Ask the Admission Office
The college search process is so exciting! But it can give you a little tummy trouble, too. We take away all the jitters and help you learn everything you need to know about college visits.
Melissa Brock
Personal Finance and Admission Expert
My name is Melissa and I’m a longtime admission professional, personal finance writer, editor and parent.
I hatched my site because I’ve heard so many head-scratching questions from parents.
I’ve journeyed in the footsteps of hundreds of families, trekked to dozens of college fairs.
I want to help you and your kiddo on your college journey.
What to Do When Your Child Wants You to Be a Helicopter Parent During the College Search
Here’s something I witnessed in the admission office many, many times: Parents playing an active role in the college search. It’s natural, right? We worked with families, not just students. What happens when the student wants you to do it all? I saw a lot of this:...
How to Help Your Soon-to-Be Freshman Navigate Options for this Fall
I loved move-in day at our college. As admission counselors, we’d walk around the campus with our list of students. We’d find them in their assigned residence halls and welcome them as they lugged their futons and TVs from the car. We shook hands with their grinning...
How to Launch Your Rising Senior’s Successful College Search Right Now
It’s almost senior year! What an exciting time to get started on the college search! I’m getting questions from families about whether it’s too late to launch a full-scale college search right as a rising senior. (Grrrr… COVID-19!) (By the way, I used to use the...
How to Have the Best College Tour Ever
It's easy to see which prospective students and families have had great tours in any admission office. In fact, I vividly remember one very satisfied family coming back from tour. Here’s what happened, all at once: Dad high-fived the tour guide. Mom looked thrilled...
Why You Need to Be Brave and Get Life Insurance for College
This post may contain affiliate links. I did a very scary thing yesterday. I signed up to be part of a study: The Mayo Clinic GENERATE (GENetic Education, Risk Assessment, and TEsting) Study. Here’s a snippet of the cheery email that appeared in my inbox: We are very...