CPE

The CommonApp Personal Essay, Identity Formation, and Two Apples a Day

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  There are many ways to slice the question, “Who are we?” We are, for example, in a literal and physical sense, what we EAT and drink and breathe. When we digest something, we literally take the external world and make it part of ourselves (hence the magic of the pig, who, as Jim Gaffigan has noted, can take an apple—basically garbage—and miraculously turn it into bacon!). Less literally, we are the sum total of our THOUGHTS and FEELINGS: what we think about all day and the emotions those thoughts generate form the template of our personality. We are also […]

A Vacation Exercise Tip via Harvard Law School as You Gear Up for Finals

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For those who like to exercise… and those who exercise even when they don’t like it 😉 Like most other freshmen at Harvard, I lived in the Yard my first year, which, alas, was sometime during the last century. It turns out, the Yard is closer to Harvard Law School than any of the upperclassmen houses, and I had a close friend who had his eye on attending HLS after graduation. (P.S. He got in, and yes, he made Law Review just like his dad. Anyway.) Because he’s sharp, Ben spent more time on the Law School campus next door than […]

Early is the New Regular: Why “Early and Excellent” is the ONLY Winning Strategy in Today’s College Admissions 

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WARNING If you’re applying to selective colleges in the next couple of years and not planning to take advantage of Early Application Programs—ED (Early Decision), EA (Early Action), REA (Restrictive Early Action), EDII, and EAII—STOP! Do not pass go! You won’t be collecting $200 or very many acceptance letters that way. There is only one truly savvy application strategy today: Early and Excellent. Math doesn’t lie, and the data clearly show a HUGE advantage to applying to top, second-tier, and third-tier colleges EARLY, typically two months before a school’s Regular Application deadline. They also show that many savvy applicants are […]

Grappling with a Big Math Mystery: The Key Difference between Mathophobes and Mathophiles

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A new assignment this year teaching middle and high school students in a new school in a new state has reinforced many of my long-held thoughts about two fundamental types of math students: 1) those who think they can’t do math without lots of help and 2) those undaunted to try, who see problem solving in math as an extension of problem solving in other arenas. Painting in broad stokes, we might label these two types of students mathophobes and mathophiles, and the neurological, psychological, and performance differences between them are striking, fascinating, and perplexing. Equally striking, fascinating, and perplexing […]

TWOFERS: Why April Is a Fabulous Test Prep Month for Most Juniors

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Each year there are 14 total national college admissions exams offered (seven each of the SAT and ACT), making 14 total opportunities (not including individual State in-school exams, e.g., March in CT). As you can see in the linear academic calendar, these exams are fairly evenly distributed across the 12 months (one each approximately every 7.5 weeks), with a couple of notable exceptions. Twice a year each, in Oct/Nov and June/July for the ACT, and in Oct/Nov and May/June for the SAT, two exams each are offered closer to ONE MONTH apart than two, and the 3+ week difference does […]

Reducing Stress—Especially for JUNIORS—is Part of Our Mission

 tagged admissions process / junior year / senior year / stress management by

Junior year has always been a notorious rite of passage: the hardest classes, most demanding teachers, grades counting the most, and, oh yeah, standardized tests.  In September everyone’s talking about how college admissions committees look most closely at junior year final grades, PSATs come up fast in October, and the work and pressure keep mounting through SATs, ACTs, AP Exams and final exams and projects in the spring.  And all the while students are supposed to start thinking about what colleges they’d like to attend, what programs appeal most to them, and which ones will be on their list of […]

How AP Scores Can Boost Your College Admissions Chances!

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If you’re a high school student or a parent navigating today’s college admissions process, let’s talk about something super important for getting into the most selective schools—AP exam scores! ? 1. Stand Out in a Sea of Applicants ?‍♀️ In today’s competitive college landscape, standing out is the name of the game, and that, quite simply, explains why so many students are taking so many Advanced Placement classes. AP scores of 3, 4, or 5 can set you apart from other candidates by showcasing your ability to handle college-level coursework and pass college-level exams. It’s all about demonstrating mastery of […]

The Three Most Important Qualities to Impress College Admissions Committees

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Successful applications in today’s ultra-competitive college admissions game tend to be as varied and unique as the individuals who write them. If you’re planning to have AI do the heavy lifting for you, I’m sorry to inform you there is no algorithm to generate ideal answers to any of the writing prompts, let alone a compelling overall application (for more on this topic, see How Telling the Truth Can Get You Into College). Nevertheless, underpinning this great diversity among applicaitons that work are three common features. If you are a fan of the SNL skits in the early 90s, you […]

TWO Crucial CommonApp Questions for Second Semester Juniors

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How to prepare an… …that will bolster your candidacy and help you get in wherever you apply! Question #1: When should I register on Commonapp.org? Short Answer #1: As soon as possible. Question #2: When should I focus on actually writing my CommonApp? Short Answer #2: Between your last final exam this year and the first day of school in the fall. Why Register Early? There is absolutely NO DOWNSIDE to registering sooner rather than later, and there is tremendous upside to sooner. All you need to do to register (commonapp.org) is to spend five or so minutes completing a […]

Test Prep in the Flow of the College Admissions Game

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Much has changed in U.S. secondary education for college-bound students over the past half century, from values to curriculum to graduation requirements. But one thing that has remained largely the same is the overall academic flow of the formidable rite of passage of junior year and the crush of fall semester senior year. As busy as juniors may think they are now, or are going to be shortly, most are in for a rude awakening. I say this not to derive any joy or instill fear, but to share a vast experience of working with students through this specific period. […]

Darn it, *&#$%, I Got Deferred! Now What?

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Wrong reaction! I mean, there are no wrong FEELINGS, but if you’re THINKING that getting deferred is bad news, think again! Today’s insanely stingy admissions rates, many below 10% even for early application (Harvard was around 3% last year), are NOT fake news. These single digit numbers are VERY REAL. Obviously, you were hoping to get in since you applied in November, especially since you applied EARLY, but understand what getting deferred actually means in the college admissions game. It means two things in particular, and they’re both good news: Despite this good news, I also want to suggest your […]

AI and College Applications: A Deeper Dive

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I’m not gonna lie, I love AI. I don’t love everything about it, but overall I see it as mostly gold. Nevertheless, if you’re reading this for advice about using AI to write your college applications, I bring bad news. It won’t, and it can’t. I’m not an expert in all the educational AI tools out there—can anyone keep up?!—but I’ve played with a good half dozen or more different tools and even got hooked into a Coursiv course on mastering the higher-level optional features across the most popular AI’s today. I suspected a lot of it would be fluffy—and […]

Got Feb ACTs? We Got 5 Tips for Cramming

 tagged ACT / standardized tests / test prep by

If you’re taking the ACT in February and haven’t been able to prepare as thoroughly as you’d hoped up to this point—hey, we understand, winter vacation, start of new semester, yada yada yada—do not despair. The ACT is, in fact, a highly beatable exam, and cramming does bear college admissions fruit. Even though there are FOUR (4) separate tests—English, Math, Reading, & Science—are only TWO (2) bodies of material you need to know: Math (key topics in Arithmetic, Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, and ~15% of Precalc/Trig) and 10 Key Grammar Rules. Email Dr. Yo or send a text at […]