College Experience Coaching - Applications & Special Programs

Last week, we covered the ins and outs of the course registration process and how college experience coaching can help. While course registration is often one of the most complex and nuanced parts of the first few years of college, it is by no means the ONLY challenge that students will come upon their first year (and beyond!)

College experience coaching can also help when students find themselves needing to complete internal applications within their college or university. Unfortunately, these have become a common part of the college experience!

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What do you mean, more applications?

Yup. As a college student, there are two main types of applications that we help students complete (while ensuring they put their best foot forward!).

The first is an academic application for a special program, school, or course experience that interests them. Many schools offer selective programs within the university that students can potentially enter in their second or third year. These are often pre-professional programs; for example, both the McIntire School of Commerce at UVa and the Robins School of Business at William & Mary will only accept students through a selective internal application process. And this is quite common elsewhere, too. There may also be scholarship opportunities, honors colleges, or even research funding for which students can apply while at school.

The second type is actually an extracurricular application. Believe it or not, many clubs and organizations also require (sometimes extensive!) applications and even interviews from students looking for leadership opportunities or membership in campus organizations. Frankly, this can be a pain, but these experiences are worth the effort; not only do they help students develop practical skills they need for the workforce, they are very useful when it comes to building resumes for job or internship opportunities. We help students stay on track to put together the best possible application packages - all while balancing their academic work.

What type of applications can you help with?

Applications are our expertise! Here are just some of the application types that we’ve successfully provided coaching to help students complete:

• Honors College applications

• Internal applications for selective schools or majors within the institution

• Study abroad applications

• Internship applications

• Research or grant funding applications

• Internal and external scholarship applications

• Leadership positions, including those in greek life

• Campus organizations requiring applications for baseline membership

• Student government, student ambassador, and other institutional applications

Does my student’s school even have these types of opportunities?

Most likely, the answer is yes! But many of them may not be highly publicized, or your student may not know about the deadlines for some more selective programs. It can be really disappointing to realize junior year that research funding would have been possible, if only you’d taken a one-credit research seminar that is only offered to sophomores! We can help students investigate the possibilities on their campus and make sure they are on track to achieving their goals and making the most out of their experiences.

Can’t I just help my student with this stuff?

Yes! For some families, this works well and parents can help and encourage their students to make the most of the college experience. If that is you, college experience coaching may not be the best fit.

However, if any of the following sounds familiar, this may be a good investment for your family: “I don’t think she has any idea what she wants to do.” “I’m worried that he’s not thinking about his future.” “I’m not sure how to support her without imposing my own ideas.” “He says he’ll apply but the deadline is in two weeks and I don’t see how that’s possible.”

We hear issues like these from parents all the time. You want to support your student, but you also want them to have their own college experience. Or you think they need someone to talk to about their future plans, but you just can’t get them to talk to you without feeling like you’re nagging every time you get a phone call! A check-in with a professional can provide a sounding board outside of the family for both you and your student, giving you peace of mind and helping to keep your relationship intact.

Have an upcoming application deadline?

Reach out to Shannon today to learn more about college experience coaching, and check out our Packages and Fees page for more information on costs.

College Experience Coaching - Course Registration Time!

Did you know that in addition to educational consulting, we also offer college experience coaching to help students navigate their first year of college and beyond? Whether students are hoping to prepare for success in graduate school admissions, enter the job market with a strong resume, or simply just maximize the undergraduate experience, working with us can help make it happen!

So while our high school seniors are submitting their applications and waiting to hear from their schools, we’ve been busy helping our Class of 2021, Class of 2020, and Class of 2019 students with their spring course registration!

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Can’t their advisors help with that?

At many schools, course selection and registration are notoriously difficult - especially for underclassmen. Even at ultra-selective private universities, advisors are meant to help facilitate schedules and share information about graduation requirements. So while they can certainly help, it’s not typically the kind of personalized assistance that most of our students (and their parents) expect!

Yes, there are a few exceptions, but most do not sit down with students to examine options and plot out the best possible schedule permutations. They can’t - they just don’t have time to do that for each student. It’s just like the school counselor vs. independent counselor issue we’ve discussed so many times before.

How does it work?

We do the research and leg work to help put together a personalized schedule tailored to your student’s preferences, goals, core requirements, and major/minor requirements - as well as backups (and backups to the backups!) to be covered when registration hits those inevitable snafus. Worried about getting stuck with a hard or boring professor? Not on our watch! Want to make sure no classes start before 10 a.m. and Fridays are free? We make it happen all the time!

Revealing our secrets…

Want to try to put the best possible schedule together on your own? Here’s some tips and tricks right out of our playbook:

1. Map out a four-year plan from the start. Colleges typically provide lists of various requirements (general education, major, minor, etc), but they don’t always put everything together in one place. Sketching out a general four-year plan is a necessary first step that we take with each of our students - we put all of their requirements together in one place and incorporate space for study abroad, co-ops, and any other deviations from a traditional schedule.

   This provides an easy way for students to visualize exactly which types of courses they need to take and when, and how much flexibility they have - for example, how many times they can change their major before they are at risk of graduating late! - or whether they have room to pick up a new minor, etc. It also really helps to have a baseline when it comes to planning out each individual semester. We do modify this four-year plan as things change, but we rely heavily upon it.

2. Create a master list early. As soon as course schedules are released for the upcoming semester (typically about a month in advance of registration), start planning out options. Look at the four year plan, determine which requirements are slated to be met during that particular semester, and start playing with the schedule to determine which available courses will fit the requirements. Come up with a master list of potential options.

3. Identify the top two criteria of choice and start removing courses from consideration. We recommend prioritizing the quality of the instructor more than anything else. Even the most boring material can be interesting with a great professor. We always look for those who aren’t harsh graders, but are engaging and make learning fun. Depending on the material and the student’s needs, we may also look for those who are highly effective in terms of teaching the subject matter. This is less important in some situations (i.e. an English major trying to meet a Natural Science graduation requirement)- but it’s essential in others (I.e. a nursing major who ultimately needs to pass the NCLEX exam, an accounting major who ultimately needs to pass the CPA exam, etc). In addition to instructor quality, we also prioritize aspects including time of day, day of week, difficulty of subject matter when compared to alternatives, etc.)

4. Keep careful notes for future semesters. Maybe it comes out that Prof. Smith is the most amazing in the psychology department, but he’s only teaching 9am classes this semester and that’s a deal-breaker. No problem! Write down a reminder to check out his courses during the following semester’s registration period. After we research various professors, we often put together short descriptions of their characteristics - bad and good - to make for easy reference down the line.

5. Put permutations together! Start with the classes that seem to fit the top two criteria best, and put together a whole bunch of permutations that fit the general preference guidelines. There will be pros and cons to each permutation, and we like to rank them in order of preference. We also make sure that there are options available with a wide range of classes, because we don’t know which ones will fill up immediately on the morning of registration. For example, if every single schedule permutation includes POL315 and that one fills, it would be a problem!

6. Monitor closely and adjust when needed. Freshmen typically register last, and even juniors can find that their top-choice courses have filled by the time their registration window opens. It’s important to be aware of which courses are filling, and which seem likely to fill. This way we can remove those permutations from the list and examine whether we have a sufficient number ready for registration day. Sometimes we need to go back to the drawing board to add more.

