I don't know you; I don't know your high-school-aged son or daughter. You may have lived as a family through all sorts of trauma; and if so, my sympathy is with you.

But for most American kids, the process of applying to college may well be the hardest thing they've ever had to do.

High school could have been challenging, Heck, adolescence alone is challenging enough, isn't it? Classes, sports, extracurricular activities, clubs, part-time jobs, social networking ... all of that is certainly time- and energy-consuming. But hard? When stacked up against the college admissions process, it's all been pretty much a walk in the park.

Which is why you're probably going to need some help in prodding your child in the direction of higher education. Because starting in their junior year at the latest, all of those activities I just mentioned will have to take place alongside a clear and defined strategy for getting into college. And it's not going to be enough to simply sign off on that strategy: there has to be a commitment on your teenager's part to actually follow the plan. Write the essays. Do the volunteer work. Get the grades. Impress the faculty. Research the colleges. It's not for the faint of heart, and developmentally it comes at an age when adolescents aren't really excited about their parents' opinions about anything.

That's where I come in. I am a college admissions coach, which also means I'm a mediator, a referee, a cheering section, a draconian taskmaster, and more. It takes a team to get that coveted acceptance letter, and I'm really good at being a team leader. 

Why not schedule a Skype call with me today and find out how I can help your son or daughter rise above all the obstacles and get into college?

The internet has changed the entire world of college admissions.

Don't get me wrong, it's changed many, many things for a great many people: but when you're thinking about the college application process for your son or daughter, the whole game has changed.

We've all heard the horror stories of YouTube videos appearing online showing high school students getting drunk, pulling pranks, using drugs, having sex ... the list goes on and on. If you can imagine it, it's there (and sometimes a few unimaginable things as well!). But you're probably thinking, "that's a cautionary tale for the parents of bad kids. My Paul/Pauline doesn't do that sort of thing."

I'm not about to tell you what Paul or Pauline may or may not be doing, but I can tell you that they are doing things that you don't know about. Sometimes it's comforting to not know about it, but in this case ignorance is far from bliss.

The point is, of course, that the Internet is forever. Once something is up there, there's no taking it back. No opportunity for second thoughts. No next-day-hangover shame.

And do not for a moment think that admissions officers aren't watching. In fact, Googling a student's name is one of the first things any admissions officer will do; and we all know that no one controls Google.

Your child will not thank you for trying to take over his or her social media life (and you won't be able to, anyway). The best thing you can do as a parent is share the horror stories. Point out the consequences of what they're doing. Remind them that even if they don't post something that will cause problems down the road, someone else may well do it: it's all about tagging, and no one goes to a wild party without a smartphone in hand.

Want more tips for getting your son or daughter into the college of their choice? Schedule a free Skype interview with me today!

Rowing, often referred to as crew, is a sport with origins that go back to ancient Egyptian times. At its base is the act of propelling a boat on water using oars. By pushing against the water with an oar, a force is generated to move the boat.

I like this photograph a lot. Do you know why?

Because rowing is all about teamwork. No one can win a rowing race by themselves. No one can suddenly decide to go in a different direction, or go slower, or speed up. It's by having a common goal and working together to reach it that races are won.

We can learn a lot by looking at this sport.

I'm not the only one to like the connection between rowing and college admissions. The following article takes the connection literally, as it was written for high school students who are also rowers. It's reprinted from irow.com:

College admission, particularly at well-known schools, is a daunting process. If a high school rower aspires to a top tier college, you’ll be happy to know that the time and effort spent rowing might be helpful. Admissions officers look for something that distinguishes the student, and most of the top colleges have rowing programs. All of the Ivies, plus colleges like Georgetown, Amherst, and MIT, have rowing programs and need rowers!

High school rowers interested in applying, and/or receiving a scholarship, have several opportunities to enhance their position. First, they must remember the critical importance of their ergometer score. Since rowing is the quintessential team sport, evaluating individual rowers is difficult for coaches. Most rely on the erg score to help them. Participation in one of the many indoor rowing competitions, Crash B Sprints in Boston for example, is therefore important. A good score at one of these events can generate significant interest. 

