(Paraphrased) question I got from a parent on the phone yesterday: "My son has an interest in medicine. So I was thinking of sending him to stay with family in India this summer, and he could do some volunteer work there at a local medical clinic where our family has connections. I think there would […]
Read More >This is not a parent’s job
I did a seminar for our Collegewise parents on Saturday called "College Admissions Support for Parents." And I knew that one of the recommendations I was going to make might surprise them. Accept that it is not your job to make all your student's college dreams come true. I know that might sound harsh, but […]
Read More >The science of college counseling
It's hard to judge your chances of getting into college based just on numbers. The average GPA and test scores that colleges share often don't tell the whole story. Sometimes they skew those numbers to improve their status in the college rankings. And even when you're reviewing a school who shares its numbers honestly, if […]
Read More >From our student of the month…
We recently started nominating a “Student of the Month” in our office. But our nominations have nothing to do with grades, test scores or accomplishments; it’s all about the students’ attitude towards the college process. Are they engaged in their college search? Do they research colleges and try to find the right fit, even at […]
Read More >Bad writing in business…and college essays
Here's an excerpt from Jason Fried's article in Inc. this week, "Why is Business Writing So Awful?" When you write like everyone else and sound like everyone else and act like everyone else, you're saying, "Our products are like everyone else's, too." Or think of it this way: Would you go to a dinner party […]
Read More >So many colleges…
Excerpt from an email I received from one of our counselors yesterday: I'm working with a kid who is looking at great colleges – Colorado College, Knox, Macalester – but can't narrow her list down to fewer than 20 schools. She has researched all of them inside and out, and just loves something about each […]
Read More >The gong is in the mail
We just ordered this gong for our office. It's quite large (24 inches high by 22 inches wide) and we're pretty excited about it. We're big on celebrating during the college admissions process. But we don't limit our celebrations to when the famous schools say yes to our students. We think that efforts should be […]
Read More >“I heard that…” = unsubstantiated rumor
Most statements that begin with “I heard that…” are suspect. When I was in 7th grade, a student named Jano wasn’t at school one morning. First people started saying, “I heard that Jano got hit by a car on his bike this morning.” By lunch, it was, “I heard that after Jano got hit, he […]
Read More >Still need a college to attend next fall?
According to the National Association of College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) "Space Availability Survey" released today, there are currently 226 four-year colleges who have room for freshmen and will still accept applications for fall 2010 admission (240 have room for transfers). Almost all of them also still have housing and financial aid to give. If you […]
Read More >Worthy risk-taking
Perfectionists are overrated. People talk about being a perfectionist like it's a good thing. But I'm not so sure it is, especially when it's applied to high school students. Nobody expects that adults will be great at everything. And yet a lot of high school students feel pushed to take hard classes, score high on […]
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