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  • Hector Martinez Co-Chairs The College Board Forum

    September 7, 2012

    Webb’s Director of College Guidance, Hector Martinez, is co-chair of The 2012 College Board Forum “Investing in Education,” a national conference for schools and colleges taking place October 24-26 in Miami, Florida. Conference guest speakers include Donna E. Shalala, President, University of Miami and Shirley Tilghman, President of Princeton University, and others. Over 160 universities and colleges take part in a College Fair, and more than 2,000 total conference attendees are expected to come together to what is The College Board's most important annual event.

  • Welcome Back Anthony Shin '99

    August 15, 2012

    Anthony Shin '99 joins Webb as the new Assistant Director of College Guidance and a member of the faculty. Anthony has a rich background in education and he's a proud alumnus of Webb School of California.

  • The End is A Beginning

    Hector Martinez
    May 16, 2012

    The school year is quickly coming to a close and as we prepare for the many end-of-year celebrations it is my great pleasure to share with you our annual College Guidance Summary Report for the Class of 2012. In it you will see an impressive list of facts and figures showing the amazing job this year's seniors did with their college admissions.

  • The Importance of Being Real

    Hector Martinez
    February 15, 2012

    “What’s the real deal on this kid?” the Dean of Admissions from a prestigious college back east recently asked me regarding a Webb candidate that had applied for admission to that college. The dean further inquired if this particular candidate was “as good as she looked.” After all, this student had earned almost a perfect academic record, stellar SAT scores, and wrote a killer college essay that grabbed the attention of the admission officer in charge of her file. While it was true that this particular student was, indeed, as good as she looked, the dean asked me these questions because nowadays there seems to be a lot of “perfect” students that look a little “too polished.” As a result, it has become harder to imagine some of these kids as authentic.

  • The Big Easy

    Hector Martinez
    September 28, 2011

    It’s hard for me to believe that there are so many other educators out there that have chosen to commit themselves to helping young people find their way to college. And looking at the long list of professional development sessions and workshops this conference provides us shows me how committed these individuals are to this profession. Yet, I find I get the most out of these conferences from what happens after the sessions and workshops are over.

  • Room with a View

    Hector Martinez
    June 6, 2011

    I write my last blog of the school year from my hotel room in New York City. I got lucky on this trip and was upgraded to a room with a gorgeous view of the city and Central Park. I’ve been here for a few days as I attend my bi-annual meeting of Executive Council Members for Guidance and Admissions with The College Board. I’ve also had a chance to visit with a number of young Webb alumni, as well as some admissions deans/director’s from New York City area colleges. It’s been a busy few days of meetings, lunches, and dinners that leave me little time to enjoy New York City during this beautiful time of year.

  • 1000 to 1

    Hector Martinez
    March 30, 2011

    An interesting and alarming article was brought to my attention recently that made me realize how lucky we are at The Webb Schools. The article discussed the shortfall of college counselors in America’s high schools.

  • Webb Ranked #1 as Best Boarding School in America!

    Hector Martinez
    February 21, 2011

    The Webb Schools ranked #1 among national boarding schools in America! Says who? Says me! I know a lot of boarding schools and I’ve worked in education for 23 years so why can’t I say that Webb is number one?! Sounds a bit ridiculous when you think about it, doesn’t it? After all, I am not an expert on every boarding school in America, and I have hardly done a national in-depth comparison on the best high schools. Yet, I can make a public announcement that Webb ranked number one and it might take people a while to catch on that I am basing this rank entirely on my own bias and subjective opinion. After all, I bet our friends at such schools as Cate, Thacher, Exeter, Andover, Choate, or Deerfield might consider themselves to be #1; and if I worked at one of those schools, I might agree. However, the fact is that it is virtually impossible to put a numerical ranking to any of these schools, and the only thing we can agree on is that they are ALL great boarding schools.