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“She worked so hard,” a disappointed parent said to me recently, “and this is all she has to show for it.” “This” was several excellent college acceptances, ...

I’ve engaged in a lot of self-reflection on the ethics of what I do recently, especially since learning about the college admissions scandal last week. My in...

Social media went nuts late last year when David Hogg announced his acceptance to Harvard University. If you don’t recognize his name, David is the Florida s...

The high school Class of 2018 is now the college Class of 2022, heading off to their respective new campuses for the next four years. Over the past year, I o...

I’ll never, ever forget Desiree Linden’s run at today’s Boston Marathon. Not just because she’s the first American woman to win since 1985. And not just beca...

On a recent Saturday morning run, my friend and I came upon three high school students who had set up a refreshment table. They were handing out Gatorade and...

Two identical test scores. Two very different situations. A mom calls me, excited that her daughter—we’ll call her Emily—has scored a 34 on the ACT. Optimism...

What exactly do you do with students? I help students develop essays that shed light on their personal qualities and values, and how they will contribute to ...

Now in my fifth season working in college admissions, I’m convinced the process is most stressful for the high grades/high scores/highly engaged student. Why...

There’s much to love about the University of California’s “Personal Insight Questions.” First of all, don’t call them essays. Nope, because according to two ...

Spring break is the ideal time to visit colleges. You can find plenty of good articles about how to approach college visits, so why write my own? Because the...

At Corona del Mar High School, the very fine public school my younger son attends, clusters of students tend to apply to the same colleges. The kids with the...

This time of year, I’m frequently asked where the students I worked with are going to college. I’m incredibly proud of each of my students, yet I’m hesitant ...

Here’s proof positive that your best essay topic lies deep within your soul and is not the first one that comes to mind. I attended a college essay workshop ...

Part 1: August 27, 2014 So I'm aboard a plane taking me home, which is 1,000 miles away from where I just left my firstborn child to spend the better part of...

Have you ever noticed how forlorn the losing team looks after the last game of the World Series? My heart always aches for them, but I also kind of wonder wh...

Two new rankings of America’s best colleges were released last week, one awarding Williams College the coveted #1 spot, and the other crowning Babson College...

One of my bugaboos with the college admissions frenzy is that it leads students to seek activities that will “look good” on their applications. Somewhere los...