My Journey to College

  • Zach Weider ’06: Princeton University

    "My college counselor made me feel comfortable by supporting my choice of schools while also being honest with me about my chances of getting accepted to them. While some people might not want to hear a frank assessment of these chances, I believe honesty is one of the most important qualities of a good college counselor. Also, Newman made sure to keep a relaxed mood in his office, which certainly made me feel comfortable…Newman helped me find schools that had both strong academics as well as a good jazz program. Since there are not many schools with both, these criteria helped me narrow my search and eventually determined my list of schools…Best Advice: ‘Do not apply to a college for its name; apply because it has particular programs that interest you.’”

  • Lauren Burnett ’06: Pitzer College

    “My counselor did an amazing job at being supportive and giving a lot of good feedback. I know personally that my counselor had a lot of patience with my whole process and never got sick of my questions or concerns. She was always there to help me and I would not have been able to do it without her…I had a long list of schools that I applied to and it took a while for my counselor, me, and my family to come up with the list. My counselor and parents know me pretty well and together we were all able to determine a list of schools that I should apply to. Lets just say that some of my most memorable high school moments took place in my college counselor’s office.”

  • Elisa McEntee ’07: UC Berkeley

    “Honestly, the help I received from my college counselor was absolutely indispensable. Newman not only gave me the facts, but he also gave me support. He realistically told me my chances about being admitted to all of my schools, and stayed positive even when I got frustrated or upset with the whole process. His advice was logical and supported by years of experience. Moreover, he worked well with my parents to make sure they understood the whole process and the inevitable randomness that it includes…Unrelated to Newman, and more on the whole College Counseling department as a whole, my grade stays the same. All of the college counselors are ready and willing to make time for you. Knowing Newman beyond just the narrow scope of college counselor made it easier for me to talk to him about what made me nervous or excited about the whole process, and just more fun in general to work with him. I think that this is true of all the college counselors—because we are in such a small community, the counselors really have an opportunity to get to know you.”

  • Daniel Freeman ’06: Dartmouth College

    Going into senior year, I was recruited to play tennis for a few different schools that I was very interested in. In early October, I went on three official visits to check out schools, and was amazed to discover the different perspective there is when staying with a current student. I felt that when I visited schools with parents and went on their tours, I was able to see what the school wanted me to see, but not quite getting a feel for the campus life…The same week, UCSB offered me a great package, including a scholarship, which I had to accept or pass within a few days (so that the coach could offer it to someone else). On the day I had to make my decision, Dartmouth finally let me know that I was likely to be accepted if I applied early. I applied early, and got accepted…Brentwood helped me interpret the recruiting system and understand where I stood with all the coaches. My counselor helped me put a strong application together very early on, and kept me calm even when I was squeezed by two schools. As a result, I was able to receive a "likely letter" from my top choice, all within a month of the school year starting."

  • Tani Brown ’06: Princeton University

    "I applied early decision to Stanford University. I was deferred from the early decision process, but that ended up being the best thing that happened to me because it gave me time to look at more colleges and really decide what I wanted in a school. Everything happens for a reason. My deferral gave me a chance to be more patient and really know what I was looking for. I wanted a medium-sized school with good athletics and academics. My parents were very involved in the process. My mother kept me organized and made sure I made all my application deadlines. Both of my parents were very supportive in letting me choose which school I wanted to attend…Lolli and the College Counselors were very helpful in editing my applications, keeping me sane, and making sure the school was 100% right for me…The counselors are realistic and they helped me set realistic goals and find ways to reach these goals. But honestly the reason the counselors are so good is because they don't seek to change the person you are, I think they want to highlight what makes someone a special person and use that to help determine a list of schools.”

  • Brian Hwang ’07: University of Pennsylvania

    “Something that I found really useful at Brentwood was being able to talk to students who had graduated from Brentwood before me. Those conversations were most valuable because those kids know Brentwood and know where we are coming from. All the Brentwood students are really willing to talk to students about their colleges and they aren't afraid to tell it like it is in some circumstances…Ms. McLain's mock interview almost mirrored the admissions interview I had at USC a few days later. I felt really prepared to answer the questions like ‘What do you like most about Brentwood? About yourself?’ which I did not really think about before my mock interview. Having that experience made me feel really comfortable going into my other real admissions interviews.”

  • Mimi Paley ’06: Annenberg School of Journalism at USC

    “My college counselor was Kevin Newman. His personality and the environment of his office were always very welcoming. Therefore, I never feared going in to talk to him about things that were on my mind pertaining to the college search. I also knew he would be honest with me if a school was really out of my league. Newman helped me by describing each school in the areas I was looking to study and from there we would narrow down lists based on logic. We made sure to have a back-up school, some middle ground choices, and then the ‘reaches.’ The best advice Newman gave me was ‘Follow your heart. You will know if a school feels right to you or not.’”

  • Morgan Schwartz ’06: Brandies University

    “The College Counselors made the college search process much more manageable by assigning deadlines of applications long before the application was actually due…Lolli, made a real effort to get to know me on a personal level. Her door was always open, which was really helpful and encouraging. Lolli was also very helpful in reading my essays. She would simply instruct me to leave them in her mailbox and then would return them to me in a few days with comments and new ideas.”


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