The college planning process can be stressful for both parents and their children. As a parent, you’re balancing your child’s goals and your family’s needs – while still handling all your other commitments. If it’s your first time navigating the college application system, it’s also easy to feel overwhelmed. Maybe you’re also feeling discouraged by…
COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
Writing About Resilience in the Face of Failure
Essay questions dealing with failure, risk, mistakes, and difficult interactions or conflict often cause applicants to cringe, squirm, and bite their nails. After all, you want to show yourself succeeding and conquering the world in your essays and personal statements, not falling down. But there’s a reason why these questions are common. Schools want to…
ACT to Permit Retaking Single Sections of Exam
According to a report in the New York Times, students who wish to improve their scores could retake individual parts of the exam, instead of the entire ACT. This will take a lot of pressure off test-takers, enabling them to improve their scores on one section without risking getting lower scores on sections they already…
Encore: Focus on Fit in Admissions [Episode 334]
I am taking time off for family this week, and as a result I decided to air an encore of one of our most popular shows ever, Focus on Fit. I chose it not only because of its popularity, but because the topic is relevant to so many, if not all, specialties. A solid understanding…
How Personal is Too Personal?
The personal statement serves as a terrific opportunity to share with admissions committees an interesting and unique aspect of your life. How much should you tell, and how much is too much? When I applied to college, I wrote a personal statement describing some challenging family circumstances I’d had while growing up. I can still…
3 Mistakes Successful College Applicants Don’t Make
The preparation for applying to college successfully does not happen overnight. In fact, it is the culmination of years of work throughout high school. The most successful college applicants avoid these three mistakes: Mistake #1: Blowing off essay responses Successful applicants know that strong GPA and test scores are simply not enough. They invest time…
How to Use Powerful Details to Create Strong Essays
To really draw your readers into your goal-focused essay, you’re going to want to lay the scene for your future accomplishments. After all, what better way to convince the adcom of your ambitions than to illustrate them in your essay? First, identify your goal. When you begin your essay, try showing yourself having reached your…
Tips for Answering the Dartmouth College Supplemental Essay Prompts [2019 – 2020]
Dartmouth College, like the other Ivy League schools, accepts both the Common Application and the Coalition Application. Regardless of the application you select to use, you will be asked to respond to the same essay prompts. In addition, Dartmouth also requires supplemental essay responses. The additional essays help the admission committee round out the overall…
The Art of Interviewing—Are You a “Can” or a “Cannot”?
“I am doomed… This is a disaster… I really never expected this… What am I going to do?” This from Daniel, a prospective PhD student. I couldn’t imagine what had happened to cause such a negative response, especially as Daniel is a very strong candidate with impeccable credentials. My shock was further compounded when he…
Admissions Tip: BE YOURSELF!
One of the things admissions committee members tell us again and again is that they wish – really, truly wish – that applicants would not try to write what they imagine the adcom wants to hear, and instead would just be themselves. Admissions committee members time and time again say they wish applicants would answer…
Tips for Answering the Cornell University Supplemental Essay Prompts [2019 – 2020]
Although the Ivy League schools review the Common Application or Coalition Application essay, they also require supplemental essay responses. These help you to convey in greater detail how the specific school and program of study are a good fit for you and how you can contribute to the collegiate environment. The additional essay questions are…
Generic-itis Prevention [Warning: If Untreated, Can Cause Rejection]
Each year, Accepted consultants are witnessing a recurring epidemic. And it’s worse than you can imagine: Generic-itis. What generic-itis looks like Here is an example of a severe case of generic-–itis that I drafted based on several different examples I recently read, along with 25 years of experience in this business: I find Top Choice’s…
Tips for Answering the Yale University Short Answer and Supplemental Essay Prompts [2019 – 2020]
Not surprisingly, Yale University is consistently ranked among the top universities in the world. It accepts the Common Application, Coalition Application, and QuestBridge Application. All three applications require a personal statement essay plus additional Yale-specific short answers and a Yale writing supplement. For applicants interested in engineering or computer science, there is a third optional…
Two Grad School Applicants Walk Into a Bar…
This might be a great opening line for a comedy night at a university student center, but can you use humor in a graduate school application essay? Should you even try? The answer is…maybe. If you have a funny bone, use it If you can use humor effectively, it will help you stand out from…
Tips for Answering the University of Pennsylvania Supplemental Essay Prompts [2019 – 2020]
The University of Pennsylvania, or Penn, was established in 1790 and is one of the oldest universities in America. This prestigious Ivy League school is known for its top-notch research as well as its undergraduate programs that focus on practical applications grounded in a strong liberal arts foundation. It accepts the Common Application or the…
What to Include in Your Admissions Resume
I suggest that applicants begin assembling materials for their applications as early as possible in advance of admissions deadlines. One of the first items you should start working on is your resume, a document that all professionals should always have updated and at the ready. 6 tips for creating a rockin’ resume Here are some…
Tips for Answering Brown University Supplemental Essay Prompts [2019 – 2020]
Along with the basic Common Application essay, the Ivy League schools require supplemental essay responses. These additional essays help these elite schools gain a deeper understanding of you as an applicant. They are your opportunity to explain how the school is a good match for you and how you can enhance the college community. These…
What You Can Do During Your Senior Year to Boost Your Chances of a College Acceptance
If you are beginning your senior year of high school, you might be worrying about how you can possibly increase your chances of getting accepted to your top college choices. You’ve worked earnestly for the last three years and that work has all been excellent preparation. Now it’s time for the next stage – the…
A Harvard PhD Student and Admissions Consultant Shares Her Story [Episode 328]
Interview with Rachel Slutsky, Accepted admissions consultant [Show summary] Want to know what makes for stupendous statements of purpose or impressive MBA essays? Our guest, and recent addition to Accepted’s team of consultants, is an expert at both. But, for some of you her main claim to fame may be her status as a Harvard…
Tips for Answering the Princeton University Supplemental Essay Prompts [2019 – 2020]
It will come as no surprise that Princeton University is among the top schools in the nation and is recognized globally for academic excellence. This Ivy League school is renowned as a major research university as well as an outstanding liberal arts college. In addition to the Common Application, Universal College Application or Coalition Application…
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