Now that high school seniors are beginning to sort through their acceptance letters, to attend admitted students weekends, and to make their commitments, the question of how to pick the right college is paramount. When weighing the decision that will directly affect the next four years and indirectly affect the rest of your life, it’s not enough to simply rely on the rankings from US News and World Report. Therefore, when choosing between the near-2,000 4-year colleges in America, a student ought to involve equal parts investigation and introspection.
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Archive for the ‘Admissions’ Category
Veritas Admissions Seminars
For anyone that was unable to attend our recent Admissions Seminars on “How to write the Personal Admissions Essay” and “How to get into (your) Harvard,” we have the materials and lecture audio available here. Check it out, tell your friends, and let us know what you think.
The Gap Year Advantage
During my years as a tutor and mentor, I have advised nearly all of my students to take a gap year in order to cultivate social, occupational, and academic growth. The motive has differed from student to student, but the outcome has remained consistent: almost all have ignored my advice.
Extra-Curricular Activities: Are video games valid?
In a recent blog post on Zen and the Art of Admissions, I made a somewhat controversial statement about the types of extra-curricular activities that students should pursue. In the pursuit of excellence, I suggested that any activity from the math team to video games might be valid. I’ll use this post to elaborate and clarify my stance on the matter.
Where the Admissions Magic Happens: Subcommittee vs. Committee
If you have applied to college this admissions season, you must be curious about the path of your application. In this post, we investigate this admission committee process at Harvard and other top colleges.
The Perfect Student: Discipline as Existential Feng Shui
Discipline is an often misunderstood concept. (Though this may surprise you, at no other time in my life did I see discipline misrepresented more than during my four years at Harvard.) Often met with a groan from teenagers and adults alike, discipline tends to signify work, effort, and overall unhappiness. Discipline, however, can also mean fun and relaxation if carried out correctly. For instance, consider the following example of a hard-working yet undisciplined student:
Zen and the Art of Admissions
Though I do a great deal of academic advising and understand the rampant competition for undergraduate and graduate admissions, I am always careful about suggesting activities for the “wrong reasons.” I never want students to participate in activities just for the admissions process; rather, I urge genuine interest and the pursuit of excellence. A stellar application is merely a by-product of bona fide effort.
Your Story: Uncovering Your Narrative for the College Application
As college application season moves into full-swing (yes, you should be in full swing on your college applications), I wanted to take a moment and talk about the “fundamentals” of your college application: the narrative.
Admissions – The Wait List
In my ninth-grade honors English class, we received an assignment to prepare and deliver a persuasive argument. For awkward adolescents, myself certainly included, this was a pretty big deal. Presentations were set to take place over a three week period with Ms. Gorman adjudicating from the last row of our classroom curcible. I remember a restless evening – as I repeated my lines sotto voce – the night prior to the first day of presentations. As the deadline neared, my stomach became increasingly tied in knots. I knew my speech, but the stress of anticipation caused delusions of oversight, escape, a stay-of-execution.
When third preiod English class finally arrived, our teacher stood in front of the class and asked, “So, who wants to go first?”
It was a pretty ludicrous question. No one wanted to go first. Silence lingered for an interminable 20 seconds before the unthinkable occurred: I popped out of my chair to volunteer. I don’t know what compelled me act, but before I could comprehend the consequences, I was up at the podium reciting my opening remarks.
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