The College Board and ACT, providers of the SAT and ACT exams respectively, have developed and updated concordance tables "to help the education community better understand how students of comparable ability will score on the two tests."

The comments on both the pages above go into lengthy detail about the limitations of the concordance tables so they are clearly not exact instruments. Still the tables should give advisers and applicants alike an idea of how students who have taken one test will do on the other test. 

Think you know how to write an effective wait-list letter? Test your knowledge with the following quiz:

1. Wait-list letters may be three or more single-spaced pages long:  (a) when the applicant has a lot of accomplishments to talk about, (b) they should never exceed two pages, (c) only for law school wait-list letters, (d) if you are not enclosing an additional letter of recommendation.

2. Expressing some frustration or disappointment in the wait-list letter is: (a) OK if the school is really your number-one choice, (b) appropriate if it reflects how you honestly feel, (c) never a good idea, (d) useful in the letter's conclusion to elicit sympathy.

3. During the wait-list process, you should generally aim to contact the wait-listing school: (a) every other day if it's really your number-one choice, (b) weekly by email or letter, (c) only when prompted by the school, (d) every three to four weeks (if the school allows contact).

4. The main topics of a wait-list letter should be: (a) your recent professional achievements, (b) new reasons why this school is a good fit for you, (c) developments in your community work since applying, (d) any substantial recent examples that offset the weaknesses of your application, (e) all of these.

5. It's acceptable to repeat wording from your application essays in the wait-list letter: (a) never, (b) if you run short of time, (c) if it was an especially strong part of your application, (d) if you think it's important enough to reinforce.

Answers:  1b,  2c, 3d, 4e, 5a.

While at the beach this past week-end, I enjoyed watching the surfers tackle the waves. The stiff swells and the nearby rocks meant the dozen or so surfers had to be experts at navigating their boards to shore without wiping out. From my vantage point, it was tough to distinguish one surfer from the next because they were all dressed in seemingly identical black wetsuits and they appeared to be equally competent at their sport. One surfer, however, did catch my attention. The distinctive blue of his surfboard allowed me to easily track his movements as he paddled out and then rode the waves in. I found myself silently applauding his beautiful runs, grimacing when he made an error, and cheering him on when he got back up and rode a wave to the beach.

Is your application to business school in danger of being indistinguishable from others with a similar background? It is, if there are others with similar professional experiences, high GMAT scores and stellar undergraduate degrees. If that is your situation, emulate the surfer with the blue surfboard to get admissions committee members to not only notice your application but also to root for your acceptance. Identify and then highlight one aspect of your candidacy that sets you apart from the pack.

Where do you find your blue surfboard? It often hides in plain sight.

I was talking with a new client last year. Her GMAT scores were quite good, her career goals well thought out, and she had solid leadership experience. However, as good as her credentials were, nothing really distinguished her.

I probed about her volunteer activities and whether she volunteered with a community service organization. Oh, yes, came the reply. She had been mentoring children with Type 1, insulin-dependent diabetes for the past eight years. She explained that, being a diabetic herself, she knew how difficult it was for kids and their parents to navigate the restrictions required to successfully manage this disease. We had discovered her blue surfboard.

Look through your volunteer activities and hobbies, and think about what they reveal about your particular strengths. Examine your skills. Can you ace an interview? Are you an effective public speaker? Are you an advocate to upper management for the needs of your division or your product? Find what sets you apart, and your application will be immeasurably strengthened.

My client, by the way, was subsequently accepted into two of the three schools to which she applied.

Like my fellow Accepted.com editors, I’m adept at helping you discover the color of your surfboard.

By Robbie Walker 

“I want to explain how lacrosse involves determination, sacrifice, never giving up, never losing confidence, grit, unselfishness, quick thinking on the fly, looking out for others, etc.” These were my client’s initial wishes for his 250-word Columbia “greatest passion” essay. My response: “Sorry! That’s too much... And even if you could fit all these points in, the result would only be blur – not a clear or vibrant message.”

As essay questions seem to trend shorter and shorter, I more and more often hear a client ask, on starting a given essay, “I have to figure out how to fit everything in.” By “everything” he usually means all the positive reflections arising from that experience. For example, if it’s a leadership essay, those reflections might include: vision, motivational skill, big-picture thinking, ability to tap others’ talents and interests, commitment to a cause, etc.

Instead, I suggest making a note of all those points you could discuss, but then selecting one or two that (a) are backed up by engaging and revealing examples, (b) complement the messages conveyed by your other essays without being redundant, (c) don’t just make an obvious point (e.g., you have a strong work ethic), and (d) fill in an important point missing elsewhere (or perhaps only touched on elsewhere). For example, my client’s lacrosse essay could focus on quick thinking and responsiveness, or learning to sacrifice and push himself to the limit. The other relevant points were addressed (with vivid examples) in other essays.

-- Cindy Tokumitsu, Senior Editor, Accepted.com

Thanks to Google Alerts, I stumbled across the following forum post by someone with the pseudonym "Balance":

Shell Shocked

---

My worst fears were confirmed to me on Monday when, after seeking advice from a confidant within the school‘s administration and teaching faculty, I realized that I should withdraw from law school. And so yesterday morning, I did.

I don’t want to get into specifics. Long story short, I misrepresented myself with respect to my criminal record on my application for admission to the school, and in doing so, sacrificed the integrity of the admissions process. I also sacrificed my own personal integrity. I was desperate to get accepted, and that desperation eventually contributed to me making a very foolish and regrettable decision.

My life, my future, has been turned upside down and there’s no one to blame but myself. I don’t know how I’m going to explain this to the people who love me. I don’t know where to begin. I spent 22 years trying to figure out what I’m supposed to do in this life, and I thought I’d finally found it; I excelled in law school. I thought I found it.

I don’t know why I’m posting this. I think I just need to tell someone, or anyone, about this epic fail of mine. Looking for some kind of catharsis that I won't find.

When applying to the school back in '05, I lied by omission in regards to a felony conviction from '00. Even though the final disposition was and is sealed, I was still obliged to disclose the facts of the case in my application for admission. My school never caught the omission, so I could theoretically just keep my mouth shut and hope the Florida Bar doesn't notice my deception. I could also continue living feeling like a liar and hurt a fledgling school that's tying to build a solid reputation for itself. I'm not going to do that.