Special Gap Year Programs Benefit Many Gap year and gap semester programs have always been very popular in Europe and are quickly gaining popularity in the U.S. For some students, this hiatus from the lock step march through their academic careers provides a timely opportunity to tackle new challenges, pursue passions and become more self-confident, self-sufficient and self-aware through travel, work, study and community service. These benefits of a gap program are well-recited, but there are less obvious yet equally compelling ... more >>

Does your SAT score end in "90"?

Tomorrow Juniors head off to take the SAT with varying degrees of preparedness and nervousness. While most students will sit for the SAT and/or ACT at least twice, we don’t encourage our students to take these tests over and over in pursuit of that ever-elusive “highest score possible”. Standardized tests are only one piece of the college application. While an important part, they shouldn’t be given undue time or weight.

Good ... more >>

Resolutions Worth Keeping Helping your own child with their college process can be a rewarding, bonding experience – but boundaries have to be drawn. Here’s where I have resolved to draw the lines and I embark upon this process with my own daughter.

The Dos and Don'ts of Graduate School Essays

Marybeth Gasman, who works in the admissions office at Penn’s Graduate School of Education, offers some pointed advice about how to write a compelling essay. While her words of wisdom are directed at graduation students, most of the advice she offers could be well heeded by anyone applying to college. Among my favorite tips: Don’t use the word “love” – ever, and don’t make excuses.

The Social Media Revolution

Social media tools are changing the way teachers teach, students learn, and the classroom is defined.

Building a Better College List

Ideas for our monthly columns come from many different places, but after the umpteenth conversation with my colleague, Tim, about people’s misguided notions that we can “just make a college list”, I decided to write about the considerations that we put in to each of the college lists we create for our clients. In truth, we never get “the list” right on the first try and, in fact, we don’t try do. Figuring out which ... more >>

10 Steps to Writing Your Best Personal Statement

The Personal Statement demands a lot of the college applicant – to present themselves fairly but favorably, to articulate to those things that inspire them, to capture their character and personality, and to do it all in 500 carefully chosen words. No wonder so many find this to be a painful exercise. But with enough time, introspection, and careful editing, students sometimes learn as much about themselves as the reader does.

Pulling an all-nighter for the college application

Our goal for many of our college clients is for them to have most of their common application completed by the end of the summer. In July and August rising seniors have more time and fewer distractions so they can fully focus on completing the common app, and completing it well. The Fall is can be a very busy time and students should be focusing their energies on their classwork as this ... more >>

Admissions office probes applicants\' scary depths

It turns out that it’s not just me who thinks that sometimes seniors’ final choice of college is – let’s just say it – whimsical. After a year of visiting, touring, researching, discussing, and agonizing you’d expect a thoughtful, well-reasoned decision when the final college choice is made, but often when I ask them to explain why they made their choice, the reply is simply, “It just felt right.”

It turns out that, when making ... more >>

Top 10 Strengths and Experiences Colleges Look for in High School Students

Just as no two students look alike, neither do any two applications. Here’s a list of the top strengths colleges look for in applicants, but it’s important to highlight your unique skills and interests.