General Advice 2/2

College vs. university? Public vs. private? What is the difference anyways?

Alison Merzel

Jul 6, 20202 min read

College vs. university? Public vs. private? What is the difference anyways?

When most high school students begin thinking about colleges, their list typically begins with schools they have heard of - those their...

Find the school that is ranked #1 for YOU

Alison Merzel

Jun 17, 20202 min read

Find the school that is ranked #1 for YOU

Rankings are essentially a marketing tool for colleges and universities - you can find a ranking for just about anything: "Most Wired...

Access. Information. Education. For All.

Alison Merzel

Jun 4, 20202 min read

Access. Information. Education. For All.

As a white woman who was raised in an upper middle class family in a predominately white neighborhood, I cannot claim to know what it...

Alison Merzel

May 21, 20202 min read

COVID-19 Doesn't Define You

As high school juniors are preparing to write college essays, of course the novel coronavirus is top of mind. Every single one of us has...

Alison Merzel

Apr 27, 20202 min read

Test Optional is not Test Blind

As so many colleges and universities announce that they will adopt a test optional admissions policy for this fall, you may be wondering...

Remember, college is a journey and this is just one stop

Alison Merzel

Apr 23, 20202 min read

Remember, college is a journey and this is just one stop

Without question, this is a difficult time. So much has been lost or taken away, and while this is true for everyone in some way, it...

Alison Merzel

Apr 20, 20201 min read

Waitlist Status and COVID-19

Are you wondering about your waitlist status in light of COVID-19? Geography may play a larger role in your chances of getting a coveted...

College Admissions & COVID: What schools are saying

Alison Merzel

Apr 7, 20203 min read

College Admissions & COVID: What schools are saying

By participating in multiple Zoom calls, I have heard from several Admissions Directors over the past couple of weeks and wanted to share...

Tips for researching colleges from home - Part 3

Alison Merzel

Mar 30, 20202 min read

Tips for researching colleges from home - Part 3

Last week I gave you some suggestions for researching colleges for academic and social fit. Building an appropriate college list requires...

Tips for researching colleges from home - Part 1: Academic Fit

Alison Merzel

Mar 23, 20203 min read

Tips for researching colleges from home - Part 1: Academic Fit

While visiting a campus in person is certainly going to give you the best idea as to whether you can see yourself enrolling as a student...

5 tips to help you select a school from your offers of admission

Alison Merzel

Mar 10, 20203 min read

5 tips to help you select a school from your offers of admission

If you are a senior who has applied to college for the Fall 2020 enrollment term, this is the time of year when you are evaluating your...

Unsure about your summer plan? Get a basic job.

Alison Merzel

Mar 3, 20202 min read

Unsure about your summer plan? Get a basic job.

Last month I shared a blog post about summer programs for high school students that were worth exploring. This month I want to shed a...

Alison Merzel

Feb 21, 20203 min read

Show me the money!

If the cost of your child's college education is going to play a significant role in where they will be able to enroll, it is never too...

What really matters in your college application

Alison Merzel

Feb 11, 20201 min read

What really matters in your college application

Every year, the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA) surveys its member college admissions experts to get insight into...

Alison Merzel

Feb 4, 20201 min read

Visit campus from the comfort of your couch

Visiting a campus is going to give you the best sense of whether you can picture yourself as a student at that school. However, if you...

Alison Merzel

Jan 22, 20203 min read

The Dreaded "D" and the Wicked "W"

Defer. Waitlist. Students and parents often use this language interchangeably, but they don't actually mean the same thing. Technically,...

Summer programs with benefits: Learn what they are and are not before you shell out the big bucks

Alison Merzel

Jan 15, 20202 min read

Summer programs with benefits: Learn what they are and are not before you shell out the big bucks

Earlier this week, CBS posted an article explaining why expensive summer programs at elite institutions will do nothing to improve your...

3 easy New Year's resolutions your high schooler can keep

Alison Merzel

Dec 30, 20192 min read

3 easy New Year's resolutions your high schooler can keep

Most New Year's resolutions are not kept because people set goals and expectations for themselves that are not realistic. Here are three...

Alison Merzel

Dec 16, 20193 min read

Hiring an IEC doesn't alert the FBI

Just as I was preparing to launch my own independent education consulting practice, the news of the Varsity Blues Admissions scandal had...

Alison Merzel

Dec 4, 20192 min read

Give them some space

When my kindergartener starts to feel overstimulated and her siblings are in her face, she loudly yells, "Give me some space!" While we...