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…
At some time, the rumor started, then spread year after year, that college admissions officers admit students who have experienced heartbreak, difficulty, the “I overcame this challenge” narrative. So, students often compare their experiences to loss or catastrophe or illness, paralyzed to start writing when nothing seems “tragic enough.” But, in reality, admissions officers seek…
Many students approach writing as if it were a one-pot recipe: brainstorming, drafting, and editing—all tossed together in a single step. While seemingly efficient, often students rush their ideas, under the pressure of production by the deadline. Thus, their reflections can be shallow, and repeating frustration over sentences “not sounding right.” Yet with a thorough,…
Many students think the first draft of their college essay must be perfect. The truth? Writing begins with a mess. Start by “yapping”—rambling in a Google Doc, voice note, or even a notebook. Talk about what frustrates you, what excites you, what keeps showing up in your life. The ideas don’t have to make sense…
Many students get stuck when starting their college essays, convinced their lives are too “boring” or lacking in dramatic experiences to be worth reading about. But college essays aren’t about trauma—they’re about insight. Admissions officers seek understanding of the person—perspective, motivations, and the meaning of one’s experience. And those experiences don’t need to be earth-shattering.…
In recent years, more students seek any advantage in the competitive college admissions process, thus more are applying in early admissions programs like Early Decision (ED) and Early Action (EA). ED, a binding admissions agreement, requires students to commit to that college, if accepted, rescinding all other applications. EA, however, is non-binding, so students apply…
“Brevity is the soul of wit.” Polonius, Hamlet, William Shakespeare Being concise, we can communicate with intelligence and clarity. When writing, especially without the chance to explain our meaning as is possible in conversation, brevity ensures readers can more likely grasp our ideas effectively. Since most college essays are limited in word count, then students …
As many English teachers are assigning the college essay as a classwork grade, students can maintain two separate drafts: one for their class assignment and another for their college application. Writing for a grade can constrain a teenager from writing with the candor characteristic of a personal narrative. While class assignments are a valuable opportunity…
First, students try and organize their thoughts, often encountering writer’s blocks: After bailing out their thoughts, finally underway with drafting then students encounter: And, then in frustration, this results: Much to the consternation of their parents. Creative Marbles was founded by teachers who appreciate helping students craft insightful essays, first in the academic classroom, now…
Many parents of rising high school juniors and seniors are often concerned their teens seem less concerned about selecting colleges, than they do. Inexperienced and given the complexity of considering life’s big (and philosophical) questions, such as, “What’s my life’s purpose?”, many teens simply avoid or grunt monosyllabic answers about college choices. Thus, parents can…
As we previously discussed here and here and here, as well as contrary to popular belief, studying computer science is not necessarily a guarantee of a high paying job upon college graduation. Yet, according to a recent Wall Street Journal article, Computer-Science Majors Graduate Into a World of Fewer Opportunities: Computer and information science is…
BRANDED from Surya Sundararajan on Vimeo. From the beginnings of a promising film career, Surya consistently honors and hones his talents as a storyteller, cultural commentarist, filmmaker, director, producer, writer, cinematographer. He embodies the prosperity of living one’s life purposefully—only gaining strength with each challenge. Creative Marbles was founded by teachers who appreciate helping students…
Searching for “The Ideal College”, students often seek the most elite admissions possible. Many believe a seemingly “prestigious” or “ranked” college equates to greater professional opportunities after graduation, as well as seek the “reward” for a lifetime of effort to best the academic meritocracy. But I want all this work that I’ve done in high…
The Summer Squeeze: Balancing Fun and Future Most students are planning to unwind during summer break. But with college applications looming in the fall, reminded by seemingly every adult, many sense pressure to be “productive.” Yet, truthfully, a strategic retreat to reflect on your abilities and aspirations creates a foundation for the nitty-gritty work of…
