The Pilgrim College Guidance Blog
News, trends, insights, and the occasional self-indulgent fluff piece
Photo credit: Jen Jordan Photography
What Goes in a Counselor Letter of Recommendation?
As I’ve been getting to know my juniors, I’m already in recommendation writing mode. In fact, I’m in letter writing mode all the time. Every time I notice something notable or hear a memorable story or even a brief snippet, I like to write it down for future reference. Maybe it’ll make the letter, maybe not, but everything contributes to the whole picture I see when I think about each individual student. But what actually goes in a counselor letter of recommendation? Content will always vary, but here’s an overview of what is typically presented to admissions.
I Just Used ChatGPT to Write a Post
I asked ChatGPT to write a blog post on why using AI to write college essays was not advisable and this is what came out almost instantly. The content looked okay enough, but that’s the thing. It was just okay. But it didn’t sound like me, I mean, it wasn’t nearly snarky enough, amirite? But seriously, my greatest worry about students using AI for essays and supplements is that it will take personality away from their applications. The main purpose of the essays is to humanize applicants. Every other part of your application is mean to impress: the transcript, test scores, activities, even letters of recommendation. Essays make you interesting. Take that away and you look more like a robot than a human being.
Is it Possible to “Game The System?”
I’ve been getting asked a lot recently, “So how did this year go?” I know the real question is “Where did students get in?” And the real question is “Did students get into ‘good’ schools?” Without getting too much into specifics, I was pretty pleased with what I saw directly, despite another crazy, record-breaking application season. I also understand the overall sentiment. When something is hard to get, it just makes it that much more appealing, despite what the personal reality may be. But with the chase comes the feeling of doing whatever it takes to get that thing. I’ve seen it from students trying to write the perfect essay or being involved in some activities for the wrong reasons. I’ve found over the years that this has extended into the application process itself, as if there was an edge or angle wait to be utilized. It comes up often, even more so this year for some reason, so I’ll go ahead and address it.
How to Answer the Community Essay
As stated previously in my Admissions Squid Game post, I’d like to briefly address the popular “community” short answer question. The premise seems simple enough. You are a unique person who will join a diverse community. What would you contribute to it?
What I Learned After My First Year of Independent Consulting (And How That Applies to You)
It’s been over a year since I made the move to the independent side after many years of college counseling at private schools. I have to admit that there are things I will never miss–waking up early, public speaking, course scheduling (if you know, you know). The past year has also presented some learning opportunities from how to create a passable website to “selling myself,” for lack of a better term. I’ve received tons of help along the way and I’ve also observed others from afar, taking note of what I liked and what didn’t sit well with me. I realize that as seniors begin applying to college, they’ve probably heard all sorts of advice, with varying levels of helpfulness. To high school students, I’m hoping that you’ll be able to connect a little with what I have to share about my professional transition.
How I Used to Read College Essays (as an admissions officer)
In my past life, long before my current gig, I was an undergraduate admission counselor at the University of Southern California. My gatekeeper status occasionally made me popular at parties, but more than anything else, I enjoyed being part of a very human process. Reading applications all day mostly entailed assessing the academic and overall fit of an applicant, but it was also an opportunity to read stories, often told through college essays. There are enough “how to” guides on writing the college essay (here’s one of my favorites) and even examples of “essays that worked.” I didn’t want to add yet another cook to the kitchen as rising high school seniors have hopefully started working on their essays at this point. So I’m going with perspective > instructive. I’m putting my admissions hat back on. With no particular advice in mind, please indulge me as I reflect on how I used to read college essays as an admission officer.
College Admissions Squid Game - Reflections on the 2021-2022 Application Year
If you have Netflix, there is a good chance you’ve seen “Squid Game,” the platform’s most viewed show of all time. In this South Korean survival drama, hundreds of cash-strapped people compete in a series of children’s games in the hopes of winning billions of won. I have to admit that I was hooked from the start. Like much Korean television and cinema, the major themes focused on economic struggles and social class, but midway through the series, I was struck with the premise in a much different way. I couldn’t shake the idea that the whole series was a metaphor for the college admissions process.
