LEE SHULMAN BIERER Photo by Robert Kinlaw, collegetownnc.com Summer is a great time to ponder deep thoughts, and right about now, rising seniors should be pondering their college essays. The essay is students’ best opportunity to set themselves apart in the college application. Their grades through junior year...
LEE SHULMAN BIERER A student’s belongings sit in an unloading zone on move-in day. Photo by USC-Beaufort Kudos to you. You’re feeling pretty good since it’s the beginning of August and you’ve already purchased the necessary items from the packing checklist. Hopefully you made arrangements, if possible, to...
LEE SHULMAN BIERER Photo by Robert Kinlaw, collegetownnc.com It’s easy to identify essays that don’t work; ones that are unoriginal with cliché topics, ones that are boring and brag, or essays that are predictable. It’s much harder to help students identify the right topic for them, i.e.,...
LEE SHULMAN BIERER Photo by Robert Kinlaw, collegetownnc.com It’s mid-summer, and for all those soon-to-be-seniors who are committed to not being procrastinators with their college applications, I have some good news. A few colleges, of which UNC Chapel Hill is one, have released their supplemental essay prompts. Many...
LEE SHULMAN BIERER Photo courtesy of Davidson College Until now, college visits haven’t changed much over the last several decades. Chatty students walk backward through campus, sharing fun facts, folklore and campus traditions. Been there, done that – they all start to sound the same. But it’s 2017,...
LEE SHULMAN BIERER Families frequently ask me if it is worth it to visit colleges over the summer since they know they won’t be seeing the real thing. My advice is that any visit is better than no visit at all, and if schedules don’t allow a...
LEE SHULMAN BIERER The world of college admissions is always full of surprises and changes. Veteran parents and younger siblings of students who have been through the process before are undoubtedly familiar with the Common Application. For the newbies, it’s precisely what its name describes – a...
LEE SHULMAN BIERER Dorm life can work a little more smoothly by planning ahead for essentials. File photo I am sure it has been a scene repeated recently at stores everywhere: the annual trip with parents to outfit a dorm room. The lists from department and specialty stores...
LEE SHULMAN BIERER Clemson color guard members take the field at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, S.C. File photo by The State/Charlotte Observer A few weeks ago, I wrote about the opportunities for out-of-state students to receive in-state tuition benefits at the University of South Carolina. This was...
LEE SHULMAN BIERER The Hamill Science Center at Warren Wilson College. Photo by Warren Wilson No one would deny that Warren Wilson College is unique. In fact, its old advertising tagline was: “We’re not for everyone, but maybe you’re not everyone!” Incoming President Lynn M. Morton. Photo by Warren Wilson On...
