Recommendation Letters and the College Application

Andrea van NiekerkBy Andrea van Niekerk|05/06/2023|5 MinutesAs stressful as it is to write college application essays, at least the effort gives students a sense of…


AI and the Essay

Andrea van NiekerkBy Andrea van Niekerk|04/18/2023|6 MinutesIt is now rare to open a newspaper or listen to a news program without some mention of AI. These discussions…


Choosing Your Courses for the Next Year

Andrea van NiekerkBy Andrea van Niekerk|02/14/2023|7 MinutesSoon, many sophomore and junior students must make choices about their courses for next year. We know the…


The 2022 admission season: what juniors might learn from it

Andrea van NiekerkBy Andrea van Niekerk|04/25/2022|9 MinutesWith colleges having announced their 2022 admission decisions, I yet again feel like a recording stuck in a…


A career in software computing? Consider a major other than CS

Andrea van Niekerk04/21/2022|5 MinutesGuest Blogger, Sam Fisher Applying to college seems to get harder every year, and the only thing even tougher is applying to…


No, it's not fair!

Andrea van NiekerkBy Andrea van Niekerk|04/16/2022|5 MinutesEvery year commentators call on new superlatives to describe the plummeting admit rates at selective…


Waiting on the Waitlist

Andrea van NiekerkBy Andrea van Niekerk|04/05/2022|6 MinutesWith college admission decisions made and released, the attention of students and admission officers turns…


High School Course Selection

Andrea van NiekerkBy Andrea van Niekerk|04/01/2022|6 MinutesAs an admission officer at a very selective college, perhaps the most common question I had to field was…


Empathy: Considering another’s perspective in a college application

Andrea van NiekerkBy Andrea van Niekerk03/07/20226 MinutesIn preparing their applications to college, high school students are encouraged to be authentic, engaged,…


The Role of Recommendation Letters

Andrea van NiekerkBy Andrea van Niekerk|03/01/2022|6 Minutes As we come towards the second quarter of junior year, many students begin to think about letters of…