Caroline Koppelman

College Advisor for High School Students with Executive Dysfunction or Executive Functioning Disorder

Executive dysfunction, sometimes called executive functioning disorder, is not typically a standalone diagnosis, but rather a set of symptoms that go along with many different mental and physical illnesses. Executive dysfunction is often thought of as a byproduct of ADHD, but it is also seen in kids with depression, anxiety, autism, epilepsy, MS, and kids with repeated concussions and head injuries. What exactly causes executive dysfunction varies, but the impact on students is the same.

How to Get an Internship as a High School Junior

If you are a high school junior and have not had an internship yet, you’re running short on time if you want an internship experience to be part of your college applications. Right now, you have between whatever date you are reading this and the fall of your senior year to identify, secure, and, at least, start a meaningful and relevant internship experience. In this post, we’ll map out how to make it happen. We can also help you make it happen. First, though, why should you get an internship?

College Advisor for High School Students with ADHD

For a lot of kids, ADHD can feel like a blessing and a curse. Many ADHD students are great with big-picture ideas, can problem-solve at a moment’s notice, are incredibly creative, and can hyper-focus on the things they’re really, truly passionate about. On the other hand, ADHD can make it hard for kids to focus on topics they find boring, lead to impulsive behavior that impacts them in and outside of the classroom, cause issues with time management, organization, and attention to detail, and even lead to issues with depression and anxiety.

How to Get an Internship as a High School Sophomore

You’re only a sophomore in high school, but you have big goals. This describes most of the students we work with. However, simply having big goals doesn’t mean that they will work out. In order to get into a top college, you need to begin pursuing your goals early in your high school experience. An internship can be a crucial piece of the puzzle, offering the opportunity to deepen and refine your interests beyond the courses and programs offered at your school.

How to Get an Internship as a High School Freshman

You may not be thinking college yet, but you can be nearly certain that someone else at your school is going to want to apply to your dream school. If you both have great grades and strong leadership roles and impressive extracurriculars, it can be hard to differentiate yourself even if you have totally different areas of academic interest. This is where we excel in supporting students, and we’ve found that pursuing an academic passion independently through an internship is a proven way to set yourself apart. In this post, we’ll break down what you need to do to find and secure an internship as a high school freshman.

UChicago Provisional Transfer Offer: What is It?

The University of Chicago has been shaking up their admissions policies as of late, and it seems they have a new path to admission. This summer, UChicago added what we’ve been calling an ED0 option (more on that later), and recently, we became aware of UChicago offering students who applied ED and ED2 a provisional transfer option. If this sounds familiar to you, you’re probably aware of the Cornell Transfer Option. So what does this mean for you, the applicant, and what do these changes mean for UChicago as a whole?

College Counselor for 9th Grade

Starting high school is an exciting yet overwhelming time. For 9th graders, college might seem far off, but the truth is, the earlier students start thinking about their academic and extracurricular path, the better prepared they’ll be. That doesn’t mean stressing over applications now – it means laying the groundwork so that when the time comes, you have a compelling, authentic story to tell.

Best and Unique Data Science Extracurricular Activities

From writing about statistics as a journalist to managing massive databases for the largest companies in the world, data science offers a wide variety of career paths for students looking to enter the field of understanding, analyzing, and generating data that helps us make sense of the world. If you’re interested in using data to learn new things about how everything that surrounds us functions, from the deepest parts of the oceans to urban traffic patterns, data science could definitely be your ideal path in college.

Best and Unique Engineering Major Extracurricular Activities

So, you've decided that engineering is your path—fantastic choice! Pursuing an engineering major offers a plethora of opportunities, from mechanical engineering to architecture and civil engineering. Whether you dream of building the next Empire State Building or Golden Gate Bridge, creating the next life-saving medical device, or designing the perfect walkable city, a solid education is your foundation—and that's where we come in.

The Best Majors at Sarah Lawrence

Sarah Lawrence is about an hour north of New York City. As a student, you get a tranquil and nurturing learning environment within arms-reach of one of the most exciting and fast-paced cities in the world. Just under undergraduates call the campus home, and hail from 44 states and 53 countries. The college is known for small classes that are conversation-based, often taught around a table to encourage conversation, and require participation. Students at Sarah Lawrence spend more time conversing with faculty, they say, than at any other college in the United States.

Best and Unique Psychology Major Extracurricular Activities

If you're dreaming of exploring the depths of the human mind, you're in great company—psychology is a hugely popular and fiercely competitive field for college applicants. You'll need to take some strategic steps to make sure your application shines among all the other aspiring psych students. Whether you're aiming to be a clinical psychologist, a groundbreaking researcher, or a compassionate counselor, your journey begins with making sure you’re building an authentic resume that reflects your goals.

Summer Strategy for Bowdoin

Founded in 1794, Bowdoin College is a private liberal arts college nestled in beautiful Brunswick, Maine. With a student body of about 1,800, it’s small! Bowdoin fancies itself an institution that gives young people access to creating a better world. And the academics are everything. With an acceptance rate in the single digits (9%) Bowdoin is extremely competitive. According to U.S. News & World Report, half of all accepted applicants had an SAT score between 1460 and 1560, or an ACT score between 33 and 35.

Best and Unique Political Science Extracurricular Activities

Hey, future political science major! As you may know (or if you don’t, just trust us on this one), political science is one of the most popular and, therefore, one of the most competitive prospective majors for college applicants. So, if you think you want to study poli sci in college, you need to take some steps to make your application stands out among all the other poli sci hopefuls. Whether you’re looking to become a future senator or lawyer or lobbyist, your first step is building an amazing college application.

Summer Strategy Ideas for Tulane

Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana is in a city that loves a good party. Tulane is New Orleans, and New Orleans is Tulane. The two are intimately linked, and Tulane is deeply informed by the culture, community, arts, and excitement of New Orleans. On campus, around 8,500 undergraduate students over 75 majors and minors. The flexible curriculum to double or even triple-major, and students are encouraged to explore and discover throughout their tenure on campus. 

Summer Strategy Ideas for Wesleyan University

Wesleyan is a small liberal arts college in Middletown, Connecticut. The school calls an over 300-acre historic campus home, and it’s conveniently located between New York City and Boston. Wesleyan is extremely undergraduate focused, with 3,000 undergrads and a much smaller graduate student body, and it is a place where undergraduate students have access to exceptional resources and access to extraordinary opportunities. There are 45 majors across 46 departments, and each program shares a progressive perspective. Wesleyan that they challenge “students to explore new ideas and change the world,” and they really mean it. There is a high level of engagement and mentorship between students and faculty at Wesleyan, and there are 900 individual tutorials and private music lessons.

Summer Strategy Ideas for Sarah Lawrence

Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York is a small liberal arts school just a short train ride from the center of Manhattan. At , you can be sitting in a lecture taught by a leading professor in a field you love in the morning, and then hop on the train to catch a concert in the park in the afternoon. For many students who want a small school experience, but who also don’t want to be isolated in the woods somewhere, Sarah Lawrence is a perfect fit!

Best and Unique Chemistry Major Extracurricular Activities

Are you interested in discovering the cure for cancer or coming up with the next big breakthrough in the world of food science? Then, becoming a chemistry major may be in the stars for you. The number of industries that need people to consistently improve the chemicals and processes that they use is astounding, so having a degree in chemistry opens a lot of doors for potential careers in almost every industry you can think of.