Every summer, I hope to share words of wisdom that will inspire families as we embark on a new school year. As the first day of school approaches, many students and parents are feeling a mix of emotions-excitement, fear, and hope among others. I would like to share with you some of my favorite quotes

Each summer, Brennan Barnard, Director of College Counseling at The Derryfield School in New Hampshire, shares his own reading recommendations as well as suggestions from others working in the college admissions profession. Both students and parents can enjoy the books on this insightful list whether you are seeking intellectual engagement or a relaxing escape. To see more from

Save The Date! We are excited to announce that College Admissions Academy and Beyond BookSmart will be hosting an event “Set Up Your High School Student For Success” on September 23 at the Wellesley Library. Families with middle school and/or high school students, as well as educators, are encouraged to attend this free event. Executive function coach Jennifer Flewelling and college admissions authority

The 2019-2020 Common Application will arrive later this summer with updates to make the college application process smoother for students and educators. Read here to learn more about what’s new with the Common App for this coming year. And, don’t forget to check out our June newsletter filled with summer college fair information, popular education-related articles from

Graduation season for the Class of 2019 has arrived! We are very proud of our hardworking students graduating this spring and want to share recommendations in our May newsletter for families celebrating this joyous milestone. Both Shutterfly and Good Housekeeping offer extensive lists of creative gift options that would delight any grad. Additional recommended places to shop include Etsy, Hillflint, catchingfireflies, PBdorm, UncommonGoods, Mark

High school presents students with a myriad of opportunities to engage with their peers, explore academic areas of interest and delve deeper into hobbies and passions outside of the classroom. Satisfying academic obligations aside, students should make thoughtful choices about how they invest their time. The extracurricular landscape in a student’s life should be varied

Each summer, Harvard University and The College Board organize the Harvard Summer Institute on College Admissions, a program staffed by nationally recognized leaders in college admissions and other fields of education. Professionals from throughout the world gather at Harvard to discuss current and future trends in admissions, as well as best practices for advising students and families. Curl up with a

We are excited to share that Mindy Popp was featured in The Boston Globe in the Help Desk article “When it comes to your child’s extracurriculars, experts say focus on ‘building a life and not a resume’.” In addition to Mindy’s recommendations about extracurricular engagement, the title of the article highlights a value emphasized on

Check out our August newsletter to discover how you can help fight childhood hunger. Students cannot learn and achieve their potential when they are hungry. Purchase a fun celebrity-designed spatula from Williams Sonoma or contribute a donation to No Kid Hungry. You can make a difference today!

Last week, I was sitting in a discussion group, and a man seated across from me expressed his concern about the focus of our group’s work. He made it clear that the group’s purpose should not be to try to “move the needle” on his views. I immediately felt a strong gut reaction of disagreement.