by Dr. Barbara | May 25, 2026 | Blog
By December of senior year, the mother was crying in my office. Her daughter had stopped eating lunch. Her son, a sophomore, had started hiding in his room whenever applications came up. Her husband was angry about the consulting bills. And she herself hadn’t slept...
by Dr. Barbara | May 25, 2026 | Blog
You get eligible with your mind. You get in with your heart. I’ve written that sentence on a thousand whiteboards over thirty years. Parents nod politely when I say it. Students stare at their shoes. And then, invariably, the parent asks: “But what about the test...
by Dr. Barbara | May 14, 2026 | Blog
“I need a remarkable project,” the junior told me, pen poised over a blank notebook. “What should I do?” I sat back in my chair. This was the third student that week to ask me the same question the same way — as if a remarkable project were something you could order...
by Dr. Barbara | May 14, 2026 | Blog
“I’m not student body president,” Kevin said quietly. “I’m not captain of any teams. How can I show leadership on my applications?” Kevin was sitting across from me with the same defeated look I’ve seen in hundreds of teenagers. He had 4.0-level grades, a quiet...
by Dr. Barbara | May 8, 2026 | Blog
I hear it every spring. A parent calls me in April of their child’s junior year, voice tight with urgency. Their student has a 4.0. Perfect test scores. All the right activities. Everything looks good on paper. “We’re just starting to think about college,” they say....
