2020 Early Application Numbers Defy Expectations
College applications are up, admission rates are down — and applicants need to stay upbeat.
Essays & Applications
Getting Past ‘Personal Growth’ in College Essays
Many college applicants strive to describe “personal growth” in their application essays. Here’s why they shouldn’t.
Writing Is Not Writing Unless It’s Revising
Every theater production goes through weeks of rehearsal. Football teams practice formations and plays dozens of times before running them in games. Chefs create tasting menus, militaries run drills, surgeons do internships, and pilots fly simulations. No one is expected to get it right — whatever “it” may be — on the
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.
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
College Choice
Freedom Returns to Common Application Essays
High school juniors get atwitter this time of year when the Common Application releases its essay prompts. This year’s prompts, released last week, mean less than ever before. That’s a good thing.
College Choice
College Essay Prompt Pet Peeves
Students should always take expansive, creative views of their prompts. They should think critically. If that means that they acknowledge a prompt's stupidity, so be it.
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.
Essays & Applications
Insight into New University of California Application Essays
A few weeks ago, the University of California announced the retirement of its venerable set of application prompts, to be replaced by eight new "personal insight questions." Before I get to those questions, let's take a moment to mourn their predecessors. A Brief Lament Between the
Essays & Applications
How College Applicants Can Brag (Modestly)
Probably the most mysterious element of the college application - so mysterious, in fact, that most applicants don't know it exists - is the school report and the counselor letter.
Academics
New SAT: A Biased Exam In A Biased World
Today, the long-awaited redesign of the SAT exam takes a step forward with the debut of Khan Academy's online SAT preparation program. The redesign responds, in part, to some harrowing shortcomings of the current iteration of the exam. As reported at a session I attended at last fall&
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