In this interview, Sharael Kolberg, a parent from Laguna Beach High School, discusses the intense pressure local students face to gain admission to elite colleges, often compounded by a sports‑driven culture that pushes many toward athletic recruitment. She explains how her family felt lost when their daughter Caitlin (also referred to as Kaitlyn) entered high school, unsure whether to pursue water polo scholarships or focus on academics, and how they didn’t know how to identify the best college fit. The family hired College Ready, which provided a step‑by‑step roadmap: early college‑interest conversations, a multi‑year plan that emphasized leadership, extracurriculars, AP coursework, and essay preparation, and a systematic shortlist of 10‑12 target schools based on academic, financial, social, and geographic criteria. When Caitlin reached her senior year (graduating in 2021 amid COVID), the groundwork made the application process smoother. She applied to 12 schools, was admitted to 10 (rejected by Cornell and Stanford, waitlisted by NYU, and also admitted to UC Berkeley and UCLA—though UCLA was a rejection). After a brief waitlist episode, she chose UC Berkeley over NYU, citing lower tuition, the university’s academic reputation, and the appeal of staying in California while experiencing a different environment. The testimonial highlights the value of professional guidance in demystifying college admissions and making strategic, financially‑savvy decisions.
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But there is a certain pressure here for kids to get into very outstanding colleges. And it's interesting that they put that pressure on themselves. There's also very— it's a very big sports-driven area. So a lot of kids try to get into college through sports. And that takes a lot of time, energy, and money to put into the sports to try to get into college. And as you know, that doesn't always work out. But then the academics, there's the, the need to get the high test scores. And it's just, it's kind of a lot of pressure. I mean, I don't know that it's, it's not necessarily an unhealthy pressure. But there definitely is, is the need here for kids to want to get into top-notch schools.
Yes, so I know when we first met and you decided to hire, um, College Ready to help Caitlin through this process, do you remember how you were feeling before and then, um, once we started working with Caitlin and your family? Maybe you can talk about that.
So, you know, I think Caitlin was a freshman when we started working together and We had, you know, during middle school talked about colleges and, you know, what she might have a passion in and try to set the groundwork to get started on thinking about college. But then by the time she was a freshman, at the time she was playing water polo and wasn't sure if she wanted to play water polo in college or not. She's an amazing academic, you know, has always been getting good grades and very determined and successful with her academics. But as far as getting into colleges, we didn't, we really didn't know where to start. We didn't know how to pick the best college for her. We didn't know, you know, what would be the best fit, whether it was athletic or academic. You know, what, what was involved with getting into those colleges, what the colleges were looking for. So I think, as you say, you don't know what you don't know. Um, I think that really rang true for us because once we started working with you and putting together a plan and being able to follow it step by step, it was really clear and easy to navigate the admissions process. So I just, I don't know how parents do it without your help because it is very daunting and there are so many questions and to not have someone to go to, to, to ask those questions. I don't know how people do it. So it just was nice to have that roadmap and to have someone other than a parent for Caitlin to go to for advice. And, um, to have that leadership to help her and encourage her and really be her cheerleader and her advocate was really instrumental.
I love that. Let's talk about what it was like, um, when Kaitlyn was going through her senior year, the schools that she applied to, her acceptances, how she finally decided How was that year, the senior year?
Well, outside of COVID she graduated in 2021, so it was a bit daunting, but I will say just again, having laid the foundation through the work that we did with you made her senior year much more enjoyable and easier to navigate the college process because when it came time to actually applying to colleges her junior year, she had worked with you to find out, okay, what are the top 10 colleges or top 12 colleges that would be the best fit, whether, you know, taking into account the financial, the educational, the social, the, the geographical all the things that resonated with Kaitlyn, and then going and visiting some of those that we could really helped her to have a clear understanding and excitement for the colleges that she was applying to. It wasn't just like a shot in the dark, like, oh, I think I'll apply here. And then going into those applications, knowing that she was— she had a very strong application because you had guided her on, you know, what to do for leadership and what to do for, um, you know, extracurricular activities and AP classes and just all the things that colleges are looking for and how to write a good essay. And just knowing that she had worked for 4 years to really build upon her resume and when it came time to applying and accepting, you know, she had a very strong resume. So her senior year, it was a bit interesting. Her number one choice was NYU, and she— when she was finding out where she got in, she got into, I believe, 10 of the 12 colleges that she applied to. The 2 that she didn't, I think, was Cornell and Stanford. Um, but she— one of the ones that she did get into was UC Berkeley. Ironically, she didn't get into UCLA either. That was the third one. But she did get into UC Berkeley and was thrilled with that. She wasn't sure that she wanted to stay in California for college, but she was absolutely thrilled with getting into UC Berkeley. And then, um, she had gotten waitlisted for NYU. So the chances of getting off a waitlist are usually not very good. So she committed to UC Berkeley and then literally a week later got into NYU. So it was a real conundrum because both amazing schools. And once she really thought about it, she decided to go with UC Berkeley. It was just financially, it was half the price. From an educational standpoint, one of the best schools in the country. And just being in California, she, you know, realized that maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing to stay a little bit closer to home, yet have a completely different experience because Berkeley and Orange County are totally different. So that's what she chose.
I love it. I remember those phone calls back and forth, like How, how can we tell her no when she got into her dream school? I mean, the whole time we worked together, it was NYU all the way. I do have a feeling she'll end up there for her MBA or some kind of master's program because I know how much she loves that city. But I think what a wise decision when we got to talk about return on investment to your family and she got it, the light bulb went on. When I helped her to understand that she would be getting a great education at Berkeley, like you said, for half the cost, and she can still go there if that's something that she wants to pursue. So it's been great.
