Jessie's Blog

Success Stories — Chester, College of Engineering at Montana State

You had better like mountains and snow at Montana State! You had better like mountains and snow at Montana State!

#trexselfie Mom's hair at least made the pic. #trexselfie Mom's hair at least made the pic.

"Jessie and her team at CompassU have been invaluable in our college selection endeavors. Chester received many generous merit scholarships offers, and we are very excited that our son will attend the College of Engineering at Montana State University.

From the beginning, Jessie, using her depth of knowledge, was very helpful setting up our list of potential schools and the goals we needed to ac…

Read more…

News Worth Sharing — A Link for You

This article appeared int the NY Times last month. Are you curious about the advice admissions officers give their own kids? I know I am, and often ask when I meet with admissions officers and IEC colleagues. The article interviews officers from Kenyon College, Penn State University, Vanderbilt University, UCLA, UNC, Chapel Hill, Allegheny College, MIT, GA Tech and University of Richmond. Good Stuff.

Diane Anci and son, Kenyon College. Source: NY Times Diane Anci and son, Kenyon College. Source: NY Times

A Link for You — Advice College Admissions O…

Read more…

College Visit Follow-Up Dos & Don'ts

Finding.Creating.Card_-232x300

The truth, straight up: Students that engage proactively land in better places. And, they feel better about things, too.

Visited a campus? Met an admissions officer at a college fair? Have a collection of college rep and tour guide business cards? If you’ve answered yes to any of the above, there is a next step, and it isn’t to let the cards migrate under the seat of the car, fall to the bottom of the backpack, or end up under your bed in the pile of college marketing glossies.

Is your goal to…

Read more…

Sometimes School Sucks, but Thanks Mom & Dad

“If you spend your life feeding people’s vanity, you get so you can’t distinguish what should be respected in them.” —F. Scott Fitzgerald

“Leave your pride, ego, and narcissism somewhere else. Reactions from those parts of you will reinforce your children’s most primitive fears.” —Henry Cloud

Martin Family Vacation, Spring 2009 Martin Family Vacation, Spring 2009

Bryn, our sophomore in college, called in February. “I just don’t get it, Mom.” One of his closest friends had just withdrawn in the second semester of his sophomore year. …

Read more…

Success Stories — Grace '15, Sofie '16

Grace, Class of 2015, is an accomplished rider. Grace was also Park Scholar Finalist at Ithaca College, but felt Marist to be a better fit. Grace, Class of 2015, is an accomplished rider. Grace was also Park Scholar Finalist at Ithaca College, but felt Marist to be a better fit.

Jessie helped both of our daughters find their unique voice and through the process they became more confident and better writers. This was undeniably valuable for my now freshman at Marist College because she continued to develop this new found skill in her freshman year writing course and used the writing center at her college, just as she had learned fro…

Read more…

Success Stories — Brianna Shares Her Story

We are so proud of Brianna, recipient of a named scholarship to cover her undergraduate and medical school tuitions. We are so proud of Brianna! Brianna received a named scholarship to cover her undergraduate and medical school tuitions, sealing her decision to attend Calvin College.

"I wouldn’t want to imagine my college search process without Jessie. Senior year is a transitioning year, regardless of who you are. Having Jessie walk with me through is a blessing I am so grateful I had the opportunity to experience.

Life counselor. These two words describe Jessie’s role in my life this past year. Jessie helped …

Read more…

Success Stories: Cassie — Sacred Heart University

Cassie and I met a few weeks before May 1, the big decision day! She's getting close to a decision and if this selfie is any indication, she is looking forward to it. Cassie and I met to talk about her incredible offers including merit aid for BSN Programs. It is a few weeks before May 1, the big decision day! Cassie will attend Sacred Heart University, plans to compete on SHU's Figure Skating Team and study abroad in Australia her junior year.

 

"When your child begins the college process, it can be an exciting yet nerve “wrecking ” time of your life. Like all parents, we wanted our daughter to have the best possible outcome with all aspects of the college pr…

Read more…

Testing — Tie a String on Your Finger

stringThe Spring testing season is upon us. Each student's testing schedule is unique. Some have chosen to only prep for the SAT or ACT. That said, if your student is planning on applying to highly selective schools, your student's AP and SAT Subject Test scores matter more than you may suspect. Schools with admissions rates 30{475f6e8ad7be3161114314a988b7e8f491719bdeedead1da50322e1eadee8259} or less fall into these categories. The more competitive the admissions rate, the more these additional test s…

Read more…

Whatever you do, don't ask about my major.

dontaskaboutmajorBRIGHTA few years out of college and newly married, David and I headed back to South Mountain for the annual Lehigh-Lafayette Football Game (in this century this tradition is known as LeLaf). Following the game we went to a cocktail reception at Theta Chi, and the brick exterior, white columns, and pungent odor of beer long-seeped into the parquet floors greeted us — almost as if we had never left. As the crowd gathered and the volume rose a couple of drinks in, I overheard a question posed by one of …

Read more…

ACT or SAT? — Three Considerations for Each

ACTorSAT2016

The landscape of standardized testing shifts more often than the faults running beneath California.

Like it or not, standardized tests play a significant role in an applicant’s file. In 2015 the ACT underwent “quiet” changes and in a few short weeks the new SAT will go live, in a “loud” way. Sometimes less information is more, so here are three considerations for each of the tests.  

Knowing your students strengths will go a long way when deciding which standardized test is right.

Read more…