College Admissions Guidance
Blog posts about college admissions topics such as essays, extracurriculars, planning, mental health, etc.
Can I talk about my mental health in my college essay?
Sep 27, 2021
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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...
Can I write my college essay about ADHD?
Sep 27, 2021
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You have, in essence, three choices: write about your ADHD as the subject matter for your common application essay, mention it in the “tell us anything else” section, or...
EIP or 504 plan: Do those impact college admission decisions
Sep 27, 2021
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You should NOT talk about it on your application. It WILL be held against you. Put yourself in their shoes... Unless they are a public school, why would they knowingly take someone in who has a...
You are unique, contrary to what you tell yourself...
Sep 22, 2021
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Defy stereotypes and go against the grain. You want to distinguish yourself from other applicants with similar backgrounds. For instance, it’s uncommon to see an Asian American student who is...
Intellectual curiosity, what?
Sep 22, 2021
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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...
Think like an AO (Admissions officer)
Sep 22, 2021
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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...
An...
Write like a journalist; persuasive writing 101
Sep 22, 2021
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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...
Personal essay... WTF, I hate writing, and brainstorming!
Sep 22, 2021
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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...
Wait... I have to write another supplemental essay??
Sep 22, 2021
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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...
The Heros journey has to show in your essays
Sep 22, 2021
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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...
The Hero's journey: Ultimate form of brainstorming
Sep 21, 2021
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Why Should You Use The Hero’s Journey?
You're the hero of your college essay, which means you’ll have to tell the reader about your journey. Therefore, applying this framework allows you...
You're the hero of your college essay, which means you’ll have to tell the reader about your journey. Therefore, applying this framework allows you...
Spend 20+ hours brainstorming your essay topics
Sep 21, 2021
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Trust me, it's worth the investment. I see too many students who come to me with well manicured essays, flowery writing, big big words. They hate my guts when I tell them the dreaded words... but...
