NYC Public HS Applications Are In, Now What?

NYC Public HS Applications Are In, Now What?

(The following is an updated version of my blog from December 2018!) I often get the question, “We’ve done all this work submitting applications, now what happens and why does it take so long to get results?”  The bad news is, there’s a somewhat agonizing wait for 8th...

Uploading Specs: NYC Public HS Additional Materials

In case anyone has trouble uploading additional materials in MySchools this week! Additional Tips for Uploading Additional Materials in MySchools: File Name: Please make sure that the file name does not have special characters like pound signs, hashtags, hyphens,...
High School Admissions: Your Questions Are Answered!

High School Admissions: Your Questions Are Answered!

Reposted with permission from InsideSchools.Org Got questions about applying to high school? We’ve got answers! Our two high school admissions webinars presented with NYC Admissions Solutions cover everything from rules and procedures to finding schools that are...
My application is in – Now what?

My application is in – Now what?

I often get the question, “We’ve done all this work submitting public high school applications, now what happens and why does it take so long?” The bad news is, there’s a somewhat agonizing wait for 8th grade families across the city to receive their high school...
Ten Tips for a Great College Essay

Ten Tips for a Great College Essay

The College Essay. Those three words can elicit many emotions and reactions to a rising senior who needs to write one in the next few weeks and months. While I am the first to say the essay is probably the most challenging part of the college application, it does not...
Cómo elegir la escuela secundaria “adecuada”

Cómo elegir la escuela secundaria “adecuada”

El proceso de admisión a la escuela secundaria en la ciudad de Nueva York ha tenido algunos cambios desde la pandemia. Algunos de estos cambios incluyen la fecha límite para las aplicaciones, que antes de la pandemia solía ser diciembre, y también cómo algunas de las...
Insight from the Specialized School Admissions Office

Insight from the Specialized School Admissions Office

As admissions decisions are being made, and offers of placement start rolling in, parents of children with special learning needs are feeling an increased level of anxiety knowing that seats are so limited.  There are so few specialized schools offering full-time...
Looking Toward 2022

Looking Toward 2022

It’s been a roller coaster of a year, and just when we thought we could breathe a little bit easier, the world is turning upside down again.  As we approach year 3 of COVID and parents juggling work/home demands, sheltering in place or quarantining, and monitoring our...
Back to School And A New Admissions Seasons

Back to School And A New Admissions Seasons

The excitement of the new school year is universally palpable; the smell of the new school supplies, books, shiny new shoes, and “school clothes.” Although many years have passed, I can still recall the fun of shopping for my school supplies after the first day of...
Accommodation: Empowering or Enabling

Accommodation: Empowering or Enabling

As parents and educators, we want our children to have every opportunity to achieve and experience success. Classroom accommodations, testing accommodations, and related services are all put in place to help the student gain access to content, complete tasks, and...
How Retention Fits into Finding the Right Fit

How Retention Fits into Finding the Right Fit

For more than 6 years I worked in offices that developed programs and supported students in the first year of college. I worked as a university retention officer tasked with ensuring university-wide programs were positively impacting the retention of its students from...
Learning Disabilities: NOT a Life Sentence

Learning Disabilities: NOT a Life Sentence

You’re pregnant! The happiest time of your life! For nine months your thoughts are consumed with your hopes and dreams for the future of your child. Aside from the obvious concerns, “ten fingers ten toes”, healthy heart, lungs, brain, you begin to wonder, “will he/she...
Dana’s Summer Reading & Listening List

Dana’s Summer Reading & Listening List

The mid-spring months are always an exciting time of year. Around that time, we begin receiving college admissions results and can start planning out how our fall semester may look. It’s also a great time to start putting together a “summer reading...
Summer Time Planning While It’s Cold Out!

Summer Time Planning While It’s Cold Out!

