What's my goal?
Someone reading this blog might not like the tone. You might think it’s too cynical. You may have very fond memories of college (I do!) and so have an instinctive aversion to thinking about admissions as a transactional process. Maybe the lens through which I view the process, that colleges’ self-interest comes first, is a little unsettling. There’s a reason why they call economics the dismal science.
Can I please tell you why I use this approach? Because I want to lift burdens and give families clarity and peace. I want to give you the best information possible, so you can decide which elements of the admission-optimized high school experience work for your kid and which don’t. And then you can stop worrying about it.
I don’t want you to have that nagging fear that you’re missing something that everyone else in this zero-sum race knows about. I want you to know what elements of the application matter and are under your control, and the ways to achieve them with the least hassle, stress, and money, so you can ignore everything else and enjoy time with your kid.
I don’t want your family to waste any time or effort, because the opportunity cost of that waste is so high. I don’t want your kid to miss out on track meets, sleep, goofing around with family and friends, or peace of mind because he or she is doing something that doesn’t matter.
Can I please give you some examples? One of my clients was so relieved when I told her that her daughter didn’t need to take both the SAT and ACT. Now that kid can spend more time doing what she enjoys, rather than studying for an unnecessary test.
Here are two stories from people who weren’t my clients; people tend to volunteer their stories when they hear what I do for a living. Both are adults and applied to college well before I was in this business, but I wish I could have given them better advice.
One spent hours and hours practicing a sport, hoping that it would give him a leg up in admissions. But it isn’t an NCAA sport! I’m sure that the experience taught him self-discipline and gave him strong quads, but it did not help him get into college.
Another told me how she sacrificed social time to practice a very common instrument. She thought it was worth it, because it would help her get into good colleges. Realistically, she wasn’t going to plug a hole in any college orchestras. I hope that she gained a fulfilling hobby and an enjoyment of classical music, but those hours of practice themselves didn’t help her get into college.
My goal is to give your family peace of mind, and the tactic I use to get there is a clear-eyed (maybe cynical) appraisal of colleges’ self-interest and behavior. I ignore the PR, wishful thinking, and nostalgia and focus on the regression results, so your family can rest easy. Wise as serpents and gentle as doves, as the Bible verse says.
One last thing. I use a different pricing model than most people in this business. You don’t have to buy a five-figure package from me. You can just pay for what you need. One hour? Great. Fifteen hours? That’s also great.
I also offer less expensive online classes, if the one-on-one sessions aren’t in your family’s budget. Those seminars offer the same advice that I give private clients on the most common and important topics I discuss with families. They’re just in a different format and include less personalization.
You can choose the approach that works for your family and budget.
How can I help your family? Here’s where to sign up for one-on-one sessions and online seminars.
