I was watching CNN last week when the new Pope was selected. Anderson Cooper was out in the crowd in St. Peter’s Square and found three American students who were all studying abroad in Rome right now. One was an Emory student from Los Angeles. What an amazing time to be studying in Rome! You … Read more
It’s early March, we’ve sprung forward, now it’s time to think about what your high school student will be doing this summer! Whether it’s an official program, an intensive volunteer opportunity, a paying job, taking responsibility for younger siblings or older grandparents, pretty much anything is more impressive than hanging out at the beach all … Read more
I met with a local representative from the University of Alabama this week. Why would a California student consider attending this school? Take a look at some interesting information I learned: Alabama’s debate and forensics team has won 19 national championships. Alabama is ranked 6th among public universities in enrolling National Merit Scholars. [National Merit … Read more
I attended a gap year information fair this weekend. It was hosted by the Center for Interim Programs, based in Massachusetts, one of the oldest consulting organizations that help students organize “gap” time between high school and college. Counselor Jason Sarouhan describes a gap year as a way for students to “take productive, intentional time out of your … Read more
It seems that every week I am off to another professional conference. This week it was lunch with admissions officers from 24 different schools on Monday, a tour of UC Irvine and discussion with fellow counselors about college search experiences for Jewish students on Friday. I added up all of the time I spent on … Read more
Please join us for two free presentations at Temple Adat Shalom this Tuesday, 10/16, and next Tuesday, 10/23 about college admissions. This week, we’ll talk about the basics: what matters in college admissions, how an admissions committee works, what your student can do in 9th, 10th and 11th grade to improve their options when they … Read more
As we’re well into October, seniors should have their college lists set at this point. Early Action and Early Decision deadlines are fast approaching (most are either November 1 or November 15), and the UC and Cal State applications are due November 30th. What tools to you use for your college search? I like Cappex, … Read more
~ Spoiler Alert ~ You will know at the end of this article which colleges were dropped, and which were added, from the original Colleges That Change Lives, in the 2012 Revised Edition. Colleges That Change Lives was originally published in 1996, after decades of research by former New York Times Education Editor Loren Pope. … Read more
Sometimes we get so caught up in the college admissions frenzy we forget that 70% of colleges accept 70% or more of the students who apply. In fact, the news that generally surrounds the May 1 national response deadline is about what highly selective colleges have “yielded,” that is, what percentage of the students they … Read more
We all remember the first week of school in the fall – from fifth grade to high school – that first week of school always involved clearing out the cobwebs that grew all summer long. A dormant mind grows cobwebs on top of the math and chemistry formulas we used to know, the literary devices … Read more