7. Be strategic on registration day. After all of this prep work, it’s vital to make sure that students don’t miss their registration windows - and these usually happen very early in the morning. Be at the computer, ready to go, at least fifteen minutes in advance. Make sure to have a list of courses (in order of importance - those with fewer spots or which are most critical to the schedule should be prioritized). Start refreshing about a minute before the window to make sure to gain access immediately, and start registering from the pre-determined list. Make sure that the backup permutations are readily available to make for an easy pivot if courses fill unexpectedly.

Money Well Spent

Does this sound incredibly time-consuming? Well - that’s because it is (now you understand why advisors could never do this!). That’s why many parents ask us to step in - we are experienced and can take care of this much more efficiently than a student or parent could.

Still, our services aren’t free, or inexpensive. But put it into perspective, the cost of college today makes our fees look like chump change in comparison! Planning out course selection this way will greatly maximize the likelihood that a student will be able to graduate on time, and with the best possible grades. Every time something goes wrong (the student misses a requirement by mistake, or signs up for a course with a difficult professor and has to drop mid-semester, or doesn’t leave enough slots to be able to take all of their major/minor coursework on time), the likelihood of graduating in four years decreases.

Just about a week ago, the National Center for Education Statistics released updated data on graduation rates, and it’s pretty bleak. Did you know that only about 40% of students graduate from four-year universities within four years, and perhaps even scarier, only 64% graduate from four-year universities within SIX years! Even at an in-state public university, an extra year can cost around $35,000 - and that’s not including the opportunity cost of the year of lost income (average starting base salary for a B.S. graduate from UVa’s Commerce School: $78,000). Even using conservative estimates, we’re talking about a six-figure loss. So the investment of professional direction can be well worth it, and often ends up saving quite a bit of money down the line.

Need some help with Spring 2022 Registration?

Reach out to Shannon today to learn more about college experience coaching, and check out our Packages and Fees page for more information on costs.

Weekly Update: October 8

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

FAIRFAX COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS VIRTUAL COLLEGE WEEK

Fairfax County Public Schools are continuing with a virtual approach to college fairs this fall. They will have live virtual sessions from Monday, October 18 - Thursday, October 21. There will be three sessions each evening, and students should take a look at the schedule to see which sessions they may be interested in attending - there are sessions available for everyone from ninth graders to high school seniors. 

COVID-19 JOB MARKET BOUNCES BACK

As you may have noticed from all of the “help wanted” signs, the job market is coming back as more people are vaccinated. While class of 2020 students graduated into a very difficult market, the class of 2021 is finding a much easier time when it comes to the job search. On campus recruiting has begun again at several schools, helping to connect these students with employers. Part-time work and internships have also been picking up.

If you are (or you know!) a local college student looking for an internship, we are hiring! Interested students should send us their resumes via email. 

FIRST VARSITY BLUES TRIAL WRAPS

Lawyers delivered the closing arguments in the first Varsity Blues trial on Wednesday, and the jury is deliberating as we write this blog. The lawyers for the two fathers facing trial argued that they did not know the methods that Rick Singer was using, and believed they were making legitimate donations. We’ll be watching closely for the outcome of this trial, which will likely set precedent for the upcoming trials of parents and others involved in the scandal.

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

We liked this post from Akil Bello (featured in the Varsity Blues documentary!) a lot, and wanted to share it because it has a lot of helpful information in terms of making the decision to take a standardized test. However, there were two pieces of information from Akil that don’t align with the advice that we’d give students, so we want to also provide a clarification. Keep in mind that all advice is subjective and dependent on many factors such as geographic location, etc.! 

1. We believe that students should take their first SAT/ACT during the fall of junior year if possible, and finish testing by the end of junior year. This empowers them to make final decisions about their college list after they know their scores. Otherwise, they'd be making these decisions based on guesses about what their scores might look like. That can lead to overshooting or undershooting in terms of selectivity, and we prefer to work with actual numbers.

2. We really agreed with everything in the test prep section and found that to be very valuable. For example, the 6-8 week span and the potential for improvement. The one part we didn't agree with is about potentially making the choice NOT to prep if a student scores above the 90th percentile with no prep after the fall of 11th grade. This is accurate from a national standpoint, but not at the schools to which most of our students hope to attend. 90th percentile scores are not going to cut it at their schools of choice - even UVA's 25th-75th% range reflects the 97th-99th percentile of ACT-takers. This means that only a quarter of UVA's admitted students who sent ACT scores came in lower than the 97th percentile (depressing, right?). So don't be lulled into a false sense of test prep security if you reach the 90th percentile and hope to attend a highly selective school.

When the College Board got rid of the SAT II earlier this year, many of us speculated that AP exams would come to be more significant in the college admissions process. This article in Psychology Today explores why that may not be such a great idea for students. In fact, the way that many AP classes are taught - “to the test,” to prepare students to take the AP exam - is the exact opposite of how many actual college classes are designed. In college, it will be far more important that students learn to think critically than that they memorize facts (that they promptly forget!) in order to score well on a standardized exam. 

While we agree with much of what this article says, the fact is that for many students, AP classes are part of setting themselves up for success in the college process. And until schools stop offering them as part of the curriculum (as many private schools have!), it is important for students to take a rigorous curriculum based on what is offered by their high school. So we are sorry to say that our general advice is, take the AP class! Of course, this is also particular to the student, and there are certainly students for whom the cons outweigh the pros when it comes to managing an AP course load. 

While we like to think that the work we do is pretty important, we wouldn’t have said it was a “matter of life and death” - until this interview! Angus Deaton, a Nobel prize winner and professor emeritus at Princeton, suggests that four-year college graduates are less likely than those who did not attend college to succumb to “deaths of despair” - suicides, drug overdoses, and the like. The gap between people with a bachelor’s degree and those without when it comes to these tragedies is only growing in the United States.

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

I was so honored and excited to co-host a roundtable session on “The Joys and Challenges of Being a Female Entrepreneur” today for IECA, the professional organization to which Shannon and I belong. Here’s a snapshot of some of the attendees! I’m on the top row to the left with my co-host, Dr. Pat Smith, to my right.

October is National Women’s Small Business Month, and this roundtable was a great way to celebrate. It was heartwarming to see how all of these individual consultants run very different businesses, yet we all care immensely about providing our families with the best possible experience.

Have a great weekend!

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Should I Apply to Transfer?

As we finish up work with our seniors, we have started to get busier with transfer applications in advance of the March deadlines. In this particularly tumultuous year, we’ve gotten a lot of questions about transferring during the 2020-2021 transfer admissions cycle.

Here are some considerations if you are thinking about making a switch next year:

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1. COVID-19 Won’t Last Forever

This is not the first semester of college that anyone was hoping for - and it made what can already be a difficult transition even more challenging. But if you are thinking about transferring just to attend a school with a different learning model (going from virtual to hybrid, for instance), think again. Individual schools’ responses to the pandemic can change quickly, and just because a college or university was in person this semester does not mean it will stay that way. 

