One of the biggest misconceptions students have about the college essay is that a unique topic is what makes an essay stand out. It is not. Admissions officers at highly selective colleges have read hundreds of thousands of essays. They...Read More

Every summer, high school seniors across the country sit down and ask themselves the same question:  What should I write my college essay about? It feels like the right place to start. It is not. Most of you have been...Read More

After months of waiting, the time is finally here. Decision Day. With bated breath and butterflies flapping so strongly they threaten to fly away, we log into the University of Texas portal to learn about our admissions fate. CAP? What...Read More

The 2021-2022 admissions cycle brought with it several surprises. Perhaps, the most stunning was watching some students with lower GPAs gain admission to schools that, historically would have been out of their academic reach, while other, academic high-fliers (valedictorians, perfect...Read More

Although Ivy League and highly selective schools have tried to deny the use of a formula to determine admissions outcomes, the truth is that they have been using such a statistical tool as an input to admissions decisions since the...Read More

A couple of months ago, I had a conversation with a parent of a sophomore who was concerned that her daughter had no idea where she wanted to go to college, what she wanted to study, or how to start...Read More

Fashion legend Carolina Herrera is famous for dressing First Ladies like Jacqueline Onassis, Laura Bush, Michelle Obama, and Melania Trump. Herrera knows a thing or two about helping people stand out for the right reasons. “Attention to detail is of...Read More

  “Miss, why you makin’ us read this old book? I haven’t read a book since elementary school!” “Miss! Why do we have to read EVERY DAY?!” My inner sigh is profound. Where did we go wrong? When did reading...Read More

I know it’s disappointing to be deferred in the early round but, truly, very few students are. Most are outright rejected.  A deferral is not a “no.”  It’s a “let’s connect at the end of the semester to see where...Read More

While COVID-19 vaccines are rolling out across the US and business are starting to return to normal operations, many non-profits, particularly those that serve people with compromised health, remain closed to volunteers. As a result, students are struggling to find...Read More