By Victoria Tillson Evans, Ph.D. We’re a year into the pandemic, and it’s safe to say it’s going to be a while before we can properly visit colleges again. Most campuses have completely shut down their in-person admissions programming, and some won’t even let non-community members onto the property. This is making it difficult for..
By Victoria Tillson Evans, Ph.D. There’s a new arms race, and you’re caught in the middle. It’s obviously no longer the Cold War. Instead, it’s the college admissions war. Nearly all colleges are vying for a top spot in the rankings, and part of rising up involves getting as many students to apply as possible...
By Victoria Tillson Evans, Ph.D. More than a right of passage or an opportunity to test drive a college, visiting campuses is a must for the college-bound. After all, how else can you get an admissions officer to answer all of your questions, learn about a college from its surroundings to its programs, and demonstrate..
By Victoria Tillson Evans, Ph.D. This article first appeared in The Huffington Post on September 18th, 2016. The college application process can bring out the worst in families, with its high stakes, countless unknowns, and a mountain of work to surmount. Kids procrastinate. Parents nag. Kids procrastinate some more. Parents nag some more – that..
By Victoria Tillson Evans, Ph.D. If you could channel any movie character as you prepare for college, choose Forrest Gump. “Forrest Gump?” you might wonder. “Why Forrest Gump? He certainly wasn’t ‘smart’ in the traditional sense of the word.” Well, apart from the fact that he’s infinitely interesting (who else has run across the U.S...
By Victoria Tillson Evans, Ph.D. “The process is now out of my hands. I’m not going to bother checking in.” “My son is so lazy and stubborn. You’re going to have to work around that.” “Why even bother reaching out to colleges? Some of them don’t even track interest.” These are some of the statements..
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. 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. 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. This day in age, with the ubiquity of college guides, social media, and websites, it may seem like you don’t have to make a campus visit. After all, you can find a wealth of information in traditional media and online, from narrative descriptions of campus life, to photos, videos, and..