And if you are feeling like you haven’t quite met ‘your people’ yet, that’s okay too! Clubs, sports, and other social activities are limited, so it can be even more difficult to find your niche than it would be during a normal year. But if there are other things that you love about your school, it may be worth sticking out this challenging time and becoming more involved when campus opens up to normal operations. Remember why you chose the school in the first place!

2. Neither Will Homesickness

Even in a typical year, the first semester away from home can be tough for some students. If missing your own bedroom and a home-cooked meal is making college challenging, you are not alone. Just keep in mind that homesickness may not be solved by a change of scenery - you may be better off allowing yourself to get more comfortable with your current campus and social circle before you jump ship.

3. You Need Time to Prepare

This is true of every type of application, but transfers especially have a lot going on as they adjust to a new college schedule and workload. If you are thinking about applying to transfer in the spring, the time to start working is now! The holiday break is a great opportunity to spend some time becoming familiar with the transfer requirements for different schools and working on applications. If you haven’t chosen second semester classes yet, this is also a great time to see what the course and credit requirements are for the schools that interest you. And whether you’re ready to begin the transfer process now or are just starting to discover the overwhelming range of different requirements, it is a great time to book a Transfer Strategy Session.

4. ThIs Is an Especially Unpredictable Cycle

We all know by now that this is, wait for it, an unprecedented time (I hope I never hear that phrase again!). While some students are banking on the increased number of deferrals this year to give them a second shot at their dream schools, this is not necessarily going to be the case. Most of the schools we’ve heard from this cycle say that they are not making up for deferrals with transfer students - instead, they will admit the usual number of freshmen and will limit the number of transfers to keep the size of the student body consistent. Good news for our first-year applicants, but not as promising for transfers! Assume that your chance of being admitted to a school is the same or lower than in previous years, and ask yourself if you truly want to go to school elsewhere. 

5. Get involved

If you do decide that transferring is the right decision for you, you may feel like you want to pull away from the social life on your current campus. Resist the temptation! Now is actually the time to become even more involved. Why? Because schools are looking for someone who is going to be an asset to their community, and as a transfer student, you will be able to provide a direct comparison with how involved you are at your first school. Prove to the schools that interest you that you will be a valuable member of their community by getting involved now. 

6. Pay attention

As we’ve mentioned before, transfer applications are not at all like first-year applications, even though students can and should still apply through the Common App. Take our word for it - it’s not the Common App you grew to know well as a high school senior! Beyond the fact that the application components are completely different, transfer requirements vary substantially from school to school. If you thought it was confusing to track requirements the first time around, you haven’t seen anything yet! It’s absolutely essential to be sure that you are keeping track of all of the different pieces of the applications to set yourself up for success during this process.

7. Keep it to yourself

Keep in mind that there is a chance you will return to your current campus next year, so you want to be careful not to burn any bridges before you go. While you will need to ask professors for recommendations, make it clear that it is not about any failing of your current school, but rather your desire to find a better fit for you. When it comes to friends, it is better to keep quiet about your transfer plans - otherwise, you may find that other students don’t want to invest in a friendship with someone who isn’t sticking around. Again, this is not the time to disconnect or pull away from your academics or social life - grades and involvement matter.

8. Stay out of trouble

We’ve encountered a number of situations recently where our students are facing disciplinary action for violating Covid restrictions. This will make the transfer process infinitely more difficult, so please try to abide by the rules on your campus. As a judge ruled earlier this week, you probably won’t be able to escalate the issue into the legal system if you do get into trouble!

9. Take a deep breath 

Remember to stay present in the moment and enjoy your year, whether you already have one foot out the door or are just testing the waters. For better or worse, the current academic year will represent a quarter of your time in college; you should try each day to look for the good in your experience and make the best of where you are. You never know - you may find that your school is a better fit than you thought!

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Thinking of transferring this cycle, or have questions that we didn’t answer here? Comment to let us know!

Weekly Update: June 19!

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

Geez, where do I even start with this week?! I feel like I could have written a whole post on “biggest college-related news of Thursday, June 18” itself, haha.

VIRGINIA TECH

I posted last week about new schools accepting the Common Application and mentioned that I hoped JMU would follow suit, joking that I had already given up on Virginia Tech. Well, pigs are flying because Virginia Tech made their own announcement yesterday afternoon! They will accept the Common Application and this is HUGE for so many Virginia residents!

Several years ago, VT switched from using a somewhat-inconvenient-but-not-terrible institutional application to being one of the few schools in the country that required applicants to use the Coalition Application exclusively, i.e. there was no other choice. If you haven’t had to complete a Coalition Application, you may not understand why I’m so excited, but take my word for it: this is very, very good news for anyone interested in Virginia Tech. The Coalition App is just terrible and I’d be so happy if I never had to log into it again!

(Note: as of the time I am writing this post, there has not been an official announcement and it does not even appear that their website has been updated to reflect this, but that’s what they told counselors behind-the-scenes yesterday afternoon).

TEST-OPTIONAL ADMISSION

Nearly all of the most competitive schools that hadn’t yet made announcements did so this week. All of the Ivy League schools, Vanderbilt (that was today), Duke, Notre Dame (also today), NYU (yesterday), etc.

PRINCETON

They get their own category! Princeton dropped single-choice early action yesterday and will only have one application deadline of January 1, 2021. I’m pretty excited about this, actually, as I am not a fan of SCEA. I think we will see more deadline/app cycle related shifts over the months to come.

ACT

The ACT announced last fall that it would provide students with the opportunity to re-take the test one section at a time beginning in September 2020, if the students had already completed the full test at least once. Yesterday, they made the announcement that this initiative has now been postponed until sometime in 2021. Honestly, this is no big loss - to my knowledge, not a single college or university had agreed to accept scores taken through this method and now at least students aren’t making decisions based on something that most of us behind the scenes knew was highly unlikely to pan out.

ERIC FURDA

Ok, so maybe not enormous news but I was sad to hear that Eric Furda is leaving Penn for the “other side of the desk.” I really liked him a lot and he always struck me as very down-to-earth and funny, and we can’t forget his passion for the Eagles! Those kids at Penn Charter just won the college counseling lottery, that’s for sure!

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

A New York Times piece examines decision-making and risky behavior among college-age students, writing that the plans to return to college this fall “border on delusional.” I have spent my entire career working with students ages 14-22 and I would definitely agree that this age group is not exactly known for their prudent choices, haha. But maybe they can turn things around and serve as an example for the rest of us?

Several days later, this College Reality Check snippet agreed with the first article and said what everyone in higher education is thinking right now: “Colleges have come rushing forth to announce that they will be inviting students back to campus this fall. But as I’ve spoken to college officials over the past few weeks — usually not for quotation — I’ve been struck by the difference between their public optimism and their private uncertainty.”

That’s so true. Regardless of what’s going to happen and whether this is a good idea (I truly have no clue anymore), there is no question that there is a major, major difference in what is being said publicly right now and what’s being said behind the scenes. This Washington Post article about the aftermath of the Great Clips exposure in Missouri made me feel really optimistic, though. If only everyone would wear their masks!!!

