The 2022 admission season: what juniors might learn from it
With colleges having announced their 2022 admission decisions, I yet again feel like a recording stuck in a loop as I reiterate to my students that admission at the more selective…
A career in software computing? Consider a major other than CS
No wonder many prospective first years are fearful about their chances of admission to a top CS program! But it’s not all bad news. As someone who’s done this myself and knows…
No, it’s not fair!
Every year commentators call on new superlatives to describe the plummeting admit rates at selective colleges. Beset by a growing sense of anxiety about their chances of admission…
Waiting on the Waitlist
With college admission decisions made and released, the attention of students and admission officers turns to the tricky challenge of the waitlist. And rarely has the process…
High School Course Selection
As an admission officer at a very selective college, perhaps the most common question I had to field was this: "Will colleges care more about my grades or about the rigor of my…
Empathy: Considering another’s perspective in a college application
In preparing their applications to college, high school students are encouraged to be authentic, engaged, passionate, and committed. These are indeed great aspirations, and,…
The Role of Recommendation Letters
As we come towards the second quarter of junior year, many students begin to think about letters of recommendation as an element in their college applications.
College admission from the other side of the desk
School counselors and IECs work with high school students and families. As an admission officer, I worked primarily with applications. This inevitably informs one's perspective…
The Advantages of Boarding School
Students who attend boarding school get to live, learn, and thrive with motivated peers from around the world, supported by compassionate and dedicated faculty who serve as…
The college admission questions high school juniors face right now
As we commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Covid lockdown, the college admission season of the pandemic draws to its confusing and stressful end. No wonder then that high…