College admissions
College admissions guidance, informed by the committee table.
One-on-one guidance from course planning through the final decision, from an advisor who has served on a university admissions committee.
Scope
The whole process, one advisor.
- Course selection and a four-year academic plan
- A testing plan: which tests, when, and how many times
- Building the college list around fit and admissibility
- Applications, activity lists, and essays
- Campus visits and what to look for while there
- Weighing offers and deciding
How committees read
An admissions committee reads an application as a whole: the transcript in context, the writing, the recommendations, and the evidence of what a student will contribute. Dr. O’Connell has sat in those discussions and helps students present that whole clearly and honestly.
Planning checklist
Where does your student stand?
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Perspective
Fit over prestige.
The goal is not the most selective school that will admit your student. It is the school where they will thrive, graduate, and be prepared for what follows. Having served as a professor and as a dean, Dr. O’Connell knows what that looks like from inside the institution.
Questions
Common questions.
When should we start?
Ninth grade is ideal, because course choices shape what is possible later. There is real value at any stage, however, and many families begin in junior year.
Will you write my student’s essays?
No. Dr. O’Connell helps students find their story, structure it, and revise their own writing. Admissions readers can tell the difference.
Do you work with families outside Wisconsin?
Yes. Dr. O’Connell works with students in the Milwaukee and Chicago areas and, by Zoom or FaceTime, on a state, regional, national, and international basis.
Do you work with transfer students?
Call to describe your situation. His experience spans college and university applicants as well as graduate and professional school placements.
Contact the office
Share the grade level. We will outline what comes next.
Describe where your student is in school and where things stand. Dr. O’Connell will recommend what should happen next, and when.
(414) 719-1112