Listen up, seniors. It’s essay time! Oh, come now, it’s not that bad. But the new school year is here, and you will get very busy very fast. So it’s important to get started on your essays as soon as possible. You don’t have to have a final draft done by, say, September 17 at … Continue reading Nothing cool ever happens to me

Back-to-school sales are everywhere. Have you bought a new pair of jeans or a backpack? A few notebooks, pens and pencils? What does the start of a school year mean to you? New teachers, new books, new subjects – sure. But it’s also a new opportunity. It sounds obvious but it’s worth repeating: By the … Continue reading It’s never too early to start

“It made me hate my best friend.” That’s how a high school grad recently described the college admissions process to us. Made her hate her best friend? Not because she spilled a secret or bought the same jeans – but over college? Really? Really. This grad, who had a comparable SAT score to that of … Continue reading Putting it all in perspective

When it’s an adjective, “rank” can mean “strong and offensive in odor or flavor.” That sounds about right. The annual U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings came out this week. It’s the twenty-seventh annual ranking, so it’s not too surprising that there wasn’t much fanfare surrounding its publication, not to mention the magazine … Continue reading What’s in a rank?

Ladies and gentlemen, thus kicks off this year’s admissions season. As Jacques Steinberg of the Times has reported, the Common App went live on August 1 and – sure enough – nearly 1,000 college-bound hopefuls had clicked “submit” within a day. Submitting apps early can certainly have some advantages – but not this early. For … Continue reading Benefits of applying early – but not too early