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The top 23 songs to listen to while completing your college applications in 2023 are…

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Picture it. You are all alone in your bedroom at 11:47 p.m. on a Tuesday night.

By day you are an overloaded high school senior year who feels dominated by IB or AP course assignments, juggling the responsibilities that come with leading four time-sucking extracurricular activities, and cramming to get an A in every class for your first quarter report card.

Unlike your classmates who could best be described as one or more of the following —

  • Ivy League legacies
  • Recruitable athletes
  • Paying unscrupulous consultants to write their applications for them
  • Paying dastardly ‘doctors’ to write faux concussion, migraine, or Crohn’s Disease sick notes for them in order to secure very real SAT or ACT extended time testing accommodations
  • Full-pay international students
  • Completely disinterested in college (and, as a result, probably far smarter than you give them credit for)

— you are going to have to actually earn your way into an Ivy on your own! So, you find yourself staring at your computer screen at nearly midnight and into the abyss that is the Common Application filled with various application supplements that you have yet to complete.

By night, you must shift into truly high gear. You need inspiration. You are tapped out from doing somersaults throughout high school but you can’t afford to get tired now when there are so few spots at America’s ‘top’ colleges for students who actually have to earn their way into them on their own – with their own wits and moxie. Your fate will depend on your wisdom and your will – and whether or not a lot of legacies et al. are applying to your first choice college this year.

You have to work for at least two more hours to draft essays if your final essay drafts will ever be of the quality that they need to be to get you in. You turn to YouTube (which is also home to the great CollegeMeister channel) for a song or a soundtrack to pump you up; yet, most of the tracks that pop up aren’t capable of taking you to the level that you need to be at in order to pump out what you need to pump out tonight – and every night – between now and November 1, the date when you aim to submit all of your college applications to your one Early Decision, five Early Action, two Priority, and two Rolling admission colleges.

You turn to Google to find inspiration and you type in, “College Application Completion Playlists” or “Motivational Songs” or “EDM Motivation” or some other search query that gets you to this blessed page where you find yourself right now.

Lucky you.

Without further ado, here they are – the top 23 tracks in 2023 to have playing in the background as you complete your college applications, especially the essays, if you are serious about doing all that you can do to get in by virtue of your work ethic alone:

23. T-Pain – Best Love Song ft. Chris Brown

You really do need to consider your college application supplemental essays as individualized ‘love songs’ to each college on your list. If you write a generic love note or song to a potential love interest, he or she is not going to take your seriously, and the same goes with colleges getting a generic supplement from you. This track underscores the point that you are in the love song writing business until you are finished each and every app that has supplemental writing.

22. Johnny Nash – I Can See Clearly Now

That feeling you get either when your writer’s block clears or you realize the sun is rising and school starts in two hours.

21. Alex Gaudino feat. Crystal Waters – Destination Calabria

Because, let’s face it, even if you put in 200% effort over the coming nights, the “destination [is] unknown” and you very well may end up at Tulane or Wisconsin.

20. Ida Corr vs Fedde Le Grand Let Me Think About It (Extended)

“Give us your Top Ten List.” Come on Wake Forest! “Let me think about it.”

19. Better Off Alone

No. You won’t be better off alone. The very thought of a gap year “alone” scares/inspires you to complete a better application during the dead of night. Plus, you can’t afford a gap year to find yourself like Malia or your lax-playing buddies.

18. Gina G Ooh Aah Just A Little Bit

This one’s good because it reminds you that one day this will all be over. You can do it! “Just a little bit” more.

17. Viola Wills – If You Could Read My Mind

Why can’t the admissions officers “just read my mind” instead of forcing me to communicate well in 650 words or fewer? After all, you’ve likely endured an extremely poor education in English throughout your K-12 career due to too many English teachers being focused on serving up critical theory rather than traditional literary analysis, strong writing instruction, or any sort of celebration of the best works of Western Civilization. By the way, there are a lot of versions of this song, but we chose this one because Viola Wills put her soul into it – just like you will need to put your soul into your apps.

16. Lighthouse Family – High

“When you are close to tears remember, someday it will all be over, one day we’re going to get so high!” Enough said, but don’t do drugs, even if it’s legal.

15. Don’t Stop Believin’

Don’t stop believin’ that you will get in…unless you are honest and of Asian heritage, in which case, just stop believing because the Ivies value ‘diversity,’ which is code for ‘they have more Asians than they currently wish to accept.’ Your only hope is the Supreme Court.

14. The Jacksons – Can You Feel It [Audio HQ] HD

Can you feel the acceptance notifications coming your way?

