Harry Bauld has been helping students write the college application essay for more than thirty years. For years, when I was Co-Director of College Counseling at Colorado Academy, we brought Harry in to lead an essay workshop for our seniors, and I watched him distill a lifetime of writing lessons into a couple of hours. Ironically enough, Harry Bauld is in fact bald. (And he wouldn't mind my joking about that!) His 1987 book, On Writing the College Application Essay, is still

It’s not just fewer eighteen-year-olds. It’s a culture that has slowly, decisively decided that education is a product with a return, not a process with a becoming. It’s a generation of parents who have been taught — by rankings, by social media, by the sheer economic terror of the middle class — that the only safe education is the legible one. The one with a major, a GPA, a clear line from enrollment to employment. It seems that the news about Hampshire College, a relatively

There’s a lot of uncertainty in the college admissions experience, and a lot of factors you can’t control. Resist the temptations of clickbait posts and anecdotal advice in parent forums. Someone’s story of “how I got in” is not a blueprint for anyone else. Help your student stay focused on their own purpose for going to college, your priorities and limitations, and their evolving, evidence-based understanding of fit.

You did the research, you did the work, and now.... you're the decider! For some, this is the most challenging step of the process, and that's understandable. Ever heard of the Paradox of Choice? It's the part of the process nobody really talks about. Over years of college counseling, I've identified a set of factors to help make the decision. Read through these decision factors and consider them honestly —that's a challenge, too. If you find yourself twisting your brain in k

In this piece, James Murphy summarizes the state of Early Decision — both more prevalent than ever and precarious due to concerns about its use and abuse by colleges and by families who violate the binding agreement to attend. My thoughts? There are too many for one blog post, but ED is still an option that we have to discuss when highly selective colleges are on the table. However, the guiding questions are still: Am I in range of being admitted to this college? ED is not a

8 independent college counselors offer perspective on why you might or might not choose to work with someone like us!

2025 has been a fascinating admission year, and one fraught with anxiety and pressure for college admission deans, as well as students...

I am seeing ads lately for subscription services or downloads of step-by-step Common App guides to get you subscribed to be sold more...

How my 25 years of experience distinguish me in an unregulated profession.

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...

The National Association for College Admission Counseling routinely conducts member surveys to determine what factors are most important...

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...

Two years ago, I was invited to speak on issues in the world of college admission post-pandemic, along with Femi Ogundele, Associate Vice...

The friendly folks behind Saratoga Today weekly and the seasonal Simply Saratoga magazine were kind enough to feature me in a profile in...

I have some exciting news to share! As of July 2023, MSquared Counseling's home base will be in Saratoga Springs, New York. One of the...