Asking a trusted adviser to read college essays can help improve the final product. Cartoon from The New Yorker, July 23, 2007
Tag: High school senior
Common Application Essays Part 5: Essay Prompt 3 Explained
Knowing the definition of the prompt can help applicants select topics that most effectively highlight their qualities and give understanding to their qualifications for admissions. Our latest podcast defines the third of five new Common Application essay prompts, that asks applicants to: Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted…
Learning with a Purpose
Let the semester unfold slowly–looking to make adjustments to your learning process–as your interactions with both the teacher and your other classmates set the tone for your learning experience. This is easier said than done, especially in the later years of one’s youth, when influence creep seems to be in full swing with the attendant…
“The Three D’s: Death, Disease & Divorce”
When beginning to write college application essays, students often worry about having lived an “ordinary” life, under the assumption that a dramatic event is a compelling topic to persuade college admissions officers. A few years back, a stressed-out Senior, with tears welling in her eyes, exclaimed to her dad, “Why couldn’t you have died?!? Then,…
Ahead of the Curve: October 5, 2013
In the News: Financial Literacy, Beyond the Classroom New York Times: October 5, 2013 How to Be a College ‘Resimuter‘ Washington Post: October 2, 2013 UC’s Twist on Crowdfunding Inspires Students San Francisco Chronicle: September 18, 2013 From Our Clients: Quarter Grades/Midterms–conversations with teachers to identify academic areas for improvement, as well as what the student…
Go Slow. You’ll Know.
Knowing is not that difficult, in theory. Inherently, we know. Yet, in reality, acquiring knowledge can take practice to refine. To gain knowledge is a process, repeated over and over. First, calm down. (Not always simple to do, or just a matter of some deep breathing.). Then, listen. (Again, not always easy, especially when feeling…
Common Application Essays Part 4: Defining Prompt 2
Knowing the meaning of the essay question can help college applicants write the most insightful college essays possible. Luckily, we, at Creative Marbles Consultancy, have done the defining work. Over the last decade, we’ve complied a stack of hand-written, dog-eared yellow pads full of words, along with a growing library of digital photos of our…
Gaming College Admissions?
Nervous anticipation arising from predicting who’s going to get into which college doesn’t only affect Seniors, community college transfer students and their parents. The sense of foreboding can extend to parents of middle school age students, who are thinking backwards to choose a high school that seems more advantageous to meriting the college acceptances they…
Does My Kid Have Even the Slightest Chance to Get Accepted?
At this time of year, about one to two months from the first college application deadlines, parents’ and high school seniors’ concern about outcome of submitting college apps, is usually concluded by, “I’m never going to get in, ANYWHERE!” The lack of a straightforward, formulaic standard about who will or will not be accepted at a college can send normally…
What is Financial Aid?
After talking with 200 parents and students yesterday evening at a local Sacramento area College Fair about financial aid, I wanted to offer additional advice, as families continue working to fund rising college expenses. Then, the general sense of nervous anticipation about the expense of college amongst last night’s group can be used to fuel…
Sigh of Relief for Parents: CA Passed an Online “Eraser” Law
The California Legislature and Governor Jerry Brown recently enacted the Online “Eraser” Law. Good news for parents concerned about social media’s impact on their children’s possible college admissions and future employment. Starting in 2015, teenagers will be able to request photos of embarrassing or otherwise youthful indiscretions be deleted by online providers. (The caveat: anyone…
Advice for Parents of High School Seniors
“Why isn’t my kid taking more initiative in the college application process?” is a common refrain from parents of high school Seniors heard at this time of year. Since the initial college application deadlines are generally one to two months away, and months in teenager time can be like dog years in reverse, parents may…
College Admissions Can Seemingly Provoke More Questions Than Answers
Questions abound when parents and students are moving through the college admissions process, especially when everyone has a story to tell about who got in where and the media reports the falling admit rates at selective universities around the country, as well as annually rising college tuition and increasing average student loan amounts. A…
The Tale of a College Essay Writer
College essay writing can bring out the creative spirit in any high school senior and community college transfer applicant; however, may not be the type of creative effort needed to actually write college essays. More like innovation in putting off until under the pressure of the deadline, concerted drafting of the essay, to the consternation of…
Salary: Only One Measure of A College’s Worth
“To get a good job,” is an oft heard reason why a student is headed to college, usually stated while their parents nod vigorously in the background. A recent New York Times article–New Metric for Colleges: Graduates’ Salaries–discusses the merits of using a college graduate’s average earnings as a measure of a campus’ value, which…