The journal
I visit colleges across the country and write what I actually saw, heard, and felt. Not the brochure version. Not the tour guide script. The texture of the place, the texture of the students, and the numbers worth knowing before you rule a school in or out.
Zelda Thomas
Essay Coaching & College Counseling
September 15, 2025 · Financial Aid · For Families Applying 2025–2026
Financial aid season is its own kind of stressful. Here are the 21 things I walk every family through before they touch the FAFSA or the CSS Profile — the rules, the traps, and the moves that actually matter.
Zelda Thomas
Essay Coaching & College Counseling
Campus Visit No. 4 · 50 Colleges Series
May 28, 2025 · Carleton College · Northfield, Minnesota
Sometimes called the Harvard of the Midwest, and I do not use that phrase lightly. The intellectual energy at Carleton is not performed — it is simply the water these students swim in.
Zelda Thomas
Essay Coaching & College Counseling
Campus Visit No. 3 · 50 Colleges Series
May 21, 2025 · University of St. Thomas · St. Paul, Minnesota
St. Thomas carries a reputation as the safe, local option. What I found was something more interesting — a school where students genuinely enjoy being, in a way that does not feel performed.
Zelda Thomas
Essay Coaching & College Counseling
Campus Visit No. 2 · 50 Colleges Series
May 14, 2025 · Hamline University · St. Paul, Minnesota
Founded in 1854 as Minnesota's first co-ed university, Hamline is a school I want every family to hear about. Stunning campus, serious academics, and a financial picture worth a second look.
Zelda Thomas
Essay Coaching & College Counseling
Campus Visit No. 1 · 50 Colleges Series
May 7, 2025 · Macalester College · St. Paul, Minnesota
My mission is simple: I visit colleges across the country and give families my honest, unfiltered, boots-on-the-ground take. Not the brochure version. This is visit number one, and Macalester is where it all started.