There was a flurry of newspaper articles this weekend about college admissions and the increase in selectivity this year. It was a frustrating year for many students who thought they were qualified for admission to top UC and out-of-state universities. It’s important to remember that rejection does NOT mean a student is not qualified; it’s … Read more
I recently wrote a post about academic competitiveness, an issue that is (or should be) important to high-performing students and their parents – especially those interested in highly selective colleges The choices you make in high school – both in and out of the classroom – will be scrutinized by college admissions officers looking for … Read more
Students are often frustrated when I tell them that most highly selective colleges – and some less-selective colleges – recalculate GPAs using their own formulas, most of the time removing the weight for Honors and AP courses, and many times considering grades in only academic classes. They think that un-weighting their GPA is “unfair,” after … Read more
This is the hardest part of the college admissions process….the waiting. Some students still have a few more applications to submit – and my advice for those with mid-January/February deadlines is to get them done during winter break – why wait until the very last moment, when everyone else is already starting to get their … Read more
Is there anything worse than a stressed-out teenager? Yes – an already stressed-out teenager adding college application stress on top. College admissions is a process famous for inducing stress, placing a huge burden on entire families. It doesn’t have to be that way – and you as a parent can decide how much pressure you put … Read more