College Tours for College Admissions: Why Do the Prospective Applicants Look So Miserable?
When I went to tour McGill last summer with my two kids, ages 15 and 11, I had two very different experiences. While waiting for the tour to start, my eleven-year-old son read the course catalog, picked his major, and decided on his dormitory. My fifteen-year-old avoided sitting next to me, seemed very unhappy, and repeatedly glared at me whenever she thought I might ask a question. It wasn’t just me–another mother was struggling with her own seventeen-year-old daughter. Because this was her oldest child and their first college visit, the mother was shocked at her daughter’s behavior and kept [...]
Choosing a College – Without Being Overly Influenced by “Branding”
The concept of branding has invaded our culture. Not only do brands have brands, but people, including students, are encouraged to promote their “personal brand”. Soon, my dog will start working on one–his brand will probably be “well-behaved but quirky,” so he gets more treats, although his behavior will undoubtedly remain problematic despite his campaign. Colleges, of course, have been cultivating their schools’ brands for years. US News and World Report has certainly contributed to this as well, with their list of rankings based on gobblygook and reputation. Many schools work hard to move up in the rankings, so they [...]
7 Effective Strategies to Simplify the College Application Process
Navigating the college admissions process is complicated, and I feel it’s on the organizational level of planning an invasion of a small country. Here are some ways to make it slightly more efficient and less stressful. Do smart research using smart sources—my favorite two research tools for colleges are old school. The Fiske Guide, although it doesn’t cover every school, is amazingly helpful when it does. But it’s an actual book, and you have to flip the pages and everything. Also, I find looking at college websites to be incredibly informative. Apparently, the schools actually spend a lot of time [...]
How Parents Can Help Kids to Protect Their Self-Esteem During College Admissions
I have a wonderful friend, who has a wonderful son. As her oldest child, the college admissions process took them both by surprise. Although he was an excellent student with excellent extracurriculars, he was rejected by all the colleges in the Ivy-Plus world. Although he did gain admission to a top-notch public flagship in the Honors College, he felt terrible about himself for the rest of high school and the first year of college, comparing himself to other friends and classmates who did manage to be admitted into the Ivy world. Thankfully, this didn’t last forever. Four years later, he [...]
Procrastination—Does it Hurt You or Help You? (The Answer is Yes)
It’s that time of year again, around the January college application deadlines, that I find myself dealing with procrastination. For instance, on the day an application was due, I got a text from a student asking me to review their essays. I replied that I could do so, but that I wouldn’t be available for an hour. They politely texted back, “That’s okay. No rush!” to which I responded using the laughing emoji–the application was due in just a few short hours. The response I got back–” I’m sorry to ask, but why is that funny?” This little interchange [...]