The Coronavirus has caused a great many temporary changes to college admission processes in general and to the specific admissions practices of colleges. This has caused such confusion that it has become difficult to track all of the changes that may affect you at this critical juncture in your education. The ACT’s, SAT’s, and SAT…
This blog is about college admissions and the concerns of students in the admissions process, primarily rising seniors. You need to understand how the pandemic affects you as an aspiring member of the college Class of 2025 — the students who will be freshmen in the fall of 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic has hastened what…
This is a scary time for all of us, but for your high school juniors and seniors, it holds many uncertainties that add to this already angst-ridden time in their lives. I offer some reassurances and suggestions for each class below. High School Juniors: I encourage you to recognize that you will not be penalized…
Letters of Recommendation (LOR’s) are among the factors considered in a college’s decision to accept or reject you. Admissions Officers (AO’s) learn how to glean more useful information from these letters than you may think. If you’re a senior applying to highly selective colleges this fall and you haven’t started working with recommenders yet, you should…
Finally, the Common App announced in September that it will no longer include a question about the high school disciplinary history of applicants. That’s a pointless question that needed to go, since most high schools don’t report disciplinary histories to colleges. Additionally, it’s one more issue that affects minority kids more than majority kids. For…
For several decades, taking the SAT or ACT exam has been a rite of passage for college-bound high school students. As a student, you understand the need to perform well on the exams because your score is among the factors that determine whether you’ll be admitted to the colleges of your choice. Your scores, along with GPA and…
COVID-19 has disrupted many college admissions processes, including SAT and ACT testing, for students who will be seeking admission in 2021 — high school juniors. Almost all colleges are now closed and the ad hoc methods adopted to provide admissions-related services are still focused on the needs of current seniors who were admitted this year, but they’ll…
If you’ve accepted a college’s offer of admission, you may find yourself in a dilemma. You may not know if the campus will be open in the fall or if classes will be online, so you’re hesitant to pay a substantial sum for what may be only a facsimile of college life. Or you may…
This week’s events surrounding college admissions saddens me greatly. Not only because of the illegality of it, but also because of the message it sent to the multitude of highly qualified students who have applied to their schools of choice and were denied without being given a valid reason. Frankly, I have never thought that “We…
College is a way to prepare for the rest of your life. As a high school student beginning to consider colleges, you’ll be asked, “What do you want to major in? What career are you interested in?” These questions put the cart before the horse. It’s best to know what career you wish to pursue…