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This week’s column:

Name: I think that when it came to filling out information in CA
Rating: 5
Author: 2018

21 Jan The 10 Commandments of the college admissions process

Posted at 17:08h in Beginning the Process

By Lee Shulman Bierer I’ve been helping students and families navigate the college admissions process for a long time now and there are some basic fundamental truths. I’m calling them my 10 commandments of the college admissions process. I’m sharing 1-5 this week and 6-10 next...

15 Jan Admissions officials prefer to see tough classes

Posted at 15:24h in Application Strategy

By Lee Shulman Bierer Whether I'm leading a workshop on navigating the college admissions process or getting stopped in the frozen food aisle at the supermarket, here are some of the most common questions parents ask. The easy A: Is it better to take a lower-level...

08 Jan Things to think about in the new year

Posted at 12:47h in Beginning the Process

By Lee Shulman Bierer New Year’s is a time for resolutions and reorganization. If you’re the parent of a high school freshman or sophomore, but particularly if you’re the parent of a junior; now is the time to understand and start implementing the college timeline. There is...

23 Dec Top Tier Admissions provides early admissions stats

Posted at 11:42h in Application Strategy

Early Admissions Trends: Class of 2024 With Class of 2024 results now coming in on the early admissions round at top colleges and universities around the country, here is our expert assessment on what we’ve learned thus far. We’ll continue to update our information as more...

17 Dec Early Decision results and Early Decision II – an increasingly popular option

Posted at 16:26h in Application Strategy

By Lee Shulman Bierer Notifications for Early Decision (ED), Restricted Early Action (REA) and Single Choice Early Action (SCEA) have been delivered. This year, as in previous years, there were many more tears than fist-bumps. This following list prepared by College Kickstart (www.college-kickstart.com) was released and includes:...

11 Dec Interpreting the new PSAT scores

Posted at 18:20h in Testing, Uncategorized

By Lee Shulman Bierer Results from the October PSAT have been released. Your PSAT/NMSQT (National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test) scores are ready online, you should have received an email with instructions on creating your College Board account, going to your online score report, and using your access code...

03 Dec The final essay push – those dreaded essays…

Posted at 15:04h in Essay Writing

By Lee Shulman Bierer Okay all you procrastinators, it’s now officially December and with January 1 deadlines looming, you really can’t wait much longer. Yes, of course I know you can, and some of you will wait until December 30th to start “thinking about” what you’re...

20 Nov Navigating the Thanksgiving tightrope

Posted at 15:15h in Parenting

By Lee Shulman Bierer I'm updating one of my most popular columns. It's about the challenges of dealing with your children when they return home from college for Thanksgiving. College students are about to head home. For many freshmen it will be their first visit back since...

13 Nov Focus on Finances

Posted at 11:17h in Uncategorized

By Lee Shulman Bierer There’s something about this time of year when parents now seem to have a hyper-focus on “how are we going to pay for college?” The reality of next year’s college bill strikes home. There is now a scrambling to fill out financial...

07 Nov Scholarship info – 2019

Posted at 09:00h in Uncategorized

Best College Scholarships – 2019 The following information is provided by: The Chamber of Commerce.org. Here is a link to the information below: guide to college scholarships The Difference Between Grants and Scholarships How and Where Can You Find the Best College Scholarships? What Do You Need to Apply...

Guest Appearances

NEW! What The College Admissions Scam Doesn't Show
Mar. 19, 2019

Last week, the Department of Justice charged 50 people in schemes to pay for positions for their children at top universities across the country. It was called the, “largest college admissions scam ever prosecuted,” but it doesn’t paint the whole picture.
LISTEN NOW

College Admissions Season
Sept. 20, 2018

The college admissions process has become ever-more tricky and as high schoolers and parents try to navigate this important process, we’ve enlisted some help. On the next Charlotte Talks, two college admissions experts alert us to the pitfalls and give us a look at best practices for applying to college.
LISTEN NOW

Applying To College And Picking The Right
Sept. 1, 2016

LISTEN NOW

Student Debt
May 12, 2016: LISTEN NOW

College Decisions, College Admissions
Feb 26, 2014: LISTEN NOW

Lee Bierer – College Admissions Strategies

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College Admissions Strategies is written by Lee Bierer, an Independent College Admissions Counselor and the author of the weekly Countdown to College column in the Charlotte Observer that is syndicated across the country.
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Testimonials

2018 April 1, 2019

I think that when it came to filling out information in CA you were very helpful because I always would know exactly what the college was looking for. Any doubt, uncertainty, or ambiguity was always answered when calling you—which was a nice resource to have. I also like your systematic way of analyzing colleges and looking at it empirically.

Parent of 2008 graduate June 29, 2015

“Lee’s understanding about the college process was very helpful. The steps to apply to college were a bit overwhelming for our son. Lee broke it down into smaller steps and would give “homework” that needed to be done in order to meet the college deadlines. Lee was available to answer questions either by e-mail, by phone or in person. The support that she gave our family was so helpful and the outcome for our son –SUCCESS!”

