college admissions – SAT & ACT Prep New York

February 29, 2020February 29, 2020

Navigating the College Admissions Process

An experts’ panel plus workshops for parents and teens

The Cornell Club
6 East 44th Street
New York, NY 10017

Saturday, March 7, 2020
9:30 am – 2:30 pm

College admissions has changed dramatically in recent years. No longer is the “well-rounded” student assured their top choice. Testing has also evolved, with changes in the SAT and ACT, while college costs spiral upwards. How can families best help their children make the right fit?

The Cornell Club is proud to present a special program for alumni and families featuring a stellar panel of experts in the college admissions process who will demystify these issues in presentations and Q&A.

This is a terrific opportunity to get answers to your questions from a range of top advisors in college prep and admissions. Attendees are invited to tailor the day to suit their schedules and interests with a panel discussion followed by lunch and two optional workshops:

“Getting a Handle on the SAT and ACT” Presentation and Q&A led by Karen Berlin Ishii

“Tips and Pitfalls in the Common Application” Presentation workshop led by Andrea van Niekerk

Event schedule:

9:30-10:00am: Registration and coffee/light breakfast
10:00-12 noon: Panel presentation
12:00 noon: Lunch Buffet
12:30-1:30pm: Workshop: Getting a Handle on the SAT and ACT
1:30-2:30pm: Workshop: Tips and Pitfalls in the Common Application

Participants include:

Andrea van Niekerk is a College Admissions Consultant with College Goals. Andrea was formerly Associate Director of Admission at Brown University for many years and also served as academic advisor to freshman and sophomore students. www.collegegoals.com

Laura Clark is long time director of college counseling at the Ethical Culture Fieldston School. She previously worked at Princeton University, in admissions for four years and teaching freshman writing in the English department. www.ecfs.org

Benjamin Bingman-Tennant is the National Director of Programs for A Better Chance, a national organization dedicated to creating educational opportunity and developing leaders among young people of color throughout the country. www.abetterchance.org

Karen Berlin Ishii, a graduate of Brown University, is a college test preparation tutor of over 20 years’ experience. Karen also lectures on SAT/ACT prep for Brown University’s Admission Workshops series at Summer@Brown. www.karenberlinishii.com

Cost: $40 individual, or $60 for up to three family members.
– Registration includes all presentations, continental breakfast and luncheon buffets.
– Registrants may attend any or all of the presentations offered.

Register by contacting Kerry Strassel: K.Strassel@cornellclubnyc.com or phone 212.692.1386.

August 11, 2018

Why apply Early Decision, Restrictive Early Action or Early Action?

Top colleges and universities are receiving a record volume of applications on a yearly basis. With a limited number of seats in each entering class, the consequence is an appallingly low admit rate. Take Cornell University – perceived as one of the easiest Ivies to get into. Just seven years ago, its admit rate was 16.2% and now it hovers at just over 10%. In that same period, Harvard’s admit rate went from 5.9% to a record low of 4.59%. If the trend holds true, the class of 2023 and beyond may face stiffer competition among the single-digit club of elite colleges and universities.

Applying early to a binding program such as Early Decision (ED), Restrictive Early Action (REA) or a non-binding Early Action (EA), is the best way to hedge your bet and increase your chance of getting into one of these illustrious schools. The advantage is HUGE! It’s a known fact that the admit rates are more generous in early admissions than regular, with some two to three times higher than the regular decision admit rate. For Harvard, the rate was even more extreme at 14.5% in EA yet only 2.43% in regular decision. What’s important to know is early admissions program are a tool for colleges to confidently admit those who qualify academically and have a profound love for the school. In the words of Dean Fitzsimmons of Harvard, ‘early admissions is the new normal’ in which Harvard over the past several years has offered admission to 950-960 students, well over 60% of their expected enrollment of 1500 first-year students. Harvard is not alone in leveraging its early admissions program. Princeton is expecting to enroll close to 1300 students for the class of 2022, with 800 admitted from their REA.

Clearly, an admit rate in regular decision of 3-5% is something you should avoid if at all possible. Applying early can increase your odds of acceptance very significantly. Remember, students with 4.0 GPAs and perfect SATs are in plentiful supply at these schools. Differentiating yourself through quality involvement in and outside of school, articulating your passion for learning and succeeding via the supplemental essays, and committing to your college choice in the early admissions process are key to defying the ridiculous odds of getting into an Ivy-Plus institution.

This guest post was written by Solomon Admissions Consulting, an international college admissions consulting company based in New York, which helps applicants apply to and be accepted by colleges, MBA and MD programs, and private schools.

December 13, 2017

6 Classic College Application Essay Errors

Admissionscheckup.com Stephanie Klein Wassink

December is college application season and although we all know you meant to get your essays done last summer, if you are like most seniors, you still have at least a few left to go.

I recently reached out to Stephanie Klein Wassink, Brown University grad and founder of AdmissionsCheckup.com, for her college essay tips. AdmissionsCheckup is a unique application review service that offers students a fresh eye for their applications and essays after the usual editing and review is done.

Here are a handful of Stephanie’s key cautions to keep in mind when writing and reviewing your essays:

1) Overusing the word I: There is no “I” in team….so overusing it simply comes across as arrogant. Vary your sentences, choose another topic or make sure you are attributing your success more broadly, beyond “I.”

2) Being Boring: Admissions officers can and do skim essays. If you had 2,000 applications to read, who would you prefer to admit? Someone who almost put you to sleep, someone who made you realize that you read the same paragraph seven times or someone who captivated and held your interest while showing you his experiences? Boring is an uphill battle and the kiss of death combined.

3) A Plethora of SAT Words: Consider the fact that your reader has not taken the SAT in the last 5 (or more) years. Keep the vocabulary accessible. Nothing bothers an admissions officer more than reading an essay that doesn’t sound like a 17-year-old wrote it.

4) Bragging: I once read an essay about a student who had seen five of the seven wonders of the world. Impressive right? No, not impressive at all. It said more about his parents’ bank account than his actual accomplishments. Bragging just doesn’t come off well.

5) Another School’s Name: This one is obvious, but happens more often than you think. Here is a trick I like to tell my students: before you submit your application, read your essay from the last word on the page forward to the first. It will make catching the wrong name much easier. It is also a good idea to wait a day or two before submitting, and read it again.

6) Regurgitating your Resume: The application provides a place for you to list and describe your activities. If you list them in your essays, you are wasting a valuable opportunity to show the admissions officer who you are. The whole point of the essay is to tell the admissions officer something they would not get by just reading your resume.

For more application tips from Stephanie and AdmissionsCheckup.com’s team of former admissions officers, visit her blog at admissionscheckup.com.

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