My approach

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The college search process is, at its core, an educational experience. Choosing where to go to college is one of the biggest decisions an individual will ever make and it happens right at a time when students are transitioning to a new chapter in their lives and experiencing a newfound sense of independence. This journey is many students’ first time partnering with the adults in their life as an equal stakeholder and making a decision with huge financial ramifications. As such, my philosophy regarding college counseling views the search as a learning opportunity where students can reflect on their own journey, be part of a team working towards a common goal, and develop the skills and mindsets needed to be successful in getting to and through college.

My approach to counseling, then, aims to be transformational rather than transactional. While I am here to help you find the perfect school for you and to be as successful as possible in reaching your goals, I also want to see you grow and develop as a human being who is prepared to go to college to become the most fulfilled and actualized version of yourself. I believe that when you are your best self, you are best positioned to identify, work towards, and achieve your aims.

I am not here to simply provide you with information so you can be accepted into the most highly-ranked schools possible. Instead, I help grow the mindsets and skills needed to successfully navigate the college search. Rather than teach you simply what colleges want to see on an application, I want to help you discover and cultivate the parts of yourself that have always been there so that the truest, brightest you can shine forward on those applications.

By utilizing this philosophy, I hope to take some of the stress and anguish out of applying to colleges. This doesn’t have to be a scary, intimidating process. Instead, it can be a journey of self-discovery that ends with you feeling excited, prepared, and ready for your next steps. It is still a difficult road, to be sure, but it can be one that leaves you fulfilled instead of burnt out.

With this approach in mind, here are several core tenets of my practice that are designed with the student’s experience, growth, and well-being in mind:

Nothing is an emergency

Finding the right college is an inherently stressful process. For many students, this is the biggest decision they’ve ever made in their lives up to this point. When you factor in the cost of college, the parade of deadlines students must meet, and the hundreds of emails students receive each month from dozens of different schools, things can quickly become overwhelming.

This is why I like to tell my students that “we have a lot to think about, but nothing to worry about”. Nothing in the world of college admissions is an emergency; failure is never imminent. Even the deadlines for most schools are not hard-and-fast and 99% of students will never face a situation where they need to stay up all night finishing an essay or filling out an application.

Especially in today’s go-go-go world, students are constantly being given deadlines and having more and more pressure heaped upon them. My approach is designed to help students breathe and move slowly, recognizing that creativity, passionate work, and growth all occur on their own time. The less that students find themselves stressed out by their applications, the stronger and more revelatory those applications will be. 

Self-advocacy and self-discovery (Student-directed)

The college search is a collaborative effort. For many students, this gets to be the first time they are an equal stakeholder in a decision-making process. They aren’t simply following the decision others make but instead have a hand in figuring out what their priorities and values are. Students get to decide how they want to grow in college and how their chosen school will help them develop into the adult they want to become. This excitement for the future is one of the best parts of preparing for college, but we can’t forget the impact this search can have on students in the present.

Because of this, I ensure that my students are co-conspirators with their own voice and autonomy. Students are expected to work hard to develop their own thoughts and opinions, and they are asked to voice those. Self-advocacy, the ability to say exactly what one needs in order to be successful, is an important skill that students need in college. During the search, I work with students so they learn how to articulate their thoughts and to support their opinions.

In order for students to learn to defend their perspectives and share their views, they must have the ability to formulate those thoughts on their own. Students need to be curious. They also need to know how to satisfy that curiosity through research, discussion, and reflection. Those able to engage in self-discovery are able to use the college search to find the path that is right for them instead of blindly following what others are doing.

This means that my interactions with students focus on helping them learn what is best for them. I do not tell students what school they should apply to or attend, just as I do not tell them what they need to add to their resume or what exactly they should write on their essay. Instead, I aim to give students the context and framework surrounding the college admission process needed so they can feel equipped to make their own decisions they can appreciate and feel confidence in.