One of my least favorite feelings is when a parent tells me, “I wish I had talked to you sooner.” When your child applies to college, the quantity and quality of acceptances she receives will depend on where she applies. Obvious, right? But you can’t outsource this decision about where to apply to college. Your child is busy enough, and high school counselors are overburdened, too. You don’t have much free time, either, but realistically, you are your kid’s best hope. Once you understand the ins and outs of putting together a rational college list, you will be able to improve your child’s college options.

This book is about putting parents in control. It describes the process I use to help my private clients build their college lists. This is the part where you wonder, “But what does Jon really know anyway?” Fair point. Since 2011, I have helped over 50 students with their college applications. My students have gotten into all sorts of schools, from Stanford to Yale and from Michigan to Texas. Before I started doing college consulting, I earned a B.A. in English from Stanford University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

My goal in writing this book was to demystify the process of figuring out where to apply to college. There is no magic. It is not complicated. You can avoid the big mistakes. You can help your child make good decisions about where to apply. But you don’t have to take my word for it. For the price of a cup of coffee, you can read it and see for yourself!

Jon