Signals and Noise: Futures Thinking in College Admissions Counseling
Erin McCubbin, Executive Director of Student and Graduate Success, Mount Vernon School
Jared Colley, Chief Innovation Officer, Mount Vernon School
January 20, 2026

Futures thinking begins with a mindset shift: we are not in the business of prediction. 1 The lines of sophomore parents outside our offices may illustrate that parents wish we had a crystal ball, but that would be letting someone else control the premise of our purpose within this profession. The reality of futures thinking is deeply at odds with the college admissions landscape, which is often dominated by confident forecasts, tidy narratives, and the promise that there is a “right” path if you can just decode it.

As college counselors, we are immersed in that noise.

Jonathan Nicholson- Breck School 
November 19th, 2025

In an attempt to promote common language and to support employees, there has been a growing practice of using pocket sentences - short, helpful lines that can effectively capture a point. 

With November 1 still fresh in the rearview, I am exhausted. However, there is still work to be done, programs to plan, fires to put out. In short, the work is still there, and we are needed more now than ever before. Below is wisdom from people I admire, reconstituted as pocket sentences. Perhaps you may find them to be useful tools for meditation, reflection, inspiration, or survival. 

The days are long; the years are short. 
This wisdom was wasted on me in my early years of parenting as I was intently focused on survival and, on the good days, maintaining some form of professionalism. I would invest personal time into chores - cleaning the house, washing the car, you name it - feeling that the show of organization could make me feel in control. It never did. And the mess always returned. 

As parents, we’re never really in control.
We know the family because they’re always around - wanting explanations, asking for conversations, seeking this teacher or that class, pushing for the higher grade. This approach to parenting at independent schools can yield results. The child may very well end up in the higher level course, with the better grade, or in class with the teacher who grades easier or pens the better recommendation letter. The results can leave parents feeling that all will be well, and a student less prepared. 

From Practice to Presentation: Scaling Tools for Broader Impact 
Carolyn Siegel, Pinewood School 
October 15th, 2025

When I first began presenting at state-level conferences a decade ago, I realized that my passion for a topic was only part of the equation; equally important was considering the diverse educational contexts represented in the audience. In my first teaching presentation, public school teachers asked about state standards, which I hadn’t considered since they weren’t part of the curriculum design. This made me realize I needed to consider beyond independent schools for these presentations. As I prepare presentations, I draw on familiar tools and student stories I know well, presenting them so they resonate across broader contexts. 

I’ve come to see conference presentations as reflective processes by which I improve my own practice, translating individualized work into tools that empower a broader community of educators, such as my most recent presentation, Engage and Uplift: Strength-based Approaches in the College Process (NACAC 2025). As self-reflection and writing support are two of my core strengths, I often focus on these two areas when shaping a presentation proposal. I begin by identifying two to three students whose stories can anchor how I frame it. Next, I reflect on how I have guided them toward a stronger final personal or supplemental essay. I then think about: (1) What role did I play as that student’s college process unfolded? (2) What concrete steps, rooted in my strengths, helped them move forward? When a story clearly highlights my strengths in action, I record it in a brainstorming document to revisit later on.

As the semester progresses, I draw from books and professional development opportunities, periodically returning to my brainstorming document to add ideas and slowly refine my thinking. When I write my proposal, I think about what connects these stories. This year, the current political situation added a layer of complexity. I ended up revising my proposal’s DEI language so that I could present on content that uplifts students’ individual experiences and perspectives while ensuring public school counselors from certain states could still attend my session and get CE credits. Ultimately, I aim for a proposal that is sufficiently broad to allow for flexibility down the line. 

Hurricane Application is coming....are you ready? 
David Brunk, Severn School
September 17, 2025 

Hurricane Application has intensified overnight, and the consensus model indicates that Application will reach major hurricane status within two weeks. While there is considerable spread in terms of the precise track of the storm, most analysts agree that Application will be an impressively long-lived and potentially destructive cyclone.

A strained and slightly pessimistic metaphor, perhaps, but there are several similarities between the actual hurricane season and the work we do. Forecasters predict what will unfold on the macro level (think La Niña and the demographic cliff), and non-experts have a tendency to prognosticate about outcomes with individual applications and specific schools. (Consider this overheard gem: “This is a great year to apply to Brown because there are going to be fewer international students!”) Unfortunately, “strained and pessimistic” also describes many students’ relationships with the college process.

Application season is indeed upon us. As has seemingly been the case for the past several years, the season started earlier than ever as more students nationwide are applying to schools with October deadlines. Compressed application seasons lead to more stress for students, and we are tasked with helping students navigate the turbulent waters and find their way to safe harbor.