Valerie Strauss

College Admission in the Washington Post

Posted on Wed, 06/11/2014 - 12:41

College Admission is featured in "A Summer Reading List from College Admission Counselors" in Valerie Strauss' Washington Post Answer Sheet blog. Thank you to Kenyon College Dean Jennifer Delahunty for recommending our book! This is a great list overall, assembled by Brennan Barnard, director of college counseling of The Derryfield School in Manchester, New Hampshire with suggestions for parents and students, as well as some all-around fun summer reading such as Claude Steele's “Whistling Vivaldi," recommended by: Susan Weingartner, Director of College Counseling at Chicago's Francis W.

A welcome reality check on the subject of student loans

Posted on Thu, 05/01/2014 - 17:40

"It is not uncommon to read stories about college students who say, “I woke up one day and realized I had $50,000 in outstanding student loans and had no idea how I got there.”  And yet nobody would accept at face value someone stating, “I woke up one day driving a Mercedes and had no idea how I was $50,000 in debt.”  

Finally, some straight talk on the subject of student debt from Donald E. Heller, dean of the College of Education at Michigan State University, via Valerie Strauss' The Answer Sheet at the Washington Post -- Is the $1 trillion student loan debt really a crisis? Right now, thousands of families are considering financial aid offers -- most of which include loans. Heller cuts through the media madness surrounding student debt with a look at the facts of the situation, the value of a college degree, and what the future will hold. It's a welcome reality check in the face of the hyperbole from the headlines to the White House hyperbole. If you and your family are looking at a financial aid award which requires some indebtedness, don't miss this! You can see the entire column here. 

"Give us your Top Ten list": And other essay questions from Wake Forest, U of Chicago, and more...

Posted on Mon, 11/25/2013 - 12:53

Valerie Strauss at the Washington Post's Answer Sheet has collected some of the unusual essay questions colleges have posed this year in their supplements. One of our personal favorites:  In 2006, graduate student Robert Stilling discovered an unpublished poem by Robert Frost while doing research in U.Va.’s Small Collections Library. Where will your Stilling moment be in college? Courtesy of University of Virginia. Check them all out here.

Calling all rising seniors: The 2012-2013 Common Application Preview is Live

Posted on Wed, 05/16/2012 - 18:26

Calling all rising seniors… A preview of the 2012-2013 Common Application is now available online. As you will see, differences from the current year’s applications are highlighted on the form. However, students cannot submit their Common App just yet. The official version of the Common Application will not be available until August.

But you can get started on the essay questions and we strongly recommend that you do. Rising seniors should return to school in the fall with their Common App essays completed.

As Valerie Strauss of the Washington Post points out in her column on the preview:

When the Common Application was developed in 1975, officials hoped it would reduce the number of separate applications and essays a student applying to numerous colleges would have to complete. Actually, many colleges still require additional information, including more essays. So students, beware: There’s a lot of work to do.

Over the summer, we’ll have more posts on what colleges are looking for in an essay and some tips for getting started.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Posted on Thu, 11/24/2011 - 21:16

Gratitude is the best attitude. ~Author Unknown Guess what! Just like college admission has its myths and urban legends, so does the story of Thanksgiving .  Here, from one of our favorite education writers, the Washington Post's Valerie Strauss, some myth-busting --  the Pilgrims actually ate venison, not turkey? -- and a collection of fun facts --  1.1 billion pounds of pumpkin are produced each year!?! Eat some pie!