What Colleges Look For

Do Letters of Recommendation Help You Get Into College?

By Ian Parker
March 17, 2023 | 9 minute read

Which teachers to ask for letters of recommendation is one of the biggest questions facing any college applicant. But why is it so important? How do colleges use letters of recommendation?...

Choosing a College

The Top Schools with a Big College Library

By Ian Parker
October 9, 2022 | 7 minute read

We guess students will spend most of their time in a college library during their four years of undergrad. Studying, meditating, reading, whatever it is. So why settle for a boring one?

College Applications

Common App 2022-2023 Quick-Start Guide

By Ian Parker
July 29, 2022 | 5 minute read

The year was 2005. George W. Bush was beginning his second presidential term, Star Wars: Episode III was the biggest thing in theaters, and gas cost $2.30 a gallon. And, reader, I was...

Choosing a College College Research

Applying to Multiple Colleges? Here's What You Need to Know

By Ian Parker
May 16, 2022 | 5 minute read

What’s the “right” number of colleges to apply to? Decades ago, college applicants mostly applied to somewhere between one and three institutions. That wasn’t wrong, or bad, or weird – it...

Choosing a College

How Do I Help My Child Pick A College?

By Ian Parker
April 18, 2022 | 3 minute read

Well, this is it – or, as the mom of one of my students told me the other day, “That’s a wrap!” For most high school seniors, applications have been submitted, admission decisions have been...

Choosing a College

To Do Great Research, Try Thinking Smaller

By Ian Parker
March 17, 2021 | 7 minute read

I’m a professional college counselor, so I know a thing or two about colleges. But when you live in a country with over 4,000 degree-granting institutions, there’s always more to learn.