In the perceived race for college admissions, savvy students and their families often seek any advantage to be admitted. As a high school sophomore shared recently, “If every kid looks the same, how do you distinguish yourself?” And, as the extracurricular resume is one place where students can demonstrate their uniqueness (since the academic requirements are prescribed), then many spend…
Summer vacation traditionally meant “lazy days “—time to rest and regroup. Yet, for Gen Z’ers and even the preceeding Millenials, summer has become “organized play” and “scheduled interest investigation”, packed into camps, summer school, club sports, and summer reading assignments. But, today’s kids are no different than us as kids—the people who learned from youthful mistakes—only our adult perception of…
Never has a day dulled, remembering the joy of being a child.
About the author: Ashley is a recent graduate from Rocklin High School and leaves home to attend Oregon State University in ten days. Leaving for college is difficult, as any book, article, or adult worth their salt will agree. Despite the fact only four or so months will pass before reuniting, it’s impossible to ignore the fundamental truth that…
The typical teenage inbox … because email is Snapchat’s great-grandmother. Photo credit: Hubbubbaloo Creative, 2017
The Common Application members have changed the prompts for current juniors in the Class of 2018, who will become college applicants in Fall 2017. The word count remains unchanged at a maximum of 650 words. Applicants will still be required to only choose one of the seven prompts listed below. The Common Application administrators have identified the prompts which changed,…
Not a day goes by, when I don’t hear from a concerned parent that their kid isn’t doing enough community service. The unsaid part of the concern is “not enough for a competitive college admissions resume.” Although community service IS recalled in college applications and can matter in demonstrating the interest and commitment of an applicant outside of her/his academic…
A timely post from a mom who knows. Louise’s two daughters are attending Cornell University and University of California, Berkeley, while she lives in Sacramento, California. Since her oldest daughter moved to New York, Louise has learned a few lessons about keeping in touch with her kids, while giving them space to grow. Her thoughts are below: ____________________________________________________________________ You and…
Although Irene Bergman intended her advice for Wall Street finance types, her wisdom can apply to anyone in any situation. Bloomberg News recently highlighted Ms. Bergman for her longevity in a notoriously competitive business, stock trading. We can all learn a lesson, if for no other reason, than Ms. Bergman has the weight of a century of life behind her words.…
You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. You can’t get there by bus, only by hard work and risk and by not quite knowing what you’re doing, but what you’ll discover will be wonderful. What you’ll discover will be yourself. – Alan Alda We all go through…
