Your personal statement and supplements are critically important these days. For MIT applicants and University of California applicants, with their unique sets of essays, they are just as important. Essays matter whether you’re a top student with outstanding ECs or an uneven student who needs to demonstrate academic seriousness. As an essay coach-tutor for 17 Continue Reading »
I bet Joan Didion’s college app essay to Stanford was pretty darn good. But it wasn’t enough to get her admitted to the Farm, as it’s known. I’ve known this story for most of my adult life. Joan Didion, one of the most influential writers of the late twentieth century — who meant the world Continue Reading »
I was recently asked what a mother should tell her very sensitive son if he’s rejected at his first choice college when decisions come out next week. She was talking about one of the most selective colleges in the country, where only about 7% of the applicants are admitted. Aside from offering your child tea Continue Reading »
I don’t need to tell anyone reading this post that this is a spring for high school juniors unlike any other. Instead of being in school, you’re home, taking classes online. Instead of playing sports, maybe you’re playing ping pong with your siblings. Instead of visiting with your friends, you’re … well, wondering how long Continue Reading »
In these uncertain days of The Virus, every bit of good news is magnified by ten or maybe by 100. So I’m especially excited to share this year’s news from my clients about where they’ve been accepted. This year, clients got in early action/early decision to Harvard, MIT, Tufts, and Notre Dame, and regular decision Continue Reading »
If you’re a senior in high school applying to college – or live in a household where someone else is – this coming week may be the most stressful of the process to date. This is the infamous “mid-December” when tens of thousands of students will hear from first-choice colleges and universities about EARLY DECISION Continue Reading »
For the last few years, the New York Times has asked for contributions of Common Application essays and personal statements already submitted on the subjects of work, money and social class. They choose four to publish and present them with photos and information about where the writers are going to college. They are always fascinating to read. Click Continue Reading »