Mom of a 2008 graduate June 29, 2015

“It was just what we needed and expected. We wanted you to keep our son on task, which you did. In addition, your essay editing was good. The essays truly reflected him. You pulled his own thoughts out of him, I could tell they were his thoughts, not yours. Your report after you and he met was great. It let me know what you accomplished in your meeting and what tasks and by whom were required for the coming week. We were not making any headway in keeping him on task and it was very frustrating to us that he seemed so disorganized, so your help alleviated the frustration and possible (probable!) arguments. I am very likely to recommend you because you filled our immediate need. When I called you, I was in a near-panic mode and you were able to work with our son right away and I felt totally comfortable with you and knew you to be competent.”

mom of a 2012 graduate June 29, 2015

“You took over and did a job that was beginning to create stress and conflict between my daughter and me. Your expertise on unfamiliar ground and excellent organizational skills were invaluable. Your matter-of-fact personality and “no beating around the bush” directness are just what she needed to keep her on her toes. Once we got the process rolling, I rarely felt the need to check up on her to see that she was keeping up with deadlines. I would recommend you to a family that is unfamiliar with the college search and application process because I think that you are very knowledgeable in both. You ask the right questions to pinpoint what the client is looking for (in schools and service needed). You have the right amount of authority to get things done without being intimidating. You are professional and organized and you obviously know your stuff. I would tell them to be prepared to let go of a certain amount of involvement with their child’s application process and let you (and the student) get the work done. This, to me, was the most valuable part of our collaboration. You saved us a lot of time and definitely kept the ball rolling. Your style was a perfect match for our needs and we look forward to working with you again with daughter #2.”

mom of a 2011 graduate June 29, 2015

“It’s hard for parents to keep their thoughts and feelings out of one of their child’s biggest life decisions. Our daughter has had to look inside herself and decide what school SHE THINKS would best suit her. She could not have done that without your guidance and encouragement.”

mom of a 2012 graduate June 29, 2015

“The best part of working with you was the essay editing. You made each draft stronger and steered me when I was at a loss. You really helped me with my essay topics and helped to focus on what story to share for each prompt. It gave me direction. I was extremely happy with my essays by the time we had received your edits/approval. Once you gave me your approval, I felt confident about submitting them to the colleges!”

2017 April 1, 2019

What was your least favorite part of working with me?
None – we really enjoyed it. I particularly liked how we made the transition from you, me and ____________beginning the process to you and _________taking over and making this happen. Not only did it produce excellent work but it was a great learning experience for ___________

2018 April 1, 2019

Thank you so much for all your help. _____ got accepted in Caltech. We all are very excited with the result as this was first EA decision. You have been an amazing support throughout this entire college application process. We sincerely appreciate your time and efforts.

Parents of 2007 graduate June 29, 2015

“We have nothing but GREAT things to say about Lee Bierer! Our daughter worked with Lee over the past year, and she will be attending a highly selective university on a full academic scholarship this fall. Although we credit our daughter with possessing excellent academics, service, and leadership, we credit Lee with helping her put it all together!”

2011 graduate June 29, 2015

“To be honest, there are a ton of qualified students vying for the same spot. How you present yourself really does matter. That is where your strength is, making each student come across as the best candidate they can. You know many intangibles, such as how to phrase this sentence to get the point across as best as possible, or the importance of visiting and other ways to make a personal connection with the school of your choice.”

Mom of a 2007 graduate June 29, 2015

“Lee was incredibly helpful in demystifying the entire college application process for us as parents, and more importantly, for our son. She established a wonderful working relationship with him, and stayed directly involved throughout the application process. Lee guided us through the process of selecting the schools that represented the best fit for our son, how to best emphasize his strengths, and what makes a good application stand out. We unequivocally recommend College Admissions Strategies to parents and students preparing for and amidst the college admissions process.”

dad of a 2012 graduate June 29, 2015

“You are easy to work with, knowledgeable, organized and honest. Overall it was a great experience.”

mom of a 2012 graduate June 29, 2015

“Your help with the essays and reviewing interview skills was most helpful. The detailed comments and your specific examples were the best. I would recommend your services. You were painfully honest and it helped her get a better understanding of what was expected of her. Originally, she blew through her essays and thought they were good enough and you helped her see how superficially they were written. I would tell them not to expect empty promises from you. You definitely tell them the truth, no matter how brutal.”

2011 graduate June 29, 2015

“To be honest, there are a ton of qualified students vying for the same spot. How you present yourself really does matter. That is where your strength is, making each student come across as the best candidate they can. You know many intangibles, such as how to phrase this sentence to get the point across as best as possible, or the importance of visiting and other ways to make a personal connection with the school of your choice.”

dad of a 2011 graduate June 29, 2015

“I would tell them that the experience made our daughter feel more involved and gave her more responsibility in the process which is part of growing up and learning to make her own decisions. Nothing could be more enjoyable than having her accepted to every school she applied to. When she received her first acceptance she was excited about going to college. When she received her second acceptance she was excited that now she had a choice in colleges. When she was accepted to Michigan she fulfilled a dream and that was priceless.”

This week’s column:

21 Jan The 10 Commandments of the college admissions process

15 Jan Admissions officials prefer to see tough classes

08 Jan Things to think about in the new year

23 Dec Top Tier Admissions provides early admissions stats

17 Dec Early Decision results and Early Decision II – an increasingly popular option

11 Dec Interpreting the new PSAT scores

03 Dec The final essay push – those dreaded essays…

20 Nov Navigating the Thanksgiving tightrope

13 Nov Focus on Finances

07 Nov Scholarship info – 2019

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Lee’s Interview with The New York Times

Buy Lee’s Book

This week’s column:

21 Jan The 10 Commandments of the college admissions process

15 Jan Admissions officials prefer to see tough classes

08 Jan Things to think about in the new year

23 Dec Top Tier Admissions provides early admissions stats

17 Dec Early Decision results and Early Decision II – an increasingly popular option

11 Dec Interpreting the new PSAT scores

03 Dec The final essay push – those dreaded essays…

20 Nov Navigating the Thanksgiving tightrope

13 Nov Focus on Finances

07 Nov Scholarship info – 2019

Student | Parent Login

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Lee’s Interview with The New York Times

Buy Lee’s Book