“Never use a long word when a short one will do.” Good advice from George Orwell (“Politics and the English Language,” 1946) that students might want to keep in mind when writing college application essays. Orwell wasn’t suggesting that writers use simple vocabulary to “dumb down” their prose. He was arguing against what he saw […]
Read MoreMany parents find the college application process incredibly stressful–“nervewracking,” as one parent put it. Her son, a senior at Lyme-Old Lyme HS, had been laboring over his college essays for several weeks but had resisted her help. Although she had tried giving tactful feedback, this seemed to shut him down further and add tension to […]
Read More1) Give yourself plenty of time! Don’t wait until a week before the deadline to begin writing. Crafting a coherent, readable essay takes time and thought. Remember that writing–any kind of writing–is essentially thinking on paper. Your college app essay is no different. The essays you submit to your colleges will reflect the quality of […]
Read More“A 95 GPA is too low for the colleges you are applying to… ” The mom of a student at a top public school in Shoreline, CT relayed her conversation from an off the record conversation she had with a friend who is a college admissions official at a well-regarded college in Connecticut that claims […]
Read More“It’s her life.” So said a well-meaning set of parents from Madison, CT. Their daughter snapped at them several times over the previous year when college or the SATs were brought up. The parents decided not to broach the subject again. The end result: the parents and the daughter were sitting in my office in […]
Read MoreI had a wonderful lunch with a student who graduated from Madison Connecticut’s Daniel Hand High School about ten years ago. He had been an intern with The Learning Consultants and, as such, we have stayed in touch through the years. I met my young friend through our SAT class and, as such, I know […]
Read MoreThe college value question is often addressed by people who do not work with high school students. Strangely, they tend to address the metaphorically similar question “is college worth it at all? Most of the writers are in the work force – more often than not in the high tech space – and seem to […]
Read MoreI am often the first person who discusses money in the context of salaries, career paths, and college majors with 17 year old college counseling clients in Shoreline, CT. Or maybe I’m the first person that many of these students listen to but, regardless, it is always surprising to me when a student-client expresses that […]
Read More“Does it really matter where you go to college?” While I realize the question relates to whether one will be conventionally successful and I politely respond as such when asked. Here’s what I’m really thinking: Your child’s whole external world is changing. Colleges vary radically. To approach college for your child with such a cavalier […]
Read MoreOne of our Old Saybrook friends stopped the conversation that a few parents were having about college. That suited me since I am immersed in college counseling and would prefer a different topic during a party. But her response concerned me: “I don’t want to think about it.” Her daughter is a junior. I sympathize […]
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