The Best U College Admissions Consulting

Admissions Sense: Navigating The Test Optional Landscape Confused by all the info out there about test optional admissions? Not to worry! Here’s what we at The Best U think you need to know: What’s the status of test optional admissions? Pre-pandemic admissions saw a long growing trend of colleges adopting test optional policies in recognition that standardized testing is a weak predictor of college success.  Large public universities, Ivies, and some of the most selective liberal arts colleges were the holdouts  on this long shift, led mainly by liberal arts institutions for well over two decades. With massive pandemic disruption to the availability of SAT and ACT testing,  a new wave of colleges adopted test optional admissions policies. Most of these institutions have retained their policies for at least the 2021-2022 application year , and some have indicated extensions through 2023. This coincides with an  ongoing call for colleges to examine the ways that testi...

Lauren received her BA in International Development from Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts. She also received her Masters in Public Administration from Clark University. Lauren comes to The Best U as the Passion Project Specialist. Lauren has always loved helping people figure out the things they are most excited about and that give them the most energy. Currently, she is the Director of Summer Programs for a high performing public charter school. In that role, she works with students to explore their strengths, interests and to plan impactful and enriching summer program experiences. As the Passion Project Specialist, Lauren works with students to do the same – to envision and execute rewarding experiences that will help them discover more about themselves and what they are hoping for in college. Lauren loves allowing students to lead in this process and is there to support and augment their learning along the way. Aside from enjoying her work, Lauren loves spending time wi...

Navigating the financial aid landscape can be confusing and overwhelming. Here are some strategies to help you take advantage of the opportunities that are available. Research Institutional Funding: It isn’t too late to get funding from the schools. While many institutions award scholarships based on the admissions profile, there are also many that have separate supplementary applications for scholarships. These can be found through majors, financial aid offices, alumni associations, and other campus locations. Contact some of the schools on your list and ask how scholarships are awarded and if there are any other places on campus to look. Complete Financial Aid Applications: I recommend that families always complete the FAFSA and CSS profile every year no matter what. I suggest this for 2 main reasons: 1. You never know what will happen, financial challenges can happen and it is best to have the applications on file to best position you to receive financial aid. 2. Lots of schools req...

At The Best U, we use our experience as former college admissions officers and high school counselors to support self-directed students and their families to take the guesswork out of the college admissions process and the cost of college. The Best U consists of a team of experienced college counselors that help students to achieve a more seamless college search and application process. Philosophy The Best U team uses their experience as university admissions counselor and high school college counselors to take the guesswork out of the college admissions process. This can be a challenging time for students and parents alike, but they can help alleviate the uncertainties that are created by the nuanced, and often mysterious, college admissions process. With insider’s knowledge and individualized attention, they make the process less about managing the stressful process and more about the student’s individual success. Our Services We provide strategic, hourly counseling support to self-d...

It’s been widely reported that acceptance rates at highly selective colleges dropped lower than ever before in 2021.  So what to make of advice that teens might need a “break” this summer? While parents and teens are anxious for young people to make up lost ground from 2020’s canceled summer programs, test prep, travel plans and volunteer roles,  there’s a strong case for taking a more balanced approach  with the warm months ahead. As psychologist and adolescent expert Lisa Damour posits in her  recent NY Times piece “Why Teens Need a Break This Summer”   teens are, indeed, ending this year of unprecedented academic, social, and emotional challenge with a deep need to process, recover and restore before hitting the fall semester revived and ready to learn. From the college advising perspective, we encourage young people and their parents to  have honest conversations about summer expectations  this year more than ever.  There’s room for balancing ...

Stacy Hernandez  received both her B.S. and M.S. from Northeastern University in Boston. From 1999 – 2011, I worked in undergraduate admissions at Johns Hopkins University and Northeastern University with short breaks during these years to have a family, work at Maryland Institute College of Art, and start a yoga business. In admissions, I read thousands of college applications, made admissions decisions, managed a variety of recruitment territories, oversaw the recruitment process and the tour guide program, and developed recruitment programming for underrepresented multicultural students. I switched sides of the desk and served as the Director of College Counseling at Dawson School in Lafayette, CO, from 2011 – 2015. At Dawson, I worked with all types of students to support their college admissions process and developed admissions programming for middle and high school students and parents. Additionally, I served as a College Counselor at Shining Mountain Waldorf School in Boulde...

If you plan on applying for financial aid to help reduce the cost of college, then check out this video. Financial aid expert, Jenna Greenwood, provides advice on how to maximize your opportunities to get more financial aid. Families from the USA and All Over The World –  Sign up for a FREE 20-minute phone call or online video meeting now   so we can learn about your family’s college admissions needs and how we can provide support.

Deciding which college to attend after getting multiple offers is not easy. Former Johns Hopkins admissions director Stacy Hernandez provide guidance for the making the right choice. Families from the USA and All Over The World –  Sign up for a FREE 20-minute phone call or online video meeting now   so we can learn about your family’s college admissions needs and how we can provide support.

Scholarships are a great way to reduce the cost of college without having to pay them back. The criteria for scholarships vary from family income to academic merit to particular special interests. Trying to decipher what scholarships you qualify for can become a full-time job. Here are a few things to keep in mind when you start researching scholarships… There are two types of scholarships: private scholarships and institutional scholarships. When researching scholarships make sure to research the scholarships offered at the schools on your college list as well as private scholarships. There are so many private scholarships out there that have a variety of requirements and criteria. There are scholarships out there for everyone. When I went to college, I got a few scholarships for people that are deaf or hard of hearing. I got a scholarship from Pizza Hut, my employer, when I was a senior in high school. I have seen scholarships for left-handed people, high school athletes, specific co...