Browsing Archive: October, 2013

How The Glitch Stole Common App (and Crippled Obamacare)

Posted by College Connection on Wednesday, October 30, 2013, In : College Applications

Glitches continue to plague CommonApp.org, the private, not-for-profit web portal millions of high school students rely upon to access applications to more than 500 colleges and universities. [READ, Common App Glitches Frustrate Students...]

At the same time, HealthCare.gov, the government website intended to give millions of Americans access to affordable health insurance exchanges, has been crippled by glitches. [SEE, Who's Fixing HealthCare.gov?]

Both sites compete for the dubious distinctio...
Continue reading ...

CA4 Where Are You?

Posted by College Connection on Sunday, October 27, 2013, In : College Applications

If comic legend Oliver Hardy was a high school senior, no doubt he'd be admonishing Stan Laurel, standing in as the now plaintive Common App, with those famous words, "That's another fine mess you've gotten us into, Stanley!" (or was it, Simon?)

Well, we don't have Laurel & Hardy with us (and do high school kids even know of this iconic comedy duo?), but when it comes to CA4, the latest incarnation of the floundering Common App, if we don't laugh, we will surely cry.

So, with profound apologies...
Continue reading ...

Dates To Remember

Posted by College Connection on Wednesday, October 23, 2013, In : College Prep

SAT
Test Dates

Registration
Deadline

Late Reg
Deadline

Details

DEC
7

Nov 8

Nov 25

Jan
25

Dec 27

Jan 14

ACT Test
Dates

Registration
Deadline

Late Reg
Deadline

Details

DEC
14

Nov 8

Nov 9-22

FEB
8

Jan 10

Jan 11-24

Not Too Late To Apply Early!

Posted by College Connection on Monday, October 21, 2013, In : College Applications

While the dates to apply Early Action to a few colleges (UNC-Chapel Hill, Georgia Tech - both extended to 10/21) may have passed, most are yet to come (typically, November 1 - December 15), and quite a few deadlines have been or are likely to be extended as a result of the continuing Common App fiasco. [Check college websites for actual deadline dates and extensions, if any.]

So, if you can get your applications ready (not just done, but complete, accurate, and showing you at your scholastic b...
Continue reading ...

The Coming College Application Apocalypse

Posted by College Connection on Friday, October 18, 2013, In : College Applications

Not long after the dawn of the nuclear age, with foreboding prospects of mutually assured annihilation looming on an uncertain horizon, Albert Einstein was asked what weapons he thought would be used to fight the next war. Einstein responded, "I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones." Perhaps a prophesy, yet to unfold...

On a less weighty front (after all, it's only college), and given the flaws, foibles and incomprehens...
Continue reading ...

Until There's A Cure For The Common App. . .

Posted by College Connection on Thursday, October 10, 2013, In : College Planning

Are you and your parental units confused, frustrated, or overwhelmed by the college application and admissions process? Do you break out in a cold sweat at the mere mention of the Common App? Is having to write that college essay a fate worse than a sudden outbreak of acne?

You, and your unsuspecting parents, may be suffering from that dreaded and most feared malady known as CAS (College Application Syndrome), and not even know it. And yet, you need not suffer the debilitating side effects of ...

Meet The College Whisperer™ October 16th

Posted by College Connection on Monday, October 7, 2013, In : College Planning

FREE College Planning Workshop [And who doesn't like FREE?]

When: Wednesday, October 16, 7 PM - 8:30 PM

Where: Harborfields Public Library, 31 Broadway, Greenlawn, NY

Why: Because getting in to college has become more competitive than ever, and the application process increasingly complex. You need to be in the know and prepared to go!

Harborfields Public Library hosts a free College Planning Workshop. Open to students and parents alike, this forum will explore such topics as choosing a college t...
Continue reading ...

Just When You Thought It Was Safe To Submit Your College Applications. . .

Posted by College Connection on Thursday, October 3, 2013, In : College Applications

If you thought last year's Common App made submitting college applications second in difficulty only to a quadruple backward flip off the uneven parallel bars while sticking the landing from 1000 feet above the ground (Check out, So, You Think You Submitted The Common App. . .), read on...

For anyone attempting to submit a college application through the new and congenitally defective Common Application, please read the following --

As you watch that spinning wheel spin (with due respect to th...
Continue reading ...

The Best College Essay Ever!

Posted by College Connection on Tuesday, October 1, 2013, In : College Applications

First piece of advice when setting out to write your college essay: Keep Calm and Just Write -- It's Only An Essay!

Seems there's nothing more unnerving to students (and, by extension, their parents) than the college essay. What to write? How do I say it? Will it be good enough? Can I tell my "story" in 650 words or less? And what about Naomi?

Indeed, with all the hype and hyperbolae surrounding the college essay (as to form, content, style, and overuse of SAT words), it would seem to be a...