The Pilgrim College Guidance Blog
News, trends, insights, and the occasional self-indulgent fluff piece
Photo credit: Jen Jordan Photography
The Difference Between College Counseling and College Consulting
Well, I did mention that there would be the occasional “self-indulgent fluff piece…” If this is the first blog post you’ve read on this site, I would probably recommend reading a different one. You’ve been warned. But it’s been a while since I’ve written anything and I did want to address this topic since I just finished my first semester at my new school. It’s been eye-opening how many families hire outside counselors even though they have a dedicated and experienced college counselor (not guidance counselor) at their disposal. In the past, I was annoyed at how many families hired out, but after consulting for a few years and now being back in the independent school world while finishing up with my current clients, it doesn’t bother me as much. I’ll share some insight into the difference between my work in both roles. I suppose my audience for this post is families who are part of independent schools who are considering hiring out.
Mental Health and the College Admission Process
I can’t believe this is my first post of 2023. I guess my break from blogging was longer than I had anticipated, but I’m excited to begin with some very important information. I am part of an organization of former independent school college counselors turned consultants (more on this in a future post) and we meet monthly to exchange ideas and best practices and hear from occasional guest speakers. We recently had the wonderful opportunity to hear from Alice Huang, LCSW, MA, who shared some thoughts about anxiety and resilience in the college admission process.
Talking About College During Thanksgiving
This will be a quick post for parents of juniors and seniors. We can all probably use a break right now, and luckily one is coming up. Thanksgiving is the time of year for family to get together…and talk about college. I’m kidding, but I’m also not. I recall in my youth trying to avoid pointed questions about my college and unrealistic life plans and more recently, I’ve had students express frustration about the Thanksgiving dinner conversation. Words like “ambushed” and “interrogated” have been used. Now that we’re officially in the holiday season (I’ve seen Christmas lights already), and especially with Thanksgiving coming up, let’s talk about talking about college.
In Search of an Identity - Reflections on the 2022 NACAC Conference
Maybe one of these years, I will write an individual post about every session I attended at the NACAC conference. It didn’t happen last year. And it’s not happening here. I have to confess that I was reluctant to even attend this year’s conference. There is never a convenient time of year for this event, but this year seemed even more hectic and uncertain than usual. I only went because…well, it’s NACAC.