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

Tons of meetings with rising seniors - all of whom will be receiving an email on Monday to let them know that our August availability is live on the website! We’re also continuing to hold Meet & Greets with rising juniors and are continuing to fill our roster for the Class of 2022!

Speaking of our roster, we’ve reached capacity for the Class of 2021 and at this point will be moving to our annual Late Start Waitlist. We’re able to take a number of kids this way every year after we finish up our work with the first cohort, and this will likely happen sooner than usual this particular year because so many of our students were able to make substantial progress during COVID closures. Not to mention the fact that SO many supplemental essay topics are being released early! If you are interested in working with us, fill out the linked form above and we’ll give you a call to discuss how the waitlist works and what you can expect.

Families who’d like to start right away can instead purchase one of the membership vault plans launching Monday! The highest tier option is a great alternative to a traditional package; it includes quite a few hours of college counseling and essay coaching services and an incredible amount of DIY resources for just over half the price of our least expensive package.

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That’s all for now! Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there :)

Weekly Update: June 5

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

Things fell apart even more with the College Board! I knew that they were planning a big announcement that day, but didn’t know what it was going to be. I have to say, I did not expect them to cancel at-home testing although I believe it was absolutely the right call.

SO MANY test-optional announcements resulted, including UVA, Penn, Columbia, Dartmouth… UVA also switched to an 11/1 deadline for ED (it was 10/15 this past year).

Catholic University ended up shifting to test-blind - for all of the conversations about test-optional admissions and equity, I am surprised that more people aren’t making a fuss about the test-blind vs. test-optional designation. I guess the average person simply doesn’t understand the difference?

More announcements about academic calendars - Stanford has a particularly interesting plan; I don’t know if it will work but it’s very well-thought-out! Drexel is the first school (to my knowledge, anyway) that is offering students a fully-separate cohort-based entry plan called Winter Entry. I wonder if we will see more of that.

By the way, have we collectively decided that COVID-19 is over?! Things have relaxed SO MUCH over the past couple of weeks. I really felt strongly that there would be no school this fall, but now I’m second-guessing myself. It makes me nervous when I don’t see people wearing their masks.. wear your masks, everybody!

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

Frank Bruni’s piece on the potential impact of COVID-19 on students’ fields of study (with an emphasis on the potential for a lack of humanities majors in the future) was interesting food for thought. This is always a tough thing, because I squirm a little bit myself when I hear kids talking about degrees that seem to have zero marketability. But then on the flip side, as I’ve written about before, I really do believe that I have a better life today in all regards because of my degree in English. I have a job I LOVE, I make a difference in people’s lives, and I have a high income - can you really ask for more from your career? (Maybe to get home a little earlier? ha). But seriously, I would not be where I am today without the utterly non-marketable degree I pursued! It put me in a position to be able to take risks.

A professor from the New School makes a case that college should be free. This is tough. I do think that community college and even a 2+2 community college + university program should be free if there’s a way we can make that work financially as a society. But on the flip side, if we’re running wild with the “free college for everyone” idea, we have to fund it on the back end… and as far as I know, there’s only one way to do that: taxes!

My favorite blog reader :) sent me this video yesterday about the potential impact of the lack of Chinese student enrollment this fall. I will admit that when I first saw the video, I wasn’t sure it would be all that interesting, but it was! Some of the statistics were staggering - like the enrollment at Michigan State. Wow.

Finally, a great piece from the New York Times with practical advice for the Class of 2021 - I thought the tips from Hannah Wolff at Langley were particularly spot-on and aligned with everything we tell our students here. I suppose one piece of criticism is that the article could have done a little more to point out who should NOT choose to write the additional COVID-19 essay. More on that from us later this week.

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

We sent out our senior graduation gifts on Wednesday. I’m really, really excited about them and I hope our seniors are too. I cannot even tell you how much work went into these on my end!!! But it was totally worth it. I spent about six hours (!) that day writing individual emails to each of them, and while I practically had carpal tunnel by the time I went home, I was glad that I wrote them all myself. It’s kind of sad how we get to know these kids so well and then in a blink of an eye, they are done!

Other than that, I just had a whole lot of meetings with sophomore and juniors, edited about 124,643,234,123 essay and recommendation drafts, and I had the podcast interview today that I wrote about in my last weekly update! It was unexpectedly nice to be able to share my story of how my business came to be and how it’s evolved over the last decade. I am excited for what the future holds!

Summer Internship and Job Application Prep

We’ve gotten SO much positive feedback from our new internship database - keep watching for more listings each week, because we have a whole bunch of great ones on the pipeline! So far, you can see our January 14 listings here and our January 7 listings here.

Several families have asked whether resume and interview preparation for the college application process can also carry over to the internship and job application process. Is it basically the same?

Great question, and the answer is “yes and no.” Here’s a breakdown for you:

Creating a Resume

College Admissions

The resume must be one page long at the absolute max and should have a clean format that is easy to read (and easy to skim!). It should provide a general overview of the student’s greatest accomplishments and other need-to-know information, grouped into sections with headings. All of our clients have a sample template in their Google Drive folders, and non-clients can purchase a low-cost editable instant download of the same template here.

Job/Internship

The format should be very similar to the admissions resume in that it should not exceed one page and should be easy to read and skim. It should also be grouped into sections and headings. However, it should not be general in nature - it should be tailored to the position as much as possible and should highlight experiences that coincide with the job duties.

BRINGING a Resume

College Admissions

It’s not absolutely necessary for students to bring a resume to a college interview if they don’t have one prepared already. Most of the interviewers will not read the resume; however, if students have one prepared or are willing to put some time into creating one, they should go ahead and take it with them. It will only help project a positive impression!

Job/Internship

Students must always, always, always bring a resume with them to a job interview--even if they have emailed it to the employer ahead of time! No way around this. They should bring several copies in a portfolio or folder to ensure that they do not become dirty or crumpled en route to the interview.

Interview Preparation

College Admissions

As many of our students know, interview preparation for a college admissions interview is essential! A few of the tasks we cover in our interview prep sessions include developing answers to common interview questions, writing questions to ask the interviewer that show research and interest, perfecting a handshake, and practicing eye contact. We also advise several practice rounds with one of our staff members or a parent; this will help students learn to answer questions on the spot while maintaining a professional approach (it will also help to eliminate fillers like “um” and “like”).

Job/Internship

Just like college interviews, job interviews require preparation. Many of the skills from college interview work will help with job and internship interviews, such as sustained eye contact, a strong handshake, and a professional approach. It’s also critical to practice answers to common questions and arrive to the interview with questions that show research and interest; however, the nature of all of these questions will be completely different.

Interview Attire

College Admissions

College interviews usually require business casual attire. This can mean a nice dress or pants with a blazer or sweater for girls, or nice pants with a button-down shirt for boys. No leggings, athletic wear, or jeans! Girls should pay attention to their shoes to make sure that they are able to walk comfortably and that they are not wearing a heel that is too high. All clothes should be clean and pressed, and fit well. Nothing too tight or too baggy, and certainly nothing that could be considered even remotely objectionable. Boys should make sure to have had a haircut recently and girls should have their hair styled away from their face in a polished way. No heavy makeup, perfume, or cologne. When in doubt, students should ask themselves it their outfit would be appropriate to attend a religious service at a grandparent’s retirement home. If the answer is yes, that’s a good sign!