For those of us in the Northeast, we are at the point in the winter season when the idea of warm weather and being outside without multiple layers of clothing on is very appealing. While we can all daydream of a more temperate climate, it is also a good time for high...
Overcoming the Feelings of an Admissions Rejection

Overcoming the Feelings of an Admissions Rejection

As a college counselor, I both enjoy and feel a slight sense of despair at this time of the year. Usually beginning in mid-December, colleges from around the country that choose to offer Early Decision or Early Action plans, will begin the process of notifying...
What to Consider When Applying to College

What to Consider When Applying to College

When it comes to schooling in the U.S. things are just different. Schools are in-person, a hybrid model, fully remote, or taken on an entirely new process/meaning for a family. No matter where your student is with schooling this year, there are some important points...
Tips for a Successful New School Year

Tips for a Successful New School Year

Each year, as the month of August commences, I find myself thinking how quickly the summer has gone by and in a few short weeks we are all back to school. This year, I, like so many, are thinking about how this year is unlike anything I could have imagined and there...
College Admissions & Covid-19

College Admissions & Covid-19

The topic of how the Covid-19 health crisis dominates our news cycle (and our lives) and the amount of  information and resources available to us can sometimes be very overwhelming. When it comes to thinking about how the college experience and application process has...
Fall  SAT & ACT Testing

Fall SAT & ACT Testing

As it is well reported, the testing situation around the SAT and ACT has been a challenging one to navigate for many students around the country. With the slow reopening of the tri-state area and the quick reopening of other states around the country, the testing...
The Summer is Here… Now What?

The Summer is Here… Now What?

 The school year has come to an end…finally.    I speak to students and families regularly about how challenging the past few months have been, but now many are concerned about what the summer months are going to look like for their student.    Most students...
Set Yourself Apart in Just 30 Minutes per Week

Set Yourself Apart in Just 30 Minutes per Week

For most people, school admissions is not a top priority right now, nor should it be.  At the same time, I’m hearing a lot of comments from parents about the application process such as, “There’s nothing I can do,” or “I feel like I can’t make any progress.”     I’m...
College in the Age of COVID-19

College in the Age of COVID-19

As I spend hours a day reading news reports, emails from college admissions offices, and managing my overwhelmed professional association lists, I find that the same words keeping popping up: Unprecedented, unknown, uncertainty, test-optional, waitlists, gap year, and...
Coronavirus: Let’s Ask Questions

Coronavirus: Let’s Ask Questions

As the Coronavirus situation changes hour by hour, so do our thoughts about what’s to come in the months and years ahead.  Indeed, as you read this, the situation surrounding the crisis will have already changed from the time this was written, perhaps even...
Building a College List that Makes Sense

Building a College List that Makes Sense

  When I sit down with students during an initial consultation, after I ask many questions about grades, test scores, favorite and least favorite subjects, and extracurricular activities, the question that usually prompts smiles on the face of families and surprises...
Tips for a Successful New School Year

Tips for a Successful New School Year

As the month of August commences, I find myself thinking how quickly the summer has gone and in a few short weeks we are all back to school. As both a high school college counselor and independent college counselor for the past ten years, admittedly, I still find...
It’s Never Too Early for a Visit

It’s Never Too Early for a Visit

Over the past ten years as a college counselor, I have been asked countless times by families: Does my student need to visit a college before he/she/they apply? Can’t we just wait until they’re accepted before I/we have to take time off of work or spend money to...
Why a meaningful and enjoyable summer matters

Why a meaningful and enjoyable summer matters

Summer is around the corner and many families are crossing the final “t’s” and dotting the final “i’s” of their plans. For many high school students however, the pressure to have a summer that is filled with non-stop activities, programs, or travel plans can sometimes...
Public High School Applications Are In – Now What?

Public High School Applications Are In – Now What?

I often get the question, “We’ve done all this work submitting applications, now what happens and why does it take so long to get results?”   The bad news is, there’s a somewhat agonizing wait for 8th grade families across the city to receive their high school...