13. Cass Elliot – Make Your Own Kind Of Music (live)

Because, really, you do need to be true to who you are and utterly unique if you are going to have any chance of getting into Harvard, Princeton, or Yale without any of the characteristics mentioned in that bulleted list above.

12. One Day More! – Les Misérables – 10th Anniversary Concert

Only play this one on October 31 – or the day before you know you will be finished your dastardly applications once and for all.

11. Michael Ball, Alfie Boe – He Lives In You (From “The Lion King” / Lyric Video)

Indeed, you must, “have faith” and “he does live in you!” You need to draw on generations of your ancestors to find strength. After all, if they could get through famines, wars, living without an iPhone, you can complete a few college applications.

10. Avicii – Levels

You need a good feeling or two right about now.

9. Jason Derulo – “Want To Want Me” (Official Video)

“It’s too hard to sleep…” Please, Columbia and Brown, I just “want you to want me”…despite you preferring well-connected social justice activists and loaded legacies…or better yet, those who check both of those boxes. :-/

8. Deorro x Chris Brown – Five More Hours (Official Video)

Whether you are up against the deadline on November 1 with just five more hours to go or “you are just getting started,” this one works.

7. P!nk – So What (Official Music Video)

“So, what?” Even if I have to go to Emory, “I’m still a rockstar!”

6. Bob Seger – Hollywood Nights (Lyrics)

At least you can comfort yourself knowing that you are not Aunt Becky or a Desperate Housewife out in “Hollywood” bribing the powers that be at USC for the honor of living in South Central LA for four years.

5. Let It Be (Remastered 2009)

Try your best and all, but maybe it’s time to just “let it be” and settle for Barrett Honors College at ASU?

4. Eric Prydz – Call On Me (Official HD Video)

You can always “call on me,” CollegeMeister Craig Meister, the best and most refreshingly honest college admissions coach on the planet. Cue this EDM classic.

3. Kygo & Whitney Houston – Higher Love (Official Video)

Okay, it’s a visual knockoff of Eric Prydz’s song above, but the vocals are pure – early Whitney Houston – and the accompaniment is rock solid and by Kygo. It’s of course far more current, though also feels classic. Not to mention the lyrics are perfect for ascending to the ‘higher’ level that you to need to reach in order to at least get into Cornell or Dartmouth.

2. Joel Corry x RAYE x David Guetta – BED [Official Video]

You’d much prefer to be in bed yourself, but lyrics like, “And I got work in the morning, early, early in the morning,” and, “Oh, and why’d I gotta do this the hard way?” certainly resonate. Other lyrics…well…let’s just say, I don’t advocate for premarital coition. Overall, this song certainly gets one pumped up, though it’s hard to get out of your head.

1. Kylie Minogue – Padam Padam (Official Video)

Did you know that Kylie Minogue is beating cancer? Really puts things in perspective. As a former colleague once told me when I was a bit stressed helping all my high school seniors, “Craig, the college admissions process isn’t life or death.” Very good advice. With that said, I know what it feels like when you hear your own heartbeat – “Padam Padam” – in your head because of adrenaline or apprehension. This track will at least help you harness being so hyped up for good. How can’t you be productive when you have it playing?

P.S.: As you wait for your admissions decisions, or as an alternate to some of the options above, how about playing on loop  “High Hopes” by Panic! At The Disco?

P.P.S.: Do realize that the above list is completely subjective and somewhat satirical – just like the crazy college admissions process at America’s most selective colleges; therefore, I apologize in advance if your favorite songs didn’t make the cut, if you don’t get in where you want, and/or if you are offended. Life’s unfair like that. Just remember that if you don’t get in, you need to sing this one last song out loud whenever your friends – and frienemies – get into their top choices:

You will survive!

Columbia University’s 2023-2024 Supplemental Essay Prompts Announced

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Columbia University in the City of New York has released its 2023-2024 supplemental essay prompts for first-year applicants.

All first-year applicants to Columbia will complete several Columbia-specific short answer questions, and this year’s Columbia supplemental prompts represent an intriguing mix of old, reworded, and new prompts with adjusted word-count limits.

One new Columbia short essay prompt for the 2023-2024 admissions cycle that is focused on adversity very much seems inspired by US President Joe Biden’s request for colleges to consider adversity and diversity in their admissions decisions after The Supreme Court of the United States ruled in June 2023 that colleges can no longer admit students on the on the basis of race:

In college/university, students are often challenged in ways that they could not predict or anticipate. It is important to us, therefore, to understand an applicant’s ability to navigate through adversity. Please describe a barrier or obstacle you have faced and discuss the personal qualities, skills or insights you have developed as a result. (150 words or fewer)

Also new/reworded in 2023-2024 is the following prompt:

What attracts you to your preferred areas of study at Columbia College or Columbia Engineering? (150 words or fewer) *This prompt was reworded from last year and the maximum number of words a student can use to respond has also been lowered from 200 to 150.

