CommonApp

Summer Goals and the College Admissions Game

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(Quick note to Moms, Dads, and other primary care givers: I know you’ve said very similar things to your kids. But, of course, they won’t believe it coming from you. So print this out and leave it on their pillows. The third-party approach often works like a charm ;-)) The most important criterion—and the most frequently heard buzz word—in today’s college admissions game is passion. Demonstrable passion. Anyone can CLAIM passion about his or her interests, but picture admissions committee as one giant D.A. from Lily Tomlin and company’s awesome kids’ show The Magic School Bus, running around with a clipboard demanding […]

College Admissions 101 for Mom & Dad

 tagged admissions / applications / CommonApp / parents / SAT / standardized tests / strategies / test anxiety by

Online Education Radio at Blog Talk Radio with CollegePrepExpress on BlogTalkRadio Recorded LIVE, 6:30-7:00PM ET on 2/27/14 …or listen to this or any other PrepTalk with CPE show on… Do you you really want to help your kid but you’re just not sure how?Parents! Is your high schooler going to college? Is this the first time since your own college days that you’ve dealt with the admissions process? Do you have so many questions you don’t know where to start? Then this show is for YOU! Join Dr. Yo, J.D. Rothman (aka, the Neurotic Parent’s Guide to College Admissions), and a panel […]

Winning the Battle of CommonApp ’13

 tagged admissions / CommonApp by

If you’re a high school senior, the last few weeks might have been more fraught than you’d anticipated, even taking into account that college application season is never a relaxed time. Halloween party planning or watching the Red Sox’ march to victory in the World Series could have taken a back seat while, instead, you spent your evenings in front of the computer, watching the Spinning Beach Ball of Death on the screen and hoping that – this time, please, please, please – the CommonApp would cooperate and accept your college application before the deadline. Or before you hurled your […]

9th and 10th Graders: DON’T WAIT TO GET INVOLVED IN EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

 tagged admissions / CommonApp / extracurriculars by

Attention 9th and 10th graders! One of the best parts about being an “underclassman” is that you have more time than juniors and seniors to try new things. By the time you get to 11th and 12th grades, you’ll have harder classes and more demanding teachers; more standardized tests with higher stakes; and college visits and applications to contend with. So enjoy your relative freedom while you can and take advantage of opportunities to try new things. What new things, you ask? Good question, glad you’re paying attention. Start with your hobbies and interests—what we in the college admissions industry […]

Getting Your CommonApp (Almost) Done Over the Summer

 tagged applications / CommonApp / junior year / senior year / vacation studying by

Jeez, school just freakin’ ended and you’re hitting me with THIS? Take a chill, Mr. Intense—er, Dr. Intense—would you? Actually, I was going to offer YOU that very advice, especially if you have the type of parents who want your whole application done the day after your last final exam (hey, try to keep in mind how much they love you :-)). Rising seniors absolutely should take a chill for a while after surviving the year-long educational torture chamber we call junior year. Having said that, we also STRONGLY suggest that you get as much work done on your CommonApp […]

In-Coming Senior To-Do’s

 tagged ACT / applications / college interviews / college visits / CommonApp / SAT / standardized tests by

You’ve waited your whole academic career to be a senior, and now you’re finally here.  One way or another, it’s likely to your most memorable year yet, and if you’re wise and pro-active, you can make the memories predominately positive.  There are four general areas about which you can be pro-active in the waning weeks of your final high school summer: 1)   Application To-Do’s 2)   Standardized Test Plans 3)   College Fairs, Visits, and Interviews 4)   Mental Preparation for Academics and Extracurriculars 1) Application To-Do’s: By now you should have a list of colleges from your guidance counselor. a) Spend some time […]