Another excellent way of generating interest is to participate in a Junior National Team. National Team members are highly coveted by coaches and heavily recruited. These opportunities are, of course, extremely limited. 

A more common strategy is to attend a summer rowing camp sponsored by a college. At camp, high school rowers can pick up good tips while being seen. But be judicious. Camps are expensive, so the rower should try to select a camp at the school he or she wants to attend. Also, make sure that the summer camp coach is the same as the school's year round team coach.

A rower needs visibility among the college rowing coaches, and a way to communicate his or her strengths. Communication is generally accomplished with a rowing resume, which summarizes both academic and athletic accomplishments. This can be e-mailed to coaches. Rowers can also register in the IROW College Recruiting Clearinghouse, a free service from Vespoli Boats and Irow.com

Finally, simply being an experienced rower provides an advantage at most rowing colleges, since there are only a handful of “top recruits” available. Most coaches prefer an athlete with previous rowing experience and will generally advocate for them with admissions departments.

Best of luck to rowers and parents!


And best of luck to all of you considering going to college! Want some help getting into college? Give 

As the saying goes, there’s good news and there’s … well, not-so-good news. We’ve finally been able to see the high school class of 2014’s early-action and early-decision numbers. The early-admissions cycle at many of the country’s most selective colleges shows high rates of application—and in many cases, low rates of acceptance.

Before we get into the numbers, let’s step back and see exactly what it is we’re talking about. There are several early-admissions programs, and each carries with it its own risks, challenges, and in some cases acceptance rates:

1. Early Decision is a binding program, so if a student is accepted, they are committed to attending the institution to which they've applied. They must withdraw all other applications.
   
2. Early Action isn't binding. Students may apply to other colleges, and they're notified of their acceptance earlier than in Early-Decision programs. In addition, a student need not make a decision until May 1. 
   
3. Single-Choice Early Action or Restrictive Early Action programs vary somewhat from college to college. In general, students may apply to their schools of choice early, but without the commitment to attend if accepted.
   

The Buffalo News reports some of the numbers from this year’s early-application season:

• Early Decision applications at Duke University were up 25 percent over last year, its largest increase ever. 
  
• Northwestern and Boston University weren’t far behind with 15 percent increases.
  
• Stanford’s Restricted Early Action program proved more selective than any of the Ivy League schools’ programs, with 6,948 applications and a 10.8 percent admission rate.
  

Record-breaking became commonplace at most of the Ivy League schools:

• Brown University received 3,088 Early Decision applications and accepted 583 students, an 18.9 percent acceptance rate.
  
• The only information available from Columbia University is that its applicant pool grew by 5.4 percent over last year.
  
• Cornell University received 4,775 Early Decision applications and accepted 1,325 students, a 27.7 percent acceptance rate. Cornell’s Early Decision pool has increased by 75 percent over the past decade.
  
• Dartmouth University received 1,678 Early Decision applications and accepted 469 students, a 27.9 percent acceptance rate, filling 40 percent of the freshman class.
  
• Harvard University received 4,692 Restrictive Early Action applications and accepted 992 students, a 21 percent acceptance rate.
  
• Princeton University received 3,831 Single Choice Early Action applications and accepted 714 students, an 18.5 acceptance rate. Fifteen percent were legacy students who had a parent graduate from Princeton.
  
• The University of Pennsylvania received 5,149 Early Decision applications and accepted 1,299 students, a 25.3 percent acceptance rate, an increase of 6.7 percent, filling about 54 percent of the freshman class.
  
• Yale University received 4,750 Single Choice Early Action applications and accepted 735 students, a 15.5 percent acceptance rate.
  