Three prompts that did appear in last year’s Columbia supplement but which have now been retired include:

List the titles of the books, essays, poetry, short stories or plays you read outside of academic courses that you enjoyed most during secondary/high school. (75 words or fewer) *While this prompt has been retired, a new prompt exists that condenses this prompt and the one below into one new prompt with a 100-word limit.

We’re interested in learning about some of the ways that you explore your interests. List some resources and outlets that you enjoy, including but not limited to websites, publications, journals, podcasts, social media accounts, lectures, museums, movies, music, or other content with which you regularly engage. (125 words or fewer) *While this prompt has been retired, a new prompt exists that condenses this prompt and the one above into one new prompt with a 100-word limit.

In Columbia’s admissions process, we value who you are as a unique individual, distinct from your goals and achievements. In the last words of this writing supplement, we would like you to reflect on a source of happiness. Help us get to know you further by describing the first thing that comes to mind when you consider what simply brings you joy. (35 words or fewer)

It’s important to note that most high school seniors applying to Columbia do so through the Common Application; therefore, most Columbia applicants will also need to respond – and respond well – to one of the Common App’s main essay prompts in order to be considered for admission at Columbia.

Fellow Ivy League institutions, Cornell, Dartmouth, and Yale released their supplemental essay prompts for first-year applicants earlier in July.

2023-2024 Columbia University Supplemental Prompts

Instructions

For the list question that follows, there is a 100 word maximum. Please refer to the below guidance when answering this question:

  • Your response should be a list of items separated by commas or semicolons.
  • Items do not have to be numbered or in any specific order.
  • It is not necessary to italicize or underline titles of books or other publications.
  • No author names, subtitles or explanatory remarks are needed.

For the four short answer questions, please respond in 150 words or fewer.

Questions

  • List a selection of texts, resources and outlets that have contributed to your intellectual development outside of academic courses, including but not limited to books, journals, websites, podcasts, essays, plays, presentations, videos, museums and other content that you enjoy.  (100 words or fewer)
  • A hallmark of the Columbia experience is being able to learn and thrive in an equitable and inclusive community with a wide range of perspectives. Tell us about an aspect of your own perspective, viewpoint or lived experience that is important to you, and describe how it has shaped the way you would learn from and contribute to Columbia’s diverse and collaborative community. (150 words or fewer)
  • In college/university, students are often challenged in ways that they could not predict or anticipate. It is important to us, therefore, to understand an applicant’s ability to navigate through adversity. Please describe a barrier or obstacle you have faced and discuss the personal qualities, skills or insights you have developed as a result. (150 words or fewer)
  • Why are you interested in attending Columbia University? We encourage you to consider the aspect(s) that you find unique and compelling about Columbia. (150 words or fewer)
  • What attracts you to your preferred areas of study at Columbia College or Columbia Engineering? (150 words or fewer)

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For my advice on how to write wonderful responses to these 2023-2024 Columbia supplemental prompts, watch my latest video here. For overall advice on how to get into Columbia University, watch my in-depth video here.

Ten Unique and Memorable College Acceptance Gifts for All Personality Types

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The hard part – the sweating over grades, exams, and essays and the agonizing wait for decisions – is over. The big moment has arrived – and it is a triumph! It is time to celebrate. Champagne corks are popped; yet, now the question is, what gift should be purchased for the college-bound student? Sadly, gift giving has increasingly become a lost art, so we’ve selected ten neat gifts organized by student personality that will make recently-accepted college students’ hearts swell with pride.

1. Preppy

If the lucky student was admitted to an old-line traditional school with lots of ivy decorating the buildings and he or she has a good sense of humor, then the student will need to brush up on the essentials of proper etiquette outlined in the classic Preppy Handbook:

2. Old Fashioned

Anyone can buy a t-shirt or hoodie in the college bookstore, but a me-too gift is boring. Want to be distinctive? How about throw-back designs on T-shirts featuring vintage school images like the one below, which is a 1960 version of Georgetown. Available for many schools.

3. Hipster

If the student is hip, how about a cool banner to hang in his or her dorm room?

4. Discerning

Maybe something a little more elegant. How about a Halcyon Days box?

5. Gamer

Maybe the incoming student is a STEM major and a gamer. In that case, a version of Monopoly customized to their school is on point so he or she can learn the names of buildings and streets on campus.

6. Artistic

These whimsically illustrated items would be the perfect gift for the artiste. Offered by the California-based catstudio, they make bags, glasses, pillows, towels, art prints and more for hundreds of schools.

