There’s a saying in admissions, “The thicker the file, the thicker the kid.” It refers to those applicants who insist on including a two-page resume with their applications. They send copies of awards and articles that mention their names, extra letters of recommendation, graded papers, etc. I’ve found it’s almost always a student who wants […]
Read More >The first day is the first date
We have two new assistant counselors starting in our Irvine office this week (Chelsea and Nicki—you can read about them here). Our director, Allison, has spent the last six weeks totally overhauling our assistant counselor training and preparing for their first day. Everything, from the schedule for the day, to the handouts for the training, […]
Read More >Seminar for college students
The news on the employment front still looks bleak for recent college grads. If you know any full-time college students, do them a favor and pass along this opportunity. Seth Godin is running a free three-day seminar in New York on July 30, 31, and August 1. From the site: The three days will be […]
Read More >The right tone for college essays
Good question from a Collegewise parent at my essay seminar this weekend. She asked: “How can you tell when a college is looking for a serious response to an essay topic versus something more lighthearted?” First, pay attention to the prompt. A prompt that asks you about a time you failed or made a mistake […]
Read More >Successful admission vs. successful in college
Vanderbilt University has a decent “Preparing for College” section on its website. I like that it’s not “What does Vanderbilt look for?" They broaden the discussion and make it clear that this section is intended to “position you to increase your chances of success in college.” Some of the advice: "If your high school offers […]
Read More >1,000th daily blog post…
On October 12, 2009, I changed from blogging sporadically to writing at least one entry a day, every day. I wanted to see what would happen if I committed to doing it, and how long I could keep it up. Today is my 1,000th daily post (in a row). What's happened since I started? Today, […]
Read More >On college interview scheduling
Good tip from Arun. If a college on your list: 1. Is relatively close to home 2. Offers on-campus interviews that are evaluative (the kind that count during the admissions process) Schedule the interview now, but pick a date in October or November, if possible. You don’t gain an advantage by interviewing any earlier. And […]
Read More >Three college application timesavers
Simple, but they work. 1. For each college you’re applying to, create web bookmarks for both the admissions and financial aid pages of their sites. You’ll be back over and over again. 2. Fill out the online forms to request more information from each college. This tells colleges you’re a potential applicant, and in return, […]
Read More >Don’t give test scores more importance than they deserve
I got an email last week from a father who, in summarizing his son’s accomplishments, mentioned: “He got a 2210 on the SAT, but will retake it again this fall…” This is an unfortunately common example of what the admissions craze has done to students and parents. As I wrote the father, I can only […]
Read More >Get tested for namebranditis
Here’s a quick way to tell if you’re suffering from namebranditis (an affliction causing sufferers to fall overly in love with prestigious colleges). If a school changed its name to one that most people wouldn’t recognize, would you be less inclined to apply? Imagine Dartmouth became “The College of New Hampshire,” Caltech became “Southern California […]
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