The scuttlebutt, especially here in California, home of the UC system, is that it is nearly impossible to get in. Stories about the straight-A honors student with 10 APs, Captain of the baseball team, President of the Mathletes, and founder of a startup who got rejected from every campus abound. Which begs the question, what is up with the UCs?
Read MoreI often see students who feel a lot of pressure about their college essays. Do they need to talk about curing cancer? Or being honored by their head of state? The good news is, no. Normal people can write great essays. Here are some helpful tips for writing college essays.
Read MoreWelcome to the start of a new school year. And all the hope, excitement, stress, and worry that come with it. If the beginning of the school year brings up a mixed bag of emotions, you’re not alone. Regardless of how you’re feeling, here are some tips to help your child start (and end) the school year successfully.
Read MoreYou’ve probably heard by now that the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action last week in their rulings on the Harvard and UNC admissions cases. Regardless of where you stand on the issue, you might be wondering what colleges will do in a race-neutral admissions process and how it will impact you. Even though the rulings were just formally announced, the admissions world has anticipated this outcome for over a year.
Read MoreI, along with fellow Village coaches Meredith and Suzi, just got back from the annual NACAC (National Association of College Admissions Counselors) conference last week. Thousands of admissions officers, high school counselors, and independent counselors from all over the world converged at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas.
Read MoreThanks to some Stanford undergrads, Duck Syndrome has come to mean a person (usually a young person) who is working furiously behind closed doors while maintaining a cool and calm exterior. I periodically ask the teens I coach to rate their stress levels on a scale of 1 to 10. 1 = not stressed, and 10 = stressed to the max. They'll look at me calmly, with a smile on their face and say "12".
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