In our work, we have the privilege and honor of being a part of the educational journey and coaching for high school students as they explore and determine their next steps in their postsecondary education endeavors.
We love what we do. As we have explained before, our process and focus are about the student - not the college. Dr. Thom has studied the stress of the college search process; his dissertation for his doctorate in educational psychology focused on helping young people deal with the stress of applying to college. Bridget’s higher education career has focused on working with students in co-curricular settings - helping students make the most of college and grow outside the classroom. Chris knows and focuses his efforts on helping students thrive and excel in and out of the classroom.
We strive to “get” students - their quirks, goals, dreams, and help them find a college that truly appreciates and understands them. We love suggesting and encouraging client families to visit and explore colleges with which they are not familiar. In many cases, our suggestions have led to a “perfect fit.” It’s not about the status or the U.S. News and World Report. It’s about the student; that's what we remain true to.
It’s now April and our Class of 2022 families have been admitted to 87 colleges and universities across the country. We see these 87 schools as lucky to have the opportunity to enroll these amazing, gifted, world-changing GEC students. We know incredible accomplishments await them and we will be excited to say “we knew them when.” Of course, our students are excited and fortunate – but it’s the colleges THEY choose that will really be lucky.
These 87 colleges and universities range from a community college to the Ivy League. Our students have shared their hearts and souls on paper, in video, and in interviews for admission. They have smiled, worried, dreamed, and, we hope and most importantly, maintained a positive sense of self. Again, our motto is “Finding college without losing yourself.” We have laughed, encouraged, and commiserated on many occasions. (That doesn’t include Bridget and her essay edits and suggestions.)
A couple of examples:
We have a client whose music is now our Christmas jazz tracklist - our family loves Vince Guaraldi and this young man will be a musician you know soon.
Another student is a recipient of the prestigious Jefferson Scholarship at the University of Virginia. She has been impacting and changing lives in her home state of Missouri and we can’t wait to see her change the world.
One of our students has an athletic sportsmanship award named after him in his hometown for his efforts to raise money to fight cancer. He will be playing football in the Southeastern Conference this coming fall.
Julia Moser, a senior at the Seven Hills School in Cincinnati, said “Working with Dr. Thom has been a very organized process that has helped me immensely! He was always available if I had questions and would help me do everything from edit essays to research schools to provide a calming perspective about the application process and transition to college.”
Julia was accepted to many schools and ultimately decided to continue her education at the Honors College at Miami University. Her mother, Mitzie Moser, described her experience with GEC as, “We saw our daughter flip from feeling anxious and overwhelmed by the entire prospect of finding a school to one of curiosity and confidence. She couldn’t wait to explore the schools Thom helped her find and suggested through the process of self-reflection and homework. She was excited about looking at the schools on her list to see what kind of fit they’d be. She felt confident in the range of schools she was applying to, and she felt completely supported by Thom and Bridget. She knew she could reach out at any time for advice, for an edit on her essay or short answers, or just to run something by them. As a parent, I loved watching the Thursday night Stress Free Scholars webinars, as well as the open and clear communication that was offered. I was very pleased that Thom put Julia in charge of her role in the process. She was able to own it. And that was truly awesome to see.”
We are grateful to the families who have allowed us to support their students during the process. We truly believe we will be able to say “we knew them when” and that is the best feeling. Even if those students are never “famous” by some standards, we know they will impact change, and leave their mark on the world with their minds, efforts, and determination. We are so proud of these students and the 87 schools who are LUCKY to get them!
List of colleges and universities admitting at least one GEC student in 2022
American University
Appalachian State University
Auburn University
Austin Peay State University
Bard College
Baylor University
Belmont University
Berklee College of Music
California State University-Fullerton
California State University-Long Beach
California State University-Northridge
Case Western Reserve University
Clemson University
Coastal Carolina University
Colorado State University
Denison University
DePaul University
DePauw University
Dickinson College
East Tennessee State University
Eastern Kentucky University
Elon University
Emory University
Gardner-Webb University
George Washington University
Georgetown University
High Point University
Indiana University-Bloomington
Lawrence University
Lehigh University
Lipscomb University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College
Loyola Marymount University
Loyola University Chicago
Miami University-Oxford
Michigan State University
Middle Tennessee State University
Mississippi State University
Murray State University
New York University
North Carolina State University at Raleigh
Northwestern University
Oberlin Conservatory of Music (Oberlin College)
Pepperdine University
Purdue University-Main Campus
Saint Louis University-Main Campus
Samford University
Santa Clara University
Seton Hall University
Syracuse University
Temple University
Tennessee State University
Tennessee Technological University
The New England Conservatory of Music
The New School
The University of Alabama
The University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
University of Alabama at Birmingham
University of Alabama in Huntsville
University of California-Berkeley
University of California-Los Angeles
University of California-Santa Barbara
University of California-Santa Cruz
University of Dayton
University of Kansas
University of Kentucky
University of Louisville
University of Maine
University of Miami
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
University of Mississippi Main Campus
University of Missouri-Columbia
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
University of Oregon
University of Southern California
University of Utah
University of Vermont
University of Virginia-Main Campus
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Vanderbilt University
Volunteer State Community College
Wake Forest University
Western Kentucky University
Xavier University
Yale University
Not working with us yet? Feeling stressed by the college search process? Let's chat.
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