General Education Advice

“I want to write an essay about the college application process.” So said a generally thoughtful senior from Guilford High School.  “I’m going to write about how stressful the process is…” I politely let her finish and then, as tactfully as possible, let her know that such a topic is both unoriginal (every year, there […]

When I first started running SAT prep classes on the Connecticut shoreline over twenty years ago, walking into a classroom was an energetic, noisy affair. Ten to twenty high school juniors would be bantering, laughing, and arguing across rows of desks. I never minded having to quiet them down to start the lesson. I took […]

“I Don’t Know What to Tell Her Anymore” Lisa, a mother in Old Saybrook, called us in the fall of her daughter’s senior year. Her daughter, Hannah, was a thoughtful, creative student who wanted to study design and communications. Lisa was worried, and she was honest about why. “Everything I read says artificial intelligence is […]

When a Great Student Has the Wrong College List Ellie, a junior at a Guilford high school, had everything a college admissions office likes to see: strong grades, a leadership role on her robotics team, and a summer job at a marine lab on the shoreline. Her mother, Karen, called us anyway, and she sounded […]

David, a twenty-year-old from Old Saybrook, CT, who decided not to go back to college his junior year, looked at me with exasperation: “I know they mean well. But I don’t want to answer another question.” He meant his kind parents. I only know most clients through a working relationship. But I know David through […]

Charlie, a junior at Lyme-Old Lyme High School, walked into our offices with no interest in studying for the SAT. He was, he told me, “a bad test taker.” “How do you know?” I asked. He pointed to his PSAT results, which were far lower than he had hoped. “What did you do to prepare?” […]

Fall is always my busiest season. By this point, I’ve been working with many of this year’s juniors since early summer — we typically start with SAT prep, then roll directly into college counseling while continuing to refine test scores along the way. My seniors follow the same arc in reverse: I’ve usually known them […]

My favorite subsidy of The Learning Consultants is Career Counseling Connecticut. Career Counseling Connecticut has partnered with James Folgia, a brilliant and caring construction executive who wants to help educate young adults in the last part of his career. We did so, in part, due to the growing number of articles and interest in the […]

My work in career counseling emanated from a mission to help young people transition into adulthood. Historically, the handoff from high school to college put parents at ease, because they assumed that from there, the kid would either figure it out or a job would be waiting for them on the other end. Neither is […]

The Learning Consultants has partnered with James Folgia, a brilliant and caring construction executive who wants to help educate young adults in the last part of his career. We did so, in part, due to the growing number of articles and interest in the trades.  Interestingly, as I became excited about Jim helping us, I […]