7. Fashionista

If the rising freshman has a great sense of fashion and style and you have a big budget, then an elegant watch with the school’s logo on it might fit the bill for her.

8. Sporty

If the student is going to a big football school, then they will need lots of apparel to wear to the games. How about a customized jersey with the student’s name on it? Available for scores of schools.

9. The Type A

Is the grad a natural worrier or type A personality who likes to have anything thought through beforehand? Then, The Naked Roommate: And 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into in College by Harlan Cohen is the perfect gift, and a New York Times bestseller.

10. All Types

A customized gift box from Etsy tailored to your recipient puts the perfect finishing touch on your gift(s).

 

The above post was sponsored by Collectable Ivy, specialists in collegiate memorabilia. For a fuller selection of unique, vintage, and special gift items, check out the thousands of items at CollectableIvy.com.

To The Media: End the College Application Nightmare Stories

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It figures that August 1 landed on a Sunday this year.  What used to be just another beach day took on special significance a few years ago, when Common Application chose August 1 to launch its updates for the coming school year.  It’s exciting to be sure, but with a hint of melancholy, as a few overly enthusiastic parents use the occasion to tell their high school seniors “Summer’s over”, while the seniors meekly head towards the nearest computer, even on a weekend, muttering “But what if I don’t want it to be?”

Happily, more than a few colleges agree with the seniors.  While there was a stream—OK, a torrent—of colleges Twittering students on Sunday to hurry up and apply, more than a few colleges said “Start today if you want to, but our deadline isn’t until January.  Take your time.”  I had planned on thanking each of those colleges for posting such a message in the face of application mania.  I’m pleased to say there were too many to do so.

But this is just the start, and here’s hoping more colleges get on board.  The last two years of schooling have left this year’s seniors in pretty bad shape.  Day after day of waking up to find out if school is in person, online, both, or neither may have left them flexible, but it has also left them exhausted.  Students who fit every element of one (and certainly not the only) likely college-bound profile—from the suburbs, in a college prep curriculum, with two well-off parents who went to college—are saying out loud they just don’t think applying to college is worth the hassle.  That’s not because of the Delta rebound; it’s because their last couple of years of school have left them unsure of themselves and their ability to control their destiny.  Since any college admissions rep will tell you the key to a successful application is to let the student drive the bus, this is a huge problem.

Part of the solution lies with us.  August is peach and melon season in Michigan, a time when very rational people who never eat fruit feel a swelling in their taste buds that can only be satiated by interaction with produce that is truly a little slice of heaven.

This same thirst wells up in the media every August, but it isn’t for fruit—it’s for stories about the confusing, terrifying, uncertain world of college admissions.  With a new crop of high school seniors every year, journalists eagerly seize on their newness to college admissions, highlighting profiles of bright young people who find themselves flummoxed over how to apply to college, and when to apply to college.  Curiously, these stories rarely display a student’s confusion over where to apply to college, since the media only covers students who are considering the same 25 colleges ever year that admit about 5 percent of their applicant pool.  “She’s a National Honor Society president, but she can’t get her arms around Yale’s application.” Of course, these same students would be equally baffled by using a plumber’s wrench for the first time, and they easily get the hang of this college thing two weeks into the process.  But apparently, that’s not the point. The very first time they do something new, they don’t completely understand it.  My goodness.

The impact of this approach to college application coverage can’t be understated.  Thousands of students have already had to give up most of their summers at the insistence of parents who have caught the angst early, eager to make sure that college essay sparkles, unaware that the number one cause of weak essays isn’t underwriting, but overwriting.

Parents who haven’t been on their seniors about college since Father’s Day read these August articles and panic, fearing their child is now “behind”.  They plop their senior in front of a computer screen and tell them they can’t come out until an application is finished—for a college that doesn’t even start reading applications until January 10.

Parents whose children really understand themselves, and had no intention of applying to these schools, now feel their child is “losing out” on something, and suddenly insist that an application or two to the Big 25 is a good idea, “just to see what happens”, even though their student is well aware of what will happen.

This brand of media attention has never served high school seniors well, and it’s likely to make matters even worse for this year’s seniors, who are looking to gain their footing after two years of scholastic uncertainty.  In the interest of their well being—or, to use a phrase that is on the verge of becoming unimportant due to its overuse, their mental health—how about a few less media stories on the impossibility of getting into college and its excessive expense, and a few more stories about the 75% or so of colleges who admit more than 50% of their applicants, and the many colleges who are forgiving institutionally-based student loans?  Could the media finally discover the urban and rural colleges whose buildings have not a hint of ivy that are turning around the lives of students who didn’t have the opportunity to take 7 AP classes in high school, students who are shining academically?  How about the students who are making community college work, earning a degree that costs less from start to finish than one year of Harvard, all while the students typically work about 30 hours a week?

