Educational Consulting Blog
A Boarding School Learning Skills Program Celebrates a New Home
Kents Hill School has been on the fore of learning differences programs having had a program for 32 years. The Akin Learning Center represents the latest step in the center’s journey from living room, to library, to dedicated, purpose built facility.
Read MoreNew ADHD Guidelines Include Children as Young as 4, As Old As 18
Released this past Sunday, the American Academy of Pediatrics “has expanded the age range for the diagnosis and treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to children as young as 4 and as old as 18.”(HD) “…’ADHD is a chronic condition. We can provide symptomatic treatment, but it doesn’t cure the condition. Treatment has to be [...]
Read MoreAn Educational Consultant’s Notes on St. George’s School
Two notes before talking about my visit to St. George’s School- the first- a note of full disclosure- St. George’s is not new to me. My daughter graduated in 1988. The second, an acknowledgment of the shool’s physical setting and beauty- the campus is one of the most beautiful locations for a boarding school imaginable. [...]
Read MoreAn Educational Consultant’s Notes on The Williston Northampton School
I was very impressed with The Williston Northampton School (a co-ed boarding & day school in Easthampton, MA). Students were happy, engaged and eager to tell me what they like about Williston and why they chose it over other schools. I felt an energy everywhere, with everyone, I saw and met on campus from, staff, faculty [...]
Read MoreSkepticism Over College Rankings Applies Equally to Private School Rankings
Over on the Independent Educational Consulting Blog, Dodge Johnson, IECA president, offers his preemptive salvo on the coming U.S. News annual college rankings. Suffice to say, he’s skeptical; not a fan; and his piece can serve a foundation on why it’s important to approach many types of rankings with a healthy dose of skepticism. Dodge’s [...]
Read MoreA Good Friend Offers A+ Advice for Cutting the Cost of College
Christine Chapman’s of Starr & Chapman Educational Consulting is the subject of an AOL Original interview exploring ways to reduce the cost of college- “Six Tips for Cutting the Cost of a College Education.” The quick interview draws on Chapman’s experience as new parent facing the cost of saving large sums in her family’s effort [...]
Read MoreIt’s Never Too Late to Apply to Boarding School
Our new free ebook, Applying to Private School After the Deadline, is now available! You think you’re too late to apply to a boarding school in July. You’re wrong. You can still apply. Applying late, or, coming to the admission process late, doesn’t mean “don’t apply.” It simply requires some different thinking and processes a [...]
Read MoreConsidering a Junior Boarding School for Your Child?
Yesterday, a mom called the office asking about junior boarding schools in the south- a quick straightforward question that quickly grew from the practical to philosophical. The family was new to the notion of boarding school and, within that, working to come to terms with an eighth grade daughter who might be best served in [...]
Read More“I was waitlisted at my first choice school, how can I get off the waitlist?”
Last night, a reader submitted the title question and it makes for a great post this time of year. Here’s our answer: There’s no guarantee that a private school will have an opening and move to accept you from their waiting list. The first order of business is not to close the door(s) at any [...]
Read MoreSSAT & ISEE Study Tips: Verbal Section and Essay Writing
Editor’s note: Building on Aristotle Circle’s first post that looks at the SSAT & ISEE and their math sections, this second entry offers test prep advice for each exam’s verbal essay writing sections. Preparing for the verbal section The verbal section of both tests relies heavily on a strong grasp of vocabulary. This means understanding [...]
Read MoreAn Intro to the SSAT & the ISEE
Editor’s note: Testing is one of the realities of private school admission. Parents and students labor and pour over the tests, test preparation and divine clues about what roles test scores play in each school’s admission decision. Our colleagues at Aristotle Circle are kindly sharing their expertise in private school admission tests through a two [...]
Read MoreA Military School Primer for Parents
Editor’s Note: This post was recently published by Kristin Dooley of Estrella Consulting, an educational consulting firm that works with students & parents to find the best educational fit. She writes regularly on boarding school & college admission on her blog, Dooley Noted. This post ran on 2/21/11. We appreciate that she shared her piece with [...]
Read MorePrivate School Decision Day 2011: Acceptance, Rejection, & Financial Aid
With many admission and financial aid letters arriving today (the traditional boarding school notification day), it’s a good time to highlight and provide quick links to our library of articles and blog posts covering the post admission-decision landscape. Keep in mind- no matter what decisions the schools make and no matter what decision you make- [...]
Read MorePerspectives on Private School Rejection
Washington Post, writer Jay Matthews has a timely piece addressing private school rejection (albeit a little bit ahead of the traditional boarding school acceptance date of March 10). “Private School Rejection? Don’t Panic Yet” covers some well travelled ground quoting a couple of consultants and touching lightly on the concept of ‘school fit’ and he’s [...]
Read MoreSchool’s (Almost) Out For Summer…Now What to Do?
The start of the New Year clearly symbolizes one thing for students…the halfway point of the school year! Though the seasons may differ for students residing in different parts of the world, many still refer to the months of June and July as “summer” and begin looking ahead to their break from school. However, this [...]
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