Mind the Gap

Malia Obama recently became a famous representative of a Millennial trend, The Gap Year.  Defined as a “year-off” between high school and starting college, most “Gap Year-ians” aren’t just loafing around, playing video games and drinking Bobo teas all day.  For a generation raised on scheduled play-dates, year-round athletics, and regimented community service activities, the…

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“I Forgot My Calculator for the ACT!”

About the author: I’m Karli Ching and I graduated with C.K. McClatchy High School’s Class of 2015.  I attend University of California, Davis as a biological sciences major pre-med student. ____________________________________________________ When I was taking the ACT for the second time during my senior year in October, I was taking it to improve my math score…

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Depth Over Breadth?

“Well-lopsided” is the new catchphrase in college admissions. In CMC’s recent conversation with an Ivy League admissions officer, she mentioned that the trend for applicants are either well-rounded, with depth in each activity or well-lopsided—which means if applicants are going to focus on one activity, like a sport, Olympic training should be in view for such a candidate. In…

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The University of California Unveiled Brand New Application Essay Prompts

In Fall 2016, both freshman and transfer applicants to the University of California (UC) will choose from brand new writing prompts when composing the required personal application statements.  After ten years, the UC has retired their previous two essay prompts. With annually record-breaking numbers of applicants—which increases the selectivity in admissions—admissions officers are seeking a fuller understanding…

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Texts from a College Admissions Victor

About Karli: She’s a freshman at the University of California Davis, currently studying Biology and Chemistry.  Karli is a former Creative Marbles Consultancy client; we advised her as a high school senior through the college admissions process, knowing the pressures she experienced in completing her college applications.   In response to a recent New York…

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And, The Oops! Award for Fall 2016 College Admissions Goes To…

….University of California Santa Cruz! We’ve all “clicked prematurely”, but on Wednesday, March 15, 2016, the Maryland, Virginia and Washington DC regional admissions officer for UC Santa Cruz sent 4000 “Congratulations on your admissions to UC Santa Cruz!” emails to students who hadn’t even applied. At least this application season (knock on wood), only UC Santa…

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Guest Post: Life After Getting Into College

Kai is a Midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA), Class of 2016.  He will graduate with an Aerospace Engineering degree, as well as completed the requirements for medical school.  He also runs on the USNA Cross Country and Indoor/Outdoor Track and Field Team.  Below are Kai’s reflections on the transition from high school to college:  __________________________________________________________…

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