STUDENT-CENTERED SOLUTIONS FOR COLLEGE PLANNING

About Peter & The Admission Game

Mission StatementGoalsServices and ProductsFounderAdvisory TeamPartnerships

Mission Statement

Peter Van Buskirk founded The Admission Game® (TAG) on the premise that education holds the key to the attainment of happy and productive lifestyles for both individuals and the communities in which they live.

Peter is dedicated to promoting access to post-secondary education through healthy, productive, student-centered solutions to college planning.

Goals

At the heart of all messaging produced by Peter Van Buskirk is a commitment to advocacy for young people, their parents and their mentors/advisors in the college planning process. Peter's goals are to:

• Help you find and gain entrance into the college that fits you best.
• Reveal the "hidden agendas" that influence college admission.
• Close the informational gap between the rhetoric you hear from colleges and the reality.
• Orient you to the vagaries of college ranking guides.
• Guide you in evaluating financial aid opportunities.

Services and Products

The Admission Game®, a registered trademark owned by Peter Van Buskirk, was established in 2004 to advance the cause of college access for all students. Services provided through The Admission Game® include:

• Best College Fit™ Resources (comprehensive, interactive, web-based college planning resources for families)
• Keynote/motivational speaking for conferences and professional meetings
• College awareness programming for students and their parents
• Professional development programming for college access professionals
• www.TheAdmissionGame.com — college planning resources featuring The College Planning Blog (weekly essays)
• Program audits (comprehensive assessmentås of college planning/placement programs)
• System consulting (solutions to specific institutional college planning/placement needs)

Peter Van Buskirk, Founder of The Admission Game

A 25-year veteran of the selective college admission process, Peter Van Buskirk is an educational advocate who cuts insightfully through conventional rhetoric and hyperbole to promote a healthy, student-centered, college-going culture for families of all backgrounds.

An acclaimed author and motivational speaker, Peter excels at simplifying and demystifying what is often perceived as a complex and mysterious process—college admission. His creative programming, including his signature presentation of "The Admission Game®," has informed, inspired and entertained countless high school, summer camp and corporate audiences worldwide. With candor and insight, Peter coaches students and parents through the complexities of finding and getting into colleges that "best fit" the students. As a parent of three, Peter is a veteran of the admission process on the home front as well. His stories "from the road" add humor and perspective to his presentations.

College Admission Expert/Consultant

• Creator of Best College Fit™ Resources, a dynamic, innovative mix of online, interactive college planning resources
• "Kids Going to College?" Fine Living Channel TV documentary (technical consultant and featured content expert)
• Expert panelist on WITF (PBS affiliate) TV "Smart Talk" and interviewed on WITF FM "Smart Talk Radio;" appeared monthly on WBAL-TV (NBC affiliate in Baltimore); interviewed on Fox25 TV (Boston)
• Featured on 2007 "morning drive" radio tour that aired on 25+ stations nationwide; interviewed by Jean Chatzky on Oprah and Friends
• Quoted in media reports related to college access (Wall Street Journal, USA Today, US News & World Report, CNN/Money.com, Family Circle and the Los Angeles Times)
• Keynote presenter for CollegeWeekLive.com virtual college fair series
• Dean of Admission, Franklin & Marshall College (1993-2000)
• Executive Officer, Office of the Provost, Franklin & Marshall College (2000-2004)
• Vice President for College Planning Solutions, Peterson's (2005-2007)

Author/Editor

• Winning the College Admission Game; Strategies for Students and Parents (2007)
• The College Planning Workbook (2003)
• The College Planning Newsletter (monthly)
• The College Planning Blog (weekly articles)
• Contributing columnist to Motivos (Spanish/English magazine promoting educational opportunities), The Pennsylvania Homeschoolers' Newsletter, Central PA Magazine, WITF.org, Next Step Magazine and the College Guide magazine

Speaker/Trainer

• "The Admission Game®"—Dynamic, motivational case study program presented to more than 700 audiences worldwide
• "Hotspots, Hooks & Hidden Agendas"—Professional development programming for college access professionals in schools and social service organizations
• Created/delivered capacity building content for GEAR UP college access professionals
• Faculty member at College Summit Institute (training from high school personnel)
• Keynote addresses to conferences and professional meetings
• Contracted by U.S. Department of Defense to present programming to military personnel in the Caribbean and the Pacific

Thought Leader

• Creator/founder of The Admission Game® (TAG) and the Best College Fit™ Resources, student-centered college planning solutions
• Conference presenter
  • National Association of College Admission Counseling (NACAC) (Active Member)
  • National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP)
  • National School Board Association (NSBA)
  • National Council for Community and Educational Partnerships/GEAR UP
  • Military Child Education Coalition
  • National Honor Society (NHS)
  • California Charter School Association
  • Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA)
  • Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA)
• Conference co-founder/convener of the "No Name Conference" (annual think-tank involving senior enrollment officers and leading college access professionals)

Professional Memberships / Affiliations

• National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC)
• Pennsylvania Association for College Admission Counseling (PACAC)
• Rocky Mountain Association for College Admission Counseling (RACAC)
• Southern Association for College Admission Counseling (SACAC)
• Texas Association for College Admission Counseling (TACAC)

Advisory Team

• Francine Block, President, American College Admissions Consultants, Holland, PA
• Ann Coles, Senior Fellow, College Access, Boston, MA
• Paul Gallagher, Vice President, Product Development and Management, TIAA/CREF, New York, NY
• Ed Skonecki, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Corporate University Xchange, New York, NY
• Ken Stocker, Managing Member of KES Investments, LLC, Westbrook, CT
• Jim Tomeo, Chief Operating Officer, SSARIS Advisors, LLC, Stamford, CT
• Steve Wiley, Founder/CEO, Lincoln Leadership Institute, Gettysburg, PA

Partnerships

The following are collaborative partnerships through which Peter Van Buskirk provides college planning advice and content