what it means for students. Ian, Elyse, and Beth addressed ways that students can engage with diversity and community, as the report recommends, while still allowing students to ‘find their authentic self’ in the application. They also addressed the concern raised by the report for ‘overcoaching’ in the college admissions process, and the role that strong college advising and counseling can play in the process.

On last week’s episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation, guest host Ian Fisher shared some insight on the college process from the perspective of a large, public university, helped listeners better understand the process of financial aid verification, and shed some light on how colleges evaluate the high school that your child attends.

We’re bringing back our popular series, Meet an Admissions Counselor, where we introduce students and families to a different member of the College Coach admissions team. Drop in to see what we’re reading, where we went to school, and our strategies for beginning the college essay. As you work with us to find an educational consultant who best fits your needs or the needs of your child, we will help you consider the personality and working styles that will bring out the best in you or your student. Today we introduce Julia Jones, who works with students both remotely and in our Newton, MA office.

“Where do you want to go to college?” is a simple question on the surface. But for most high school students, it’s one that is fraught with anxiety and can raise more questions than answers. Sure, there is an easy, simple answer for a few students: that one dream school they’ve set their sights on for years. For most though, the decision about where to spend your college years is the first big decision of your life, and one with lots of angles, perspectives and unknowns.  In my 11 years as an educator with College Coach, I’ve spent countless hours in conversation with students and their parents helping them to answer this one question: how do they find the place that is the best “fit” for their interests, talents, and aspirations.

The College Visit. It’s a rite of passage for many students, and it’s also the best way to really get a feel for the campus and determine if a school is the right fit. It’s also the best way to demonstrate your interest to a college, something that has become much more important in college admissions in recent years. If you’re only looking at schools within a couple of hours’ drive from home, you can and should visit.  But what if you are looking at schools on the other side of the country?  Unless you have unlimited resources, a campus visit isn’t always practical. So how do you effectively research a college without actually visiting the campus?