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Monthly Archives: September 2008

Forbes.com

How To Get Off The Wait List – Forbes.com.

I was pretty excited to be written up in Forbes. The mention was smaller than I had thought. Apparently my advice was the opposite of the other people interviewed for the article. I recommend various ways of contacting the college when you are put on the wait list. Many admissions professionals think this is bad advice.

Annoying colleges is never good. But there are some positive things you can do to influence them.

How to Make Colleges Want You

Buy it on Amazon.com

I learned a lot about the college admissions process when I was at Cappex. Part of my job was to develop content for the site (we eventually hired a guy to do it for us). We developed a blog and a Podcast. I got a little carried away with writing and the blog material turned into a complete book that was published by Sourcebooks in Naperville, Illinois.

Book Summary

What if you had colleges coming after you instead of the other way around?

The hidden little secret of college admissions is that most schools are desperate… desperate for great kids who do things differently and will make their campuses vibrant and exciting.

And you don’t have to be an A student, the president of your student body, or the winner of the national spelling bee to do this. Any student can become someone that colleges compete for if you follow the recommendations in this book.

  • The Secret of NTAs: Unusual activities that make you stand out
  • Breaking the Zone: Take advantage of where you’re from and who you are
  • Striking the Nerve: Decode what colleges believe in, then match those values
  • Your Application Team: Getting references, teachers, and counselors to boost your odd
    And much more

No matter where you are in your high school career, you can start these things today and vastly increase your odds of getting into the competitive college of your choice.