Your Senior Summer Checklist: 6 Ways to Get Ahead on College Applications
Your Senior Summer Checklist: 6 Ways to Get Ahead on College Applications. Here some key milestones to hit to make things easier in the fall. Here are some things I recommend to every student I work with.
The Personal Statement: College Personal Statement Tips: Start With the End in Mind
Each year, I sit across from seniors who have been staring at a blank document for weeks, paralyzed by the same impossible-feeling question: What do I write about? I’ve spent decades in this work. I hold a PhD in English literature and an MBA with an emphasis in marketing, spent five years teaching college writing,…
Tell Your Story Before You Write a Word of Your College Application
The strongest college applications are built long before senior year. From course selection to extracurriculars, every choice helps shape a clear, compelling student story that stands out to admissions officers.
What is a CEP, and Why Does it Matter to My Clients?
I am happy to announce that after a months-long process, I have been awarded the highest credential in my profession. I am now a Certified Educational Planner (CEP) awarded by the American Institute of Certified Educational Planners (AICEP). “We are proud to have Jennifer Martin receive this certification,” said Rachel Sobel, Chair of the AICEP.…
This is Not a Personal Statement: A Book Review
It was with great anticipation that I cracked open Tracy Badua’s This is Not a Personal Statement when it arrived on my doorstep after its January 17, 2023, release. I was not disappointed! While young adult literature is not my typical fodder for reading, I was interested to hear how Badua would interpret the current…
I Wish I Had Known
I wish I had known. I hear this quite a bit from the juniors and seniors working with me on college admissions. This blog is written to you – high school freshman and sophomores, and even to you – students in middle school or junior high. I want to share with you RIGHT NOW, some…
Supplemental Essays: The “Why ____ University?” Prompt
You have labored over 650 words for weeks to get your college essay just right, and it’s finally done! Now, you can hang up your writing tools for the season and coast right through your applications. Except, wait, is that a pesky supplemental prompt that you have been ignoring but is now screaming for attention?…
Try Harder! College Admissions Amped
The college admissions cycle can be brutal. Throw some extreme parental pressure in the mix and a school full of high achievers who amp up the competition for grades and activities, and it is little wonder that the 5 students Director, Debbie Lum, follows through their college application process at Lowell High School, an elite…
Training Matters
How to be a Student of Colleges When I decided to make college admissions advising as an Independent Educational Consultant (IEC) my full-time gig, I committed to learning everything I possibly could about the field. I love education and learning new things, so a certificate program was right up my alley. I am very excited…