Job/Internship

Job and internship interviews are a little trickier because it very much depends on the job. It would be strange to walk into Starbucks in a suit for an interview, but it would also be inappropriate to walk into a corporate internship full of men and women in suits while wearing a pair of khakis. Regardless, however, it’s always best to look your best for a first impression. We recommend trying to get a sense of the typical office attire of the workplace and going for one or two notches above that, if it’s more of a casual setting. All grooming-related tips from the college interview still apply.

Interview Scheduling and Timing

College Admissions

Students should plan interviews far ahead of time--this ensures appropriate preparation and it also shows interest in the school! Plus, some schools’ interview slots that fill up relatively quickly - like William & Mary’s summer interview schedule. On the day of the interview, it’s best to arrive no earlier than 15-20 minutes in advance and no later than 5 minutes in advance.

Job/Internship

Timeliness is equally important for job and internship interviews. Unlike college interviews, however, students don’t just “sign up” and interviews aren’t extended to all applicants. It actually plays out in the opposite manner! Instead, students first need to submit an application if one exists (typically this is the case for internships) and/or submit a resume and cover letter. Students should be sure to read the specific instructions in the listing, which may be very different from position to position.

Whether it is a job or an internship, interviews are typically only granted after the organization has reviewed the student’s materials and decided that the student meets the position’s initial qualifications. If the organization is interested in interviewing a student, a representative will typically invite the student to come in and may suggest a set of times. On the day of the interview, follow the same advice regarding timing - no more than 15-20 minutes in advance and no later than 5 minutes in advance.

Interview Questions

College Admissions

Admissions officers or alums will certainly ask students questions about their academic history and plans for the future, extracurricular activities (volunteer, arts, sports, etc.), and their interest in attending that particular school. Some interviewers may ask students to describe themselves or how others would describe them. They’re trying to get an overall sense of the student’s work ethic, their dedication to things outside of school, and their overall personality - as well as their likelihood of attending the school if admitted. A lot of that will come out through the rapport the student has with the interviewer, but it’s extremely helpful to prepare for questions so that students have answers in mind for every possible question!  Anyone needing more help with this can pick up our College Interview Guide. Current clients can download this from our shared documents site (see your passwords document for login access).

Job/Internship

Job and internship interview questions are typically not as focused on extracurriculars and academics, although this can vary depending on the position. Instead, most questions typically revolve around student experience with the duties that the position entails. One of our coaches, Megan, was recently sharing a story with a student about how she had unsuccessfully applied for a job at Anthropologie while she was in high school. She had a great academic history and plenty of experience in childcare, but nothing in retail.

In retrospect, she explained, she should have pulled from what she had and tried to connect the skills that made her successful in school and babysitting to skills that would make her a great employee at Anthropologie. This would have been much more effective than talking about how she was a great babysitter. Even students starting from a place with no work experience can try to connect what they have learned from academic and extracurricular experiences to the day-to-day duties of the position at hand.

Lastly, just like preparing for the “Why this school?” college interview question, students need to have well-researched and thought-out answers regarding why the particular job and internship is appealing to them.

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As you can see, there’s a lot of overlap between the college application process and the job/internship application process, but not enough to bypass dedicated preparation for the latter. Remember that parents can often provide great support in helping to segue from interviews and resumes geared towards the college admissions process to those geared towards jobs and internships.

If you’d rather come in to work with a team member, we have options available for both current clients and those who are not working with us on an ongoing basis but just need a little help in this area.

How to Turn a Deferral into an Acceptance: Everything You Need to Know!

Students are beginning the college admissions process earlier and earlier, and it’s not rare anymore for my work with a student to begin in middle school. There are certain parts of the journey that I enjoy more than others, of course. But throughout all of our time together, I think that my absolute favorite part (or at least the most fulfilling) is working with deferred applicants - and especially those of the “Hail Mary” sort that I referenced in my last post.

If you’ve been deferred and are hoping to turn things around, I highly recommend following the steps below:

Step #1: Ask your school counselor to call your regional admissions representative to learn more information about why you were deferred.

This is critical. CRITICAL!

And you calling the school yourself is NOT a substitute for your counselor making the phone call. Admissions officers will generally not share detailed information with an applicant. However, school counselors can typically get lots of inside knowledge about the decision and why it occurred. This is extremely valuable information.

Moving forward without it is basically the equivalent of trying to overcome an objection without knowing what the objection is! Sure, maybe you’ll get lucky and hit the right part of the dartboard, but in all likelihood, it’s going to be an uphill battle.

NOTE: Unfortunately, some counselors do not realize that they are able to do this or don’t know what to say. In the last week alone I’ve guided a number of school counselors through this process and am happy to do that for any of my clients. For those of you following along at home, reinforce to your counselor that this type of advocacy is a completely acceptable practice. It even has a term - a “counselor call.”

Step #2: Based on the information your counselor provides, determine which deferral category you’re in.

I find that deferrals typically fall into one of three categories.

Category #1: The student has a decent shot of getting in regular IF .... (fill in the blank with a tangible objective). The admissions committee might be waiting to see if the student ends up with higher test scores, higher senior year grades, different recommendations, or so forth. This is the best-case scenario, and you need to know what you're working with ASAP so you can solve the problem.

Category #2: The normal "too many competitive candidates, the student looked good, nothing specific" blah blah - these can be frustrating because there’s less of a clear path, but you can still forge ahead with a plan. Sometimes we might have a variation on #2 with a smidge of #1 mixed in.

Category #3: Short of a well-timed discovery of a cure for cancer, the student has absolutely no chance of getting in RD and was deferred (a) because the school defers every single person and doesn’t deny a single applicant - looking at you, Georgetown - or (b) as a courtesy to any connections who were supporting the application. This is very helpful to know so you're not banking on something that could never happen.

Step #3: Strategize and formulate a PLAN!

Plot out the next several months with a step-by-step plan of attack. The details will depend on your specific situation, but will likely involve expressing a ton of demonstrated interest, a clear indication that you will enroll if admitted despite the fact that you are no longer legally bound to do so, more recommendations, and so forth.

Some applicants should retest, others need to buckle down hardcore to make sure their grades are their absolute best yet.. and so on and so on. But the key is creating this plan in advance - I would even assign due dates for each portion of it.

One part of the plan will definitely involve writing and submitting a Letter of Continued Interest. We wrote a very detailed post on how to write these letters last year - check it out!

Step #4: Follow the plan to completion.

This is pretty obvious, right? Unfortunately, it’s not as obvious as you’d think. SO many times, students are energized and excited about the initial idea of a plan but don’t take the steps needed to follow through on it. Things come up, senior year gets busy, and managing these details can feel overwhelming. It’s easy to tell yourself that one fewer recommendation than planned won’t be a big deal, or that you don’t really need to write that extra letter to the admissions officer - don’t fall into this trap, though!

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Good luck - and stay positive!

