College Counseling

Thanks for reading my profile. Now that you’ve found your way to this page, if you have the time, I’d like to offer you some specific examples of what a tutoring session with me would include. As I mentioned in my profile, the fact that back in college I was on an admissions committee gives me a nuts and bolts understanding of the do’s and don'ts of the college application essay. Now, of course, in every essay, you have to clearly state all the facts that an applicant wants the college to understand about them. But no matter what information you want to share, when I’m working with a student, as I stressed in my profile, the biggest “do” is that the applicant should be looking for a way to convey the particulars via a story. So, here’s how that might play out. Let’s say a student says to me, “My background as a first-generation American is so important to me.” In response, I’ll probably say something like, “Well, do you remember when that first occurred to you?” Often the student will respond, “Oh, I’ve just always liked reading about the country my parents came from.” I’ll respond, “Well, when was the first time you thought, ‘I’d like to know about my parent’s home country?’” (Yes, I’m a bit of a noodge.) Then – and I’m condensing here a conversation that might take 10 or 15 minutes – the student might say, “Wow, you know, I remember when I was 9 and our family had a barbecue… because my uncle had just arrived in the country… And, oh yes, I just remembered, my uncle brought a dessert to the barbecue that I’d never even heard of before! And, it was so delicious. And, I thought, ‘Well, if my parent’s country has a dessert that is even better than ice cream, that’s awesome!‘ Of course, I was only 9 then, and now I know so much about my culture, but it was that dessert that first got me curious to find out!” And, suddenly, we’ve located the words that communicate the “why” and “how” of the student’s identity in a way that’s more convincing and memorable than the information alone. The admissions reader now

College Counseling

Thanks for reading my profile. Now that you’ve found your way to this page, if you have the time, I’d like to offer you some specific examples of what a tutoring session with me would include. As I mentioned in my profile, the fact that back in college I was on an admissions committee gives me a nuts and bolts understanding of the do’s and don'ts of the college application essay. Now, of course, in every essay, you have to clearly state all the facts that an applicant wants the college to understand about them. But no matter what information you want to share, when I’m working with a student, as I stressed in my profile, the biggest “do” is that the applicant should be looking for a way to convey the particulars via a story. So, here’s how that might play out. Let’s say a student says to me, “My background as a first-generation American is so important to me.” In response, I’ll probably say something like, “Well, do you remember when that first occurred to you?” Often the student will respond, “Oh, I’ve just always liked reading about the country my parents came from.” I’ll respond, “Well, when was the first time you thought, ‘I’d like to know about my parent’s home country?’” (Yes, I’m a bit of a noodge.) Then – and I’m condensing here a conversation that might take 10 or 15 minutes – the student might say, “Wow, you know, I remember when I was 9 and our family had a barbecue… because my uncle had just arrived in the country… And, oh yes, I just remembered, my uncle brought a dessert to the barbecue that I’d never even heard of before! And, it was so delicious. And, I thought, ‘Well, if my parent’s country has a dessert that is even better than ice cream, that’s awesome!‘ Of course, I was only 9 then, and now I know so much about my culture, but it was that dessert that first got me curious to find out!” And, suddenly, we’ve located the words that communicate the “why” and “how” of the student’s identity in a way that’s more convincing and memorable than the information alone. The admissions reader now