This month marks a decade since I embarked on this incredible journey as an independent educational consultant. What started as a passion for helping students unlock their potential has grown into a mission to guide young minds through the pivotal stages of high school, college applications and admi...


Your college admission journey is an exciting chapter filled with opportunities to explore your passions, discover your strengths, and shape your future. As you embark on this path, remember that every step—big or small—brings you closer to your goals.

Stay curious, stay confident, and embrace the pr...

Avoid Common Pitfalls

Here are some common traps students fall into when writing their essays and how to avoid them:

  1. Clichés and Overused Topics: Writing about how “winning taught me to work hard” or “I want to help people” can be true, but they’re overused and generic. If you choose a common topic, f...


Your college essay is more than just another box to check off on your application; it’s your one shot to stand out among thousands of applicants with similar GPAs, test scores, and extracurricular activities. A great essay can set you apart, while a weak one might leave you lost in the crowd. So how...

Thank you to students for attending my college workshop

1. Colleges are looking for alternatives to the personal essay

With 1 in 5 teens admitting to using ChatGPT to complete schoolwork, college admissions officers are becoming more vigilant about Artificial Intelligence (AI)-assisted essays. As a result, many colleges are looking at alternati...

Excited to attend the 14th Annual College Changes Everything conference hosted by ISAC! This event consistently features dynamic and engaging speakers who are deeply committed to advancing educational equity for all Illinois students and families. Every year, I leave with innovative strategies to in...

Heading to college is an exciting and transformative experience. Here are some pieces of advice to share with a student before they embark on this new journey:

Academics

  1. Stay Organized: Use planners or digital calendars to keep track of classes, assignments, and deadlines.
  2. Time Management: Balance stud...

It's almost time for college students to move into their dorms and get ready for the upcoming school year. If that's you and you haven't checked "submit my FAFSA" off your to-do list, take care of that ASAP.

As of July 5, less than half of the high school class of 2024 had submitted a Free ...

Hello Parents of Rising Seniors and Juniors,

Are you wondering how to support your students through the college application process? Our comprehensive workshop is here to help! Designed to guide your students through the intricacies of college applications, our workshop will take the uncertainty out ...

I had the immense privilege of facilitating a college application workshop at Fermilab in Illinois for students participating in the Target and Valor summer programs. It was a rewarding experience to share key insights on how to navigate the application process and make it as enjoyable and stress-fr...

Information about a college applicaation workshop this summer

Colleges want to see more than just good grades and test scores on your college application. They want evidence that you possess personal qualities associated with success in college. Here are 9 personal qualities colleges look for in applicants.

It’s no secret that selective colleges look beyond th...

National Decision Day is May 1. Is your family ready to make the choice of which college your student will attend?

While National Decision Day, which is May 1, may have unclear origins, it has definitely become hyped as the time to make a decision for what to do after high school graduation. And for...


You've received your first college acceptance letter, and you're bubbling with excitement!

After you've shared the news with your loved ones and celebrated this major accomplishment, you're left with some choices to make. Is this college "the one?" Are you ready to commit?

There's no need...

Tips for a college visit over Spring break

The spring semester presents a wonderful opportunity to take an inventory of your academic experiences thus far, especially the positive ones. While underclassmen with fewer experiences may have a tough time determining interests or passions, there are simple questions to help identif...

Students have a right to view their admissions files under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974. While many students who have viewed their files saw it as a valuable learning experience, the Admissions Office sees it as a potential source of misinformation about the application proc...

The writer of this essay is a 2023-24 Student Voices Fellow at Chalkbeat. 

Tap. Tap. Tap. Sitting in the Seward Park Public Library, my fingers dance as they click away at my laptop’s keyboard, their momentum fueled by the overwhelming sense that all my ha...

On Tuesday, Jan. 31, the Department of Education (DOE) announced that colleges and universities won’t receive Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) information until mid-March. Originally estimated to arrive by late January, this delay may have been caused by a ...

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