The College Admissions Advice Most Families Never Get.

Most families approach college admissions the same way. They think of household-name schools, get in somewhere “good,” and figure out the rest later

I’ve spent more than a decade working in college admissions across various university types and sizes. I’ve watched this approach play out thousands of times. It’s families stretching beyond what makes sense financially, students at schools that were never really the right fit, and funding left unclaimed because nobody told them it existed.

The families who navigate this well aren’t necessarily smarter or more organized. They have someone in their corner who knows how the system works.

I didn’t grow up with that someone. Neither of my parents completed college directly after high school. We didn’t have someone who could tell us which schools offered real money to students like me, or how to position my application to earn it. I figured a lot of it out the hard way, and then spent my career learning on the inside.

That’s why I started Trail Guide Admissions.

What you’ll find here

In this blog you’ll find practical guidance on how college admissions actually works. I help students come out of this process with a decision you and your family feel good about, financially and otherwise.

I’ll cover things like:

• Building a school list that balances fit, outcome, and cost
• What admissions offices are looking for, and how to respond without gaming the process
• How merit scholarships actually work — and how to find them
• Timelines, red flags, and questions worth asking out loud

Some of it will be timely. Some of it will be foundational, the kind of information that doesn’t change much year to year but makes a real difference when you have it.

One more thing

If you’re thinking through the college admissions process right now and want one-on-one guidance, I offer consulting through TrailGuideAdmissions.com.

No matter where you are in the process, welcome. I’m glad you’re here.