quality internships, newer scholarships, schools we evaluate, keeping up with the latest news on admissions - Success Koach

Parental help with college applications

9/29/2021

How can I help my child apply for college?
Parent Tips: DO's and DON'Ts of Helping Your Child Apply for...

DO set up a separate email account. ...
But DON'T put it in your name. ...
DO maintain a timeline. ...
But DON'T nag. ...
DO your homework. ...
But DON'T do everything for your child. ...
DO discuss finances. ...
But DON'T let sticker price intimidate them.

Many parents get very worked up about college admission forms and essays. This is a good place to step back from and let your student take the lead. The bottom line is, if they don't finish the applications and essays, they won't be admitted to school. They'll have to work for at least a year before they attend.

Can I talk about my mental health in my college essay?

9/27/2021

Recently, I've noticed a concerning uptick in the number of students asking whether it's appropriate for them to write about mental health issues, most frequently ADD and/or anxiety, in their college applications. ... So the short answer: don't do it.

Is it OK to talk about depression in a college essay?
All counselors interviewed for this piece agreed that students' college essays should not be about their struggles with mental health. ... Vinik says that mental health problems should only be shared in the essay if the college would not be able to understand the applicant without knowing about this part of her. https://www.noodle.com/articles/how-to-discuss-your-mental-health-on-college-applications

Should You Self-Study for an AP Exam? 5 Key Factors

9/26/2021

Whether or not self-studying is the right approach for you will depend on five key factors.
Should You Self-Study for an AP Exam? 5 Key Factors
Factor 1: Which AP Exam You Want to Self-Study For
Factor 2: How Much Time You Have for Studying
Factor 3: Your Studying Motivation Level
Factor 4: Your Ability to Stay on Track
Factor 5: Access to Study Material
5 Essential Tips for Effective AP Self-Studying
#1: Stay on Track
#2: Make a Schedule
#3: Find the Best Material
#4: Take Practice Tests
#5: Register for the AP Exam

Merit scholarship, who gets it?

9/23/2021

The merit scholarship criteria are part of your college's list planning and should be documented as such part of your final priorities for the admissions. Finding colleges that give good merit scholarships, the criteria, and the amounts is an art. Invest the time to learn the process. The details below will help. Reach out to the Success Koach team if you have questions.

External scholarships: strategies to get funded

9/23/2021

Is it Worth it to Apply for Scholarships?
Absolutely, but only if a student is willing to put in the work it takes to apply correctly using winning strategies and doing a bit of research before submitting any application. Scholarships are FREE money that does not have to be paid back, so learning how to strategically apply is crucial to a student’s scholarship success rate. Students who quickly write an essay without much thought will have basically no chance of winning unless there is only one applicant, which is very rare.

Majors in subjects like English, philosophy, psychology, and sociology?

9/23/2021

We students are way too focused on a STEM education. While the benefits of STEM are awesome and tangible, don't disregard the humanities subjects. those make you whole. Shreya, my older daughter is getting a very complete education at Wellesley college where she is majoring in CS yet 50% of her classes are in Humanities; that's a requirement when you graduate from a liberal arts college. Read on for more..

The spike in your application spike

9/22/2021

Your application should clearly communicate your “spike.” A spike, hook, etc. is a set of activities and accomplishments that show admissions officers what you are truly passionate about and what you bring to the table.

How to Pay for College

9/22/2021

Find out exactly how much college can cost and what you can do now as a freshman to prepare for those expenses. Refocus your study habits to build the credentials necessary for grant and scholarship applications.

The Heros journey has to show in your essays

9/22/2021

It's not what you say, but more importantly how you say that is more important. Remember, the AO has 8-mins in total to read your application, You can't predict when in the day the AO reads it either. the dude could be in a crappy mood. So always tell a story in the format he/she is most comfortable knowing... ie the Hero's journey.
Throughout history, various people have studied the hero’s journey narrative, but it is most commonly associated with Joseph Campbell’s work. There is a common arc to most journey:

It begins with an initial catalyst for the hero to start an extraordinary adventure
While on the adventure, the hero overcomes challenges
The hero completes the adventure and returns home

Wait... I have to write another supplemental essay??

9/22/2021

Admissions officers are trained to look for the "fit". Remember this.. the adcomm dude wants to help you but only if you help him/her simplify getting to the details, put everything they need in front. For example, don't just explicitly state the values you have, but instead, with the research into the school values how you fit those like a glove. That you should be able to make the case for how your candidature fits in. Helps the dude make the case on your behalf.

