Jessie's Blog

Why limit thanksgivings to November? 

Yes, you are correct: this November newsletter is landing in your inbox in December. Of course, I had every intention of sending this out on Thanksgiving, then on Black Friday, and then over the weekend. But life, as it does, intervened: a delightful Thanksgiving proper at my sister-in-law’s in Pennsylvania with three out of four of our children in attendance, followed by a swift drive up the NY Thruway to visit with our daughter, son-in-law, and three-mont…

What new couples don’t realize (how could they?) is that you’ll end up having the same argument—about the same core thing—for years, sometimes decades.

For Dave and me, that argument is usually about whether I’ve told him something. Just last week, I mentioned that I was going to book club Tuesday evening. He insisted I hadn’t told him. I was 98% certain that yes, I had told him. (I could even picture where we were standing in the kitchen, me scrubbing the broiler pan.) This verbal volley went …

Everyone is back to school and getting used to the new academic calendar. We wish you an engaging, healthy, and successful school year!

In the meantime, the college application process marches on. October 1, 2025, was the first day that any U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen who expects to apply for need-based financial aid can access, complete, and submit the FAFSA and CSS Profile.

Invariably, a whole host of questions arise. "How do I actually apply for financial aid?" "What do the acronym…

Click the link below to download the Elevated Admissions resource graphic. 

EA - Four-year plan - College to Internship/Job.pdf

Of the talented, hard-working, and how-in-the-world-did-you-manage-to-do-ALL-OF-THIS-in-four-years-of-high-school students that I worked with in the Elevated Admissions Class of ‘25, two stand out. Yes, they stand out on merit alone. However, they also stand out because their admissions journeys forced me to reckon with some hard truths regarding the state of admissions (and, ultimately, the supporting role that I play).

In the ‘80s and ‘90s, the landscape used to be that if you were in the t…

Hello !

This month's newsletter targets students who love their winter sports and want to continue participating in them once they get to college. The Elevated Admissions College Athletics Winter Sports Guide details both NCAA and USCSA programs across the United States. We have focused on Alpine, Freeski, Nordic, and Snowboarding programs.   

Click here to access the guide. 

Stay warm, and if you love winter sports, enjoy the season!

Axios recently published an article by April Rubin and Thomas Oide that explores the "why" behind SEC schools' recent surge in popularity with students hailing from the Northeast. The graphic below shows the shift over the last nine years. The article's opening line states, "Warm weather, affordability, and politics have prompted a teenage migration from the Northeast to the South." 

Whether this trend will continue remains to be seen, but understanding the trends can help you manage the colleg…

With great enthusiasm, we congratulate the Elevated Admissions Class of 2024! The acceptances were as stellar and varied as ever. 

Every one of our students did the satisfying but difficult work required: long hours of self-reflection, countless miles driven on college visits, and innumerable rounds of essay revisions to achieve an optimal application balance of self-promotion, vulnerability, and humility. 

Hello !

I am just going to be straight up with you. For a week (okay, make that two or possibly three) in January 2023, my motivation was nowhere to be found. Getting dinner on the table and walking the dogs felt overwhelming. On a scale of 1 to 10, my productivity was clocking in at a meager 1 when I typically hum along at a 7. This was certainly not the first time I've experienced a post-holiday, long-gray-winter funk. Nevertheless, I spent several days allowing myself to buy into the myth th…

Hello friend. It's been quite some time since you've heard from me. Where have I been, and why the radio silence? In order for you to let me back into your inbox, I feel I owe you an explanation. It seems appropriate timing, as January is "Mental Wellness Month."

As I've referenced many times in these missives, my family and I live on the east coast. My highly autonomous mother, on the other hand, had been living alone on a 340-acre ranch in remote Colorado with three dogs, six horses, and 25 h…