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How to Make College Affordable… at the Last Minute
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Category: Admissions
16 Jan
2024

How to Make College Affordable… at the Last Minute

  • January 16, 2024
  • Distinctive College Consulting
  • 591 views

By Marguerita (Rita) Chang The story is a familiar one. You planned to open a 529 savings account for your child the moment they were born. But the first year of parenthood passed in a blur of late nights and early mornings. On top of that, you were loaded with hospital bills to pay. Time..

31 Dec
2023

Conflict Is Great (for Your Essays)

  • December 31, 2023
  • Distinctive College Consulting
  • 882 views

By Victoria Tillson Evans, Ph.D. One of my favorite shows of all time, Breaking Bad, opens with one of the most unforgettable scenes in television. The main character, Walter White, is wildly driving an RV in nothing but a gas mask and his underpants, while his accomplice, Jesse Pinkman, lays slumped in the front passenger..

13 Oct
2023

Don’t Study Business (as an Undergrad)

  • October 13, 2023
  • Distinctive College Consulting
  • 672 views

By Adam Muri-Rosenthal, Ph.D. Many students come to me with the intention of studying business as undergraduates. If that’s your dream, I will bend over backwards to help you make it a reality. But it’s time for me to make a confession: I find the idea of studying business as an undergraduate a little uninspiring,..

26 Sep
2023

The ABCs of the Why This School Essay

  • September 26, 2023
  • Distinctive College Consulting
  • 624 views

By Victoria Tillson Evans, Ph.D. Crafting college essays is frequently more an art than a science, and how you approach your writing process should represent your individuality in experience as well as thought. But it’s always nice when you can throw in a framework that takes away the anxiety of the blank page. Fortunately, the..

18 Jul
2023

What Makes an Elite Essay

  • July 18, 2023
  • Distinctive College Consulting
  • 802 views

The essay is one of the most revealing pieces of the college application process. Not only are you expected to bare your soul in 650 words or less, but you’re also offering a window into how you think. Most of you do it subconsciously, which can lead to mixed results. When, however, you become conscious..

18 Jul
2023

Focus on Your… Flaws?

  • July 18, 2023
  • Distinctive College Consulting
  • 513 views

By Adam Muri-Rosenthal, Ph.D.  Unlike the rest of your application—which is about telling colleges what you’ve done—the personal statement for the Common App is about telling them who you are. That’s a daunting task for anyone, but often what it really comes down to is helping admissions officers understand your personal qualities. For many—dare I..

01 May
2023

Achievement Unlocked: How to Power-Up an Extracurricular Activity

  • May 1, 2023
  • Distinctive College Consulting
  • 546 views

By Adam Muri-Rosenthal, Ph.D. Having read the title of this post, you probably believe that it will give you all of the information you need to ensure your extracurricular activities will impress even the most jaded Ivy-league application reader. You would be wrong. If you believe that a blog post can give you that, I’d..

01 May
2023

Impact Projects Are the New Community Service

  • May 1, 2023
  • Distinctive College Consulting
  • 737 views

By Victoria Tillson Evans, Ph.D. In a recent conversation with a student, something bothered me about her ideas for community service. It also bothered me that something about wanting to help others was somehow problematic. As I listened to her explain that she wanted to join an organization, similar to the National Honor Society, that..

24 Mar
2023

Waitlisted? Now What?

  • March 24, 2023
  • Distinctive College Consulting
  • 690 views

By Victoria Tillson Evans, Ph.D. For many students, landing on a college waitlist hurts. Some even (wrongly) perceive it as a failure (trust me, it’s not). They might even question what they didn’t do right or what they could have done better, and they may even blame the system that is drenched in secrecy, and..

24 Jan
2023

What Do You Really Care About?

  • January 24, 2023
  • Distinctive College Consulting
  • 584 views

By Adam Muri-Rosenthal, Ph.D. No college information session would be complete without a colorful Powerpoint peppered with grandiose value statements. Diversity! Sustainability! Intellectual excellence! If you’re bored yet, I get it: so am I. As a college consultant, I have a professional obligation to attend many such sessions, so allow me to share a rather..