By now, you may have heard that a few HBCUs and the Ivy League schools have canceled their fall sports programs due to COVID 19. It's a smart move given their desire to slow the spread of the virus and doing as much as they can to protect their athletes, coaches, athletic staff and "regular" students. These schools are choosing "not to risk it" and by making this announcement now, in mid-July, are giving all parties involved more time to make a bunch of necessary decisions about education, health and life.

And of course, money.

Some Division 3 NESCAC (New England Small Colleges Athletic Conference) schools have also already canceled and more will come in the coming weeks. Those that have not are...

As students wind down the school year and are starting to look at what’s ahead for their 2020-21 application cycle, they must know more than just the basics. Yes, colleges will start grades, scores, resume, recommendations and essays, but how much each will weigh in the process is still, like almost everything, uncertain.

Historically, colleges have focused on 13 key factors in terms of admission:

• Rigorously appropriate curriculum with Honors, AP and IB classes

• Highest grades possible

• Solid ACT or SAT scores that is consistent with high school performance

• Strong, well-written personal and supplemental essays

• Diverse resume with activities that show passion and purpose 

• ...

As the coronavirus continues to spread across the globe, several camps, colleges, and universities are canceling their on-site summer programs. Many people are even speculating that colleges will not even start in the fall. Craziness.

What I do know is that for students applying to college in the fall, essays and resumes, their stories, will play a significant contribution to their process.

Stories, not stats, will play a big part of college admissions 2020.
I’m willing to say that students who are creative and innovative will stand out tremendously this year and I’m willing to bet all the way through 2023. Yes, freshmen in high school will have more emphasis on their stories, not solely...

College admissions offices are almost done with the class of 2020 and will quickly turn their attention to the class of 2021. When you and your child cannot visit in person, there are many ways to engage with the admission office via technology:
Parents, please share this with your kids:

Follow the colleges’ social media accounts (but make sure that YOUR accounts are clean first!)

#1 Subscribe to and comment on admission offices’ blogs.

#2 Sign up online for recruitment emails. This identifies you as a prospective student and puts your information in the college’s database.

#3 Open and, if appropriate, reply quickly to any emails you receive from colleges. Click through on the...

With the COVID-19 chaos and every college in the country now closed for the year, students and parents need to really evaluate if they want to or need to return to the same university. While your child may be “happy” where they are, the question is now: how productive will they be? 

College students are on the clock in terms of graduation. For families that are concerned about college costs, there is a lot of uncertainty about how some schools will handle finishing this semester and move forward in the fall. My fear is that the kids who were on the four-year-track may now need an extra semester or year to finish. 

• How will distance-learning credits count towards...

Many eighth graders will be ending middle school soon and they're going to be going off to high school in the fall and want to make sure that you are equipped with the information that you need to be successful.

First and foremost, parents, please talk to your kids about college. The reality is that they're going to be applying to college in four years. And no one wants to be blindsided by how quickly it kind of came up. Talk to them about college, what the expectations may be of high school, and help them understand that they're laying the groundwork to have a successful college admissions process.

In addition, talk to them about possible majors, possible career interests. No one has to know what...