College Study Abroad Closures Related to COVID-19

As the coronavirus, COVID-19, continues affecting people all over the world, educational plans are being disrupted. Study abroad programs are being suspended and students are unsure if they can make travel plans for summer cultural immersions.  Many different universities have recently announced plans to suspend current programs, and begin assisting students and staff in their…

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Selecting a College vs. Being Selected by a College

Worries about “not being accepted” to a college are common, since most parents and students believe they’re at the mercy of an admissions officer’s decision. Often, students think, “How do I make my experience, like GPA, test scores and extracurricular activities, match the “right” selection criteria of (insert name of college)?” Few students turn the…

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The Early Admissions Arms Race

According to the Common Application, “around 860,000” applications were submitted on November 1, 2019 for Early Action, Early Decision and Regular Decision application deadlines, which for the first time, exceeded the “around 720,000” applications submitted last year on January 1 for traditional Regular Decision deadlines. The increasingly competitive nature of the college admissions process—evident in…

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Many Thanks!

We appreciate all who’ve supported us at Creative Marbles Consultancy for the past seventeen years. We’ve never had an advertising budget, instead our consulting has grown to serve thousands of families across the United States, simply through word-of-mouth referrals from our clients and friends. Thank you for generosity and willingness to continue sharing us with…

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University Of California Application – Activities & Awards Section

The University of California (UC) Application for Fall 2020 admissions includes many opportunities for applicants to explain the significance of their hours spent on the field, on the court, in a lab, on a stage, serving others, working in the mall…etc in the redesigned “Activities and Awards” section of the UC Application. In text boxes,…

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The Dilemma

Apparently some town founders in Pennsylvania we’re also parents of high school seniors or community college transfer students who are applying to college. 😆 While college applicants “Desire” to be admitted to the college of their choice and often the freedom of moving away from home, they can also “Panic” about the risk of not…

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Private Isn’t Always Private Anymore

Last summer, Harvard Admissions Dean William Fitzsimmons’ rescinded the acceptance of Kyle Kashuv, Parkland High School advocate, for a two-year old social media post, Dean Fitzsimmons deemed to be racist, stating: Harvard reserves the right to withdraw an offer of admission under various conditions, including ‘ ‘if you engage or have engaged in behavior that…

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The State of A College Education, Part 2: The (Un)Fulfilled Promise of a College Degree

As I posited in Part 1, although an exact date is impossible to state, sentiment amongst college graduates is set to decline (as seen in the graph above), testing and possibly exceeding the 2009 lows. As the last of the Millenials graduate college this year (2019), many are disgruntled that the financial prosperty promised by…

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Know Your Frenemies AKA Writing College Essays?

Every college, transfer and graduate school applicant is facing their own “mirror” as they brainstorm their life’s story to draft their college essays, which being autobiographical will be some of the toughest writing they’ve ever done. Being educated isn’t just about learning reading, writing and ‘rithmatic, but also understanding ourselves so we understand our life’s…

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