FIVE THINGS I LEARNED FROM THE 2012 COLLEGE ADMISSIONS SEASON

The college admissions “season” runs generally from mid summer to the end of the year, although applications are certainly filed during other months. The 2012 season was a fantastic experience for me; here are five things I learned.

1. The students moving on to college in 2013 are smart, aware, courteous, creative, concerned, honest and highly moral. During the year I assisted seniors from every region of the country and my overall impressions was consistently positive. I firmly believe that the future of our country is in good hands.

2. High school students can write a lot better than they, and their parents and teachers, think they can. Of course I saw a lot of variation in writing skills; that’s to be expected. Yet, given encouragement and clear direction, I was often surprised, pleased and impressed with the quality of the application essays that students generated.

3. Emphasis on the admissions essay continues to rise. More and more schools are requiring students to write one or more supplemental essays. These essays are often quite challenging, on a conceptual level.

4. Parent, private counselor and school involvement in the admissions process also continues to grow. This has made competition for first choice schools more intense than ever.

5. I love my job. The opportunity to help students through the process of writing their application essays continues to be fulfilling. Working online and on the phone, I rarely meet students or their families in person (I have, however, been invited to lunch by one of my local students, and very much look forward to that, later this month) yet the relationships we forge are still meaningful and rewarding.

Looking forward to more of the same in the coming “season!”

For more information about working with Craig Heller, please log onto www.CollegeEssaySolutions.com, or call Craig directly at 818-340-1276.