When does adulthood start? Right on your 18th birthday? A little before, or maybe even years after? Where is the line? And why does that line have to be so dreadful? Other generations, Gen Z especially, have taken to making fun of millennials and our seemingly incessant need to “kidify” things. Even the term “adulting” […]
One of the most useful skills to have is to be able to direct our curiosity. To many of us, curiosity often appears as some kind of spontaneous miracle: a spark just happens, seemingly from far beyond our control, and we find ourselves swept up by it. Perhaps someone with knowledge and charisma can ignite […]
Hello, Seniors: You’ve officially moved into the final phase of your college research. Congratulations! The strength and independence you’ve relied on will serve you extremely well in college. With the season of college decisions upon us, now is the time for us to take one more look at your personal college search. Balance and Perspective […]
If you are like many students, the Reading section of the SAT is your least favorite and, oftentimes, the most difficult one to improve. As for the first part, I don’t blame you. The SAT begins with a grueling 65-minute Reading section. When our tutors first took this version of the test in 2016, even […]
Prepare with practice and research. Relax and reveal yourself. Remember to express yourself in writing: write a thank-you note. The college interview rarely makes or breaks an admission decision, but it can be an important component of your application. Before you even begin to get nervous, however, check to see if the interview is a […]
ACT Math Overview In many ways, the ACT Math section is the most straightforward section on the whole test — it’s the one with questions most like those you’ve encountered in school. In fact, your approach to the Math section is more influenced by what classes you’ve taken in school than is any other section. […]
In our English classes, our teachers have frequently told us to “go deeper” or to “go farther” or to “find our own analysis.” Those are great for English class. Don’t do that on the ACT. While the ability to read and mostly understand short passages is a prerequisite for the reading portion of the ACT, […]
Ask an admissions officer whether you should write a response to the optional COVID-19 question on this year’s Common App, and depending on the college (or the day), you may hear different advice. Some officers suggest a limited approach, saying that unless your or your family’s health or employment was directly affected by the pandemic, […]
Ah, the sound of silence. The unnatural quiet of senior year when, come fall, the college application process kicks into full gear. You and your friends have spent part of the summer brainstorming essay ideas or comparing notes on the activities section. Spoofing or upping each other on outlandish details can be fun. (Activity: Rescue […]
As I meet with many seniors this month, I ask a series of similar questions to get a sense of where everyone is on the admissions process spectrum. July is the time when it starts to move from an abstract idea of “Applying to College” to the concrete idea of “Actually Applying To these Colleges […]