For those of you contemplating your purpose and vision, here’s some inspiration from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s final sermon, given on February 4, 1968. Reposted from the Creative Marbles Consultancy Archives, July 2012
Tag: Parent
‘Twas A Winter Break to Remember
Twas the first days of winter vacation In hopes of relaxing from a semester of deprivation Not a teenager eschewed a multi-days long hibernation Where the XBOX was humming, punctuated by the occasional deviation To the refrigerator. All finals were taken No impending projects to be done As the holidays arrived Full of food and fun. But, wait…what the what?!?…
More College Application Deadline Extensions
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is the latest university admissions office to extend their application deadlines for Fall 2021 admissions. Other colleges, including the 23 California State Universities (CSU), the nine University of California (UC) campuses, as well as the University of Texas Austin and Texas A & M have all already extended their application deadlines for Fall 2021 admissions.…
Can I Change My 650 Word Common Application Essay After Submitting It?
Updated: November 2020 from the original posted in July 2018 The short answer is yes…with an *. [See Below] But, like any life-impacting decision, the short answer doesn’t account for the complexities of choosing a college. And, the last three words are what’s most important to keep in mind: YOU, the applicant, are the one who’s doing the choosing of…
How to Speak Gen Z
Teenagers throughout the generations have created their own iteration of the English language. Gen X’ers’ “rads”, “gag me with a spoon”s, and “psyche!”s, have given way to Gen Z’ers’ “lit”, “we love that”, and “nunya”. Ya feel me? Well, thankfully, Massachusetts teacher, Mr. James Callahan created a Gen Z dictionary for those of us challenged to speak the latest iteration…
Advanced Placement (AP) Outrage
In a recent interview with Gabrielle Wanneh of Education Week, I discussed my Open Letter to The College Board about the 2020 Advanced Placement (AP) Exams. In my piece, I specifically highlighted the issues about the integrity of the the modified, online format, which as of Monday, May 11, thousands of students have begun taking: …students often share to their…
“I feel a change coming on…”
University enrollment has annually grown, despite four digit percent increases in the costs of college over the last three decades, seemingly making an inelastic demand for college eduation. Yet, for the 2020-21 school year, for the first time, there may be a a shift in the supply/demand equation given the changes in the recruitment for the newest class of students,…
Is COVID-19 Affecting Admissions Rates?
The chart above is a comparison of the admissions rates between Fall 2019 and 2020 at a sampling of the most selective universities, ranked from lowest difference to highest. Brown University and Princeton University both dropped their admit rates slightly in 2020, possibly indicating a confidence in their school’s brand that the COVID-19 health crisis with the subsequent economic and…
The Early Admissions Arms Race
According to the Common Application, “around 860,000” applications were submitted on November 1, 2019 for Early Action, Early Decision and Regular Decision application deadlines, which for the first time, exceeded the “around 720,000” applications submitted last year on January 1 for traditional Regular Decision deadlines. The increasingly competitive nature of the college admissions process—evident in programs like Early Action/Decision that…
Know Your Frenemies AKA Writing College Essays?
Every college, transfer and graduate school applicant is facing their own “mirror” as they brainstorm their life’s story to draft their college essays, which being autobiographical will be some of the toughest writing they’ve ever done. Being educated isn’t just about learning reading, writing and ‘rithmatic, but also understanding ourselves so we understand our life’s purpose. The personal statements and…
Guest Post: It’s Okay to Not Know
By Spencer Batute I’m not quite sure how to write one of these personal journey blog posts, as I still don’t feel like I’m at some end goal or vista point that I can look down from and spew some all-seeing knowledge. And I don’t know if I ever will be. But I think that’s the point, and the significance…
Advice for the First Year of College, by College Students
Guest Podcasters, Ally Jeffers and Mikala Rosaia, Santa Clara University Sophomores studying both Political Science and Communications, offer the following advice as they reflect on their first year of college. The pressure to establish new friend networks, while “declaring independence” from their families can have unintended consequences. So, listening to Ally and Mikala discuss the challenges of transitioning to college…
Delicious Student Loan Relief
While Mom always warns us not to eat too much fast food, Burger King’s recent offer may change her mind. Given the historically record setting $1.5 Trillion total student loan debt, Burger King is offering 301 of the 44 million Americans with student debt some relief–up to $100,000 for one lucky person and $500 each to 300 others. So, maybe…
Paying for College…Before College
Parents, no matter their net worth, readily take risks, if they believe their children will benefit. And, the risks parents will take know no bounds—as seen in those facing federal prison trying to guarantee a college admissions to those who go into debt to pay for extra-curricular activities. However, why are parents so willing to take such risks for their children?…