2019-2020 Early Decision Aftermath

It’s that time of year again and our students are hearing decisions by the day! Five years ago, anyone applying in the early round could expect to learn all of their early application results before the holidays. Now, the timeline has shifted a bit due to increases in application volume. With so many more applicants, the admissions officers just don’t have time to finish reading applications as early as they could. Each year, more and more schools shift to release EA decisions later and later.

Fortunately, schools are still generally following the model of a pre-holiday ED release, and we had a LOT of ED applicants this year. While I have always been very pro-ED in terms of strategy, this year I was a bit more aggressive in pushing every single family to give serious consideration to the option (as long as it made sense from a financial perspective) because of the trends I observed last year.

We had a huge number of students accepted to their top choice schools ED with only one decision that I was really bummed about. We also had a couple of others deferred from schools that were gigantic, “Hail Mary” type reaches. This year was without a doubt our most successful yet.

Our last student waiting to hear back from ED learned her decision on Tuesday (another acceptance! yay!) and I would say about half of the early action students have received notification thus far. These will continue rolling in throughout the next couple of days. The rest of the early action news will come in January or February, and regular decision results will follow in late March.

As much as I’d love to go into a deeper analysis of 2019-2020 trends from the early round, I’m going to save that until I have a more complete picture after the rest of the EA news comes in this winter - and the ED II news as well!

Colleen's Favorite Things

One for you, and you, and you, and you…

Anyone else love the Oprah’s Favorite Things list that comes out each year? I usually end up buying myself a whole bunch of things I didn’t know I “needed" but suddenly have to have! Fortunately (or unfortunately), this year ‘s list didn’t impress me all that much. Nothing really called my name!

Even so, I felt inspired to create my own list of “favorite things” for parents and students who are either in the middle of the admissions process or about to embark on it! Some are practical, some are fun - enjoy!

• Rick Clark and Brennan Barnard’s relatively-new book, The Truth about College Admission: A Family Guide to Getting In and Staying Together. Ok, full disclosure, I haven’t read it yet. BUT - I am a big fan of Rick Clark’s blog and have no reason to believe that the book won’t be just as great. I already had it on my reading list when I happened to sit next to the publisher on the flight home from NACAC, and he made me even more excited to read it.

• I’m not sure if I can really count a Southwest Companion Pass, because you can’t exactly buy one, but it’s my list so I make the rules, right? Every parent taking teens on college tours - and the teen himself! - will appreciate one of these so much. If you spend enough money on the card in early 2020 (or take enough flights), Southwest lets you select a companion of your choice. That companion can fly with you for free for the rest of the calendar year plus the following entire calendar year. You just have to maintain the same level of spending/flying and your pass will auto-renew for the following year and thereafter. I have had mine for several years now and am obsessed! My daughter and I zip all over the place and I can change my companion three times per year.

• How fun would it be to stick a homesick candle in the stocking of an ED admit!? These candles “tap into your sensory memory through nostalgic scents” and have probably the most amazing product descriptions I’ve ever read. Here’s what they say about the Durham candle: “The sweet scent of daffodils blooming in March and Carolina dogwood found flowering near K-ville. Cedarwood, musk, pecans, and burning bench wood round out the final four scents of this championship candle.” It looks like a lot of the college-themed ones have sold out but hopefully they will restock soon. And if the person who writes those descriptions ever comes across this post, please send me your resume because I would hire you in a heartbeat!

• The Rocketbook Everlast is a fantastic “smart notebook” at an incredibly low price point. It integrates with Evernote, Google Drive and more for seamless note-taking. I bring mine to information sessions all the time, take notes, and then can easily upload them to google drive without having to retype everything. Great for parents or students, but from the student perspective, these will make writing the “Why this college” supplemental essays so much easier - and at this price point, it’s not the end of the world if it gets lost.

• The stress involved in the college admissions process can turn even the most calm student OR parent into a basket case, but these adorable Mindfulness cards can help!

• Every ED admit I know stocks up on college apparel like there’s no tomorrow - check out Hillflint instead of buying whatever pops up first on google. They offer trendier, more upscale sweaters, sweatshirts and so on and are sold at stores like Nordstrom and Saks. Everything has sort of a retro feel and are much higher quality than a typical piece of clothing from a college bookstore, although now some bookstores have started to contract directly with Hillflint to provide merchandise, which is pretty cool too.

• Last but not least… a gift certificate for an 11th-12th grade Strategy and Planning Session will help students separate fact from fiction and move forward in the college process with a solid plan in place. The gift certificate includes a booking code that allows the student to book the session online at their convenience, so it’s really easy for nieces/nephews, grandchildren, etc. While I hope this doesn’t happen to anyone, a January session can also present a strategic opportunity for a senior who may have been deferred from her first-choice school. We can sit together to come up with an action plan to move forward in a positive way and maximize the chances of good news in the spring.

• We also have gift certificates for 8th-10th grade Strategy and Planning Sessions as well. And someone feeling VERY generous can purchase a gift certificate for an entire package - shoot us an email and we can provide details.

Fall 2019 College Information Sessions, Fairs, and Events in the Washington DC Metro Area

Looking for some face time with admissions officers? Check out these upcoming events in our local area!

Exploring College Options Recruitment Program

When: Monday, September 9 from 7:00 PM until 9:00 PM

Where: The Westin Richmond

6631 West Broad Street

Richmond, VA 23230

Event Description: Exploring College Options is a special recruitment program sponsored by the undergraduate admissions offices of five of the country's leading universities: Duke University, Georgetown University, Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.

Click here for additional event details, including registration, arrival information, and directions.

Beyond the Numbers: Breaking Down Highly Selective Admissions (Tufts) - Washington, DC

When: Sunday, September 22, 2019 from 2:00 PM until 4:00 PM

Where:  Washington Marriott at Metro Center

775 12th St NW

Washington, DC 20005

United States

Event Description: Please join Joseph Duck, Dean of Admissions and Sayaka Smith, Assistant Director of Admissions for a look inside a selective college admissions process.  Insight into how and why admissions decisions are made will be revealed during this interactive workshop. Please consider joining us! The event is open to students, parents and guidance counselors.

Click here for registration and directions.

The Oberlin Preview

When: Sunday, September 22, 2019 from 3:00 PM until 4:30 PM

Where: Bethesda Marriott

5151 Pooks Hill Rd

Bethesda, MD 20814

United States

Event Description: The Oberlin Preview is an opportunity to learn more about the distinctive features of our school.  Come and learn more about the academic community, the musical and artistic atmosphere, the commitment to sustainability, and the passion our students and alumni have for changing the world.

Click here for registration and directions.

Oxford University Information Session

When: Tuesday, September 24, 2019 from 6:30 PM until 10:30 PM

Where: Washington International School

3100 Macomb St NW

Washington, DC 20008

Event Description: This free information session for students, parents, teachers and guidance counselors will be delivered by Alice McCallum, Student Recruitment Officer (UK & North America) from the University of Oxford's Undergraduate Admissions Office.

In this session we will cover applying to Oxford, as well as outlining some of the distinctive features of the teaching and learning environment offered by the university. Oxford is the top university in the world according to the Times Higher Education World Rankings 2018-19 and therefore entry to this institution is competitive. This presentation will include detail on every aspect of the application process including, course choice, entrance requirements, admissions tests and interviews. This session will not cover graduate programs at the university.

