When senior year actually starts in August, what do you want for your kid? I want them to walk in confident. I want YOU to
It is mid-May. School is almost out. Your kid is fried. You are fried. The dog is fried because you keep forgetting his food bowl
f you have been crying in your closet, your car, or your bathroom lately and you cannot quite explain why, this post is for you.
Josh is job hunting. In the middle of AP exam season, while juggling end-of-year projects and junior year burnout, my junior is also out there
Yesterday afternoon, Josh walked through the kitchen, dropped his backpack on the floor, sat down at the table, and said with the wearied conviction of
If you’ve ever spent more than 24 hours with a husband who is obsessed with the movie Hoosiers, you know there are certain places you
Today is May 1. If you are a senior reading this — you made it. I do not say that casually. I say it because
This week on the podcast I pulled back the curtain on something I have never really talked about publicly before. Not the college essay process
Let me paint you two pictures. Both families have a rising senior. Both families have been meaning to get organized. Both families care deeply about
Here is something that catches almost every family off guard. They spend months focused on the personal statement. They feel prepared. And then August 1
Every parent I work with wants to help with the college essay. That is not the problem. The problem is that nobody ever tells them
I got an email last week from a senior mom that I have not been able to stop thinking about. I had sent a note
Every year I work with students on their personal statements and every year I see the same mistakes show up. Not because families are not
We just got back from six college campuses in one week. Northwestern, Marquette, University of Wisconsin, University of Illinois, Indiana University, and Butler. We ended
We were not casually touring colleges. This was a full-on, slightly unhinged, spring break version of March Madness. Multiple campuses. A baseball game in Milwaukee.
Okay. Spring break is over. You survived the road trip, the college visits, the staycation that somehow felt busier than a regular week, and whatever
Something happens over spring break that nobody really warns junior families about. You plan the trip, or the visits, or the staycation, and you think
If you have a junior at home, there is a good chance the personal statement feels like a problem for future you. Summer, maybe. August
I have been sitting with something for a while now. At the end of this school year I am leaving school counseling. For good. I
A few weeks ago I sat across from a senior and his mom. He had options. A few schools, all fine on paper, all in-state,
If this week’s podcast episode hit close to home, you’re not alone. The ten o’clock research spiral. The seventeen tabs. The feeling of doing everything
Here’s something that surprises almost every family I work with. The sticker price of a college and what your family actually pays can be completely
Most families treat rolling admissions like a calendar convenience. The deadline is flexible, the answer comes back quickly, and the pressure feels lower than a
You pick your moment carefully. Everyone’s in a good mood. Dinner is done. You take a breath and say “So I was thinking we could
You pick your moment carefully. Everyone’s in a good mood. Dinner is done. You take a breath and say “So I was thinking we could
We didn’t do the official tour at Virginia Tech. No check-in table. No student guide walking backward while talking about traditions. Instead, we downloaded the
The Resume-Padding Trap Every fall, I have the same conversation with a parent. Their sophomore or junior has joined six clubs. Maybe seven. Student government,
In this week’s episode, I talked about why most families never discover the colleges that might be perfect for their teen—because they don’t know where
I’ve been a school counselor for years. And I’ve watched really smart, caring, invested parents make the same mistakes over and over. Not because they’re
Last week, a mom told me she’d crossed three schools off her daughter’s college list. Why? Because another parent at a lacrosse game said those
It’s course registration season, which means parents across the country are staring at course catalogs, trying to figure out what their teen should take next
Course registration forms are sitting on your kitchen counter (or in your email inbox), and you’re staring at a grid of classes thinking: What’s the
You’ve done the tours. You’ve walked the quads. You’ve eaten in the dining halls and sat through the admissions presentations. And now you have a
If your family is choosing colleges based on vibes, gut feelings, or a campus tour on a perfect spring day, this post might save you
This was a spend-the-day, head-home-before-dinner kind of visit. No overnight stay. No perfectly curated tour schedule. Just walking the campus, grabbing food where students actually
Winnie—my 9-month-old labradoodle—discovered snow last week. Well, technically it was Ice Storm 2026. But there was enough snow mixed in for her to experience it
Choosing a college is one of the most emotional decisions families make — and it’s easy to assume that a prestigious school is automatically the
Every year, I watch families build college lists based on rankings, campus tours, and gut feelings. And then April rolls around, the financial aid packages
College costs are out of control. And for many families, the biggest shock doesn’t come from tuition itself — it comes from the financial aid
Let’s talk about the most confusing thing in college admissions right now: testing. Because here’s what every junior parent hears: “Most schools are test-optional now!”
If you’re parenting a high school junior right now, chances are the college conversation has gone from background noise to full-volume overwhelm. Suddenly, everyone has
Winter break is over. The decorations are down, the leftovers are gone, and reality just walked back in the door. If you’re a parent of
The second semester of junior year has a way of hitting differently. The holidays are over, routines are back, and suddenly it’s clear: this isn’t
I expected Clemson to be pretty. I did not expect it to feel this easy to imagine for real life. Within minutes, it was clear
Happy New Year. If you’re a parent of a high schooler, January feels less like a fresh start and more like a deep breath before
The week between Christmas and New Year’s always feels like standing in a doorway. The rush slows. The noise softens. And there’s finally enough space
There is a particular kind of quiet that settles in during school breaks for families with high school students. The calendar opens up. The emails
Christmas Eve has a way of bringing emotions closer to the surface. For many parents of teens — especially parents of high school seniors navigating
There is a moment that sneaks up on many parents of high school students, especially during family gatherings, milestone seasons, or times when college admissions
College decision season is here—and for many families, it brings a mix of excitement, anxiety, confusion, and emotional whiplash. If your home feels tense right
High school counselor and self-proclaimed “helicopter mom” to two eye-rolling teenage boys. With over a decade of experience herding cats (ahem, working with students).
My mission? To transform the college admissions process from a stress-inducing nightmare into a family bonding adventure.
Plan the perfect high school schedule — and make sure your teen’s courses open doors to their dream college.
Get my Maximizing Your High School Course Selection: A 4-Year Strategy for College Success guide plus my monthly Stress-Free College Planning Tips newsletter.
