By LEE SHULMAN BIERER Photo courtesy of Lees-McRae Right about now is when the first stage of mild panic seems to start brewing for many seniors. They wish they had done more thinking, and writing, on their essays over the summer, but, well, it just didn’t happen. Now,...
By Lee Shulman Bierer Carolina College Bound file photo It would be easy to assume that with the increase in the popularity of online applications – www.commonapp.org, www.coalitionforcollegeaccess.org and www.universalcollegeapp.com – a variety of decisions would be streamlined for college applicants. Unfortunately, that is just not the case. Colleges appreciate the benefits of...
By: LEE SHULMAN BIERER Many students unwittingly treat letters of recommendation as an afterthought. They ask teachers and recommenders late in the process and often fail to provide them with sufficient tools to get the job done right. Big mistake. Letters of recommendation can often play a critical...
LEE SHULMAN BIERER Photo by Robert Kinlaw, collegetownnc.com A letter of recommendation will never outweigh a student’s performance in the classroom, but it can be a tipping factor in the college admissions process. Recommendations carry varying weight, depending on who writes them and the perspective of the college...
LEE SHULMAN BIERER Just ask any family that is struggling with making their final college choice how envious they are of the families where it was a slam-dunk easy decision. It’s that time. A final college decision needs to be made, and a deposit check needs to...
LEE SHULMAN BIERER Photo by UNC Asheville If you determine that the wait might be worthwhile and you want to stay on a school’s wait-list, here’s what you should do and what you should avoid doing. Do’s Follow instructions carefully and quickly. One way to show them you...
By: LEE SHULMAN BIERER Photo by Mark Olencki/Wofford College The dreaded wait-list. You weren’t rejected, but you weren’t accepted either. The wait-list means the colleges like you well-enough – they just don’t love you enough to accept you. They want to keep you hanging on until they find...
LEE SHULMAN BIERER Photo by collegetownnc.com While we hope it’s been a very merry Christmas for all, many high school seniors are struggling since Early Decision and Single Choice Early Action decisions have been released. If you were rejected from your Early Decision school, mourn the loss and...
Notifications for Early Decision and Single Choice Early Action have been delivered. LEE SHULMAN BIERER Notifications for Early Decision (ED) and Single Choice Early Action (SCEA) have been delivered. Applying ED is a binding commitment; if you are accepted, you must withdraw all other applications and attend that...
LEE SHULMAN BIERER Imagine yourself on the other side of the college admissions desk. It’s not so glorious, apparently, or at least you need to be thick-skinned and good-natured. Joseph Connolly, a guidance counselor at New Oxford High School in New Oxford, Pa., wanted to know the pet...
