Blog – Page 4 – Dr. Steven Mercer

Blog

How to Find the Worst College for You

May 15, 2019May 12, 2019

I have worked with a lot of students over the years. And at the end of the admission process—as they look back through the ups and downs, the exciting times and the disappointments—most of them do not have a lot of regrets. Generally, these students have authentically gone through the… Read more

Can You Game the Admission System?

May 1, 2019May 12, 2019

You may have seen recent news about a vast college admission scandal in the United States. Charges included such things as bribery, conspiracy, cheating, fraud, etc. and involved a wide range of people at several colleges, but also parents. I could not help but think about how these kinds of… Read more

“I Do Not Care Which College You Get Into”

April 15, 2019March 20, 2019

Coming from someone who helps students apply to college for a living, the title of this post should be quite shocking. The truth is, I care deeply about all aspects of applying to college from the very first steps to the very last. But, during more than two decades of… Read more

Does It Really Take a Village?

April 1, 2019March 20, 2019

As an Independent Educational Consultant in private practice, I work with distinct types of clients. Some, after signing up to work together, proudly announce: “We are so happy to welcome you to our team! We already have an SAT tutor and tutors for all three AP classes. Also, we found… Read more

Advice to Parents: Helping Your Student If You Notice Signs of Application Stress

March 15, 2019February 1, 2019

In my last post, “Advice to Parents: Keeping an Eye on the Emotional Well-Being of Your Student,” I talked about the symptoms of college application stress on students. I also noted that, while some symptoms are fairly normal, other symptoms are more serious. Thus, a parent may want to consider… Read more

Advice to Parents: Keeping an Eye on the Emotional Well-Being of Your Student

March 1, 2019January 31, 2019

Applying to college can be a very stressful process. Stress, in general—but especially consistent high levels of stress—can have an impact on a student’s brain functions, emotional well-being, and physical health. However, the outward signs that your student’s health may be negatively impacted by stress are not always easy to… Read more

My Biggest Regret When I Applied to College

February 15, 2019January 7, 2019

Like a lot of students I work with, I applied to college right out of high school. I was fortunate to be admitted to a place that really fit me, and I was excited to go. College was a great experience for me in many ways. However, in retrospect, there… Read more

“Why Us?” – The Hardest Application Essay You Will Have to Write

February 1, 2019January 7, 2019

Many colleges, especially well-known or highly-selective colleges, request several different essays from applicants. Of those, one of the most important you will have to write is an essay that asks: “Why do you want to go to our college?” Highly-selective colleges are popular and receive a lot of applications from… Read more

Are You Making Your College Counselor Cringe?

January 15, 2019March 20, 2019

As an Independent Educational Consultant, I provide expert guidance to support each individual student in their journey through the college admission process. To accomplish this, I am dedicated to helping students (and their families) set educational goals, organize their time, put a plan into action, and overcome any obstacles that… Read more

Visit Early and Visit Often

January 1, 2019November 22, 2018

Of all the steps involved in applying to colleges in a thorough and thoughtful way, perhaps visiting colleges is the most important. In fact, it is never too early to visit a college. Though, it is not a race by any means either. It is not about trying to beat… Read more

How to Apply to College With No Volunteer Hours

December 15, 2018November 22, 2018

A student walks into my office and says: “I am in big trouble. I need a lot of help with my college application. My biggest problem is that I have very few volunteer hours and hardly any community service. What do I do? Where can I go? Can you sign… Read more

The End of Standardized Testing: Has the Time Come?

December 1, 2018November 22, 2018

In the world of college admissions, few things change frequently. Except in one area—standardized testing* requirements for admission. It has been my observation that, in the last 5 to 7 years, standardized testing requirements have seen the highest rate of change for a significant number of colleges and universities in… Read more

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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

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

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

Zen and the Art of College Visits

In my experience, students and families often overthink specific aspects of the college admission process. Visiting colleges is one of these areas. Many clients believe they need a “strategy,” along with “tactics,” that define “measurable outcomes” for the perfect college visit that will help them get into their “dream school.”… Read more

Replacing Prestige

“The benefits and predictors of a good education are knowable yet virtually impossible to measure.” “Colleges can be assessed, but not ranked. Students can be evaluated, but not measured.” ― The Education Conservancy – www.educationconservancy.org (PDF: “WE ADMIT…GUIDANCE FROM THOSE WHO DO”) If prestige is an illusion when it comes… Read more

Rethinking Prestige

Rethinking Prestige Origin of “prestige”: From French prestige – “illusion, fascination, enchantment.” From Latin praestigium – “a delusion, an illusion.” In the wake of the recent admission scandal, a reporter from a newspaper asked me why this sort of thing even happens. To tell you the truth, I do not… Read more