It’s certainly true many people turn to the media to read stories that will fuel their dreams—that’s why so many people follow the Olympics, and replay the video of the woman who was reunited with her dog after two years.  But stories about the uncertainty of the college selection process don’t feed students’ sense of the possible; they nourish their nightmares.  They’ve had enough of that these past two years, and may be headed for more.  The best thing the press can do for them, and for our society, is to admit there are more than 25 good colleges in this country, and wake the students to a better vision of how to apply to college, other than run a gauntlet that, at the end of the day, is largely of the media’s own making.

What Needs to Change in College Admissions

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The ups and downs of the quarantine gave college admissions officers and school counselors a taste of application life to come, as the birth rate for high school graduates continues to slide, and the need to develop new approaches to recruit students increases.  As the profession continues to try and improve college access, and knowing that small differences can make a big difference, here are some considerations for both sides of the desk to ponder this summer over a well-deserved glass of lemonade:

Colleges—move your deadline dates.  November 1 (early applications), January 1 (regular applications), and May 1 (many deposits) are all big dates in the college application world—and they all fell on a Sunday or a holiday this year.  I don’t understand this, since the admissions offices weren’t open, and the vast majority of high school seniors had no access to counselors or other application helpers the day of and before the deadlines.

This needs to change.  Yes, students need to be responsible, and should learn to plan ahead—but perhaps that lesson is better applied to deadlines for things they’ve done before (like papers), not with things they are doing for the first time (like applying to college).  The first Tuesday in November, the second Tuesday in January, and the first Tuesday in May would solve this problem nicely, increasing the quality and quantity of applications to boot. Georgia Tech made the move, and they get kaboodles of applications.  It’s an easy, but important, change.

High Schools—stop working holidays.  Moving the January 1 deadline to a date when high schools are in session is also overdue for school counselors, who have taken a serious shellacking this year with all the student mental health issues arising from COVID.  School counselors have always been overworked, but never able to use the December holidays to recover, since they were expected to help their students make January 1 college deadlines.

It’s time to take a stand.  Assuming the colleges move their deadlines, counselors need to learn to let go.  Send a note to all senior families early in November, letting them know your vacation is—well, a vacation.  If you really can’t let go of your students for that long—or if the colleges unwisely cling to January 1– set two days of vacation for online office hours, and take a breath all the other days.  You have mastered online office hours this year.  Let them be your friend.

Colleges—keep innovating.  One (and perhaps the only) upside of the quarantine was the ability of college admissions offices to adapt major chunks of their traditional approach to recruitment. Test optional, drive-thru tours, and online high school visits suggested it might be OK for everyone to get their hopes up, that some real college admissions reform was in the air.

Yes.  Well.

In a post-vaccine world, we see more signs of returning to “normal” than creating new normal.  Reinventing the entire admissions process is no easy feat, to be sure, but how hard might it be for admissions offices to spend half a day this summer doing “What ifs” to one part of the application process?  Do that for five years, and you have a new admissions paradigm, and a more accessible one—the thing you say you keep wanting.

High schools— mental health and college access aren’t either/or.  I will legitimately blow my top if I read one more post from a high school counselor insisting that the increase in COVID-related mental health needs makes it impossible to do any effective college counseling.

School counseling as a profession has long been showing a mental health bias at the expense of quality college counseling, and this year just seems to have widened the gap.   Counselor training programs plant the seeds of this bias— training programs devote about 7 classes to mental health training, and none to college counseling—and all of this must stop, if only because the dichotomy is a false one.

Discouraged, depressed high school students light up like a hilltop church on Christmas Eve when I tell them college gives them a fresh start to life and learning, proof enough that college counseling affects mental health.  That, plus the American School Counselor Association says college counseling is part of the job.  Counselors truly are overworked, so they can’t do everything they want in any part of counseling.  That said, college can still be part of a key to a better self.  More counselors need to see that, and act on it.

Everyone—stop beating up on the Ivies.  The Ivies and their equally tough-to-get-into institutions largely decided to go test optional this year.  For some reason, this gave a lot of students with B averages the hope that they too could pahk the cah in the yahd, now that they didn’t have to reveal their test scores.

So—more students applied to the Ivies this year than last year.  The Ivies didn’t admit more students this year than last year.  That means their admit rate had to go down, and more students were denied.

