“She worked so hard,” a disappointed parent said to me recently, “and this is all she has to show for it.” “This” was several excellent college acceptances, yet none was the student’s first, second, or even third choice. Her top choices were all extremely selective, and while this bright young woman may have been highly qualified for those schools, she didn’t make the cut. What I can’t shake after this conversation isn’t that the student didn’t get into her top choices; unfor

I’ve engaged in a lot of self-reflection on the ethics of what I do recently, especially since learning about the college admissions scandal last week. My introspection actually began in early 2018, when a local high school sophomore died by suicide and left notes attributing his despair to the soul-crushing pressure in our community. I started questioning whether my work alleviates the stressful nature of the admissions process, or contributes to it. The scandal only heighte

Social media went nuts late last year when David Hogg announced his acceptance to Harvard University. If you don’t recognize his name, David is the Florida student who became an outspoken advocate for gun control following the shooting at his high school a year ago that left 17 dead and 17 wounded. Since the shooting, David graduated and is spending a gap year organizing protests and writing a book. But it’s not David’s controversial political views that have some people cryi

The high school Class of 2018 is now the college Class of 2022, heading off to their respective new campuses for the next four years. Over the past year, I observed some interesting and unexpected outcomes that I hope the Class of 2019 and beyond will consider in their own college admission processes. The biggest lessons: Good grades and scores aren’t enough for the most selective colleges. Apply early and strategically. Always have a back-up plan. Nearly all of my students a

I’ll never, ever forget Desiree Linden’s run at today’s Boston Marathon. Not just because she’s the first American woman to win since 1985. And not just because she proved to be the toughest competitor in a talented field on a miserably chilly, windy, rainy day. Along the way to her win, Desi displayed a level of kindheartedness and collaboration you might not expect from a fierce competitor during a race. When fellow American Shalane Flanagan peeled off for a porta potty sto

On a recent Saturday morning run, my friend and I came upon three high school students who had set up a refreshment table. They were handing out Gatorade and snacks to members of a charitable organization who were training for a race. Although we weren’t part of that group, the students insisted that we help ourselves and refused to take any money. These were three charming young women who I’m going to bet could think of other ways to spend a Saturday morning (such as sleepin

Two identical test scores. Two very different situations. A mom calls me, excited that her daughter—we’ll call her Emily—has scored a 34 on the ACT. Optimism pervades this family’s college process. They believe that 34, combined with a solid junior year with just one B, is Emily’s golden ticket into America’s most selective colleges. Never mind a so-so start to Emily’s high school career, with a fair number of Bs and possibly a C or two. She’s got an upward trend. Decent if n

What exactly do you do with students? I help students develop essays that shed light on their personal qualities and values, and how they will contribute to the college community. We accomplish this through a private brainstorming session where I get to know the student and zero in on what makes them unique. With my guidance, students avoid overused topics and instead craft interesting essays that give admission officers a better sense of who they are. Do you write essays for

Now in my fifth season working in college admissions, I’m convinced the process is most stressful for the high grades/high scores/highly engaged student. Why should a student with, say, a 4.5 GPA and a 35 ACT face more stress than a “less-accomplished” peer? These top students are excellent candidates for America’s most selective colleges, like the Ivies, Stanford, Vanderbilt and Duke. They’re so fortunate, right? Not really, because each of those colleges accepts only a tiny

There’s much to love about the University of California’s “Personal Insight Questions.” First of all, don’t call them essays. Nope, because according to two admission officers I heard speak on two separate occasions, they do not want students to approach these answers the same way they approach their Common Application or Coalition Application essays. No flowery language. No suspense. Just answer each question in 350 or fewer words. Prior to launching the “PIQs” in 2016, UC r

Spring break is the ideal time to visit colleges. You can find plenty of good articles about how to approach college visits, so why write my own? Because the general advice given nationwide doesn’t apply specifically to the students I work with here in Orange County. We are in a unique situation: Students tend to apply in droves to the same colleges as their peers, with predictable lists based on grades and test scores. Our high achievers apply to über competitive colleges li

At Corona del Mar High School, the very fine public school my younger son attends, clusters of students tend to apply to the same colleges. The kids with the highest grades and test scores may apply to different schools than those with lower grades and scores, but there’s a huge overlap in where similar candidates apply. I already suspected this was true, but I confirmed it with some simple number-crunching. This endeavor was inspired by a comment from my son, who said he did

This time of year, I’m frequently asked where the students I worked with are going to college. I’m incredibly proud of each of my students, yet I’m hesitant to answer without context. Along with every college decision comes an unspoken judgment—about the kind of student someone is, their priorities, their political views, their tolerance of weather or white bread or collard greens or whatever. But behind each college decision is a story, one unique to each student. Regardless

Here’s proof positive that your best essay topic lies deep within your soul and is not the first one that comes to mind. I attended a college essay workshop at the National Association of College Admission Counselors meeting last fall. In the workshop, “The College Essay Guy,” Ethan Sawyer, took us through a brainstorming exercise that led me to write what follows. Without the exercise, I never would have considered this topic. It isn’t about anything I’ve done with my life.

Part 1: August 27, 2014 So I'm aboard a plane taking me home, which is 1,000 miles away from where I just left my firstborn child to spend the better part of the next four years. Of course we've always dreamed—expected, even—that he would go to college. Of course we're thrilled he was accepted to and chose to attend a college that fits his academic and personal interests so well. Of course I should be ecstatically happy. So why do I feel like my heart has been ripped out? Thi

Have you ever noticed how forlorn the losing team looks after the last game of the World Series? My heart always aches for them, but I also kind of wonder why they’re quite so glum. After all, they made it that far. Corny as it sounds, aren’t they winners just for being on that field? I feel the same way about the high school seniors who weren’t accepted to their top choice colleges in this first round of admission decisions. Early decision and early action can be cruel to in

Two new rankings of America’s best colleges were released last week, one awarding Williams College the coveted #1 spot, and the other crowning Babson College as tops. Let me guess what you are thinking: “Babson? Where is that? WHAT is that? And what about Harvard, Stanford, Princeton and Yale?” When someone mentions a college you’ve never heard of, what’s the first thing you do? If you Google its US News and World Report ranking, you are hardly alone. A wonderful mom I know w

One of my bugaboos with the college admissions frenzy is that it leads students to seek activities that will “look good” on their applications. Somewhere lost in the process is doing activities simply because you enjoy them. Maybe it’s crocheting. Maybe it’s jumping on a pogo stick. Maybe it’s watching every Hitchcock movie ever made. You might genuinely enjoy any of those activities but think they won’t look good enough on your application. Should you crochet caps for babies