I don't speak in stats...

I’m one of those certified educational planners / independent educational consultants who doesn’t speak in stats. Yes, I can get you those stats—SAT/ACT preferential scores, acceptance rates in ED/EA/RD, the suggested GPA for first year applicants—but at the heart of every conversation, a personal, best fit approach needs to be present.

I’m that person who didn’t apply to NYU as an Early Decision applicant back in the day because I was trying to strategize my greater chance of acceptance; I applied ED because I really, REALLY wanted to go there. I applied EA to many other schools not because of strategy, either, merely because I didn’t want to be a second semester senior without knowing yay or nay to certain institutions.

It’s okay to apply based on dreams and goals. It’s okay to figure it out along the way.

But aren’t we hiring you to help us strategize a plan so we’re not winging it?

Of course. But even the most well-crafted plans in the college application process do not always work out.

Casting a wide net based on a) available resources for application fees b) ‘making sure’ you’ll get into a school regardless of whether it’s choice #1 or choice #12 c) leaving doors open for different majors, different campuses, and different paths is crucial.

While NYU was my first choice, Ann Arbor Michigan was my second; I had never been to Michigan. Really had no intention of going there to live forever after graduation, either. I loved their program for Musical Theatre. My intended path was living in NYC within this field. My other path was a pivot to Michigan to come back to NY four years later. I was set on a few items, but not married to particular path.

When we understand where compromise doesn’t compromise what we need and want, it’s okay use a more qualitative approach then a quantitative one.