The Insider: College Admissions Advice from the Experts

In my former life as an admissions officer, I was often cornered at the end of my information sessions by a student or parent who wanted to know the “secret” formula, the undisclosed algorithm, for getting into MIT or Caltech:

Where to Begin with STEM Education

Do Asians face discrimination when applying to Ivy League schools?  Do they need to appear less “Asian” when submitting their college applications in order to be admitted?  These are questions I often receive when counseling students on competitive admissions — usually when students learn I worked as an admissions officer at MIT and Caltech.  They’re questions I’ve come across in articles such as “’The Asian Penalty,’” most recently featured in The Boston Globe.  And while the questions posed might sometimes lessen the sting one might feel at the possibility of not getting admitted to one’s dream school, the reality is much more complex.

5 Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your College Visit

Little Miss Sunshine. Pee-wee’s Big Adventure. National Lampoon’s Vacation. The history of the silver screen is chock-full of interpretations of the great American road trip. And while Hollywood tells us it’s the journey that counts and not the destination, when it comes to college visits, sometimes the destination is important. So how do you make the most out of your arrival at your figurative Walley World U? Is there a method for learning about a college beyond the admissions info session and student tour? With just a little bit of planning, the answer is yes. The following are a few tips that will help ensure you’re in the driver’s seat when it comes to your college road trip.

What I Did on my Summer Vacation…

There comes a time in the relationship between a college coach and a student when the question of summer activities is broached. The conversation might go something like:

How important are AP exams in the admissions process?  Should I take any AP tests at the end of the school year?

Colleges and universities generally don’t require students to take AP exams  as part of the admissions process.  AP exam results are mostly used to qualify students for placement or credit after a student has enrolled at his or her school of choice.  While a score of 4 or 5 might earn placement or credit at many colleges and universities, there are a few schools that don’t give either no matter what a student scores.  As a general rule, though, it’s not a bad idea if a student who feels she’s mastered the subject matter takes the exam as a way of possibly placing out of a few classes.

My son recently took the PSAT and has started receiving both email and snail mail from a few schools. Just how important is the PSAT to colleges and universities?

The answer to your question depends upon which hat an admission officer is wearing: the “recruiter” hat or the “gatekeeper” hat. Let’s start with the recruiter hat first.

Universities are places where debate and argument are fostered in all academic realms:  science, philosophy, law, culture, politics.  More often than not, they are places where students encounter the “other” — those holding beliefs that might seem “different” or “strange.”  Conflicts are bound to arise in such environments.  But how does one conduct himself when he sees an opportunity to make an argument that goes against the grain?  That’s the question facing students who choose to answer the Common Application’s essay prompt number three:

It’s mid-July, and I’m sure most soon-to-be seniors are enjoying a much needed respite from school work, term papers, and standardized testing.  But the halcyon days of summer, unfortunately, will eventually come to an end.  It’s not a bad idea to get started on the main Common Application essay — get it out of the way before it has to compete for your attention against tests, papers, extracurricular activities, and any supplemental application essay questions, most of which get published August 1^st.

In part two of our series interviewing Megan Stubbendeck, Global Elite Instructor at Revolution Prep, regarding the news shared in the Washington Post article, College Board to make changes to SAT, College Coach discussed what some of the specific changes might be and got Megan’s take on changes she would like to see implemented.