What Should High School Juniors Be Doing Right Now? – Spring Edition
I’ve always considered February to be a transition month. When I was a school college counselor, I would see symptoms of senioritis start to kick in as the juniors would begin their annual annexation of my office. It was always a fun time of year as the excitement of a new class would begin to manifest itself. February is kind of my September. But to juniors, this is still the middle of their overhyped yet still important year. I want to revisit a fall blog post about what I said high juniors should be doing. In this spring edition, you’ll see that many of the fall tasks have extended to the spring, but now we’re getting to the real work.
Q & A With Sean Kim, Freshman at Amherst College
In my previous life, Sean Kim was a student of mine who successfully navigated through the COVID application year and is now a first-year student at Amherst College. After finishing his first semester, he was nice enough to share some insight regarding the application process and college experience.
My Favorite College Essay Ever
There’s a pretty well-known book called “50 Successful Harvard Application Essays” that’s made the rounds over the years. Given the title, I can only assume that sales are doing just fine. I’ve always had mixed feelings about the book. On the one hand, I actually had a student featured in the third edition (for the record, I take no credit for his inclusion in the book or his admission/matriculation to Harvard). But on the other hand, the idea of sample essays has never sat well with me, even with a wide variety of examples. To the credit of the arrangers, they also explained why each essay was compelling in its own way. In all my years of college admissions and college counseling, there are only a handful of essays that I still remember to this day. And in the spirit of essay writing season, I’d like to share my impressions of one essay from a former student and why it worked so well.
“And Why?” How to Approach the “Why our school?” Question
The question itself shouldn’t surprise you. Why ARE you applying to that school? To anyone who has applied Early Decision already, the answer(s) to this question probably came easily to you because you were writing about your top choice. For the rest of your schools, and for anyone else who hasn’t applied anywhere yet, it may not be such an easy question to answer. Maybe it’s the audience? That would be a fair point. The readers are the ones who will decide your admissions fate after all. But if you are applying to the right schools, this is a question that should be embraced, not feared.
Tell Your Story - Reflections on the 2021 NACAC National Conference
The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) is my professional organization and the annual conference has always been the event I’ve always looked forward to. It’s a time to reconnect with friends, attend sessions on various topics/trends, and maybe even do some light networking. But this year felt different. Way different.
Should You Apply Early?
It was the first few days of September when I began to work on this post. I almost immediately began to question if it was too early to address this topic. On the one hand, I had already made reference to it as one aspect of college admission that will never change and also as a sign of demonstrated interest, so maybe the deeper dive could’ve waited. But after considering my options for future posts, and in the spirit of making an early commitment, here we are.
8 Things About College Admissions That Will Never Change
With the start of the school year, there’s been a lot of talk about changes in the college admissions process—that the post-COVID landscape may never be the same. We’ve already seen SAT subject exams go away and the UC system going test-blind, but we’ll have to wait to see what else happens over the next few years. But no matter how much the college admissions world evolves, there are some essential truths that have emerged in my mind throughout my time on both the college and high school side. Some things will never change. And in no particular order...except maybe the last one, here they are.
Demonstrated Interest in a Post-COVID Landscape
I have to admit I had some hesitations about this post. I hesitated using the term “post-COVID” given everything that’s been in the news recently. This upcoming application season should still be considered a COVID application year in terms of policies anyway. My other hesitation was addressing demonstrated interest to begin with. The topic is covered well enough online, though the idea can still be a little misleading, as if it’s solely a strategic endeavor that students must master in order to gain a competitive advantage. But given that campus tours (a very direct way to demonstrate interest) are starting up again as the Washington Post recently reported, I figured it was better to address the topic head on.
What to do Before Starting the Common Application
As many of you know, the Common Application goes live on August 1st. It isn’t exactly Christmas morning, is it? …If the thought of filling out applications feels way too early, which is understandable considering you’re still on summer break, there are a few other things you can do in instead.
Why “Pilgrim?”
The placement of quotation marks is important here, though the title of this post is probably still misleading. It is not my intention to explain why you should hire me. This is more an attempt to explain the theme of this site.