Duke Admissions Families Blog Posts

My colleagues have offered some guidance about navigating the college search process, but what happens once they get there? How do you support your child when they need it but give them their independence to fail, learn, and ultimately succeed on their own? My own daughters are both well into…

Last year, I created my first parent-to-parent blog post, which was a Zen-like reflection on letting your child take the wheel of their college admissions process. While I still stand behind those sentiments, this year, as my twins are seniors, I have lost my calm, contemplative demeanor. Instead, I’m holding…

I have spent my entire working career on both sides of the college desk: in undergraduate admissions and as a high school counselor. I may have the resources and background on some levels but when it comes to advising my sixteen-year-old son, I’m just as new to this as you…

In my previous role as a high school counselor, and now as a financial aid counselor at Duke, I have seen the stress families face applying for college and not being able to afford the college of their choice. Now that I’m a parent of two young boys, everything has…

I am the mother of 16-year-old twins. That means every milestone was times two: teething, potty training, riding a bike, and most recently, learning to drive a car.  As juniors in high school, they are about to embark on their next significant rite of passage: the college search.  In reflecting…

As a parent of two student-athletes who experienced the college recruitment process, I would like to share some thoughts from a parent’s perspective. In one sense, things are not different from the college selection process in general. Factors such as academic pathways, majors and coursework, the size of the institution,…

Hello! I’m Stacy, an admissions professional with over twenty-five years of experience, and the mom of two terrific young adults – a Duke Sophomore son and a high school senior daughter. As you well know, it is a joy – and at times, completely stunning – to watch your children…