Admissions Update for 2024 Grads and Families

When I posted decisions last Sunday, two students were still mysteries…

Now announcing: they will attend Boston College and Baylor University!

Despite my work to “destress the college process,” our college admissions system relies on low admit rates to stir up thousands more applications to create revenue along with an inflated sense of “prestige.” Admit rates at large state universities make them no longer “possibles” for many students. With the exception of states like North Carolina and Virginia with legal limits, residents are often denied, and out of state students who may/may not–enroll, are admitted. Popular private and super-selective public colleges that used to admit between 20% and 40% of applicants have become “unlikelies,” admitting 15% or fewer. 

Admission to college has never been “fair,” and it’s less so than ever. I remain committed to guiding my students and families by providing personalized counseling, up-to-date data, deep dives into colleges’ academic/social culture–and getting answers. Belonging to an international professional network allows us incredible access to college admissions offices and inside information. Next week, I’ll start filling you in on what I learned at the Independent Education Consultants Association Conference and details about the 14 colleges that Samantha and I visited between us. That’s not counting the “10 College Speed Dating” we did!

When I first began working with you, I said: “It matters less where you go to college than what you do while you are there.” See below, from the homepage of www.lesscollegestress.org:

Rest assured that your kids will gain admission to excellent colleges. Let's shift our outlook forward, when most of them will be happy at college. Take a long-term view, and encourage them--and ourselves--to believe that college achievements matter much more than which colleges they choose to attend.

I hope you all believe this now and are excited for the journey ahead. I am so excited for you. Please refer Less College Stress Consulting to family and friends who will benefit from professional college support, and share a brief testimonial I can add to the website. Happy Mother’s Day!