That isn’t news—it’s math.  And if you want to blame the Ivies for encouraging students to apply who didn’t really stand a chance of getting in, you’re going to need to make a thousand more jackets for that club.  If you think the Ivies take too few Pell-eligible students, say that.  If you think they admit too many legacies, stay that.  But don’t beat them up for proving the laws of basic ratios.  Any other college in their shoes would have to do the same thing. (Besides, it’s the national media who has left our society with the impression that there are only 25 colleges in America.)

Everyone—about Kiddos.  It’s no secret that college is largely a time of youth, especially with the expansion of adolescence into the early twenties and beyond. But college is also a time to help young people embrace the opportunities of adulthood, skills and attitudes that sometimes require setting the desires of self to one side.

This goal would be more easily achieved if we saw students—and if they saw themselves– as capable of embracing a larger sense of self by referring to them as students, not Kiddos.  They don’t need to grow up in a hurry or, with the right kind of help, succumb to the media images of college choice as a high stakes pressure cooker.  But they also need something more than just a pat on the head and a verbal affirmation that’s the equivalent of a lollipop. Let’s try calling them students.

Dear 12th Grader: Don’t Blow Your Ivy Chances Now

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So many high school seniors are still in real contention for an Ivy League acceptance in the first few weeks of twelfth grade. Then, something happens that takes most of these smart and well-intentioned young people out of the running entirely.

Don’t let this happen to you! Watch the video below to find out what you must do to give yourself the best shot of closing the deal with the Ivy League or similarly selective college of your dreams during the first few weeks of senior year.

The advice in the above video is particularly relevant to students who have not made major mistakes in 9th grade, 10th grade, or 11th grade.

Sadly, many high school students make major academic, extracurricular, or personal missteps throughout high school. As they say, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of a cure.” Why get yourself into unnecessary trouble or cause yourself needless anxiety or stress later in high school just because you didn’t know that certain decisions that you make as a high school freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior could actually turn out to be mistakes serious enough to derail your smooth sail towards achieving your post-high school goals?

If you are a student (or a parent of a student) who wants to proactively and wisely tackle every challenge high school throws your way and reach your college admissions potential, the best advice I can give you is to meet with me for a Strategy Session as soon as possible.

A Strategy Session is for students and parents who desire expert and peer guidance as they navigate the college admissions process, which actually begins the moment a student starts high school! Students and parents who take part in a Strategy Session are encouraged to ask their current college admissions questions, discuss where they are in the process, and clarify what they are most concerned about or unclear on as it relates to the college admissions process. My goal is to ensure families leave each session armed with the knowledge they need to make the most of every opportunity presented to them until we meet again.

During your Strategy Session, you’ll gain access to timely best-in-class college admissions counseling that will empower you to make the right moves regarding academics, testing, extracurricular activities, and college applications in order to meet with future college admissions success. Since we’ll have limited time together, I am direct as possible during a Strategy Session, so get ready to bust the most common college admissions myths and prepare to glide through the entire college admissions process calm, cool, and collected.

Consider having a Strategy Session an amazing insurance policy to protect against the lack of college guidance or downright poor college counseling many students experience during their four years – but especially during their first two years – in high school. After all, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of a cure – especially if that cure comes too late (which from my experience is too often the case with students who only start getting good or better college counseling in 11th grade or later).

What are you waiting for? Schedule your Strategy Session with me today.

Dear 11th Grader: Don’t Screw Up Your Ivy League Chances Now

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One decision you make in eleventh grade, your third year in high school, will directly influence your chances of getting into an Ivy League or similarly selective college or university when you are a high school senior.

If you don’t make time to focus on this one endeavor during your junior year, you won’t be meeting your college admissions potential. In the process you will be kissing Ivy League colleges and similarly selective American colleges and universities goodbye – particularly if this misstep is coupled with similarly destructive mistakes in 9th grade, 10th grade, or 12th grade.

Yet, in an ideal scenario, you won’t be making any major academic, extracurricular, or personal missteps throughout high school. As they say, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of a cure.” Why get yourself into unnecessary trouble or cause yourself needless anxiety or stress later in high school just because you didn’t know that certain decisions that you make as a high school freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior could actually turn out to be mistakes serious enough to derail your smooth sail towards achieving your post-high school goals?

If you are a student (or a parent of a student) who wants to proactively and wisely tackle every challenge high school throws your way and reach your college admissions potential, the best advice I can give you is to meet with me for a Strategy Session as soon as possible.

A Strategy Session is for students and parents who desire expert and peer guidance as they navigate the college admissions process, which actually begins the moment a student starts high school! Students and parents who take part in a Strategy Session are encouraged to ask their current college admissions questions, discuss where they are in the process, and clarify what they are most concerned about or unclear on as it relates to the college admissions process. My goal is to ensure families leave each session armed with the knowledge they need to make the most of every opportunity presented to them until we meet again.