The session is aimed at those considering undergraduate study at Oxford, and will be most relevant to those who intend to start their studies in Autumn 2020 or 2021, although younger years are welcome. We warmly welcome teachers, guidance counsellors, and parents/guardians to attend too.

Click here for registration and directions.

NYU Information Session

When: Saturday, September 28, 2019 from 11:00 AM until 1:00 PM

Where: NYU Washington, DC

1307 L St NW

Washington, DC 20005

United States

Event Description: Each year, NYU Admissions goes on a world tour. We visit dozens of cities so prospective students can learn more about what our three campuses have to offer. Join your regional admissions representative, Joal Chen, for a special presentation specific to NYU. At these receptions, you can talk with your admissions officer and staff and learn about academic programs, student life, and the benefits of living and learning at a truly global university. 

Click here for registration and directions.

VCUarts National Portfolio Day

When: Saturday, October 5, 2019 from 9 AM until 5 PM (Click here to view the event schedule)

Where: Fine Arts Building 

1000 West Broad Street

Richmond, VA 23284

 and

The Depot 

814 West Broad Street

Richmond, VA 23284

Event Description: If you are a high school or college student interested in applying to an art school for fine arts or design, then National Portfolio Day is for you! Representatives from the nation’s leading art colleges and universities accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design will travel to VCUarts to review your artwork, discuss your educational and professional goals, and share information on art programs, careers, admissions, and financial aid and scholarships. This event is free and open to the public.

Click here for additional event details, including the list of participating schools, contact information, and event schedule.

Harvard, Princeton, UVA, Wellesley, Yale Information Session in Washington, DC

When: Wednesday, October 9, 2019 at 7:00 PM

Where: Renaissance Washington, DC Downtown Hotel

999 9th St NW

Washington, DC 20001

United States

Event Description: William Fitzsimmons, Dean of Admissions at Harvard; Karen Richardson, Dean of Admissions at Princeton; Gregory Roberts, Dean of Admissions at UVA;  Joy St. John, Dean of Admissions at Wellesley; and Jeremiah Quinlan, Dean of Admissions at Yale will discuss academic programs, campus life, selective college admissions and financial aid. Please bring your friends and family.

Click here for registration and directions.

2019 Fairfax County Public Schools College Fair

When: Sunday, October 20, 2019 from 7:30 PM until 9:30 PM

Where: Fair Oaks Mall

Fairfax, VA 22033

Click here for directions.

2019 Fairfax County Public Schools College Night

When: Monday, October 21, 2019 from 7 PM until 9 PM

Where: Hayfield Secondary School

7630 Telegraph Rd.

Alexandria, VA 22315

Event Description: 2019 College Night Workshops, Hayfield Secondary School

The following list includes some of the workshops that might be available:

• Considerations in the College Search Process and Beyond for Students with Disabilities

• Dual Enrollment: Earning College Credits in High School

• Earning a Degree Abroad

• Funding College for Underclassmen

• Helping Teens with Mental Health and Wellness as They Transition to College

• National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)

• Scholarships 101

• The Common Application and The Coalition

• The SAT and ACT: Their Role in the College Application Process

Tulane University Tysons Corner Information Session

When: Tuesday, October 22, 2019 from 7:00 PM until 8:30 PM

Where: Tysons Corner Marriott

8028 Leesburg Pike

Tysons, VA 22182

Event Description: Meet Tulane admission counselors when they come to you! Tulane hosts several receptions in cities throughout the country for any interested students and their families each fall.

Click here for registration and directions.

Greater Washington, DC National College Fair

When: Sunday, October 27, 2019 from 1:00 PM until  4:00 PM

Where: Walter E. Washington Convention Center

Exhibit Hall C

801 Mt Vernon Pl NW

Washington, DC 20001

Phone: 202-249-3000

Click here for registration, list of participating schools, and directions.

DC National Portfolio Day

When: Saturday, November 2, 2019 from 1:00 PM until 5:00 PM

Where: The Art & Design Building

4515 Patriot Circle

Fairfax, VA 22030

Event Description: If you are a high school or college student interested in applying to an art school for fine arts or design, then National Portfolio Day is a great resource for you. Representatives from the nation’s leading art colleges and universities accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design will travel to the George Mason University School of Art to review your artwork, discuss your educational and professional goals, and share information on art programs, careers, admissions, and financial aid and scholarships. This event is free and open to the public.

Please note: Admissions decisions and scholarship awards will not be offered at National Portfolio Day. Some colleges may accept your portfolio as the visual portion of your application while others have policies which prohibit making an admissions decision at the time of your review. We recommend speaking to and having your work reviewed by as many representatives as possible.

Click here for additional event details, including pre-registration, list of participating schools, contact information, and event schedule.

Smarter Supplements: Digging Deeper

Last week, I shared our approach to supplemental essays and discussed a specific example of the way that one general answer could be modified to fit four separate schools’ prompts. Today, I’m going to dig a little deeper to model the DC College Counseling approach to the entire supplemental essay writing process.

Let’s pretend I’m the student.

STEP ONE: Outline a plan of attack during an essay coaching meeting.

My essay coach would work with me to complete the tasks in the last post, mapping out common themes between supplements and helping me select an appropriate text. This may involve needing to read a new book if I hadn’t read anything appropriate (but we try to avoid extra work as much as we can!).

If students want (or need!) to start fresh with a new book, we often recommend the New York Times bestseller list to choose something that’s not too fluffy (but that also sounds like a piece of fiction they might actually read in their spare time). It’s better to pick something recent because it sounds like the student reads on a regular basis and isn’t digging up the one book he read on vacation three years ago.

For the purposes of this post, I’m going to have to use a book from 2016 because… I’m digging up the one novel I read on vacation three years ago :) Don’t judge - I read a lot, but it’s all non-fiction! I am choosing to write about “Eligible: A modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice” by Curtis Sittenfeld. I was an English major in college so this isn’t too out of left field for me. An admissions officer would see that it fits with the rest of my imaginary profile. It was also a New York Times bestseller as well as a “Best Book of the Year” from NPR, so it’s not quite as random as it seems.

STEP TWO: Free-write some general thoughts on the book without responding to any of the specific prompts.

Note: I wrote these as myself as if I was actually completing the assignment. So, if this sounds like the voice of a 35-year-old instead of a high school student - that’s why! As we have covered before, we work very hard to help our students maintain their own unique voices.

Here’s my stream-of-consciousness free-write: In addition to being a fun book for me to read, this book also pushed me to think critically about myself as a reader. I chose to major in English in college because I really enjoyed writing (and I knew that I was good at it). I also absolutely loved to read, but not obscure texts from centuries ago. What I didn’t realize at the time is that English majors don’t read or write any more than other humanities majors - they just stick to English literature rather than history, politics, or other subjects. Eventually, I got really sick of analyzing decades or centuries-old literature that actually didn’t interest me all that much. I spent a lot of time skimming and reading Spark Notes (are Spark Notes still a thing?).

