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Manage Expectations in the College Planning Process
Tweet Share on Facebook July 25, 2011 Comment (1)Expectations. Everyone has them. In fact, they are such a part of our daily lives that we rarely stop to think about how our expectations influence the choices we make. When we expect certain outcomes, we tend to think and act accordingly, as though those outcomes are certain to become reality.
This phenomenon is all too familiar in the college planning process. For many, going to the right college, not just any college, is a long held expectation. If not an end in itself, it is regarded as a means to a greater end. The implications are clear. Regarded as critical to leveraging desired outcomes, the choice of a college often holds greater significance than the fact of college attendance itself.
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'Need-Blind' Admissions: Fact or Fiction?
Tweet Share on Facebook July 18, 2011 Comment (2)"Need-blind" admissions. These three words pop up frequently in college information sessions, chat rooms, promotional literature, articles about college access, and discussions about college destinations. They are invoked with a reverence that implies "all is good and right about admissions" for the institutions in question. But what do these words mean?
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5 Tips for Securing Recommendation Letters
Tweet Share on Facebook July 11, 2011 Comment (3)Writing college applications can prove to be a big job—especially when you have a "story" to tell. Students tend to focus on the essay—and, sometimes, the interview—in conveying key messages. In doing so, they completely overlook a potential source of powerful testimonials to their stories: letters of recommendation from counselors, teachers, coaches, and mentors.
Letters of recommendation are important to admissions officers because they provide contextual interpretation of your academic performance. Writers share critical insight into your work habits and learning style as well as your ability to respond to challenges and setbacks. They can help explain irregularities in your academic program and/or performance and shed light into key factors that define your learning environment.
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Answering Readers' College Search Questions
Tweet Share on Facebook July 4, 2011 Comment (1)In recent weeks, readers of The College Admissions Insider have raised questions in the comment box of posted blogs. Many of the questions are personal in nature or request feedback regarding specific colleges. As a general rule, I do not publicly make qualitative or comparative assessments regarding colleges or groups of colleges nor do I think it's appropriate to respond to personal questions in a public forum.
As a result, I have paraphrased some of the questions (with my responses) below. In the future, if you would like to receive direct, personal feedback to your questions, please E-mail them to me at TheAdmissionsInsider@usnews.com. I will respond to them as quickly as I am able. Happy Independence Day!
