By Victoria Tillson Evans, Ph.D. This article first appeared on BuzzFeed on June 7, 2015. The sound of the ocean. The warmth of the sun. And… college applications? What? That can’t be what summer vacation is about. Yet, for rising high school seniors, that’s exactly what you need to be focusing on, that is, if..
By Victoria Tillson Evans, Ph.D. There is perhaps no class requirement as feared and loathed as the foreign language one. Maybe it’s the fact that you actually have to speak in class, or that studying grammar requires incredible attention to detail. Maybe your teacher hasn’t figured out how to make the material fun, or there..
By Jon Perkins of www.essaywise.com The question today is how to write a better “activity essay.” The prompt usually looks like this: “Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences.” Here’s what most first drafts look like: Activity X is really important to me. First I did this. Then I did..
By Victoria Tillson Evans, Ph.D. Many students and parents wonder why they need to visit campuses. After all, they have to sacrifice weekends and vacation time to do them, a lot of information about schools is available online, and many admissions representatives use the opportunity to “sell” their college, rather than provide a balanced presentation..
By Victoria Tillson Evans, Ph.D. While most American students set their sights on homegrown institutions, an increasing number are discovering the benefits of earning a college degree abroad. Canada, our gentle multicultural neighbor to the north, offers some amazing benefits to students who are looking for a great education in a country that embraces winter...
By Victoria Tillson Evans, Ph.D. If you’re one our nation’s rising seniors, you’re gearing up to apply to colleges over the next 12 months. The process seems daunting from the outset. Not only do you have several online application forms looming ahead of you, but you also have to: • prepare for and take standardized..
By Victoria Tillson Evans, Ph.D. As early as mid-December, seniors start discovering where they will spend the next four years of their life. For those who applied Early Decision (the binding form of advanced application) and got into their first-choice school, the anxiety of the college application process comes to a screeching halt. No longer..
By Victoria Tillson Evans, Ph.D. As an independent educational consultant, I am constantly reading and searching for books about niche programs that can help me in my practice. Todd Johnson’s book is definitely one of the most thorough and informative texts I have bought to date. There’s no fluff, just fact, and that’s exactly what..
By Victoria Tillson Evans, Ph.D. As a independent educational consultant, I am constantly reading books about every aspect of the college admissions process. After all, my goal is to help families make the best decisions for their students by providing them with as much accurate information as possible, especially with regard to financial aid. Frank..
By Victoria Tillson Evans, Ph.D. What young person doesn’t dread the S.A.T.? The mere mention of its name creates anxiety for many, and for better or worse, it can determine who does and does not get into his or her dream school. What’s even worse than the S.A.T., however, is the fact that not everyone..