Eligible showed me that a “boring” or “outdated” read can actually be exciting if one gives it a chance. I was able to step back and think about how centuries-old language can mask relevant themes, and I wondered about how much I had missed over the years because I was turned off to various texts for superficial reasons.

I also thought about how our struggles as individuals persist over the generations. Pride and Prejudice was written more than 200 years ago, but women are still thinking about the same kinds of social and economic issues - just in a different context.

STEP THREE: Use information from the free-write to craft a RESPONSE TO EACH PROMPT.

NOTE: I’m not going to write out a full essay for each prompt in this blog post the way a student would, but I’ll give a general idea of the approach I’d take.

Boston College Supplement Essay #1 (400 w): Great art evokes a sense of wonder. It nourishes the mind and spirit. Is there a particular song, poem, speech, or novel from which you have drawn insight or inspiration?

I have always been an avid reader, but Curtis Sittenfeld’s Eligible gave me important insight into the value of broadening my literary horizons to include classic works of literature. I used to avoid these books, believing them to be outdated and difficult to read; yet, as I tore through the pages of this re-imagined version of Pride and Prejudice and acknowledged the present-day relevance of Austen’s original themes from the 19th century, I realized that social and political issues are often timeless, persisting from generation to generation. Moreover, I recognized that I had likely missed important lessons by always reaching for the latest best-sellers. With Eligible in mind, I felt inspired to read some of the texts that I had avoided over the years: 1984, Animal Farm, and Fahrenheit 451.

UVA College of Arts and Sciences Supplemental Essay (250 w): What work of art, music, science, mathematics, or literature has surprised, unsettled, or challenged you, and in what way?

Curtis Sittenfeld’s Eligible challenged me to push beyond my natural inclination for modern literature. As I tore through the pages of this re-imagined version of Pride and Prejudice and acknowledged the present-day relevance of Austen’s original themes from the 19th century, I realized that social and political issues are often timeless, persisting from generation to generation. Moreover, I recognized that I was likely missing important lessons by always reaching for the latest best-sellers. With Eligible in mind, I resolved to read some of the texts that had intimidated me over the years: 1984, Animal Farm, and Fahrenheit 451.

Dartmouth College Supplemental Essay D (250 w): “Yes, books are dangerous,” young people’s novelist Pete Hautman proclaimed. “They should be dangerous—they contain ideas.” What book or story captured your imagination through the ideas it revealed to you? Share how those ideas influenced you.

Through Eligible, her re-imagined adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, Curtis Sittenfeld helped provide new meaning to the old adage: “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” Eligible captured my imagination with the idea that the core challenges of modern life are not so different from those with which Jane Austen’s 19th-century characters also struggled. I realized that social and political themes are often timeless, persisting from generation to generation, and that I was likely missing important lessons by always reaching for the latest best-sellers over classic works of literature. As I tore through Sittenfeld’s pages, I resolved to use her influence to choose to read some of the texts that had intimidated me over the years: 1984, Animal Farm, and Fahrenheit 451.

Emory University “Tell Us About You” Essay 1 (150 w): Which book, character, song, or piece of work (fiction or non-fiction) represents you, and why?

Reading has always been my guilty pleasure. For as long as I can remember, I got my fix wherever I could: under the covers with a flashlight as a child, slipped between textbooks in high school math class, or by the dim light of my iPad while feeding my newborns more than a decade later. Eligible, Curtis Sittenfeld’s re-imagined modern-day version of Pride and Prejudice, represents me in that it mirrors my long-standing ability to find relevant meaning in text, regardless of setting. My love for reading has always aligned with my ability to grasp themes and connect them to my own experiences, hopes, and dreams, despite superficial differences.

Points to notice:

• Even though my responses didn’t require me to be all that specific, this would have been really difficult to write if I hadn’t read the book.

• I was able to cut and paste a lot between the first three answers, giving myself a solid base from which to approach each of these prompts.

• None of these answers are exactly the same: I had to modify each individual answer to bring language from the prompt into my response. In order to do this, I had to constantly ask myself: are you answering each question that the prompt asks?

• The last response was ultimately very different and I had to take some creative liberties with the actual content: that’s fine. Remember, colleges will only see the essays submitted to their own school: they won’t see what is sent elsewhere. It’s okay if the various answers don’t perfectly align with one another when they are all on the same page together.

STEP FOUR: Bring drafts to essay coach meeting.

After receiving TONS of reminders about completing the step three drafts in a timely manner, I would then bring my drafts to my next scheduled essay coach meeting. During the session, essay coaches would help me to further develop and edit these initial pieces.

STEP FIVE: Look for follow-up edits from Colleen.

Okay, this is getting confusing now with “Colleen-as-student” and “Colleen-as-Colleen,” but hang in there with me. If I were a student, I would wait a day or so for the actual Colleen (me!) to follow up with an additional level of edits above and beyond those completed at the essay coaching meeting. I do this for all of our students without charging them for any additional time beyond their essay coaching appointment, because I think that it’s helpful to have another layer of review.

STEP SIX: Finalize edits at home before next essay coaching meeting.

After “Colleen-as-student” receives her additional edits and suggestions from “Colleen-as-Colleen,” “Colleen-as-student” would then finalize them at home before bringing them back to the essay coach meeting for final approval.

STEP SEVEN: Make additional changes with essay coach during the meeting and begin to plan out the next round of essays.

I would go back to meet with the essay coach to put the finishing touches on everything and we’d begin Step One again with our next round of essays.

STEP EIGHT: Approve any additional post-meeting “finishing touch” edits from colleen, confirm with Rebeccah that the essays are considered complete, and write the second round of drafts for the new essays.

As of mid-July, we have extremely limited availability for ongoing work with seniors in the Class of 2020. If you’re interested in grabbing one of the very last first-round slots or having first priority for the second-round waitlist, don’t wait to book your Meet & Greet session.

Supplemental Essays 2019-2020: First Round

And they begin!

In the past week, three schools have released supplemental essay topics:

University of Georgia

University of Chicago - boy are these rough, as per usual!

University of Texas - Austin - scroll down to “essay” and “short answers”

These join the personal insight questions (otherwise known as essays) from the University of California system, which have been out for a little while now.

In our office, all of our clients are either finished or nearly-finished with their main essays, so we try to knock these supplemental essays out when we can to avoid scrambling during the month of August after they are officially released. To do this, we stay on top of everything in advance to make sure we have the most up-to-date information on which essays are released and when. This way, we can plug away at them with our students a little bit at a time, all summer long.

We have family meetings in June or July, after we have final junior year grades and all standardized test scores are in. At that point, we try to finalize the college list. We keep a very large master list with each student’s name on the x-axis and every college you can imagine on the y-axis. As schools begin to release their prompts, Rebeccah keeps track everything on the master list and will notify students accordingly.

Some more recent news: there will be a variety of updates to The Common Application® that will be rolled out in July. I’m a little nervous about what this will mean for the activity section, because it sounds like that part has the potential to result in substantive changes. This part of the application hasn’t been updated in any meaningful way for a very, very long time, and I’m crossing my fingers that the changes won’t be too dramatic!

Happy writing!