Advice from the Best: Round 4 in our College Counselor Series!
We are so excited to feature Kate Kahn** (of Aspirations Educational Consulting) in the fourth installment of our college counselor series. Families who work with Kate always emphasize her intense commitment, unending patience and superb results. Here’s what she has to say about finding, and getting into, the right college for your child:
While applying to college is fraught with emotions for both students and parents, I view your child’s time in high school as a journey that builds each year, not just a means to an end (college acceptance). The journey helps students grow as individuals, explore new ventures, and ultimately find the perfect fit.
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Let’s take Lily, a competitive swimmer--one of her buckets will, of course, be swimming. She will swim not only for her club team (which may help her get recruited) but also for her high school team (Olympic gold medalist Missy Franklin swam for her school team!). She volunteers her time teaching kids who otherwise could not access skilled swim instruction. During the summer, she lifeguards and donates some of her earnings to the nonprofit where she volunteers. Additionally, as a passionate STEM student, she approaches her chemistry teacher to pursue a research project on lactic acid buildup during intense exercise.
Or we can take a look at Andrew, a budding politician, with one of his buckets focused on politics and public policy. Not only did he run for his school’s student council, but he also started a school election club which helps those who turn eighteen register to vote, hosted Zoom calls to watch and critique the 2020 Presidential debates, and pursued a letter writing initiative to get people out to vote. He volunteers for his favorite candidate in the current local mayoral race, researching policies and canvassing neighborhoods to connect with constituents. During the summer, he will attend an academic leadership and policy program in Washington D.C. to broaden his perspective.
I seek to meet students where they are and help them create a clear and distinct picture for admissions officers, who can then passionately and substantively advocate for the applicant in committee. Giving the admissions officers the context they need to persuasively present the student makes their job clear and easy.
**Kate Kahn graduated cum laude from Harvard University as an English concentrator and received her MBA from Wharton Business School. She worked on Wall Street for many years before starting Aspirations Educational Consulting, where she has successfully guided many families through the college process. Kate lives in New York City with her husband and two sons, one a junior at Harvard University and the other who will be a freshman at Colgate University in the fall.
