About the author: Allie is starting her senior year at University of Arizona, which she selected after an intensive search for colleges in the Western U.S. with speech therapy and audiology programs. She graciously agreed to allow Creative Marbles to repost the following from her blog. This summer I worked at the College of Admissions at…
Tag: Stress
Top 10 Questions NOT to Ask a High School Senior
Where are you applying to college? You must be excited to graduate high school, aren’t you? Isn’t senior year the best time of your life? What is your GPA? What are your SAT scores? Why do you want to apply there? (referring to a particular college) My son/daughter/nephew/co-worker’s daughter’s boyfriend’s cousin went to _____ (fill-in-the-blank…
The Chronicles of Procrastination
Bravado When first given an assignment, especially a project due beyond the end of the week, we’re often overly confident that we’ll complete the assignment in stages, so there won’t be a last-minute-panic-tear-streaked-temper-tantrum-tazmanian-devil-whirling-dervish kind of effort in the 24 hours before the deadline. We pridefully chalk up previous “all-nighters”, as “all in the past”, determined…
They’re Called Growing Pains for a Reason
Seniors all over the country, who are facing May 1st deadline to officially enroll in a college may be at times surly, reclusive, exuberant, talkative, manic, anxious and exhausted – sometimes changing moods within one breath – personifying the complexities of going to college. Zafrin, one senior in the midst of choosing a college, recently…
College Admissions Is Not a Race
When choosing colleges for application, the first criteria considered is often, “Where can I get in?” Students are really asking, “How do I measure up?”, creating a competitive mindset. Then, in comparing the strength of their application to those of other possible applicants, students can generate unfounded or stereotypical conclusions, building nervous energy and aggravating…
Fat Envelope Torture
Each spring, somewhere in the bowels of college admissions offices around the country is a network of diabolical admissions officers executing their annual conspiracy – Code Name: Fatty.
Hurry Up and Wait and Wait and Then Wait Some More
“Will my kid get in?” is a concern often rattling around Senior parents’ minds at this time of year, causing a fair share of insomnia. Worries spike each time these same parents listen to other parents excitedly share good news about their kid’s acceptance, while polite smiling to hide the anxious wonderings about why their…
There’s No Excuses
Elementary school has recess for a reason – pent up little kid energy can get in the way of focusing on the academic task at hand. Adults and teens are no different; we just have to be more deliberate about making “recess” in our lives. If The President and Vice President can do it, there’s…
Mission (Im)Possible?
“I just looked at it [the original Star Trek series] as science fiction, ’cause that wasn’t going to happen, really, but Ronald saw it as science possibility.” – Carl McNair, about his brother, Astronaut Ronald McNair, who died aboard The Challenger in 1986 While we all face difficulties in our lives, some continue to move…
Resting on Our Laurels
“It’s not enough what I did in the past — there is also the future.” Dr. Rita Levi-Montalcini, commented when asked continuing her work as a pioneering neurologist at 100 years old. I was struck by her matter-of-fact attitude, that a life’s work doesn’t have a “done” point. The tendency to rest on our laurels…
The Emotional Side of Applying to College
Most students expect that completing college applications will be a short-term effort, temporarily inconvenient to the rest of their schedule, but generally able to be subsumed within their daily lives. In reality, the challenge of opening one’s life to analysis, in order to write autobiographical essays required in applications can create an unexpected emotional response,…
The Returns on Writing College Essays
While writing the college essays may be a stressful experience, the process of reflecting on your life experiences – gaining greater awareness of what you’ve accomplished and where you’re headed – will serve you long after any acceptances return in the Spring.
The College Application Process in 7 Minutes
From challenging the myths about writing college essays to dealing with the stress of applying to college, Creative Marbles Consultancy’s three-part video series gives an overview of the college application process. Take a look: Part 1: The College Application Part 2: How to Write A College Admissions Essay Part 3: A Few College Essay Myths
The Growing Pains From Applying to College
Completing college applications challenges the patience and confidence of any applicant. However, given a lack of experience, many applicants don’t expect to be tested. Applying seems simple–fill in a few boxes, write an essay quickly and painlessly, then click “submit.” Unfortunately, the actual experience is more complicated. Writing an autobiography, which summarizes seventeen years of…
Knowledge Lives in the Now
Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Past failure and success can no longer be experienced. Right now is where life happens. To fail or succeed are just two more concepts others like to hang around our necks. Then, as our life unfolds, we are shaped, corralled by the overuse, abuse…