College Admissions

May 17, 2022

Update on the Common Application

Current Common Application membership is 979 colleges and universities, 63 of whom are international. Members hail from 19 countries outside the US. This year, 1.2 Million first year applicants submitted 7.5 million applications.
May 16, 2022

In a New York State of Mind

...I proceeded to the Uptown campus of the University at Albany, which features nine schools: Arts and Science, Social Welfare, Education, Engineering and Applied Sciences, Public Health, Business, Public Affairs & Policy, Criminal Justice and Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity.
December 22, 2021

Myth: You Won’t Get In If You Don’t Get In Early. Not True.

When I take a look at admissions to Master’s and Ph.D programs, for example, I see a range of students from all sorts of undergrad institutions, very selective and not so much, yet what the students all have in common is that they had made the most of their undergrad experiences. So if you were declined in the last few weeks, it’s okay to be disappointed, but it won’t affect your success in life. You will.
October 15, 2021

Character and Balance in College Admissions

Ratings are Problematic. College Selectivity is not a Reliable Predictor of Student Learning, Job Satisfaction or Well-Being. Engagement in College is More Important than Where You Attend. Recognizing those statements will go far in reducing the mental anguish that currently surrounds so many high school students, exacerbated by the social isolation of the Covid era.
June 21, 2021

How One University Makes a Large School Feel Smaller

There’s the library, an iconic structure on the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) campus. There’s the statue of Dr. Seuss and the Cat in the Hat outside on the library  plaza. There’s the sculpture of a […]
April 5, 2021

Reflections on This Most Unusual Year in College Admissions

This has been a most unusual year in college admissions.  Hundreds of colleges and universities in the United States went test optional – and a few test free. The College Board dropped the essay portion of the SAT […]
January 25, 2021

Adapting to Pandemic-Era Realities, College Board Drops SAT Subject Tests

The College Board, in one fell swoop, lowered the pressure on high school students last week. It eliminated SAT Subject Tests and the SAT essay – effective immediately. There will be no more administrations of Subject Tests in […]
January 1, 2021

A New Anxiety For High School Seniors

Trying to Overturn US Election Results Sends a Message that Can Increase Anxiety among High School Seniors Applying to College – But Their Futures are Still Bright When I repeatedly read about efforts to overturn the results of […]
September 14, 2020
how to write the why this school essay

How to Write the Why This School Essay

One of the most popular questions in the Common Application and the Coalition for College Application is some variation as to why a student wants to attend a particular college. The answer to the Why This School question […]
June 13, 2020
liberal arts

Why a Speech Given in 2011 Resonates Today

My favorite musical, hands down, is Ragtime, which is based on the book of the same name by E. L. Doctorow, and which I have seen several times, not just on Broadway but in a memorable snowy winter night […]