Blog – College Dollars and Sense – Page 2

How to Make College Affordable… at the Last Minute

Distinctive College Consulting
Admissions
598 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…

Essay Lessons from the Multiverse: A Reflection on Everything, Everywhere, All at Once and the College Essay

Distinctive College Consulting
Essays
753 views

By Adam Muri-Rosenthal, Ph.D. SPOILER ALERT: This post contains spoilers for Everything, Everywhere, All at Once (2022), so if you haven’t yet seen it, see it (it’s a masterpiece!) and then come back…

Conflict Is Great (for Your Essays)

Distinctive College Consulting
Admissions
904 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…

Don’t Study Business (as an Undergrad)

Distinctive College Consulting
Admissions
679 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…

The ABCs of the Why This School Essay

Distinctive College Consulting
Admissions
633 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…

What Makes an Elite Essay

Distinctive College Consulting
Admissions
808 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…

Focus on Your… Flaws?

Distinctive College Consulting
Admissions
520 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…

Achievement Unlocked: How to Power-Up an Extracurricular Activity

Distinctive College Consulting
Admissions
551 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…

Impact Projects Are the New Community Service

Distinctive College Consulting
Activities
755 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…

Waitlisted? Now What?

Distinctive College Consulting
Admissions
696 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…