As the daughter of an immigrant mother and a military father, Sydney Montgomery knows first hand how daunting the college admissions process can be for first-generation college and law school students and aims to push students to be inspired, empowered, and achieve their full potential. Sydney shares some of the challenges and struggles 1st generation college students will encounter when they arrive on campus and her tips and resources to help students succeed.

When COVID19 hit and college students were sent home, students were frustrated, disappointed, and angry. But some students turned that energy into something positive creating programs, businesses, and communities that have positively impacted many people. Student Impact is one of those organizations.  Ana Stanisavjlev founded the non-profit, Student Impact, which supports students, teachers, and schools in the time of online learning. 

College is for many students the first time they are responsible for their physical health. Going to college there are a ton of legal and medical forms that may not seem like a big deal at the time but can be impactful in a medical emergency. From insurance disclosure to HIPPA forms, parents and their students need to be organized about preparing for medical situations once their child is away at school. Laura and her son Zane bring in a personal medical emergency experience that opened their eyes to just how complicated forms are and how to be prepared.

We invited Emma B Perez, a mentoring coach to teens and young adults to share her framework, tools, and resources she uses as she guides young adults through her college and career workshops.  Through self-discovery, identifying what your priorities and values are, talking about money, and career exploration will guide young adults to gain a clearer understanding of who they are, what they might want to focus on next, and the next steps required to achieve their goals.

Does your student have a love of photography, gardening, or fashion? Julie Kim works with students to help them create passion projects which align with their academic and personal interests. Through her detailed framework, she works with cohorts of students as they identify, develop, and implement their passion projects over the course of several months with some students continuing to pursue their projects in college. Julie enjoys watching students learn, grow, and thrive through her programs.

College Admissions have been hosting virtual tours, information sessions and student panels during the last 6 months. College consultants are also hosting webinars in conjunction with area college admissions representatives and current students. We invited Jenna Shulman, Founder of Jenna Shulman College Consulting, to join us today as she has launched a Summer Series with the New Jersey college admissions reps for 50+ schools. These sessions are free and available to all. It is a great opportunity to listen and learn more about the schools you or your student is interested in. 

As a parent and educator, one of our objectives is to create a trusting, safe, and respectful learning environment for our kids and students to thrive. How can we support students as they navigate the college admissions journey and the transition from high school to college? How can we encourage students to step forward and take charge of defining what is important to them as they research their next learning experience? What are some techniques and tools students can use to navigate their college journey to chart a course that will help them thrive, learn, grow, and develop the strength to be successful throughout life?

Marsha Ray, M.A., brings an informed and unique voice to study abroad advising and college experience advising, based on teaching experience, in the U.S., in France and Italy, where she resided for 17 years.

A parent, writer, editor, alumni interviewer, and college application essay coach, Pat Berry shares her insights and tips on how to start writing your college essay and how to prepare for the alumni interview. As the summer kicks off, students have an opportunity to take some time to reflect and brainstorm ideas for how to write a thoughtful, insightful, and interesting essay. 

High schools and colleges are incorporating mindfulness and meditation into all aspects of their curriculum and colleges are investing in wellness centers. Given the current situation, now more than ever students, parents, educators, and businesses are all looking at ways to reduce the anxiety and stress in our daily lives. How can we incorporate mindfulness into High School and the college admissions journey?

Carolyn Caplan, aka AdmissionsMom, joins us today to share her mindfulness techniques into every aspect of the college admissions journey. 

We are interviewing students who have been on a gap year to share why they choose to take a gap year and what they would recommend to fellow students entertaining a gap year.

Beatrice is the creator behind the Bliss Bean, a self-improvement and productivity blog and YouTube channel, which has 75,000+ subscribers, and in her spare time loves to study languages, read, and travel. Beatrice was born in Lithuania and immigrated to Wisconsin with her parents at the age of 4. She is currently on a post-high school gap year doing freelance photography and traveling for two months. Beatrice is gearing up to study Communications and Digital Media at IE University in Spain in the fall.