During your Strategy Session, you’ll gain access to timely best-in-class college admissions counseling that will empower you to make the right moves regarding academics, testing, extracurricular activities, and college applications in order to meet with future college admissions success. Since we’ll have limited time together, I am direct as possible during a Strategy Session, so get ready to bust the most common college admissions myths and prepare to glide through the entire college admissions process calm, cool, and collected.

Consider having a Strategy Session an amazing insurance policy to protect against the lack of college guidance or downright poor college counseling many students experience during their four years – but especially during their first two years – in high school. After all, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of a cure – especially if that cure comes too late (which from my experience is too often the case with students who only start getting good or better college counseling in 11th grade or later).

What are you waiting for? Schedule your Strategy Session with me today.

Dear 10th Grader: Don’t Become An Ivy League Reject!

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One decision you make in tenth grade, your second year in high school, will directly influence your chances of getting into an Ivy League or similarly selective college or university when you are a high school senior.

Make sure to make time for the major pursuit described in the video below during your sophomore year because if you don’t, your chances of getting into highly selective colleges or universities in two years will nosedive – especially if coupled with similarly destructive mistakes in 9th grade, 11th grade, or 12th grade.

Yet, in an ideal scenario, you won’t be making any major academic, extracurricular, or personal missteps throughout high school. As they say, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of a cure.” Why get yourself into unnecessary trouble or cause yourself needless anxiety or stress later in high school just because you didn’t know that certain decisions that you make as a high school freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior could actually turn out to be mistakes serious enough to derail your smooth sail towards achieving your post-high school goals?

If you are a student (or a parent of a student) who wants to proactively and wisely tackle every challenge high school throws your way and reach your college admissions potential, the best advice I can give you is to meet with me for a Strategy Session as soon as possible.

A Strategy Session is for students and parents who desire expert and peer guidance as they navigate the college admissions process, which actually begins the moment a student starts high school! Students and parents who take part in a Strategy Session are encouraged to ask their current college admissions questions, discuss where they are in the process, and clarify what they are most concerned about or unclear on as it relates to the college admissions process. My goal is to ensure families leave each session armed with the knowledge they need to make the most of every opportunity presented to them until we meet again.

During your Strategy Session, you’ll gain access to timely best-in-class college admissions counseling that will empower you to make the right moves regarding academics, testing, extracurricular activities, and college applications in order to meet with future college admissions success. Since we’ll have limited time together, I am direct as possible during a Strategy Session, so get ready to bust the most common college admissions myths and prepare to glide through the entire college admissions process calm, cool, and collected.

Consider having a Strategy Session an amazing insurance policy to protect against the lack of college guidance or downright poor college counseling many students experience during their four years – but especially during their first two years – in high school. After all, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of a cure – especially if that cure comes too late (which from my experience is too often the case with students who only start getting good or better college counseling in 11th grade or later).

What are you waiting for? Schedule your Strategy Session with me today.

Dear 9th Grader: Don’t get rejected from the Ivy League so soon!

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One major decision that you make in ninth grade, your first year in high school, will directly influence your chances of getting into an Ivy League or similarly selective college or university when you are a high school senior.

If you can avoid making this one big mistake (described in the video below) in your first year in high school you will salvage your chances of getting into a highly selective college or university later on – as long as you don’t make similarly destructive mistakes in 10th grade, 11th grade, or 12th grade.

Yet, in an ideal scenario, you won’t be making any major academic, extracurricular, or personal missteps throughout high school. As they say, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of a cure.” Why get yourself into unnecessary trouble or cause yourself needless anxiety or stress later in high school just because you didn’t know that certain decisions that you make as a high school freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior could actually turn out to be mistakes serious enough to derail your smooth sail towards achieving your post-high school goals?

If you are a student (or a parent of a student) who wants to proactively and wisely tackle every challenge high school throws your way and reach your college admissions potential, the best advice I can give you is to meet with me for a Strategy Session as soon as possible.

A Strategy Session is for students and parents who desire expert and peer guidance as they navigate the college admissions process, which actually begins the moment a student starts high school! Students and parents who take part in a Strategy Session are encouraged to ask their current college admissions questions, discuss where they are in the process, and clarify what they are most concerned about or unclear on as it relates to the college admissions process. My goal is to ensure families leave each session armed with the knowledge they need to make the most of every opportunity presented to them until we meet again.

