Strategic Admissions Advice

If your child is in 10th or 11th grade, March and April are when clarity should begin replacing confusion.

Tip 2: Waiting too long to define a testing strategy.

Spring is the moment to decide whether testing will be part of your teen’s plan. Hoping scores “work out” later often creates panic in the fall.

Action step: Decide by April whether your child is pursuing SAT, ACT, both, or a test-optional strategy. Then align summer plans accordingly.

If your child is in 10th or 11th grade, March and April are when clarity should begin replacing confusion.

Tip 1: Treating activities like résumé fillers instead of identity signals.

Colleges are not impressed by long lists. They are looking for consistency, growth, and genuine interest. Activities should help admissions officers understand who your child is and what they care about.

Action step: Ask your teen which activities they would keep even if colleges never saw them. Those are the ones that matter most.

On Today's Episode of The College Admissions Profiles: Union College

⚡ One of the oldest, yet still ahead of its time. Discover Union’s blend of tradition and innovation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1g__lhk8RCk&list=PLU9jN7jH7Xgg0DGRpR4O1EsYcmsOi80Ci&index=9

Families...

Tip 3: March is when college list direction should begin to form.
This does not mean picking final schools. It means identifying patterns. Size, location, academic strengths, cost sensitivity, and student support all matter.

Action step: Have your teen identify three things they want from a future college environment and three things they do not want. Write them down. This becomes the foundation of list building.

10th & 11th Grade Families-

Tip 2: Rigor should stretch your teen, not overwhelm them.
Colleges value challenge, but they value judgment more. A student buried under advanced classes with slipping grades does not look ambitious. They look misaligned. The strongest transcripts show students choosing rigor they can handle and performing well.

Action step: Look at last semester’s grades alongside next year’s course level. If your teen struggled significantly in a subject, discuss whether the next step up is realistic or risky.

11th Grade Families: Wednesday Tip

Tip: Course selection decisions made now echo into senior year.
Spring course selection is not just about next year. Colleges look first at what a student plans to take senior year, before they ever see final grades. A schedule that shows progression, intention, and appropriate rigor signals readiness. A schedule that looks random or overly cautious raises questions.

Action step: Ask your child to walk you through their proposed schedule and explain why each class makes sense for them. If they cannot articulate the “why,” that’s a signal to pause.

On Today's Episode of The College Admissions Profiles:

Skidmore College
🎨 Creativity matters here. Learn why Skidmore is perfect for students who think differently.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zv2u-pc773c&list=PLU9jN7jH7Xgg0DGRpR4O1EsYcmsOi80Ci&index=10

I want to go one level deeper regarding AP, IB, Honors, Advanced or Dual Enrollment, because once families understand that rigor matters, the next question is almost always the same:

Which rigorous courses actually make sense for my child?
AP, IB, Honors, Dual Enrollment

On paper, they all sound impressive. In practice, they are not interchangeable, and choosing blindly can create problems you never intended.

Here is the most important thing parents need to hear, especially families in the Classes of 2029, 2028, and 2027:

Course selection should never be blind.
It should always be intentional.

Colleges are looking for academic alignment.
Alignment between your child’s ability and challenge.
Alignment between grades and rigor.
Alignment between interests, long-term goals, and the academic story the transcript tells.

On Today's Episode of The College Admissions Profiles: Bucknell University

🎓 Liberal arts meets engineering excellence. Explore what makes Bucknell a hidden gem.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqqMpjL0LoQ&list=PLU9jN7jH7Xgg0DGRpR4O1EsYcmsOi80Ci&index=11

There is a quiet moment every spring when many parents realize something important. Course selection is coming, and suddenly the stakes feel higher than they did before.

For families of high school students, especially those with current 11th graders, this is not just another scheduling decision. The classes your child chooses for next year will shape how colleges interpret their readiness, their ambition, and their academic judgment. And yet, most parents are asked to make these decisions quickly, with limited guidance, and often without fully understanding how admissions offices read a transcript.

One of the biggest misconceptions parents carry is that course selection is about checking boxes or keeping up with peers. In reality, it is about alignment. Alignment between ability and challenge. Alignment between interests and rigor. Alignment between the story your child’s activities tell and the story their classes reinforce.

Colleges are not impressed by overwhelm. They are impressed by intentionality.
Appropriately rigorous courses matter!!!

On Today's Episode of The College Admissions Profiles:

Florida A&M University (FAMU)
🧡💚 An HBCU powerhouse. See why FAMU’s Rattler pride runs deep.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43RNviTby4o&list=PLU9jN7jH7Xgg0DGRpR4O1EsYcmsOi80Ci&index=12