Every spring, I sit across from students who are ready. They have the GPA, the activities, the drive. They've researched schools, downloaded spreadsheets, and bookmarked every "best colleges" ranking they could find.

And almost all of them have skipped the most important step.

It's not their fault. We talk about the tangible and practical sides of the college admission process all the time. It’s glorified and vilified in the media and everyone has opinions on the ins and outs of the process, and what college admission offices, students, high school counselors and independent consultants do, and do not do.