College admissions counselor Nikki Bruno helps high schoolers get in — without losing themselves in the process. Expect straight talk on applications, executive function, and the stuff no one else is saying out loud.
What students get wrong about “why this school” + Webinar tickets going fast!
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Quick note: the sailing and college admissions webinar I'm hosting is April 14 at 8:30 PM EDT. If you have a sailor navigating the recruiting conversation, send them this way. Almost 300 people are registered, will you be the next? Join in at collegesailingwebinar.eventbrite.com. I’ve been doing some passage planning lately - Spring delivery season is upon us! Routes, waypoints, weather windows. It’s the kind of work that looks like preparation but can become avoidance if you’re not careful. Because before any of that planning means anything, you have to know what kind of sailor you are. What conditions you handle well. Where you fall apart. What you actually need from the people you’re sailing with. Skip that part and you’re not really planning. You’re just drawing lines on a chart. A student sits down to write the “why this school” essay and the same thing happens. They’ve done all the research. Visited the campus. Read the brochures. But when it’s time to say something true and specific about why they belong there, the words don’t come. Because the prep they did was about the school. Not about themselves. You can’t chart a good course without knowing your vessel. You can’t write a convincing “why this school” essay without knowing who you are first. What kind of environment brings out your best work. Whether you need to be pushed or given space. What you want to be different about yourself when you step off campus in four years - or the boat in four weeks (yep, I'm planning a long one, but don't worry about me going AWOL, I'll have Starlink). Students who have sat with those questions show up differently. The essay writes itself. The list makes sense. Every conversation they have in the process has something real behind it. They know what they are doing and why they are doing it. They know what experiences have led them to this exact moment, and how their future will build upon it. The passage plan follows from knowing how you can handle your journey. The college process works exactly the same way. More than anything, in both worlds, it's important to trust what your eyes see and your gut feels, not mindlessly just follow the charts. Until next time, Nikki SAILING INTO COLLEGE — April 14, 8:30 PM EDT Three college coaches. Two pro sailors. One conversation. Free to attend. Chris Klevan (Stanford), Brendan Feeney (Fordham), and Carter Brock (Boston University) on the panel alongside myself and Steve Hunt. Whether your sailor is deep in the recruiting process or just starting to ask questions, this is the room to be in. Sponsored by our friends at North U, Zim Sailing, and Team One Newport. Register at collegesailingwebinar.eventbrite.com. |
Nikki Bruno // Student Coaching Services
College admissions counselor Nikki Bruno helps high schoolers get in — without losing themselves in the process. Expect straight talk on applications, executive function, and the stuff no one else is saying out loud.
Hi! At the time I'm writing this, I'm just over halfway between St. Thomas and Bermuda. Conditions out here are what I'd describe as somewhere between "champagne" and "martini" - ie, quite lovely, but definitely some shaking and stirring happening! You might've heard the Dave Barry joke before: "How to Sail: 1 - Figure out where you want to go.2 - Whichever way it is, do NOT aim the sailboat in that direction.3 - Aim the sailboat in some other direction.4 - Trust me, this is the way sailors...
Hi! Lately I’ve been having the same conversation with a lot of families. Junior year is ramping up, list-building season is here, and the question I keep hearing is some version of: “Is this school good enough?” Good enough by whose measure? A study published in Harvard Business Review tracked 28,000 students from 294 universities across 79 countries and measured their actual job performance. The finding: university rank is a poor predictor of how well someone performs at work. Employers get...
Hi! 430 people are registered for my sailing and college admissions webinar so far. With room for more, hint hint. When I started putting this together, I reached out to coaches I'd met at events or through mutual connections. Chris Klevan at Stanford, Brendan Feeney at Fordham, Carter Brock at Boston University. All three said yes. Zim Sailing, North U, and Team One Newport, whose management I've all either sailed against or worked for, signed on as sponsors. Steve Hunt, a sometimes-teammate...