The best people to provide information are the people who are reviewing college applications! So here's a collection of tips from admissions offices at 10 top US colleges:

1. Time the Mailing of Your Application Carefully
“Apply as early as possible. We read applications as soon as they come into our office. But we receive a huge number of applications on the actual deadline day, which can be overwhelming to us. It is detrimental to students, too. It really shows up in sloppy essays and writing samples and reporting on extracurricular activities. [Plus] with kids applying to more and more schools, it has gotten harder and harder for us to determine for what students Georgia Tech is their first choice. So applying earlier is one way to distinguish yourself. We think, ‘Wow, this kid applied early. They must really want to come.’” -- Rick Clark, director of admissions, Georgia Tech

2. Use the “Pajama Test”
“Choose a school that takes you out of your comfort zone. Eleanor Roosevelt has a great quote: ‘Do something every day that scares you.’ [But] we have a tour guide who also asks a great question: ‘What is a school's P factor? You know, ‘pajama factor’— can I get up in the morning, leave my pajama bottoms on and throw on a sweatshirt.’ It's her way of saying find a school where you will be able to be yourself.” -- Jenny Sawyer, executive director of admissions, University of Louisville

3. Keep Cs Off Your Transcript at Any Cost
“Admission officers talk about the importance of rigor in a student's high-school program. When students ask, should I take an AP course and get a lower grade or take a lower level course and get an A, the cliché answer is: Students should take the AP course and get an A. Not very helpful! What we should be talking about is appropriate rigor. That is, if the student can take the AP course and get an A or B, then that's appropriate. If the student will get a C or lower, then she should reconsider. Grades of Cs ‘pop’ on a transcript to selective colleges since we don't see them often. That doesn't mean that one C on a transcript will mean a student won't get into college. What is does mean is that students shouldn't over-challenge themselves.” -- Debra Shaver, director of admission, Smith College

4. Visit the Campus—the School is Checking
“Visit campus. We take note of your visit and it's the only way that you'll know if a school is right for you.” -- Julie Shimabukuro, director of undergraduate admissions, Washington University, St. Louis

5. Don’t Use the Economy as a Barometer
“The economy continues to have an impact on admission applications and decisions. Last year was certainly a little different in that many schools that would not normally go to their waitlists had to do so. But students and parents should not assume that this will happen again this year. It may play out the same, or because of the economy students may be more discerning regarding the number of schools they apply to.” -- Terry Knaus, senior associate director of admissions, Indiana University, Bloomington

6. Have a Stranger Critique Your Essay
“Give your personal statement to a counselor or teacher who does not know you for critique. If you are writing about what makes you unique, special or interesting, ask your oldest and closest friends. They may be able to describe what makes you special better than you can.” -- Mae Brown, assistant vice chancellor of admissions and registration services, University of California, San Diego

7. The “Perfect” Essay Is the Wrong Essay
“There are so many essays written about the winning goal, world peace, loving parents, reaching the top of the mountain, etc., that if you choose to write on one of these topics your essay must be perfect. It is important to think out of the box and really write about something that you know and have passion for—do not pick a topic that you think we want to read about. The purpose of the essay is to help the admissions committee fully understand the potential difference you can make in the class and how your background and experience will move the campus community forward.” -- Douglas Christiansen, vice provost for enrollment and dean of admissions, Vanderbilt University

8. Make Sure the Teachers Show Up for Class
“The most important question to ask when considering an application or making an enrollment decision is this: What is the degree of attention paid by this school to the undergraduate educational experience? If superstar faculty members never cross the threshold of an undergraduate classroom, what will be the value to you? If research is valued more highly than quality teaching, and some faculty only do research or work with graduate students, what will be the value to you? You want to find a place where faculty are enthusiastic about teaching undergraduates, where they are accessible to students, and where they include them in their research. It takes some work to learn about the undergraduate teaching culture of a college, but it's important to find out. This college will be your home for four years, and you want to know that it is focused on providing you the best possible opportunities to grow both intellectually and personally.” -- John Mahoney, director of undergraduate admissions, Boston College

9. Don’t Put Too Much Stock in Brand Names
“Apply to colleges that you love, not because of their names or rankings or locations, but because they promote the learning and living culture that will challenge you, change you, delight you, and ultimately let you become yourself fully. The admissions decision is as much a journey of the head as it is the heart—let both organs speak to you and then translate what they say into your application.” -- Jennifer Delahunty, dean of admissions and financial aid, Kenyon College

10. Lower the Stakes

“Don’t forget what you do in college is much more important than where you go to college.” -- Philip A. Ballinger, director of undergraduate admissions, University of Washington, Seattle