Guide: Writing a “Why us” Essay for a Safety School
But what if you’re writing a “Why us” statement for a school that isn’t your top choice? How do you get excited about that school? How do you fake it? Tip #1: Don’t fake it. What do I mean? If a school is on your…
Working With Me on Personal Statements
I was curious to know what it was like working with me on college essays, so I asked some of my students: What was it like working with me? Here’s what a few of them said: Isabel writes: Working on college essays with you made…
How much do SAT scores matter? (A Paradox)
You’ve probably heard this before, but I’ll say it again: 10 points on the SAT (or, basically one question) isn’t going to make or break your college chances. Really. Also: a mother recently told me that her son missed the cut off for merit aid…
Five Mistakes Your Making in You’re College Essay
It’s essay season, and as a teacher/writer/mentor/older brother I spend a lot of time looking at essays. Here are five things I’m tired of telling (and will continue to tell) my students: 1. Stop using two spaces after a period Okay, I’ll admit, I used…
Mindfulness: Am I Breathing?
How does it work? The basic science of it goes something like this: on a brain scan, the amygdala is the part of our brain that lights up when we’re stressed. The pre-frontal cortex is the part of our brains used to organize information. Get…
Five FAFSA Myths – Busted!
What’s the FAFSA? It’s the online form you fill out to get financial aid from the government. To most of you reading this blog, that means this: FREE MONEY. But you can’t get it if you don’t apply. So before we get to the myths,…
Five Common Myths About College Majors
Myth #4: If I get a humanities or liberal arts degree I’ll be “unemployed and unemployable” because I won’t have any marketable skills. Nope. One recent study suggests, in fact, that over the long haul humanities and social science majors out-earn those who went through professional and…
How Senioritis Can Earn You a “Fear of God” Letter
So things got real, fast. “What can I do?” I asked her, my voice probably cracking. “Nothing. It’s too late.” “Seriously?” “Sorry. You haven’t been here.” I left class that day a little broken. And then I got to work. First, I begged Ms. Turino…
I’m a Junior and it’s February. Next step?
Here are five things you can be doing to set yourself up for a beauty of a college application: 1. Getting the best grades in the toughest classes your school offers. You probably know that your GPA is really important to colleges, but you may…
How to Choose a Major
So what do you do? Deciding how to pick your major doesn’t have to be all painful. Schwartz has some good advice, which I’ve adapted here for the high school senior picking a major: Decide what’s most important to you. Sound impossible? It’s not, actually. Take…