It’s not rocket science. There isn’t a shortcut. It’s not magic. It’s simple. Mark Cuban says there is 1 thing that separates successful people from everyone else.

You’ve been asked, what seems like a million times, “What do you want to do?” You think you know what you want to do (Although at 16 or 17 how could you possibly know!).

In light of the horrendous news about 50 people attempting to cheat the system, resorting to bribery and other means to get their children accepted into their college of choice, it’s important to highlight the ethics standards of IECA, the Independent Educational Consultants Association.

Difficulty accompanies growth and feeling incompetent is a part of this very important process. If you never feel incompetent you can’t grow. Seth Godin states this succinctly and eloquently where it all makes sense.

Living for the moment and craving immediate satisfaction may have some merit under certain circumstances but when it comes to your money, planning and looking down the road can have immense benefits.

Ryan, a very bright and high achieving student, has been told for as long as he can remember that he’s going to attend an Ivy League school. It is meant to be. How could it not?

Will attending that name brand school make all the difference for my future? I subscribe to Seth Godin’s daily blog and today’s brought home for me what I tell my students and families in approaching not only where you go to school but life in general.

“6 is The New 4” What does this mean, you ask? The “Four-Year-Myth” of students graduating with a 4-year degree is very real and you will see most colleges recite their graduation rates in 6 years vs. 4.

Long a College Town, Worcester Now Looks the Part

If you are going to take the time and effort to go visit a college, being sure that you gather all the information necessary to understand if that college is a good fit for you is important.

This NY Times article is a must read and something I have been communicating to my students and families for years. Honors colleges at public universities are an option that should be strongly considered as an option for those high achieving students that are potentially considering the highly selective university route. The experience you can have going down this path can be incredibly fulfilling and shouldn’t be put to the side.

Jack Welch always has great advice and this one doesn’t fall short for our college graduates who are searching for a job. At a time when finding the quickest way to do things seems to be the norm, preparing for a job interview takes more time than any test you studied for in college. 2 primary takeaways for me are: know the company inside and out that you are interviewing with and listen to your parents.

Summer: • Visit Colleges • Decide where to Apply • Letters of recommendation • Write essay(s), Sept/Oct: • Visit Colleges • Take Standardized Tests • Decide where to Apply • Letters of recommendation • Write essay(s) • Applications submitted

Top 10 Tips for College Planning
1. The start is scarier than the finish. If you fail to plan you will plan to fail.
2. There is a college for everyone. Define your needs, personally, academically, professionally and socially to allow for the best college match possible.

This NY Times Op Ed article is incredibly appropriate for the seniors who are receiving their final responses to all the colleges that they applied to as well as any other high school student who will be applying to college in the next round of college application season. I tell all of my students, don’t let your college responses define you.

Many of my clients tell me that they are concerned about how much attention their guidance counselor can provide for their college admissions journey. I always let them know that expectations of our guidance counselors may be too high given the number of students they have to manage, leave alone the other responsibilities they have other than college counseling.