Welcome Aboard Class of 2027!

It's hard to believe that my last blog post was way back in April. Several of you reached out to me to check in and see if everything was okay and I truly appreciate that! Yes, things are going well and work keeps me busy, so much so that I haven't been able to pull away from my students and organize my thoughts/college visits into this blog. Sorry about that!

I've visited several schools since then and even though my students got the benefit of my tours, I do promise to write up my experience and add it here at some point for my readers. In April, I visited University of Nevada, Reno and then in June I had the chance to visit UT Austin and Trinity. In September I did a week long tour in the beautiful Northwest and visited U Washington, Oregon State, Reed College, University of Puget Sound and several more liberal arts schools. The best part of college tours is that I keep my students in mind while talking to admission officers and can get specific questions answered promptly.

It's been a busy 12 months and it's hard to believe the Class of 2026 will be graduating soon! I'll have admission and decision updates to share in a couple of weeks but so far they all have strong acceptances in their chosen majors and collectively, they've received over $2,555,000 in scholarships and grants. Merit aid plays a huge part in our college research and it's something I keep in mind while building a college list.

But in the meantime, Welcome aboard Class of 2027!

It's always fun getting to know my students as they're onboarded in the spring of junior year. My juniors are currently busy researching majors and colleges while getting ready for their AP exams. I'm busy putting their college lists together while keeping their needs in mind. These days they're drafting their activities list and it always amazes me how much these teenagers have accomplished in their young lives! The best part of all of this is that we still have time to add activities if students want to dig deeper in a certain field or major.

The key is balancing their mental and physical health with the right number of activities and classes. It's not always easy to know how much is the right amount but that's the benefit of starting counseling early - it gives us a chance to see what options students have and how much effort they want to put in to their college application work.

While I'm a solopreneur and love running things my way, I rely heavily on my business partners to help me help my students be the best they can be. One of my partners is Polygence and we're always working together to guide my students forward. One of the new programs they've introduced is a 6 week internship. While this isn't for everyone, I am happy to discuss your student's specific needs and see if this would be a good addition to their activities list.

Another addition to the Zal Method family are my Student Success Managers. Over the years, I've had a list of tutors I trusted and left it to my client families to interview and choose a tutor that fit their needs.

But lately I was starting to feel that that still was not enough and I needed to be able to see my students' progress to really make sure that tutoring was beneficial. Long story short, this past January I joined a network of IECs (Independent Educational Consultants) and we pooled together a bunch of tutors so that we would always have help on hand; when and if our students needed extra help.

Our tutors assign targeted problem sets, track progress through dashboards, and use real-time data to guide live sessions. Each student is supported by a Student Success Manager (SSM) who ensures accountability, monitors progress, and shares updates with me throughout the process.

They not only onboard my students to the tutoring platform but match tutors, schedule meetings, solve technical problems, etc. Select AP subjects and SAT/ACT tutoring includes access to a Practice Portal, an AI-powered prep platform with adaptive diagnostics, extensive practice questions, full-length mock exams, detailed explanations, and performance analytics. It's been wonderful having my SSMs work directly with my families so that I can concentrate on counseling my students.

Have questions? Let's talk! New families are always welcome to schedule a free 30 minute intro call on Zoom. Hourly sessions once a semester also help us stay on top of all the work that needs to be done.

Class of 2026 - Hang in there! You have two weeks to go! You should already be researching the schools you've been accepted to and ranking them in order of preference. I look forward to catching up with you all in April before you head out to visit colleges.

Class of 2027 - It's time to get moving! I only have a few more slots open so if you're still thinking about signing up with Zal Method, you should do so today. I can't emphasize enough how important it is to sign up early. We're already into March and there's so much we need to get done before school ends. More importantly, we need to make sure your summer plans are in place and you're doing everything you possibly can to stand out among your peers.

Class of 2028 - Keep working hard and make sure you're on top of your AP courses. Most sophomores have one AP course, and that's a great way to ease into them. AP scores matter a lot more than most students think. Since the UCs don't look at SAT scores, AP scores do play a role in applications so make sure you're putting in the effort and if you need help, let me know. Your summer plans should also be firmed up by now.

Class of 2029 - Hope the first year of high school is going well! There's still time to meet up for an hourly session if you haven't done so yet. It will give us a chance to go over your transcript and summer plans. Many students take courses in the summer, outside of school to advance faster. It works for some but isn't a good idea for all students. Let's talk if you're wondering what's the best path forward.