Admissions officers gather, pontificate

As the financial markets twist in the increasingly uncertain winds and while your college application deadlines begin to approach, admissions officers are gathered in Seattle debating heady issues of the day. I’ll try to cover several of the hot topics in the coming days, including a new report on how schools should use the SAT [...]

Admissions officers gather to plan your fate

My postings will be somewhat erratic the next few days (ok, more so than usual). I have traveled west to Seattle, Washington for the annual National Association for College Admissions Counseling national conference. Admissions officers, guidance counselors gather to discuss the great issues of our profession. Also, we spend a lot of time talking with [...]

Shameless Plug: Mason top among Global Universities

As much as I make fun of the rankings, I may have to rethink my position if they keep being so favorable to Mason. The latest is from a Chinese Institute for Higher Education that annually ranks world universities. Mason was named as one of the top 100 North and Latin American Universities! Mason is [...]

Dos and Don’ts for your admission essay

Some simple suggestions to round out my series on your admissions essay: Do: Write multiple drafts, get help with reviewing your document, and proofread. Allow TIME for revisions and reflection. Be especially careful of how your document cuts and pastes into online applications – with many you may have a perfect essay transformed into (in [...]

Shameless Plug: Mason Goes Green(er)

Among the many many many things I love about this place are all the ways we do well by doing good. Case in point is all the work being done at Mason around the issue of sustainability. Of course, Mason gets a lot of attention for our faculty efforts in this area, most notably in [...]

What to write in your admissions essay?

When the question is open ended (“Tell us about yourself.”), stress levels seem to increase. Bear in mind that no one knows for sure what any individual reader will want or get from an essay. That being said, I suggest you try to include two main points: Why the school wants to have you there, [...]

College application essays: can funny get you an admission?

Essays seem to cause a lot of stress. It seems strange to me, but the stress seems to increase when the topic is broader. When they ask specific books you’ve read or people that influenced you, somehow that seems easier than, “tell us about yourself.” This seems especially odd since most applicants I met spend [...]

Essays for college admission – part I

After all the stuff I shared about how college admissions committees function, you begin to get the idea that the essay isn’t getting NEARLY as much attention as the stress levels on the subject would lead you to believe. That’s mostly true, but the truth is you never know how much your essay might influence [...]

Notjustadmissions named best admissions blog…

In fairness, I should say named SECOND best admissions blog, since Elizabeth Kudner lists her blog at myusearch.com as her very favorite. While Elizabeth and I may periodically disagree on details of the admissions process, there is no denying the wisdom and insight she shows in her choice of blogs. Be seeing you!

Admissions – what’s it REALLY about?

Even though I promised I would get to all that advice on essays and recommendations, I had a few questions after the last post about admissions committees. I hear from a lot of people who think the admissions process is unfair because they don’t understand the goals that drive admission. Fair warning – much of [...]