Guest Blog by Sara Purviance: Modeling Gratitude for Our Teens
I'm grateful (see what I did there) to Sara for sharing these timely thoughts about gratitude. Sara was my colleague for several years,...
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Mark Moody
- Nov 20
- 7 min
November - January Counseling Calendar & Checklist
College Counseling Advice for Seniors Senior year is definitely well under way! You're settled into your roles as leaders in your high...
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Mark Moody
- Nov 20
- 1 min
A sortable College Finder tool from Jon Boeckenstedt
I cite Jon Boeckenstedt (pronounced, as he says, as if you're telling someone you aren't a fan of Mozart, you like Bach instead) often...
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Mark Moody
- Nov 20
- 2 min
AI in College Admission News and Opinion Roundup
Since ChatGPT created a massive cultural paradigm shift last year, one of the hottest topics and biggest questions in college admission...
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Mark Moody
- Nov 20
- 2 min
Yes, still more commentary on US News Rankings...
If you scroll through my blog archives, you'll see plenty of articles and commentary I've shared about the deeply flawed US News College...
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Mark Moody
- Nov 20
- 2 min
Students and Parents: Keeping balance and protecting well-being amid college pressure
The conversation about college in the US continues to feel fraught with uncertainty, with changing admission practices post-pandemic,...
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Mark Moody
- Nov 16
- 1 min
Pomona College goes Permanently TO
Here's some good news in the college admission world amid an increasingly confusing standardized testing landscape. Pomona College, one...
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Mark Moody
- Nov 9
- 1 min
For Seniors: After You Hit "Submit"
If you know a senior applying to colleges this year, here is some advice on what follows all that energy leading up to the celebratory...
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Mark Moody
- Nov 4
- 5 min
"Writing an Effective College Admissions Essay: Honesty is the Best Policy." Guest Blog Part 3
Post 3 of 3 (Read Pt 1 & Pt 2) Writing an Effective College Admissions Essay: Honesty is the Best Policy Anne Elrod Whitney, Ph.D. My...
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Mark Moody
- Nov 2
- 6 min
"Writing College Admissions Essays: Who Cares? You Do." Guest Blog Part 2
Post 2 of 3 (Read Part 1) Writing College Admissions Essays: Who Cares? You Do Anne Elrod Whitney, Ph.D. When you let your emotions tell...
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Mark Moody
- Nov 1
- 5 min
"Mission Impossible: Why College Essays Are So Hard to Write and What to Do About It" Guest Blog
Anne Elrod Whitney is a brilliant teacher of teachers of writing at Penn State. Anne and I were elementary school classmates from grades...
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Mark Moody
- Oct 27
- 1 min
News you can use: Colleges that Allow self-Reporting of SAT & ACT
As deadlines are approaching, and students make sure they have all the pieces in place for their applications, you can find some relief...
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Mark Moody
- Oct 23
- 2 min
College Admission 2023: What matters to admission offices now
The National Association for College Admission Counseling routinely conducts member surveys to determine what factors are most important...
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Mark Moody
- Oct 23
- 3 min
What to know about awareness of race in admission after SCOTUS
One of the central conversations in college admission in the US for the last year has been the pending Supreme Court decision on the SFFA...
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Mark Moody
- Oct 20
- 1 min
Extracurriculars: What really matters, from an experienced admission officer and college counselor
My friend and former colleague Sara Purviance is a smart and compassionate counselor, with a background in admission at Colorado College...
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Mark Moody
- Oct 17
- 4 min
About Independent College Counselors, and About Me
Why should you consider hiring an independent educational consultant? If you have a college-bound teen, most likely the process of...
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Mark Moody
- Oct 17
- 1 min
Looking Back on the Future of College Admission
Two years ago, I was invited to speak on issues in the world of college admission post-pandemic, along with Femi Ogundele, Associate Vice...
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Mark Moody
- Oct 1
- 5 min
National Conference 2023 in Baltimore: Big Takeaways and 3 College Visits
It's hard to explain the annual national conference of NACAC, the National Association for College Admission Counseling. Imagine 7,000...
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Mark Moody
- Sep 26
- 1 min
Local News: Cutting through college prep stress
The friendly folks behind Saratoga Today weekly and the seasonal Simply Saratoga magazine were kind enough to feature me in a profile in...
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Mark Moody
- Aug 3
- 2 min
2024 apps are open!
I hope that seniors are feeling refreshed and recharged from a restful and productive summer. The start of August has arrived, and that...
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