The Truth About College Admission
Sparhawk Academy invites parents and high school students interested in learning more about college admissions to an evening with Brennan Barnard and Rick Clark, two of the most trusted voices in college admission and co-authors of The Truth About College Admission.
Millis, MA
College Admission Guidance Rooted in Formation
Sparhawk Academy believes education is a partnership with parents and a formation of the whole person. The college journey belongs within that same vision — not simply about where a student gets in, but how he or she learns to make good choices, understand their gifts, and prepare for a life of meaningful work.
Move beyond competitive language toward a more compelling, authentic, mission-driven approach to the college journey. The Sparhawk Approach
For the last three years Sparhawk Academy has welcomed college admissions professionals from all over the country to our campus to discuss the changing landscape of college admissions and how schools and parents can best position themselves and their children for success. This event is the culmination of years of discussion, planning, and research, packaged into an understandable and actionable presentation for parents.
Sparhawk Academy is a destination for college vision-setting and family action planning — because the college journey, done well, is an extension of the formation we provide throughout our program.
Open to the General Public. An Evening Built for Family Flourishing.
Formation Before Formula
At Sparhawk, we spend years helping our students develop virtue, clarity of thought, and responsibility. College admission is the moment that formation gets tested — and proven.
Choose Well, Not Just Competitively
Sparhawk students learn to use freedom well. That's exactly the skill the college search demands: knowing yourself well enough to choose a place where you can keep growing.
Parents Are Primary
Sparhawk's entire educational philosophy begins with parent partnership. This event extends that partnership into one of the highest-stakes decisions a family makes together.
About the Experts
Two nationally respected admission experts. One practical evening for families ready to think clearly and act with purpose.
Brennan Barnard
Counselor · Author · Educator With over two decades in education, Brennan has counseled thousands of families through the admission process.College Counseling Advisor at Khan Lab School, College Admissions Program Advisor with Harvard Graduate School of Education's Making Caring Common project, and Director of College Counseling for the College Guidance Network. A contributing writer for Forbes and published in the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and New York Times. He is co-author of The Truth About College Admission and its companion workbook, with a third book, Powerful College Admission Essays, releasing in September 2025.
Rick Clark
Vice Provost · Author · Speaker Rick sits on the other side of the desk — and has spent his career making admission less mysterious and more humane for the families.Rick Clark currently serves as the vice provost of Enrollment Management at Georgia Tech. In this role, Clark oversees Undergraduate Admission, Scholarships and Financial Aid, Scholar Programs, Enrollment Marketing and Communications, the Bill Moore Student Success Center, and Enrollment Management Administration.
A Copy of The Truth About College Admission
Each registration includes a copy of Barnard and Clark's The Truth About College Admission: A Family Guide to Getting In and Staying Together — a practical guide to the college search, applications, affordability, essays, testing, rankings, and the conversations that help parents and students stay together throughout the journey.
A Practical Framework for the College Journey
Begin With Why
Ask the foundational question: why college, and what kind of growth should this next step serve?
No Magic Formula
A clearer view that context, mission, fit, and authentic contribution matter more than rankings.
Build a Thoughtful List
Use "predictable" and "less predictable" language rather than fear-driven labels.
Honest Family Talk
Practical help for conversations about goals, cost, distance, expectations, and trust.
Concrete Next Steps
Applications, essays, activities, recommendations, visits, timelines, and decision-making.
A Book You'll Return To
The book travels home with you — a touchstone through application season and decision day.
An Evening for Families Who Want a Better Way to Approach College.
Sparhawk was built on a simple conviction: that students flourish when education is a true partnership with parents, when freedom is paired with responsibility, and when the deepest questions — who you are becoming, what you are being formed for — are taken seriously.
The college journey is where those convictions get tested. Spend an evening with Brennan Barnard and Rick Clark and learn how to navigate it the Sparhawk way: with less anxiety, more clarity, and the kind of honest conversation that holds families together through application season and the years that follow.
Each registration includes a copy of The Truth About College Admission for your family to keep.
Space is limited · Registration is open below