At a time when automated text generators and AI can create polished, yet often standardized application portfolios, teenage authors of autobiographical college essay stand at a crossroads. Many often (mis)perceive the personal statement as a marketing obstacle, a final opportunity to convince an admissions officer of their worthiness. But education is not a negotiation, nor…
Many seniors worry about spending “enough time” on college applications, especially when autobiographical essays, college research, and application tasks compete with schoolwork. But the deeper challenge is decision-making. Seniors are learning, in real time, how to weigh competing priorities under uncertainty. Should they revise or review their autobiographical college essay or study for tomorrow’s test?…
Every year, we meet students who are excited by the idea of a BS/MD or BS/DO program, a direct pathway to medicine. Who wouldn’t want to reduce uncertainty (i.e. “Will I be accepted to medical school?”), and have a clear roadmap (i.e. “I can experiment during college, with the support of advisors and my cohort…
Since many students move away from home to attend college, parents’ concerns about “college readiness” often extends beyond academic preparation. Many seek confidence in their teenage child’s ability to manage the inevitable challenges of life. So, while parents often need to see that their student can do laundry, maintain a budget, cook a nutritious meal,…
Many parents are frustrated when their high school senior lacks motivation or avoids applying for scholarships. Some conclude their kid is “entitled” or is “lazy”, creating a tension, where parents question their kid’s commitment to college. For adults, applying for scholarships is a no-brainer, as gift money that does not need to be repaid. As…
During the college admissions process, families are managing uncertainty, not simply making educational decisions. Adding complexity, parents and teenagers often approach dealing with ambiguity from two different time horizons. Parents often approach college planning from a long-term perspective, what Lewis Lapham called, “the wisdom of earned experience”. Parents may act based on regrets of missed…
Long before college applications are submitted, students often miss the opportunity to understand the meaning of their experiences. Often, students “collect” experiences, too focused on acceptance rates and admissions policies, not pausing to understand what they’re learning. So, Is Experience: Teacher or Currency? Every day, students expend effort. Thus, experience can be a “teacher”, where…
Since preschool, students have progressed through school and life as part of groups, amongst same-aged peers, taking similar classes, choosing from overlapping activities. However, in planning for college, each student is now confronting something fundamentally different: choosing a path based on who they are becoming. And yet, “group think” doesn’t simply disappear. Many students continue…
Choosing a college is, in many ways, a leap of faith. Students are committing four years pivotal years of their lives, transitioning from childhood to adulthood, not to mention making a significant financial investment, and without knowing exactly the experience once the excitement of move-in day fades. Taking a campus tour, families can learn the…
For high school seniors, instead of March Madness basketball brackets, families are watching applicant portals, eagerly anticipating admissions results, both from Regular Decision and if deferred from early admissions. Many experience mixed emotions—excitement, disappointment, relief, and confusion—sometimes, from one click to the next. Most are experiencing the years’ long build-up of expectations plus an “acceptance”…
Many high school students believe the persistent myth that taking more Advanced Placement (AP) classes means a stronger college application. However, while AP courses represent “academic rigor”, simply collecting AP’s without reflection, students may not demonstrate what admissions officers actually value: curiosity and depth. The Problem with “Collecting” Credits Many students add AP’s as markers…
Many experts predict that AI will soon (if not already is) automate many entry-level white-collar jobs, traditionally the realm of new college grads. Thus, for current high school students, I recommend shifting strategy for career development from mastering tasks (or competencies) to mastering judgment. Emerging college grads future value lies in an ability to critique,…
For many students, the phrase optional admissions interview triggers a familiar fear: What if I say the wrong thing? What if I don’t have the perfect answer? It’s easy to imagine the interview as exposing and unforgiving. Yet, the optional admissions interviews are as much for the applicant as for the college. Think of the…
For seniors applying to highly selective colleges, including Ivy League school, the writing process often carries an extra, invisible weight. While students worry about What should I say? but also How do I compare to everyone else in the applicant pool? When single digit acceptance rates loom large, what a student writes can seem like…
For some students, especially those who have only ever earned A’s, the first “B” can seem like a crisis. Families often wonder if this single grade will damage college admissions chances. The truth: it won’t. Admissions officers use a holistic evaluation process. That means they look at much more than a GPA snapshot: In fact,…