by Cara Kalf | Jul 30, 2021 | Cara, College Admissions, College Application Tips, college coaching
Start Your College Essay While Time Is Still On Your Side “There’s a difference between giving yourself time and space to think of your best ideas and avoiding an important job.” In 2016, writer Adam Grant published an op-ed under the provocative title,...
by Cara Kalf | Mar 15, 2021 | Cara, college application essay, College Application Tips
Unicorns Are Not Unique or No Such Thing as a Synonym If you polled every student I have ever had in the classroom, I suspect one of the top three facts you would learn is this: “Mrs. Kalf doesn’t believe in synonyms.” I think they find this deliciously subversive in...
by Cara Kalf | Feb 28, 2021 | Cara, college application essay, College Application Tips
The New (Improved?) Common App 2022 The Common App has released its prompts for next year, and I’m delighted to see all of my favorites still on the list. There’s only one prompt that’s new for 2021, and you probably didn’t need the Common App writers to tell you it...
by Cara Kalf | Feb 15, 2021 | Cara, College Application Tips
The Tool You Didn’t Know You Needed What if a student really had nothing to say? The Tool You Didn’t Know You Needed It’s rare that I get a student with no story at all. But it happens that students come to me to write their essays and have few stories that really...
by Cara Kalf | Jan 30, 2021 | Cara, College Admissions, College Application Tips, college coaching
Looking Forward—Summer and “The Future” So, what do you want to be when you grow up? If you haven’t asked yourself this question yet … why not? And if you don’t know … why are you applying to college? OK, it’s true that college is itself a great time to explore your...
by Cara Kalf | Dec 30, 2020 | Cara, college application essay, College Application Tips
Success Resolutions for Striving Students I am a sucker for a fresh start. I love Mondays, firsts of the month, and especially the first of the year. If you’re a candidate—or perhaps even an already-accepted future student!—at one of the country’s top colleges, you...
