Brian and Denise H. live in Hingham, Mass. and have three children, Matthew, Kathryn, and Nathan. When Matthew, their oldest, was in middle school, the family’s financial advisor recommended they begin planning for college and shared that many of his clients had had terrific experiences with Campus Bound. Denise contacted Campus Bound in spring 2020 during Matthew’s sophomore year at Hingham High School, in the midst of the pandemic.
Denise and Brian emphasized that affordability was a priority: they wanted to give their children as many options as possible, but finances played an important role in the decision. Emphasizes Denise, “We couldn’t allow any of our children to graduate with $180,000 in debt. We believe that college is what you make of it. A school can be top-ranked, but if you’re not comfortable there, academically or socially, is it the right place? The right college is the one that challenges them but doesn’t suffocate them, and that fits into the family budget.” Brian created his own detailed spreadsheet that incorporated each institution’s tuition, fees, scholarships, SAT scores, and other data so that the family had their own evaluation system throughout the process.
All three kids were ready to move on from their town, high school, and “the bubble of Massachusetts,” observes Denise. “Our circles can be a little vanilla, and they were looking forward to new experiences and meeting new people.” Campus Bound led the H. family on this journey.
Child #1: Big Ten-bound
As a student in Hingham High’s class of 2022, Matt took lots of AP courses and ran track. Denise describes him as responsible, organized, and academic, so it felt natural for Jen to start him early on the essays and the Common App. He applied Early Action to as many of his schools as possible, and this established a pleasant, calm pace. Mom says, “It made for such a nice senior year because he wasn’t chasing deadlines and rushing to submit.”
Jen’s knowledge of acceptance rates was critical in crafting a balanced college list. And Matthew’s goals definitely shifted over time. At first he was interested in the University of Vermont and Providence College, but with Jen’s guidance and numerous virtual tours, his choices expanded. The family had no connection to the midwest, but when Jen suggested University of Wisconsin-Madison, Matt immediately felt that it was his place—his focus turned to the Midwest and Big Ten schools. University of Colorado Boulder, University of Michigan, University of Maryland, Boston College, UMass Amherst, and George Washington University were added to the list, followed by University of Minnesota and Ohio State. “The pandemic was a tumultuous time and having an expert guide us was invaluable,” remembers Denise.
When Matt was initially deferred from University of Wisconsin, Jen coached him on writing a letter of continued interest and securing an extra recommendation. He was thrilled to be accepted Regular Decision and is now happily ensconced at Madison, where he is an economics major with a minor in data science.
Child #2: A political science focus
Like her older brother, Kathryn (Hingham H.S. ’24) had enrolled in numerous AP classes and was on the track team. Her goal was to study political science at a mid-Atlantic college, and she really wanted to apply Early Decision to George Washington University. But her parents reiterated that affordability was key, and therefore a binding college acceptance wasn’t feasible. They wanted to be able to compare financial aid packages and scholarships. Jen helped Kate cast a wide net, ranging from the University of Pittsburgh, Drexel University, and University of Maine to University of Delaware, Northeastern, and Boston University. She was admitted to B.U. and Northeastern but they were too expensive. G.W. accepted Kate to its American School in Paris program for freshmen, but this was a non-starter because she sought a true, on-campus freshman experience.
Kate’s choice was an easy one in the end: University of Maryland. She’s right at home, thriving and benefiting from the stellar political science program and proximity to Washington, D.C. “My daughter is pursuing a fantastic interdisciplinary major called Philosophy, Politics & Economics, and she’s applying for the Science and Technology Ethics and Policy minor,” Denise says proudly.
Child #3: Staying close to home
The family’s youngest child, Nathan, Hingham H.S. ’25, was the most easygoing. He was worried about his GPA, which wasn’t as strong as his siblings’, and had learning accommodations allowing him extra time. He was looking for a place where he could thrive and not feel stressed about keeping up academically. Early on, Nate had his heart set on the University of Vermont—a school that the family had visited years before on a trip to Stowe and fell in love with, a school where Brian and Denise had hoped one of their children would go.
Jen “got” Nate; she understood his personality and which colleges would be good fits for him. They collaborated thoughtfully to create a list comprising University of Maine, University of Delaware, University of New Hampshire, Bryant University, and University of Colorado – Boulder. Nathan was admitted Regular Decision to UVM and joyfully matriculated; he has not yet decided on a major but is enjoying freshman year.
Denise emphasizes that Jen Forand is like family. “My kids are very different and she did an incredible job getting to know each one and how they worked. Matthew is a rules follower. Kate is detail-oriented, a perfectionist. Nate was my procrastinator. Jen got them right away as individuals and was able to adapt the admissions process accordingly. She saw what each child needed and brought me and Brian in when she needed us to push from the other side, for example emailing us to say ‘this is due,’ or ‘Nathan needs to take another pass on his essay.’” Denise adds that her kids loved the convenience of meeting with Jen online; it was easy to fit counseling sessions into their busy schedules and not worry about driving back and forth.
The entire H. family has been delighted with their Campus Bound experience. Whether it was developing balanced college lists, improving essays with Jen’s and the essay specialist’s help, managing deadlines, or considering admissions strategy, everything worked beautifully to best support Nate, Kate, and Matt, as well as their parents. They are elated about the outcomes.
“We had set budgets for each of our kids, and coincidentally all three wound up at flagship state schools. Their schools fit them perfectly,” comments Denise. “We have recommended Campus Bound many times. It takes a lot of the pressure off the relationship you have with your kids. Teenagers are tough! Ask yourself, is it worth my time taking away from other things in order to do all this research? Jen gave us the expertise we didn’t already have. We wanted quality time with our children, and we felt like we supported them in the process rather than pushing them through. It made all the difference in the world, and we can’t thank Jen enough for getting each of our kids where they needed to be.”
