High Performance Academics Blog

You picked a good moment. Maybe dinner was calm, everyone was in a decent mood, and it felt like the right time to finally bring it up. So you did — just a gentle question about colleges, about the list, about where things stood. And somehow, within five minutes, your teenager had left the table, the conversation was over, and you were sitting there wondering what just happened. If this sounds familiar, I want you to know something first: you are not doing it wrong. And your kid is not broken. This is one of the most common things I hear from the families I work with, and it happens in households across every income level, every zip code, and every combination of involved, loving, well-intentioned parents and bright, capable kids. The college conversation is uniquely loaded. And understanding why is the first step to having it go differently. Why This Conversation Is So Hard From where you're sitting, talking about college feels practical. There are deadlines. There are decisions. ...

If you've found yourself Googling "private college consultant" at 10pm, you're probably somewhere between curious and overwhelmed. Maybe your junior just started talking about college and you're not sure where to begin. Maybe you've heard other families mention working with someone and you're wondering if it's really necessary — or if it's just something people do when they have money to spend. I get that question a lot. And because I've spent 29 years in education — first as a high school English teacher, then as an associate principal for instruction at a high-performing high school — I want to give you the most honest answer I can. Let me start with what I tell every family who asks me this directly: no, you do not  need  a private consultant to get into college. Students get into wonderful schools every year without one. The information is out there. It's possible to navigate this process on your own. But here's what I've seen a...