College Counseling Advice

I met my wife in college. 21 years of happy marriage (really!!!) and three children later, I can’t help but feel grateful for my college choice. I realize that serendipity and all sorts of other factors led to my happy family life and coming from a semi-dysfunctional one, I know the difference! But I attended […]

When I was a prosecutor in Philadelphia, I worked with Drew Wrigley, the current Lt. Governor of North Dakota, likely future Governor, and, my guess would be future Presidential aspirant in a dozen years. Drew came from the fortunate circumstances of a family that has thrived in America for over a century. He’s also both […]

“Good point about finding my people.” Kat e-mailed from college. I knew Kat when she was in Old Saybrook and had come for college counseling. While we figured out her college fit, we remained a bit perplexed about her college major. She had expressed many interests as well as a deep dislike of commitment. We […]

“I think I want to go into engineering.” Kevin, a senior at Old Lyme High School, said to me about 10 years ago. “I’m pretty sure you’ll be happier in finance.” I replied. Kevin’s parents met with me thereafter for a college counseling session and asked me to explain my thoughts. I knew Kevin quite […]

Quick reaction: What do you think of someone when all you know is that the person majored in art history? Accounting? Psychology? Finance? English? Marketing? I’ve asked variations of this question to hundreds of Connecticut parents navigating the college process through the years. There is no right answer. But there are branding considerations that should […]

“You were right.  As soon as Will found his people, he knew which school would fit him.” Mrs. Arcano told me.  Will had graduated from The Williams School a few years back.  He had suffered over which school would fit his quirky personality. Will searched through Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York for colleges where he […]

“I don’t want to spend another $60 on an application.” Mrs. Cole said.  She had told her daughter Madeline, a senior at Old Lyme High School that she could apply to 6 colleges.  Since her daughter, like many college bound seniors, did not have a distinct college that she wanted to attend and since the […]

“Our number 1 student didn’t get into Penn.  She had great test scores as well.” said a guidance counselor from a Fairfield County public school. I asked a few more questions and then I understood. Caitlin was a straight A student and did very well on her SATs (although her scores might have also been […]

“I can get a job regardless of where I go to college.” Max, a sophomore at Guilford High School said. When young people say such things, it usually stems from hearing a well-meaning adult provide a partial truth.  In Max’s case, he heard this from the father of one of his friends, an electrician in […]

“You should consider a gap year.” I told Robby, a senior at Haddam-Killingworth High School.  Robby was one of those boys who had “awakened” sometime during his junior year after putting together a cumulative GPA of 2.5 during his freshman and sophomore years. During junior year, we started working together because his mom had read […]