“Describe a time you failed or made a mistake. What did you learn from the experience?” It’s a common college essay prompt for a reason—successful people take appropriate risks, make mistakes, and learn from them. And kids who begin developing those traits in high school can bring them to whatever college they attend. But too […]
Read More >It’s called “self-motivated” for a reason
Former Stanford Business School Professor, Jim Collins, wrote the best-selling Good to Great, an analysis of the secrets behind the greatest companies and the leaders who helped them get that way. As he says in this recording on his website: “One of the things we learned in Good to Great is that spending time trying […]
Read More >Getting in vs. getting aid
To get financial aid for college, families need to pay attention to the differences between applying for aid and applying for admission. Different forms. Different deadlines. Different criteria. You have to treat them as two separate but equally important processes. But for students who aren’t yet applying to college, the path to securing future financial […]
Read More >Are parents helping or hurting?
Parents shouldn’t call admissions offices on behalf of their kids. Counselors and colleges preach this advice loudly and regularly. Yet while many parents heed it, many others dismiss it and keep dialing the phone for their kids. To help parents understand just how important it is to let kids make their own calls, Patrick O’Connor […]
Read More >“Why this college?” essays
I always appreciate it when an admissions officer openly shares advice with students. This entry from Jeff Schiffman, senior assistant director of admissions at Tulane, shares some great advice on how to handle the “Why are you applying to [insert school here]?” essays. Yes, it’s directed to Tulane applicants, but I think the advice sticks […]
Read More >For counselors: take it and share it
I’ve always admired the way high school counselors so consistently put the needs of students first. Nowhere is that more evident than at the conferences we attend. There, we often see counselors from different high schools banding together to present sessions where they share materials, best practices, and advice for their cohorts in attendance. There’s […]
Read More >Five ways to avoid application mistakes
The first step to submitting perfect college applications is to avoid common mistakes. Here are five ways to make sure you do just that: 1. Follow the directions on the college’s website. I hit this point so often here for one reason—it’s the single most common mistake I see families make. Deadlines, application requirements, essay […]
Read More >Get off the web to get work done
From study skills author Cal Newport: “Imagine what would happen to your efficiency and depth if you dropped all non-work related web use during your work day. No clickbait. No Facebook. No blogs…From my experience, the impact of such work day prohibitions is massively positive. When you eliminate the chance of web surfing, you tend […]
Read More >10 tips for parents
Here’s a recent Huffington Post piece, 10 Ways for Parents to Stay Sane During the College Application Season, for which I contributed a few tips.
Read More >For counselors: guidance on school profiles
Counselors, if you’d like some advice when writing your high school’s profile to share with colleges, here are two excellent sources, one from NACAC, the other from College Board.
Read More >- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 183
- 184
- 185
- 186
- 187
- …
- 380
- Next Page »