Estrela Consulting Blog

Summer is coming! Summer is coming! Every year we hear from parents seeking our input on what their children should do during summer vacation to "make their applications look better" or to make them a "stronger applicant." While it's true that the summer months are a great time to do SOMETHING, the question is whether what that something is really matters on your college applications.

For those of us living in the northern half of the U.S., the weather makes summer feel like a LONG way off. But, in reality, it’s already April and school will be out before we know it. Summer is a great time for outdoor BBQs, swimming with friends, and catching up on some ZZZ’s after a busy end of the year. It is also the perfect time to work on your college planning process!

More than 300 college admissions deans (and growing) have signed a statement about what they expect and value in the admission process during this time. Here is just a snippet of the "why":

I’m an Independent Educational Consultant who loves my work guiding students through the process of sorting out the thousands of choices they have for college. I’m also the mom of two teenagers who have, or are going through, this very same process. The first time I went through college visits with my older son, I thought it would be easy to remember the distinguishing features of each school and ...

If you are like a good one third of the United States, you experienced unbearably cold and snowy days this past winter. As a result, you've been looking forward to summer for a long time! While most high school students will find themselves lounging poolside and sleeping in until all hours of the…afternoon…summer break also presents a unique opportunity for deeper engagement with the passions ...