What Engineers Can Learn from Authors
Google X’s self-congratulatory embrace of “failure” ignores lessons that have served writers and artists well for millennia.
Josh Stephens
Today’s Applicants, Tomorrow’s Reputations
As admission rates have plummeted, the esteem of many “second-choice” colleges has skyrocketed. This is good news for today’s applicants.
Overcoming Affluence: How Students of Modest Means Can Defy the Odds
Wealthy high school students enjoy an astonishing array of advantages, from private schooling to tutoring to vacation homes. But they do not have a monopoly on intellect.
On Seismology and the Humanities
Contrary to the emerging trendiness of STEM, the humanities offer tremendous intellectual and vocational value for college students.
College Essays and the Misuse of 'Voice'
College counselors and English teachers exhort students to use "voice." It's a reasonable goal. But it's nearly useless advise for inexperienced writers. Josh Stephens offers some alternatives
The Hidden Perils of Applying to ‘Reach’ Colleges
Students who are serious about applying to ultra-selective schools need to affirmatively articulate — first to themselves, then to the colleges—reasons why schools should want to welcome them.
Some Recommendations About Recommendation Letters
You scored 5’s on all but one of the six AP exams you took as a junior and sophomore. You won the history department award, and took second regionally in Public Forum debate. SAT scores? Through the roof. You worked like crazy to earn outstanding grades. You carried a