College Admissions/International

US University Options in Europe 

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By Laura O’Brien Gatzionis, MEd, IECA (Athens, Greece)

There are numerous ways for students to gain global experience and increase their transferable and marketable skills while broadening their horizons. Study abroad has become a typical college experience for many students. Gap years are another fascinating possibility. Many universities, including Tufts, Princeton, UNC-Chapel Hill, and Harvard, actively encourage entering freshman to consider a well-planned bridge or gap year. Families are interested in learning more about English-taught, bilingual or immersion bachelor programs outside of the United States, which may be ideal for independent, adventurous, curious personalities.

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College Admissions

Social Media Audit 

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By Brittany Maschal, EdD, IECA Associate (NY)

High school students today usually know what to remove from or make private on their social media accounts, but it’s far better to be safe than sorry when the time to apply to college comes around. What you don’t know can possibly hurt you, which is why I conduct a social media audit on all my students, and I often ask that parents do the same. I let students and parents know through my monthly emails, so they know it’s not targeted or personal.

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Millennials

Generation Z Comes of Age

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By Mark Sklarow, CEO, IECA

It seems like just yesterday when admission reps and independent educational consultants rushed out to attend workshops and seminars to better understand millennials—roughly those students born from 1977 to 1995. Those students are now close to ending their college careers and are firmly established in the workplace. Their quirks, priorities, focus, and work style are something we baby boomers and gen Xers are now seeing up close: they are our coworkers and, increasingly, our bosses.

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Independent Schools/School Admissions

Cognitive + Character: Measuring What Matters in Admission

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By Heather Hoerle, Executive Director, The Enrollment Management Association

When my daughter was applying to independent schools just a few years ago, I was keenly aware that there was more to her than her academic record. Would a file, for example, share the story of her deep empathy for others? As the executive director of the Enrollment Management Association (formerly SSATB), a nonprofit membership organization for independent schools and the governing body for the Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT), that personal experience was especially meaningful because it brought to light the need to help admission professionals go beyond the transcripts, teacher recommendations, and cognitive test scores. Traits that are hard to measure, such as teamwork, empathy, and integrity, are signs of values and character in action and part of what independent schools are looking for in children who apply for admission.

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gender nonconforming/Transgender

Key Considerations for Placing Transgender, Transsexual, or Gender Nonconforming Clients

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By John L. Singleton, CEO Whetstone Academy

Over the past decade, the number of individuals who identify as transgender, transsexual, or gender nonconforming has increased dramatically. Independent educational consultants (IECs), both traditional and therapeutic, are now finding themselves in a dilemma when recommending an appropriate placement for these clients. In response to that increase, however, we are also seeing more discussions and support that are based on the best available research and professional consensus to assist in appropriate placement of those clients.

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Gap Year

Why Take a Gap Year?

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 By Ethan Knight, Executive Director, American Gap Association, and Sarah Persha, IECA (OR)

From all available data it is clear that gap year programs have profound impact on young people including personal growth, academic attainment, and postcollege success. The two most common reasons students cite for taking a gap year are “burnout from the pressures of getting into college” and “a desire to know more about myself.” With students increasingly reporting that the achievement bar has gone up for the most competitive colleges, forcing students into relentless performance for the sake of college acceptance, it’s no great surprise, then, that the second most common reason would represent a deeper pursuit of self alignment and personal awareness.

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College Admissions/Liberal Arts

The Truth About Liberal Arts Education

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By S. Georgia Nugent, Senior Fellow, Council of Independent Colleges

As the former president of two liberal arts colleges, I am dismayed by the misinformation surrounding these institutions and the value of a liberal arts education. For our young people to make well-informed decisions about their future, they need accurate and up-to-date information about the array of choices American higher education offers. Yet many of the stories circulated in popular media today present distorted, stereotypical, or downright wrong information about colleges and universities.

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college consulting/College Students/Learning Disabilities

Executive Functions for College Students: Don’t Leave Home Without Them

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By Patti Schabinger, MEd, IECA (IL)

While attending my youngest son’s freshmen summer welcome session, I sat with other eagerly attentive parents and students as the dean asked what we considered the most important skill necessary for success in college. Some listeners may have thought academic preparation would trump the list; however, when the speaker announced time management, heads subsequently nodded in silent agreement.

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College Admissions/Financial Aid/Merit Aid

Debunking Need-Based and Merit Aid Myths

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By Sandra M. Moore, MA, IECA (NY)

Imagine this scenario: you’re leisurely surfing Facebook when you notice that one of your friends has posted a frantic alert: “Beware of the ABC virus that’s chewing up mass quantities of emails from coast to coast. Do NOT open messages that include in the subject line any combination of the letters a, b, or c.”

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Graduate School advising

Master of Management

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By Whitney Laughlin, EdD, IECA (Canada)

The Master of Management (aka, MIM, MM, MMgt, MMS, MSc in Management) is a one- to two-year program for students from a wide variety of academic disciplines that covers a broad range of topics in business management, typically with a focus on leadership. In many programs, students may have the option to concentrate in or specialize in several areas, such as accounting, finance, entrepreneurship, human resources, international business, and marketing. Some may also include internships or on-the-job placements to help prepare the student for the workplace. The MIM is tailor-made for the liberal arts graduate who wants a business degree before their first “real” job. With an MIM, they would typically be considered for more than an entry-level position because of the leadership and management background the degree provides.

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