Personal essay... WTF, I hate writing, and brainstorming!

9/22/2021

This process can be a LOT more fun than most students make it out to be. They try too hard to impress the AO. All I want to know is who you are... and trust me the core of you is super unique. You just have to let me in.
So much of the college application is a recounting of things past—past grades, old classes, activities the student has participated in over several years. The personal essay is your chance to share who they are now and what they will bring to a college campus communities.
Basically, college admission officers are looking for three takeaways in your college essay:

Who is this person?
Will this person contribute something of value to our campus?
Can this person write?

Write like a journalist; persuasive writing 101

9/22/2021

Few tips :-)

Begin early! You should start developing a personal statement and trying out topic ideas. Exact essay topics can be downloaded when college applications come out mid-summer, but the questions often remain the same for several years.
Unless the college specifically asks for it, avoid the general autobiographical essay. Most essay topics are fairly open-ended, but if the question is specific, be sure you answer it.

Graduate in 3-years? Save $100K

9/22/2021

So how can you graduate early?
The math is pretty simple. A typical college load is four classes a semester, so in a year you're likely to take eight classes. To graduate a year early, you need to acquire eight classes worth of credit. You can do this a few ways:

Take as many AP courses as you can. If you score 4s or 5s on the AP exam, most colleges will give you course credit. In some cases, a score of 3 will earn credit.

Think like an AO (Admissions officer)

9/22/2021

Get in their shoes. when you visit a school fair make friends with them. The more you know how they are incentivized and what they want, the more cohesive and tailored will be your application.
An AO reads ~100 applications a day.
They first review a Summary of the academics, they review the progression performance over the years. They look specifically if the student challenged themselves to select harder subjects from what was offered at the school? They then look for personal qualities. If you come across as flat or just offensive, they are thrown off. They are building a community at the school so the selection is careful and meticulous.

Full ride scholarships: Plan else you won't get them

9/22/2021

So how do you maximize your chances of getting a large scholarship that will cover all of your college expenses? Try to think like an admissions officer. Find the generous colleges.. read my post https://www.successkoach.com/blog/list-of-buyers-and-sellers-colleges
Read on below...

Four types of Financial aid you should know

9/22/2021

Financial aid helps students and their families pay for college. It can cover a range of educational expenses, like tuition and fees, room and board, books and supplies, and transportation.

SCHOLARSHIPS: Scholarships are essentially free money to pay for school.
GRANTS: Grants are given to students who demonstrate financial need.
LOANS: Loans are funded by governments or private lenders.
WORK-STUDY: Program offers flexible part-time jobs around student schedules.

All the UCs schooling details you had questions about

9/22/2021

What are the UCs majors-best know for:

UC Los Angeles Engineering, Psychology
UC Berkeley Statistics, Sociology, Media Studies
UC Santa Barbara Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Social Sciences
UC Irvine Chemistry, Earth System Science, Mathematics, Physics, Astronomy
UC San Diego Computer Science, Biomedical Engineering, Biology
UC Davis T Agriculture, Veterinary Medicine, Biological Engineering, Agricultural Engineering
UC Santa Cruz Astrophysics, Marine Biology, Computer Science
UC Riverside Engineering, Business
UC Merced: Psychology

Intellectual curiosity, what?

9/22/2021

Admissions officers often value intellectual curiosity above all other traits. Intellectual curiosity is the desire to learn because of genuine interest or passion. An intellectually curious person constantly learns new things in their free time simply because it fascinates them.
What is Intellectual Curiosity?
• Intellectual Curiosity highlights a person's interest in learning and knowledge acquisition. ...
• This characteristic trait has been practiced by some of the greatest minds. ...
• Other personalities like Richard Feynman, Benjamin Franklin, Charlie Munger, and Warren Buffett are some good examples.

What did you do last summer?

9/22/2021

I see this essay question often with the harder to get in type schools. Be careful here as they expect a solid response. Make summers count! They are a great opportunity to take classes at your local community college, volunteer at a personally meaningful nonprofit, or attend a summer program at your target school. Or do something less common like spending 3 months as a full-time volunteer with a state congressperson’s re-election campaign.

what's your career plan?

9/22/2021

Most students have a vague idea about their career path. Any 17-year old who says he knows exactly what he wants is a statistical anomaly. Please use this assignment to get more clarity into your plans. Use the attached document's below to enhance your responses. Make sure you include responses to the following:

What would you like to achieve with your life? What are you passionate about?
When you think of a career, what kind of work interests you?