Summer Reading: Admission

Novelist Elizabeth Mosier served as acting director of admissions for Bryn Mawr's Class of 2006. Her recent book, Admission was reviewed by the Philadelphia Inquirer.

According to the review, the author "...makes the personal universal by connecting her character's dilemma to larger issues that concern us all: how we will educate our children and how we want to live..."

The review continues, "... The college selection system matters - to legacy and first-generation applicants alike - because it shapes preparation into the form that garners reward. The revelation of Admission, which Portia is compelled by her position to explain to her partner, Princeton faculty members, and exasperated parents, is that "the much-maligned system . . . was not about the applicant at all. It was about the institution. It was about delivering to the trustees, and to a lesser extent the faculty, a United Nations of scholars, an Olympiad of athletes, a conservatory of artists and musicians, a Great Society of strivers, and a treasury of riches so idiosyncratic and ill defined that the Office of Admission would not know how to go about looking for them and could not hope to find them if they suddenly stopped turning up of their own accord."

Contact The College Trail for more information on guiding your student through the college admissions process.

College Admissions tips for the summer: Resumes and Essays

The college admissions process is getting more and more competitive every year. For incoming high school seniors, these ten weeks of summer are the perfect time to start preparing an important component of the application process: college essays. The essay is one of the few parts where they can express a part of themselves that doesn’t necessarily shine through on other parts of their applications. Mary Merrill, an admissions officer from Connecticut College, told the New York Times that this is an opportunity for students to show admissions officers what they capable of when they have time to think, prepare, rewrite and polish.

While the college essay has always been a traditional part of the application process, incoming high school seniors may also want to consider writing a student resume for all of their college applications. The benefits of a student resume are similar to those of a college essay: a resume give students the freedom to present accomplishments as best suits each student and, as a result, to shine more in the eyes of college admission officers, according to college admissions counselor Steve Sterling. Having a resume is also a great way to prepare for potential internships and jobs once your student is in college.

Even though a great college essay and student resume will not gain acceptance for an unqualified student, they will help a qualified student stand out from the competition and can change a maybe to a yes.

For more information about The College Trail’s college counseling and college admissions services, please contact us today.