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Popp & Associates is dedicated to providing expert college admissions guidance to students and their families.
We welcome the opportunity to assist you with your college counseling needs.
Popp & Associates
354 Washington Street
Suite 225
Wellesley Hills, MA 02481
781-859-9116 phone
781-203-0019 fax
poppandassociates.com
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P&A 10 Year Anniversary Sale
The anniversary sale on freshman, sophomore and junior
college counseling packages
will be ending soon! Families can save $200-$400 when packages are purchased before June 15, 2016.
Contact P&A
today to learn more about our
counseling services
and find the best package for your student's needs.
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A Parent's Perspective: Alison Eames Shares Tips to Ensure a Successful College Application Process
T
he Eames family has been a P&A client for several years, and working with their oldest sons was both exciting and rewarding
. Alison, their mom, was actively engaged and supportive throughout our work together.
We are
thankful to Alison for taking the time to share her insight and tips with our readers and congratulate her son, Brad, on his graduation this spring!
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Alison Eames
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Please tell us a little about yourself. Where do you and your family reside?
My name is Alison Eames and I live in Mansfield where I am a stay-at-home mother of 4 boys, ages 21, 18, 15 and 13. My oldest son will be a junior at
Wake Forest University and Brad is attending
Bucknell University in the fall.
Please reflect on the college search and application process experience for your two oldest children. As a parent, did you take different approaches to supporting your children given their individual interests? Is there anything you would do differently if you could? What aspects of their application processes felt most successful? Were there any surprises or lessons learned? As you anticipate experiencing the college application process for a 3rd time in a few years, what are your expectations for your role?
The college search and application process with my 2 oldest children could not have been more different. My oldest was very focused and sure of his path and college choices, while my second was much slower to come around to the process. He needed help identifying a potential career path, as well as a list of colleges that met his limited criteria.
Mindy kept the boys on task and held them to deadlines they needed to meet. Procrastination was kept to a minimum as well as my nagging them. The essay writing and coordinated research necessary was most successful with Mindy's guidance. We started with Mindy in August of his senior year with my oldest, and in November of junior year with my second - thank goodness!!! I do not believe you can start thinking about college soon enough once your child enters high school. My role in the whole process is to be a support system for my child. There will be arguments, tears and nagging, but that is definitely kept to a minimum with Mindy and a college counselor in general. Senior year is stressful enough and whatever you can do as a parent to assist and support your child is crucial.
What advice would you give to 9th and 10th grade parents to help them best prepare for the college search and application process beginning in 11th grade? Are there steps that parents can take during the early years of high school to ensure a more successful college application process for their child?
My biggest piece of advice to parents of 9th and 10th graders is it is never too early to start thinking about college. Is your child challenging him or herself academically? Is s/he involved in activities, sports, clubs, community service outside of school? What is your child passionate about? It is important to be more involved with 1 or 2 things than to spread yourself too thin and be barely involved. Students and parents should also be thinking about getting all standardized testing done early, especially if you are considering test prep classes or tutoring. Also, try both the SAT and the ACT and see which is the better fit for your child.
How can parents be most helpful to their children during the college search and application process in the junior and senior years? What can parents do to encourage their children to take ownership of the process? Are there any common mistakes that parents should avoid?
Parents can be most helpful to their children by being supportive and patient! All teenagers come around eventually to the process. It just may take longer for some to jump on board. College visits are so important, and we found it most helpful to visit while a college was in session to get the true vibe of the school. April break of junior year is a great time to do some college visits. When you hire a college counselor, you take yourself out of an adversarial role with your child since s/he has to answer to someone else. There were times I definitely had to step in when my kids were being stubborn or slacking off, but that was kept to a minimum.
Applying to college can be a stressful experience for both students and parents. What recommendations do you have for parents to manage and reduce the stress for themselves and their children?
There is no way to have a completely stress-free senior year, but hiring a college counselor like Mindy is one way to cut down the stress. Start early and use the summer before senior year to work on The Common Application essay. Use the summer to come up with a game plan because once senior year hits, you need to hit the ground running. Your child will definitely need to let off steam from time to time and that is okay as long as s/he gets back on track.
What advice would you give to families who are considering private college counseling services?
Why did you choose to hire an independent college counselor? How has Popp & Associates helped you and your family?
High school guidance counselors have a huge caseload of students that they are responsible for, and I wanted personalized attention for my children. The college application process is completely different than when I went to college and I wanted to give my kids the best chance of being successful, especially since they had both done so well academically in high school. It was helpful getting advice on what classes to take senior year, as well as how to approach standardized testing. I wanted to be encouraging and supportive to both of my sons without having to be a nag. Mindy set up deadlines and a timeline and kept them on task. She made sure their applications were completed correctly and submitted on time. She knows how to motivate kids and how to get the best out of them. Mindy is a true professional and an expert in her field. My kids and I have thoroughly enjoyed working with her, and I look forward to working with her again in the near future. She is warm and understanding but tough when she needs to be, and I cannot imagine going through the college process without her!!!!! 2 down, 2 to go. Thanks for being so good at what you do!
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Website Pick of the Month
Gifts for the Graduate
Graduation season for the Class of 2016 has arrived! We are very proud of our students graduating this spring and want to offer some tips for families celebrating this very special occasion.
If you're planning a graduation party, invite the Cookie Monstah food truck and impress your guests with delicious homemade cookies and ice cream sandwiches. Personalized M&M's in the graduate's high school or new college colors is a fun party favor that guests are sure to enjoy.
Looking for a unique graduation present? Here are a few of our favorite places to shop: Zazzle, Hillflint, Pottery Barn Teen, UncommonGoods, Collage.com and Mark and Graham. All online stores offer memorable gifts for graduations and other special occasions. Enjoy!
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Copyright 2016. Popp & Associates, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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