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August 2023 Newsletter
College Smart Families, For those of you who I haven’t met yet, I’d like to introduce myself. I’m Ed McCarthy, Catherine’s son, who will be joining the College Smart Advising team and helping with a handful of clients this year. I’m a Navy Veteran, long-time alumni interviewer, and experienced project manager. I love coaching and Read more
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Tips for Effective Email Communication with Colleges
Since many college information sessions, meetings, tours, and events are taking place online, you might find your inbox more full than usual. In the absence of on-campus visits, some of the best ways to learn more about those schools is through webinars, virtual tours, and student panels. Thus, I recommend that students subscribe to the prospective student email Read more
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All or Nothing
When I am helping students revise essays, one of the first projects is to conduct a search for the word “always”. Always usually appears in sentences like, “I have always wanted to be a pediatric oncologist.” and “I have always loved behavioral economics.” Really? You wanted to be a pediatric oncologist when you were five? Read more
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Tips for Off-to-College Shopping
There are ten thousand sites with lists of dorm essentials that you *have* to buy for students. It can be tempting to fall into the mindset that preparing for college means a series of giant trips to Bed Bath and Beyond, Target, and Walmart. Before you go wild stocking up on every item on the Read more
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Decision Day
It is hard not to view the end of the college application season as the grand finish line to the marathon process of researching colleges, drafting and revising essays, and submitting applications. For some, the finish line is a celebration with balloons and a Gatorade bath. If this is your story, Congratulations on your good Read more
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A Response the College Admissions Cheats
The sordid college admissions scandal has caught the public’s attention and brought attention to just how far some families will go to get into the “right” college. There are many parties to blame for this appalling crime: the high-stakes private consultant, the cheating doctors and test proctors, the desperate parents, greedy college coaches, athletic directors, and (in Read more
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