Take Your Passions On A Journey


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Welcome. Thank you for your interest in Blackfly College Counseling, LLC.

(The name Blackfly relates to my home in Maine and is in deference to the dry humor pervasive in the northern woods where the ubiquitous and tenacious blackfly reigns supreme; they swarm with delight and are an equal opportunity pest.)

Searching and applying to college – no matter what size or shape – is ultimately about learning at many levels. In addition to mastering the “nuts and bolts” of completing applications to college and for financial aid and scholarships, the endeavor asks each student to engage in a deeper introspective journey that is equally vital. In assessing one’s academic strengths and capacities, exploring interests, responding to written and oral questions, and testing one’s assumptions about college and the world at large, the college process helps students find their voice and ultimately learn the value of good process as one continuously asks three essential questions:

How (not just what) am I going to be when I grow up?

What is my passion(s)?

How will I make my passion productive?

Our Goal is this:

At the end of the college search and application experience – when you finally put a deposit down on your college or next step – you feel the outcome of the endeavor validates the hard work, thought, consideration, and tenacity (think blackfly) you put into your high school experience at every level. I wish to help you match with the college or educational program that is the best fit for you: where you can be comfortable and challenged.

Our Advice for Parents is:

  • Give your child space to take ownership of their ideas and plans.
  • Help them find their voice in the process.
  • There is a college for everyone; there is no such thing as only one perfect college.
  • Do not let stereotypes and outdated information/impressions steer your child away from a college in which s/he might be interested.
  • Avoid measuring each college’s “worth” based on the college selectivity index.
  • Your child’s self worth and your love and esteem for him/her should have absolutely nothing to do with college admissions.
  • Talk to your child about things other than college.

And our Advice for Students is:

  • You’ll need to play the central role as you think about your future ideas and plans.
  • You are in control of defining your ideal college characteristics; keep an open mind and ask questions of yourself and the experts around you.
  • There is a college out there for you! Be who you are, not who you think you should be.
  • You do not need to pretend you are a finished adult (there is no such being); instead, you need to show your academic capacities and potential, character, motivation and drive to continue learning.
  • You have an internal compass; listen to it and rely on it.
Let’s Find Your Best Fit!