Posts by Dr. Steven Mercer
An “Optional” College Application Requirement—Is It Really Optional?
One of the qualities of undergraduate education in the United States I appreciate is that our system of higher education is a marketplace of different college options.
The beauty of this system is that there are many opportunities to find colleges that fit an individual student’s needs and interests. For… Read more Read More
Applying to College as an Introvert: Letter of Recommendation
This is my third post addressing the college admissions process for introverts. The last two posts in this series addressed extracurricular activities and the admissions interview.
Let’s now turn to the letter of recommendation.
As an introvert myself, I’ve had to ask many people to write letters of recommendation for… Read more Read More
Applying to College as an Introvert: Admission Interview
As I mentioned in my last post, “Applying to College as an Introvert: Extracurricular Activities,” introverted students sometimes feel that they are disadvantaged in the college application process, especially where extracurricular activities are concerned.
In this post, I would like to discuss how to approach admissions office interviews.
A Heads-Up… Read more Read More
Applying to College as an Introvert: Extracurricular Activities
Recently, I was sitting across the desk from a parent and student whose transcript was filled with excellent grades and rigorous courses. The student enjoyed school and had SAT scores that were well above average.
As I’ve written about in many other blog posts, grades, academic rigor, and standardized test… Read more Read More
The Three Most Important Things to Consider When Applying to College – Redux
As an experienced college admission counselor, I think about applying to college all the time!
In my blogs, I have listed many of the “most important things to consider”—probably too many times. I also visit a lot of colleges, as often as I can. A recent visit to Depauw University… Read more Read More
How Can You Apply to College If Your Room Is a Mess?
When I was in elementary school, I had an extraordinary opportunity to attend a sleepaway camp that specialized in competitive downhill snow skiing. The coaches were some of the most accomplished ski racers in Europe and the United States.
While I have the fondest memories of spending time on the… Read more Read More
The Third Rule of Applying to College
The Second Rule of Applying to College
In my previous post, I wrote about “The First Rule of Applying to College”: getting enough sleep. This rule puts a premium on finding the balance between pursuing admission to desirable colleges and maintaining one’s mental and physical health.
Pushing oneself to extremes where sleep, well-being, and mental or physical… Read more Read More
The First Rule of Applying to College
Many of the students and families I work with experience understandable anxiety about applying to college. This anxiety begins with the many important decisions that should be made during high school: choosing which colleges to apply to, completing the application process, and making a final decision about which school to… Read more Read More
Zen and the Art of College Admission Interviews
A big part of my job as an Independent Educational Consultant is to help students and families understand which parts of the college admission process not to worry so much about and which parts to work hardest on. Often, clients misdirect their worry about what parts of the process to… Read more Read More