College Admissions Guidance

Blog posts about college admissions topics such as essays, extracurriculars,  planning, mental health, etc.

How to Stand Out in a Competitive College Admissions Landscape application strategy colleges list demonstrated interest essays extracurricular activities future planning senior year Apr 10, 2023

With so many qualified applicants applying to college each year, it can be difficult to stand out in the competitive admissions landscape. Here are some tips for making your application stand out:

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Overcoming Adversity in the College Application Process application strategy essays senior year Apr 10, 2023

The college application process can be challenging and stressful, and for some students, it can involve overcoming adversity. Here are some tips for students who are facing adversity in the college...

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12 Resources to Help Your Personal Essay application strategy essays senior year Apr 10, 2023

Skip to the links at the bottom for the resources - before that, though, here is some advice in greater detail on the personal essay writing process.

 

Here’s some material that can help...

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A Guide to Writing a Standout College Essay application strategy essays senior year Apr 10, 2023

The college essay is an important part of the application process. It's an opportunity for students to showcase their personality, interests, and writing skills to admissions officers. Here's a...

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How to Improve Brainstorming for Your Essays application strategy essays senior year Apr 10, 2023

The main purpose of brainstorming:

  • Generate creative ideas for your essay. AOs look for patterns and values behind each of the student's answers. Brainstorming is the first step to any writing...
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What You Shouldn’t Miss With Your Supplemental Essays essays senior year Apr 10, 2023

Admissions officers are trained to look for the "fit". Remember this.. the ad-com dude wants to help you but only if you help him. Simplify his life. Helps the dude make the case on your...

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Can I write my college essay about ADHD? essays Sep 27, 2021

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...

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EIP or 504 plan: Do those impact college admission decisions application strategy essays Sep 27, 2021
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...
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Can I talk about my mental health in my college essay? essays mental health Sep 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...
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Think like an AO (Admissions officer) application strategy demonstrated interest essays Sep 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...
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Personal essay... WTF, I hate writing, and brainstorming! application strategy essays Sep 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...
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Intellectual curiosity, what? application strategy demonstrated interest essays Sep 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...
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