Curated College
Admissions Resources
Trusted tools to help Arise Advising families during the college application process
You've likely already discovered the standard (very helpful) college admissions guides and links. Here are the resources I add to that foundation, chosen because they reflect the particular way I think about students and this process. By paying attention to the whole student and working in partnership, we can create room for growth and joy through the college search and admissions process.
Arise Advising’s Proprietary Guides
I’ve distilled my expertise into these complimentary guides covering three critical areas of the college application process.
Growth Through the College Admissions Journey
A reflective framework that helps students inventory their high school experiences, find the through-lines of purpose and character, and turn that self-knowledge into compelling college application material.
Finding Community and Support on Campus
How will my student find their people, feel okay, and thrive in their first year at college? There are so many opportunities for students to make their first year productive and enjoyable. While you are doing your college research and visiting, try asking these questions and exploring these college features.
College Application Plans, Side by Side
A side-by-side comparison of every major application type showing deadlines, notification dates, decision types, and whether each plan is binding.
Resources for Students
VIA Youth Survey — A free, science-backed strengths assessment that gives students the vocabulary to reflect on and talk about who they are.
College Transitions, Common Data Set Repository— A searchable archive of acceptance rates, test scores, GPA ranges, and financial aid data across colleges — an extremely useful tool for building a data-based college list.
Rachel Toor, Write Your Way In— A funny, frank guide to writing college essays that stay true, specific, and genuinely yours.
Elon University / AAC&U, Human Wisdom for the Age of AI— A practical guide to using AI tools thoughtfully in school and in the application process, without losing your own voice in the process.
Nathan A. Perez & Marcia Ballinger, The 20-Minute Networking Meeting: Graduate Edition— A concise guide to having productive professional conversations that is useful for college students, recent graduates, and even high schoolers navigating internships and summer jobs.
Resources for Parents
William Damon, The Path to Purpose — Damon argues that what teenagers need most is a meaningful purpose beyond themselves. His book mirrors my own thinking about adolescent growth, and provides a surprisingly comfortable starting point for talking with your child.
Making Caring Common, Turning the Tide — A Harvard report, endorsed by nearly 200 colleges, making the case that ethical character belongs at the center of how students are evaluated. If Damon’s book gives me the language for purpose, this report gives me the language for character.
Richard Guare, Smart but Scattered Teens — A practical guide to helping your student build executive function skills like planning, focus, time management, and emotional regulation. I use Guare’s concrete, patient strategies for building these capacities together with my families, so that by the time the harder work arrives, you and your student have real tools to draw on.
Brennan Barnard & Rick Clark, The Truth About College Admission — A ground-level guide to the admissions process, written by people who've worked both sides of it. As someone who has seen inside this process, I couldn’t recommend this read more.
Ron Lieber, The Price You Pay for College — A New York Times financial columnist demystifies the college pricing system and gives parents the clarity they need to make informed, intentional choices from the start.
Still Have Questions?
Let's Have An Introductory Conversation.
The best resource I can offer is a real conversation.
Reach out and tell me where you are in the admissions process and what questions you have. I'll point you in the right direction.