Here are a few more thoughts on the college admissions process as the 2020 application cycle comes to an end: Test Optional-Two state university systems have been in the national news with regard to standardized testing. The University of Indiana is considering a test-optional policy where each campus could decide whether or not to require […]

The 2020 application season is winding down. The December SAT scores came out today and several schools released EA and ED letters in the past 48 hours. So it is a busy time in the application cycle. If you have a senior, they are probably starting their December break as I write this and I

Years ago, I heard The comedian Gilbert Gottfried say, “A good bit always works”. In that spirit, the piece below is a repeat from December 1, 2018. Things are about to pick up speed in the cycle of college admissions and many families have shared that this piece helped them. If you have a senior

Several recent meetings with parents have brought up the concept of demonstrated interest. What is it and does it matter? Demonstrated interest is a factor that some colleges consider when they are evaluating a student’s file. Colleges want to determine if the applicant is likely to come. Most schools are fighting to protect their yield

It is an exciting waypoint in the admissions cycle for me when I sit down to make my application grid. Every year, I create a table for each student, of where they are applying, what plan they are applying under and the tentative notification date that the college will inform applicants of their decision. When

There is news on the Varsity Blues front. Felicity Huffman’s case is making its way through the courts and she is due to be sentenced on September 13th. The prosecutor has recommended that she serve one month in jail as well as pay a fine. Her counsel is asking for community service and a fine.

I feel compelled to write one more post before the month of August sails by. I chose the name August Consulting for several reasons but one of them is that the Common Application opens on August 1st every year and it is the month that most kids leave for college. I sent two of my

The bulk of my posts are of a professional nature which is ironic because the writing that I help my applicants do is of a deeply personal type. The best essays tell an intimate story about a person, so students need to be able to comfortably share private parts of themselves that they might not

One of the statements that you always here from investment houses is, “Past returns are not guaranteed” and the same is true of statistics in college admissions. It is helpful to see the admit rates and test scores of the accepted class of a college. These tools are useful guides to determine if a school

I am so excited that one of my favorite schools, The University of New Hampshire, is going to allow the class of 2020 to apply test-optional. The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a state flagship located in Durham, NH. It is one of the only land grant, sea grant, and space grant schools in