Looking for reliable, level-headed guidance in the college admission process? Our first College Coffee of the year brought parents together for a thoughtful conversation about how to navigate today’s college admission landscape. With so much information—online, in print, and on social media—our counselors focused on trusted, practical resources that offer clarity, perspective, and balance.
Below is a summary of the highlights and recommendations shared.
🎓Current Admissions Landscape at Country Day
(as of 10/23/25)
- 79% of the Class of 2026 has submitted at least one college application.
- 25% have already received at least one offer of admission.
- 112 seniors have submitted 511 applications to 108 different colleges.
Counselors continue to support students through Early Action and Early Decision deadlines.
📚Books That Reframe the Process
The team shared three powerful reads that help families shift from stress to purpose. Both of our book “picks” connect to Never Enough, our current community read.
Never Enough diagnoses the pressure problem.
Jennifer Wallace reveals the toll of our toxic achievement culture — where students learn early that worth equals performance, and that college admission is the ultimate validation. She gives language to the anxiety many families feel but rarely name.
Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be challenges the prestige myth.
Frank Bruni dismantles the belief that success or happiness depends on getting into a “top” college. Through data and anecdotes, he shows that career achievement and fulfillment often have little to do with where someone went — and everything to do with what they did once there.
Dream School offers a healthier roadmap forward.
Jeffrey Selingo builds on that idea, showing families how to look beyond prestige and identify schools where students actually thrive — those that combine engagement, affordability, belonging, and outcomes.
Together, these three books form a complete arc:
- Never Enough explains the why behind the stress.
- Bruni exposes the myth that fuels it.
- Selingo provides the path forward — a way to rethink the college search around fit and purpose rather than pressure and rank.
📝Blogs Worth Following
Georgia Tech Admissions Blog
- Authored by Rick Clark (former Director of Admissions) and his team, this blog offers advice for all students—not just those applying to selective schools.
- Covers all aspects of the college process and speaks to each grade level in high school.
- Topics include financial aid, test-optional policies, essays, and building a balanced college list.
Johns Hopkins Admissions Blog
- Features digestible articles on a range of college admission topics, including essay writing, college visits, and ways to support students.
- Includes a section called “Essays That Worked” – offers a full essay with commentary from admissions officers on what made the piece effective.
- Much of the advice is widely applicable to selective admissions.
These blogs are trusted because they’re written by professionals who read applications and make decisions.
🎧Podcasts for Parents and Students
The team recommended two insightful podcasts:
1. Admissions Beat
- Hosted by Lee Coffin (VP and Dean of Admissions at Dartmouth College).
- The “Beat,” as Coffin shares, is “news you can use,” providing reliable information, insights, and guidance on the college search, to applying, to how decisions are made, and even the students’ arrival on campus.
- While selective in focus, the advice is broadly applicable.
2. The Truth About College Admission
- Hosted by Brennan Barnard (Director of College Counseling for both the Kahn Lab School and College Guidance Network) and Rick Clark (Assistant VP of Enrollment Management and Executive Director of Undergraduate Admission at Georgia Tech).
- Barnard and Clark published a book a few years ago titled The Truth About College Admission. This podcast is a spin-off of the book and helps families “cut through the noise” of the college process.
- Episodes range in topic, but recent episodes explore standardized testing and application strategy.
Both podcasts feature national experts and are known for their transparency and honesty.
⚠️Media Literacy & Social Media Advice
The team encouraged families to be thoughtful consumers of online content, while emphasizing that students are welcome to ask counselors about what they see online to process or figure out what is true:
- Social media is Gen Z’s search engine—students often turn to TikTok, Reddit, and Instagram for college advice.
- Not all content is credible. Students should ask: Is this person trustworthy? What’s their goal?
- “Chance me” posts and viral essay videos can be misleading.
- Encourage students to follow official college accounts like @gtadmissions, @uvadeanj, and @onlyattulane.
- Scoir links to verified social media channels and is a safer way to explore colleges.
🌐Website Resources
The College Counseling team has updated the College Counseling BucsNet site with a:
- Curated Resources List
- Four-Year Planning Guide
- College Counseling Calendar
Families are encouraged to explore the site and reach out with questions.
💬Looking Ahead
This was the first of four College Coffee events planned for the year. The next session will be held on December 4, with future events in February and April. Each will focus on a specific topic and include time for Q&A.