During your Strategy Session, you’ll gain access to timely best-in-class college admissions counseling that will empower you to make the right moves regarding academics, testing, extracurricular activities, and college applications in order to meet with future college admissions success. Since we’ll have limited time together, I am direct as possible during a Strategy Session, so get ready to bust the most common college admissions myths and prepare to glide through the entire college admissions process calm, cool, and collected.

Consider having a Strategy Session an amazing insurance policy to protect against the lack of college guidance or downright poor college counseling many students experience during their four years – but especially during their first two years – in high school. After all, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of a cure – especially if that cure comes too late (which from my experience is too often the case with students who only start getting good or better college counseling in 11th grade or later).

What are you waiting for? Schedule your Strategy Session with me today.

 

 

What to make of Tufts’ Early Decision Deadline Extension

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While occasionally colleges extend application deadlines in response to hurricanes or other natural disasters, Tufts’ announcement in October that it would extend its Early Decision I (EDI) deadline from November 1 to November 17 in response to COVID-19 and various natural disasters didn’t pass the smell test.

It’s one thing to be or appear charitable by giving struggling students a few extra days or a week to complete their applications; yet, giving every applicant seventeen extra days to submit applications EDI is an extreme act that reeked of desperation.

Now, we are getting Common App data that supports our suspicions.

Inside Higher Ed shared that Common Application colleges are seeing average application declines of eight percent this fall. Meanwhile applications for first-generation students and those eligible for fee waivers are down sixteen percent so far. A full sixty percent of Common App colleges are seeing application declines. In addition Common App colleges and universities in the Northeast and Midwest experienced the steepest declines in application volume – down a full fourteen percent compared to last year.

While we don’t yet know if Tufts is one of the schools with application declines, by pushing its EDI deadline out nearly three weeks the university is signaling that it at least wanted more EDI applications to review for some reason (it could be a dip in application numbers, some other internal application target not being met by late October, and/or just the desire to make more money – after all, Tufts does charge $75/application).

This was all expected and is one of the main reasons why colleges were so fast to go SAT- or ACT-optional for members of the high school class of 2021. Colleges rightly worried that pandemic closure-induced job/income losses and the ongoing pandemic itself would scare students away from wanting to live and learn in close quarters far from home. This is an acute worry at second tier or lower colleges that cost a pretty penny to attend. Interestingly, with so many colleges now SAT- and ACT-optional it is likely that the biggest name colleges are benefitting most from the test-optional trend while others like Tufts that have more limited name-brand appeal are more likely to be overlooked by students newly-emboldened to apply to reach colleges they would have never considered if their SAT or ACT scores were any good.

For instance, let’s say you are a straight A student with a 1010 on the SAT; in a typical year you would never apply to anything other than your state university an a few others with relatively low test score averages. This year, you say to yourself, “I might as well put in an app or two to Harvard and Yale since they won’t look at my scores.” Notice how Tufts (or other similar schools) was not mentioned in such a hypothetical student’s line of reasoning. That’s because most college applicants have never heard of Tufts. Those who have are also probably holding off on applying EDI to Tufts when the school also offers EDII. This is because many typical EDI Tufts applicants are now going to try and swing for the fences at Brown, Penn, Princeton, or Harvard. Tufts likely finds itself in a doughnut hole of a situation.

January 2021 Update: Tufts is thrilled with itself because overall it got thirty-five percent more applications this admissions cycle compared to last year. Yet, in Tufts’ self-congratulatory press release, Tufts attempts to memory hole the fact that pushing back its ED deadline nearly three weeks probably played at least a small role in the increase. The main driver, of course, was Tufts’s decision to go test-optional, which resulted in HALF of Tufts applicants this cycle opting not to submit ACT or SAT scores with their applications! It will be interesting to learn what percentage of those accepted ultimately did or did not submit their SAT or ACT scores. As things stand now, it’s pretty clear that Tufts simply wanted to drive up its perceived selectivity as much as possible by driving down its top line acceptance rate and used test-optional applicants to do so. Should Tufts ultimately accept a significant percentage of its Class of 2025 via the test-optional pathway, how selective can Tufts really be considered? Maybe its acceptance rate will plummet, but, objectively, it will no longer be a college that prizes academic excellence above many other factors. This is because assessing a student by his or her grades in high school as the only measure of academic achievement denies reality that is obvious to most astute observers: most American high schools have become environments of rampant grade inflation and short-term self-esteem boosting and very little more. While SAT and ACT scores are imperfect measures of academic excellence, they are a least objective standardized measures that allow colleges to compare what applicants know upon submitting their application regardless of what curriculum applicants experienced in high school. Test optional colleges may still reject more students than they accept, but what they are basing their admissions decisions on is more akin to what those holding a velvet rope at a night club base their admissions decisions on than any sort of academic achievement metric.