Seek Discomfort

Soon-to-be college students would be wise to listen to college graduation speeches. Students can learn how to make more effective choices during college by heeding the advice of those who have achieved a degree of accomplishment and notoriety,  increasing their odds of realizing their vision and generally living more purposefully. In 2015, John Waters, film…

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Educational Investing Quagmire

As state revenues shrink, the subsidies to public K-12 schools and higher education systems will shrink proportionately, effectively increasing the (or likelihood of) fiscal deficits for educational institutions. In a recent Bloomberg News article discussing the economic state of affairs in California, the fifth largest state economy in the United States:  California Governor Gavin Newsom…

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Why Do You Want to Attend College?

As an educational consultant, when I ask the question in the title, students and their parents are often stunned and momentarily speechless. Parents usually look at their kids, shrugging their shoulders, as if to communicate, “She’s asking you, you answer.” Then, kids often confess that although they expect to attend college, they’ve never really considered…

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When will we go back to “normal”?

“When” is stumping even the best scientists and medical researchers. And, while historical virus outbreaks may offer precedent, uncertainty is still pervasive, creating complexity for families seeking to make educational decisions, like choosing a college.  Recently, Warren Buffet’s long time Berkshire Hathaway collaborator, Charlie Munger, who also earned his wisdom being alive for the last…

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A Break from The Extraordinary

Seemed apropos for these extraordinary times, as parents worry their children are falling behind in their learning, high school students worry they will be less competitive for college admissions with Pass/No Pass marks this spring, continuing college students worry they aren’t experiencing the quality of education through distance learning, isolated in their homes, not gaining…

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College Waitlist Leverage

Ahead of the traditional, widely accepted national enrollment deadline of May 1 for first year college students, although some colleges have extended the enrollment deadline to June 1 due to the COVID-19 health crisis, college admissions officers are already extending offers of admissions to waitlist candidates. I contacted two different admissions officers on the West…

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A Chance to Ask Why

Since K-12 and college students are “distance learning” for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year, and the majority of extracurricular activities have also been cancelled, students are sharing that they’re “bored, but don’t know what to do.” Additionally, some parents worry that their kids’ aren’t “productive with their time.” So, to take advantage of…

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