It comes more naturally for me to critique Girlie (for new readers, this is how I refer to my 12 year old daughter online) than to extol her unique gifts. Knowing this, I try to keep things in balance. To see her realistically as she is, but also to look beyond the typical “measures” of…

Parents often want to know how college admission officers view Advanced Placement (AP) versus International Baccalaureate (IB) courses on a high school transcript. Here are descriptions of both programs and some ways to evaluate them.   First, what are they? AP stands for Advanced Placement, a series of courses developed in the U.S. in 1956 by…

If you’re reading this, you’ve probably applied to schools and been admitted. You may have even honored the May 1st National Response Deadline and indicated to a college or university that you intend to register for classes, move into a residence hall and attend orientation. Maybe you have a hoodie with this school’s name on…

Post Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) is a program for high school seniors and juniors in some states, including Ohio. The options allow students to take courses at the college level for free and earn both high school and college credit. PSEO is often referred to as dual enrollment. Why should a student pursue PSEO? –…

Since today is Mother’s Day and most of you reading this are either parents or educators/counselors who have mothered hundreds of children, I thought I’d share my journey to becoming a mother. Remember today the impact you have made on the young lives you’ve touched, and the impact they’ve made on you. In my twenties,…

Most mornings find me scrolling through my Google web alerts, Twitter feed and Facebook friend posts (I know, I’m old) and various other web locales to connect and feed my hunger for information. Today that activity led me to find a gem of an article written by none-other than my teenage heartthrob, Rob Lowe. It’s…