College Applications

We teach students how to actively evaluate colleges. Essentially, we want students to “look under the hood” and think critically about what matters to them. We also emphasize the importance of demonstrating interest — a critical factor in admissions at many schools. 

After encouraging students to question their preconceived notions and consider a range of schools, we listen to feedback and together build a balanced list of colleges. We ensure that the student would enjoy attending every school on that list so they can proceed through the application process with confidence. 

The Common Application and Coalition Application allow a student to list their most important activities. A resume, on the other hand, allows us to visually cluster those activities by theme. Doing so, lets us tell the story the way we want to, freed from the constraints of the application boxes.

If the college does not allow a student to upload a resume as part of their application, we may take the opportunity to reach out to the regional admissions officer and make a personal connection.

The Activities Section isn't just a fill-in-the-blank.
Think of it as your chance to show personality and purpose in just a few characters.

For example:
Don’t just write: Editor of school newspaper; edited articles.
Admissions officers already know what an editor does.

Instead, tell them what you brought to the role.

Use the space to go beyond titles and responsibilities.
Focus on impact, growth, and what drives you.
Every character counts—so make it count.

A great personal essay has at least four characteristics. It is:

• Authentic. The whole point is to be yourself. Admissions officers want to know you and they can’t do that if you are using smoke and mirrors to tell them what you think they want to hear.

This student didn’t have a flashy resume. Instead of trying to impress, she embraced her strengths and was admitted to a school with a 9% acceptance rate. Read Flugelhorn.

• Honest. Avoid cliché. It’s so tempting to rely on formulaic writing, and I (and I’m sure many admissions officers) am allergic to it. We work to find novel ways to introduce common/cliche points/notions. 

This student avoided tropes when telling the story of his recovery from anorexia. Read Dive.

• Humble. The tendency to brag is never a good idea. Sharing vulnerability – revealed through an unexpected or unique story or phrasing – is always powerful. 

This kid could have written about her extraordinary achievements, but chose instead to approach her successes through a lens of humility. She was accepted ED to her first choice school and wrote only ONE application. Read Ubuntu.

• Simple. Yup. Let's focus on and explore one idea rather than trying to fit your biography, or worse, your entire resume, into the essay.

This student talks about how his job reflects his personality. Read The Race.

Because his activities section covers the fact that he was student body president and countless other impressive achievements, this student uses his personal statement to tell a simple, focused story about his lifelong passion. Read WNBA.

The secret sauce to a great supplemental essay is to know the school. Colleges care about yield, so we want to convince them that you will say yes if admitted. A generic supplemental essay will make the admissions officer suspect you either applied on a whim or weren't interested enough in the school to bother getting to know it. Do you understand the school’s graduation requirements? Are all undergraduate applications in the same school, or do they have specialized schools (eg Business, Education, Engineering)? Have you spoken to any students about campus life? Before writing, we’ll work with you to gather answers to these questions and more.

Avoiding platitudes like, “I just knew as soon as I stepped foot on campus” and “I always imagined myself attending Yale” and “Who wouldn’t want to go to Harvard?” and “My dream is to live in NYC,” we will get specific.

Together, we’ll identify one or more majors and minors that track with your activities and classes. We will explicitly make the connection in the supplement between your interests and the school’s offerings. For example, we’ll look at the classes offered and find some that match your story, or we will identify a professor working on research that resonates with your interests. Remember you are not bound to this academic track in college, but presenting a plan is better than saying, “I have no idea.” Colleges also want to know how you will contribute to their campus, so we’ll look at the clubs and extracurriculars and explain your interest in them and how they relate to what you’ve done. 

The importance of teacher and counselor recommendations cannot be overstated. These letters are a key part of the admissions puzzle — carrying more weight than families realize.

This is especially true for students applying from competitive high schools. In those cases, admissions officers absolutely compare students against their peers. That means a generic or lukewarm recommendation can unintentionally hurt a strong applicant.

Our role is to help teachers write the strongest, most specific letters possible. That starts with guiding the recommender toward stories, traits, and examples that highlight what makes our student stand out.

We do this in a few ways:

• We encourage students to build rapport with their teachers & counselor throughout the year.

• If the teacher or counselor has a questionnaire, we help the student fill it out thoughtfully.

• If not, we often draft a concise, professional email to send along with the student’s resume — only when appropriate and using discretion.

The goal is to equip the recommender with meaningful insights and to guide the narrative. A good recommendation is personal, vivid, and aligned with the rest of the application story. That doesn’t happen by chance — it takes planning.

Preparation is key to a fantastic interview. It's a terrific opportunity for the applicant to articulate their strengths and pitch their story. It’s also great practice for grad school and job interviews!

n a session with our College Financial Strategist, families will gain a strong understanding of the financial aid landscape, including how merit aid, need-based aid, the FAFSA, and the CSS Profile work. We'll cover common mistakes to avoid when planning for college costs and share practical tips to maximize eligibility for aid.