Your college application is like a potato. 

I know this is weird, but just go with me on this one.

About five years ago, a reddit user made the audacious claim that potatoes are, objectively, the best food... sending the internet into a tailspin. The user made some great points: potatoes are easily grown, affordable, and provide great nutritional value. 

 But most importantly, potatoes can be prepared in SO many ways. Like way more ways than most foods.

And this is why your college application is a potato. Let me explain:

1. There are INFINITELY many ways to cook a potato, and there are INFINITELY many ways to prepare your college application.

Potatoes can be made into delicious hashbrowns, chips, french fries, gnocchi, tater tots, baked potatoes... the list goes on and on 

And the way a potato is prepared tells you a lot about the preparer, the chef. It shows you what they like and what they're good at, how creative they are, what their...

Every college admissions season I see students get frustrated, overwhelmed, and confused by all the college apps advice out there. It feels like well-meaning teachers, counselors, parents, and college prep companies seem to just parrot the same few pieces of college apps advice: be well-rounded, show you're a hard worker, be the most qualified candidate in order to stand out. 

Here's my problem with all of this. Most of these strategies are outdated, and they set you up to fail with impossible standards. And the main reason these tips don't work? They force you to be someone other than yourself. And we don't do that around here.

Even my favorite piece of standard college application advice, "just be yourself!" comes with the slight undertone that being yourself might not be good enough. 

So much of academics is rooted in perfectionism. Getting the right answer, working as hard as possible, being good at everything.... it's all about proving that you're...

This year, one of my students scored an almost-perfect 1580 on the SAT! Until then, the record was 1560, held by my former client (now student writer) Preeta Kamat. As we head into testing season, I want to give you as many tips as possible for you to get your dream SAT score, so I went directly to the source! I interviewed my student to ask what really made the difference in her SAT prep and see what she recommends for any student who's trying to earn a competitive score.

My student has asked to remain anonymous until she submits her college applications, so she will be referred to as "student" for the purposes of this article.

Courtney: First of all, congratulations!! What an amazing accomplishment. I'm so excited for you. I want to be sure I give my students the full picture though... so tell me a little about your SAT experience.

Student: I think my experience can be compared to a rollercoaster ride. There were definitely some moments when I just wanted to give up....

With standardized testing season in full swing, I’m sure you’re being bombarded with testing advice. I remember feeling pulled in a million directions by conflicting advice while preparing for my first SAT. From family to older friends to online sources, it seemed like there were too many ways to approach this test. Even more confusing was choosing the right one. 

Now a sophomore at Northwestern, I think I’ve ironed out what works and, more importantly, what doesn’t. Funnily enough, some of the popular test taking strategies worked horrendously for me; tips from online don’t necessarily translate to the perfect test-taking strategy. If you’re having trouble deciding what works best, here are some of my test-taking recommendations. 

DON’T: Do every single practice problem available to you. 

DO: Target your practice to areas of improvement. 

While it’s true that practice makes perfect, not all practice is created...