One of the best times of the year is now, when students send me their acceptance letters from their rolling, early action, and early decision schools. Although the format of each letter is similar, the overall tone and details vary, often reflecting the culture of the college. Of course—as one of my students admitted last week—students often do not get past the line that exclaims “Congratulations!” So, I had to smile when I skimmed through the letter from the University of Tennessee and its...

“Institutional priorities” is the fancy-schmancy way of explaining why an admissions officer may choose an All-State oboe player with a 3.6 GPA over a champion chess player with a 3.8 GPA. Quite simply, the college may be looking to maintain its distinction as having one of the most prestigious college symphonies in the country, and their last oboe player is graduating. This same college may be perfectly fine with its chess club finishing in the middle of the pack at most competitions. If a...

Eighth grade was a long time ago for me. So, imagine my recent surprise—my disbelief, really—when I glanced at my computer screen and its...