Grown and Flown

We are very excited about a new recurring feature here on the blog! We will be joined monthly by a group of parents who will blog about their reality of the college application process. They'll be bringing you their firsthand experience of the emotional highs and lows, insight into the coping strategies that have worked for them, and some foresight -- or 20-20 hindsight -- into what to expect, and how to appropriately help, during the course of a college admission journey.

We may not always completely agree with what our parent bloggers have to say when it comes to an individual piece of advice. Our book is a comprehensive guide and as such, speaks to students and families on both ends of the spectrum and everywhere in between -- from first-generation students or those from under resourced schools to those who have been groomed for college since birth. Our guest bloggers are writing from their particular experience. But we believe that parents are hungry for true stories of treading the college application track as a family and that hearing the experience of fellow travelers is always helpful in what can be a stressful time.

Thank you to Mary Dell Harrington and Lisa Endlich Heffernan of Grown and Flown for the shout-out for College Admission. Mary Dell is about to set out with her daughter on that rite of passage – the college road trip – and she’s sharing with readers the lessons she learned when she walked campuses in eight states five years ago with her son.  Our favorite message: It is an adventure. We believe that approached in the right way the college road trip can be a peak parenting experience -- it was for us.  Check out the rest of Mary Dell’s lessons learned here. And read more about college visits including how to prepare for hitting the road and questions for admission officers, tour guides and financial aid offices in Chapter 9, “College Visits,” in College Admission: From Application to Acceptance, Step by Step.