Essays
Do Your Research
We can’t tell you how many times kids report to us that they want to go to Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Dartmouth, etc… but when we ask them why, they have no good reason. Colleges want to know WHY you are applying — are you impressed by their world-famous chemistry program? The well-known English department? The art history department with a specialty in Renaissance art? Often times students with particular interests do themselves a great disservice by not bothering to check if the schools on their list match their own academic interest. For example, if you like ancient languages you’d want to apply to a school that at least offered classes in Latin, Greek, Aramaic, Sanskrit and the like. [Read more]
Private versus Public High School
Many parents ask us if for college admissions purposes it’s better to attend a well known private school versus a public school. The key to this question is, “for college admissions purposes.” The truth is, parents should not make ANY decisions based purely on college admissions odds – that’s the wrong way to address a crucial choice that involves far more variables than simply college admissions. One valid reason to send your son or daughter to private school is if you want him or her to have smaller classes, specific classes not offered at your particular public school, a different social environment, athletic opportunities not found at your local school, etc. The worst reason to send a student is in the vain hope of bettering college admissions odds. Most of the Ivies admit roughly 25% of their populations from private schools and roughly 65-70% from public (the rest from parochial or home-schooled), but that merely reflects the fact that more kids from publ ic school apply — again, the acceptance rates are usually about equal.
What To Do If You Were Deferred
Around the first week of March, admissions offices at top colleges sort through all their deferred candidates in order to see how many they will ultimately admit. Much will depend upon the strength of their applicant pool for regular admission — was it higher than usual? Were applications up? Was there a strong geographic spread? In other words, what does the statistical makeup of the class look like, and where might it fall short? For example, if there were a shortage of female apps, the office might accept a higher percentage of females from the deferred pool who showed a strong interest.
Happy New Year – Now Think About Summer!
It’s hard to think about summer as you celebrate a bright new year, but we want you to shift your focus as the best summers take planning. But, we want you to shift your focus as the best summers take planning.
As you probably know by now, the Common Application has added a new category called WORK EXPERIENCE with five or so lines of description. Getting a job is as important today to admissions officers as community service was ten years ago. Likewise, many students are more career-oriented than ever before.
Admissions Blogs
Many colleges are beginning to create blogs written by admissions officers. These blogs are helpful resources no matter what grade you are in because often some interesting insight is shared. Take some time to check websites of colleges that interest you and read their admissions blog, if they have one, if not, read the school newspaper online.
Get Some Testing Done Early
Unfortunately, many students only start their standardized testing in junior year and as a result have no SAT Subject tests. The last thing you ever want to do is wait until spring of junior year and then take all three Subject Tests (most top colleges require three Subject Test scores) on the same test date!
Plan Ahead for Summer!
It’s hard to turn our thoughts to summer when winter is just kicking into gear.
But, we encourage students to take some time before the Christmas break to begin researching their summer plans. Many of the top summer programs at colleges and private schools fill up well ahead of the spring deadlines.
Prepare for Early Decision
For most colleges, November 1 marks the early decision/early action deadline. Early applicants have a big advantage at top colleges—some, like U Penn, fill close to 40-50% of the freshman class from the early group. Narrow your search and prepare your apps in time for this deadline!
This week we are going to go over a few reminders for students who are in the process of finishing up early applications. If you aren’t applying this year, note these tips so when your turn rolls around you are prepared. These thoughts are based on some of the most common errors we see.
RISE ABOVE THE REST: CREATE WINNING COLLEGE APPLICATIONS
From one of the country’s leading experts in college admissions and a nationally recognized parenting guru—Learn specific tips for giving colleges more than they ask for and creating an application that stands out.
2009 will be the most difficult year ever in terms of college admissions! Don’t get lost in the pile of 30,000 applications at some Ivy League schools.
Join this teleseminar and learn insider information from someone who worked inside an Ivy League admissions office. Top college consultant Michele Hernandez and her coauthor of DON’T WORRY, YOU’LL GET IN (Avalon) Mimi Doe, are once again offering to move you through the process with ease and less stress. This teleseminar will allow you to:
-
Conquer the common application with our proven tips and techniques
-
Create an Activity Sheet summing up high school awards, activities, and achievements
-
Learn how to prepare multiple essays (including all required essays along with extra essays) that can be used for specific colleges using the Application Boot Camp™ strategy
-
Develop an application strategy to increase college acceptance possibilities
All of this and more provided by America’s premier college consultant, Michele Hernandez, author of A is For Admission and former Assistant Director of Admissions at Dartmouth College and Mimi Doe, called a “parenting guru” by Ladies Home Journal and author of Busy but Balanced and Nurturing Your Teenager’s Soul who holds a master’s degree in education from Harvard.
The teleseminar includes an in-depth, 90-minute training session on Thursday, September 25th, 7:30pm – 9:00pm (EDT) with Mimi & Michelle on how to give colleges more than they ask for and prepare applications that leverage your experience and strengths. Click here for more information.
Top Tips for Strong College Essays
By: Josh Stephens
1. Be honest.
Students often assume that admissions office “want” a certain kind of essay, perhaps about an exotic trip or profound community service experience. But essays like those often come off as melodramatic and even insincere. Don’t make an experience sound more profound than it really was. Admissions officers have heard every story – from the trivial to the grandiose – and the subject matter almost never matters. What matters is candor, reflection, and honesty – all of which they can perceive from a mile away.
Ivy League Admissions Statistics
Our exclusive data on the Class of 2014 Ivy League Admissions statistics, now updated for Early Action and Early Admissions for the class entering 2010. See exactly how many students applied and how many were accepted to different schools.
Learn More...
Blog Topics
Find college application and testing help by browsing our stories by topic:
- Academic Index
- ACT
- Colleges
- Essays
- Home Page Items
- Insider Tips
- Ivy Admissions
- SAT
- Standardized Testing
Academic Index Calculator
Since the 1950's, Ivy League schools have used the Academic Index, a ranking formula, to evaluate students. Find out how you rank according to the Academic Index.
Learn More...
Become an Affiliate
You can become an affiliate and sell our Application Boot Camp™ products and services.
Learn More...