The journal

Honest notes from the road, the desk, and the families I serve.

Here you will find everything I write: boots-on-the-ground campus visits that capture the vibe of each place and its students, step-by-step guides to essays, financial aid, and private school choice, and letters to parents on raising an independent thinker. One notebook, covering the whole journey from first campus tour to final college list.

All Posts (9)School Visits (6)Guides & Essays (3)

Zelda Thomas

Zelda Thomas College Consulting

How to Find the Right College Essay Coach for Your Teen

September 15, 2026 · Essay Coaching · A Guide for Parents

How to Find the Right College Essay Coach for Your Teen

Before hiring a college essay coach, ask what they actually know about college admissions. A good coach does more than polish prose. They understand what admissions officers are looking for, help a student find the story only they can tell, and keep the student's voice on the page. Here is how to tell the difference.

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Zelda Thomas

Zelda Thomas College Consulting

How to Choose a Private School for Your Child in the Twin Cities

September 15, 2026 · Twin Cities · Private School Placement

How to Choose a Private School for Your Child in the Twin Cities

After thirty years in the Twin Cities, I have come to believe the most important question in any school search is not which one ranks highest, but which one suits your child. From Montessori to Waldorf to Blake to St. Paul Academy, here is how to think about fit, pedagogy, and the questions that matter when you are deciding where your child will thrive.

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Zelda Thomas

Zelda Thomas College Consulting

Campus Visit No. 6 · 50 Colleges Series

St. Catherine University

June 25, 2026 · St. Catherine University · St. Paul, Minnesota

St. Catherine University: The Quiet Power of an All-Women's Education

Visit number six of fifty. St. Kate's in St. Paul was the pleasant surprise of the whole project. A small Catholic women's college in one of the prettiest neighborhoods in the Twin Cities, with a diverse student body and a nursing program that runs through the culture of the place.

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Zelda Thomas

Zelda Thomas College Consulting

Campus Visit No. 5 · 50 Colleges Series

St. Olaf College

May 30, 2026 · St. Olaf College · Northfield, Minnesota

St. Olaf College: The Hogwarts on the Hill

Visit number five of fifty. St. Olaf in Northfield, Minnesota. A hilltop campus that really does feel like Hogwarts, a music program that will reset your expectations, and the kind of community that quietly produces some of the most thoughtful people I know.

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Zelda Thomas

Zelda Thomas College Consulting

Campus Visit No. 4 · 50 Colleges Series

Carleton College

May 28, 2025 · Carleton College · Northfield, Minnesota

Carleton College: Small Campus, Enormous Minds

Sometimes called the Harvard of the Midwest, and I do not use that phrase lightly. Carleton's intellectual energy is constant, ambient, and unmistakable from the first walk across campus.

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Zelda Thomas

Zelda Thomas College Consulting

Campus Visit No. 3 · 50 Colleges Series

University of St. Thomas

May 21, 2025 · University of St. Thomas · St. Paul, Minnesota

University of St. Thomas: Where Students Go to Thrive

St. Thomas carries a reputation as the safe, local option. What I found was something more interesting: a school where students clearly enjoy being, in a way that reads as real.

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Zelda Thomas

Zelda Thomas College Consulting

Campus Visit No. 2 · 50 Colleges Series

Hamline University

May 14, 2025 · Hamline University · St. Paul, Minnesota

Hamline University: A Hidden Gem Worth the Visit

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.

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Zelda Thomas

Zelda Thomas College Consulting

Campus Visit No. 1 · 50 Colleges Series

Macalester College

May 7, 2025 · Macalester College · St. Paul, Minnesota

Macalester College: Why This School Stopped Me In My Tracks

My mission is simple: I visit colleges across the country and give families my honest, unfiltered, boots-on-the-ground take. This is visit number one, and Macalester is where it all started.

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Zelda Thomas

Zelda Thomas College Consulting

A Parent's Experience with FAFSA

January 15, 2025 · Financial Aid · For Families Applying 2026-2027

A Parent's Experience with FAFSA: I Know the Time It Takes

I have filed the FAFSA and the CSS Profile every year for two kids of my own. Here is what I wish someone had told me the first time, written for the parent who is about to sit down at the kitchen table and open the form.

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