And, The Oops! Award for Fall 2016 College Admissions Goes To…

….University of California Santa Cruz! We’ve all “clicked prematurely”, but on Wednesday, March 15, 2016, the Maryland, Virginia and Washington DC regional admissions officer for UC Santa Cruz sent 4000 “Congratulations on your admissions to UC Santa Cruz!” emails to students who hadn’t even applied. At least this application season (knock on wood), only UC Santa…

Continue Reading

Guest Post: Life After Getting Into College

Kai is a Midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA), Class of 2016.  He will graduate with an Aerospace Engineering degree, as well as completed the requirements for medical school.  He also runs on the USNA Cross Country and Indoor/Outdoor Track and Field Team.  Below are Kai’s reflections on the transition from high school to college:  __________________________________________________________…

Continue Reading

University of California Blues

With first counts of Fall 2016 applicants totaling 206,339, the competition for University of California (UC) admissions will be even greater for current high school seniors and community college transfer students.  A recent Atlantic Monthly article highlighted the steep odds for admissions of today’s UC applicant. The UC has educated generations of Californians in the…

Continue Reading

Guest Post: Knowledge is Power

About the author:  Rocio and her eldest son, Daniel, worked together to successfully navigate the college admissions process.  (Not a simple task for any teenager and mom duo). They asked questions, thoughtfully considered editing suggestions to write 21 college essays and faced 7 acceptances in the Spring of 2015 before choosing New York University. Rocio discusses…

Continue Reading

The Modern “Starving” Student

College alumni often joke about days as a “deprived” undergrad, only eating instant noodles—fast, filling meals on a limited budget—like a badge of honor.  Growing numbers of today’s college students, however, embody the literal meaning of “starving” college student. According to the Wall Street Journal: In 2010, the UC [University of California] system added a food-security…

Continue Reading