University of San Diego Supplement Essay Defined

The key to writing a competitive college essay is understanding the prompt.  (Sounds simple, but in the heat of writing college essays, while still keeping up with 15 hours a week of extracurricular activities, plus going to school and completing everyday homework,  clearly defining the prompt may be overlooked.)  Not to worry, we’ve done half the…

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‘Twas the Night Before Choosing A High School…When No Parent Could Sleep

“High School, already?!?” For middle school parents, who may be simultaneously lamenting their Tween no longer being a child, while anxious about sensing the beginning of “all things teenager”, they’re faced with seemingly complex decisions regarding high school.  In my experience, many parents believe an acceptance into the “right” college and being prepared for said…

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College Application Deadlines Making You Want to Scream?

Surviving the college application can test the patience and self-interests and emotional stamina and gumption and understanding and willingness of parents, as much as the Senior.  Sometimes, of everyone in the family all at once.  As a result, parents may find themselves thinking up choice names for Senior teachers over the past month and into December, as…

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Things NOT to Say to (Or Do And Expect From) A High School Senior During the Holiday Break

Many seniors are in the midst of applying to college.  What that may mean to an outsider is an opportunity to enter into a conversation, small talk or a polite (i.e. socially acceptable) inquiry; however, “So where are you applying to college?” may unwittingly trigger a frustrated response or terse answer. (Seniors often tell us that they…

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Editing College Essays Can Test Your Last Nerve

To the Senior (i.e. novice college essay author), the college essay editing process–especially when the editor is a third party–can be expletive provoking, feeling like a nit-picking critique of a final product spawned from a laborious drafting process, which can cause tension (or exacerbate it), and get on Senior’s last nerve.   Seemingly “together” seniors…

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College Applications: Beware of Hidden Obstacles

Stress and seniors.  For us, at this time of year, the two words are synonymous. Senior teachers are marching forward with their curriculum and homework assignments, seemingly without regard for the time, effort and mental space required to focus on college applications, especially essays. Seniors, in their typical teenage wisdom, are continuing to attend EVERY…

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Defining Claremont McKenna: Understanding the Supplement Essay Prompt

The Supplement questions of the Common Application are not only another opportunity for applicants to state WHY s/he is a strong candidate for admissions to ________ university, they reveal more about the college’s values and academic environment the student may join, eventually.    As previously stated in earlier posts, competitive essays start with a thorough…

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Financial Aid Reality Check (That Won’t Cost Your Checkbook)

We’re hearing from parents of seniors, who’re looking through their check registers and not seeing $30,000 to $60,000 available for next year’s college expenses, nor in their savings or investments.   Actually, we’re hearing from parents of juniors, parents of sophomores, parents of freshmen and parents of pre-schoolers about the continued rise in costs and…

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The Inside Scoop about the University of California Essay Prompt #1

126,000 single applications received by the University of California (UC) system for Fall 2012 Freshman admissions.  That means at least 252,000 essays were written and included within those applications.   (Mind you: These numbers are only for unduplicated applications, and DO NOT include that each application may have ben considered by multiple UC campuses.)  …

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