Welcome to the On My Way Blog!

We are glad you are here – our blog offers practical advice and musings on all aspects of the college admissions process.  

Advice from the Other Side

Nicole Hosemann
Applying to College, Building Your College List, Career Planning, College Visits, Essays and Personal Statements, Financial Aid, Organization and Time Management, Saving Money, Testing
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I asked students and parents to share their advice for students and parents about to begin the college admissions process. Who better to provide guidance than those who have just completed the journey? Here is some of the advice that they offered…. Advice from Students, for Students This may sound cliche, but stick to your own values…
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What to do if you’re Boring

Nicole Hosemann
Essays and Personal Statements
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I have worked with a range of students from very diverse backgrounds. Some have overcome poverty, illness, abuse or the death of a parent. Others have had fortunate lives without major challenges. But regardless of their background, when it’s time to write their college essay, students who haven’t faced hardships are often jealous of the…
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Mastering Online Research

Nicole Hosemann
Building Your College List, Organization and Time Management
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The Internet is a wonderful and horrible place for research. All the information you could ever want is right at your fingertips, but distractions abound – emails arriving, new posts on social media, the latest sports updates, just to name a few. To make it worse, most websites are loaded with links to other pages,…
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Size Does Matter

Nicole Hosemann
Building Your College List
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When it comes to selecting a college, size does matter. Colleges in the US range from the very, very small (such as Prescott College in Arizona with 324 undergrads) to the very, very large (like Arizona State University with nearly 40,000 undergrads), with most falling somewhere in between. When building a college list, I recommend…
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6 Unpredictable Factors in Admissions

Nicole Hosemann
Applying to College, Building Your College List
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A rejection letter, especially from one of your “Possible” or “Likely” schools, can leave you scratching your head and wondering WHY? Why was your classmate with similar grades admitted, while you were not? When dealing with the frustration of rejections, it’s helpful to keep in mind that admissions officers are often making tough decisions based…
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Making Sense of Financial Aid Awards

Nicole Hosemann
Building Your College List, Financial Aid, Saving Money
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I have to be honest – Spring is my favorite time of the year. Not only because I get to see students celebrate their acceptances, but also because I LOVE to evaluate financial aid award letters. Seriously. I wish that colleges were transparent in their award letters, but unfortunately most are not. Many of them…
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When To Begin College Planning

Nicole Hosemann
Applying to College, Building Your College List, Organization and Time Management
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I went on campus tours while I was visibly pregnant with my daughter, and always got the same comment from parents: “Wow, you’re starting early!” They said it only half jokingly, as if they wouldn’t be entirely surprised to find that I really was beginning the college search for an unborn child. So when should…
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