David Altshuler, M.S.
(305) 978-8917 | [email protected]

Category: College Admissions

Early Decision

For some time now, I have been trying to figure out why people stop me on the street to tell me that their children have been admitted to highly selective colleges. Yes, I have been an independent college admissions counselor for 30-something years. But no, I don’t have a neon

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Literate Pretzel

1) James won his age group in a small local race recently. He ran 10 kilometers in 50 minutes. How great is that? Of course, many of the more talented runners were contesting other distances–half and full marathons–so the competition was modest. Just the same, James won in the 60-64

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Sun Rise

“Yesterday, I saw the sun rise and the sun set from the same chair.” As the risk of missing the point, I replied, “Must be quite a chair.” “Yeah well, everybody studies hard,” Chad went on. “It’s not competitive necessarily. It’s just that the tests are fairly thorough.” “Thorough,” I

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Much Happiness!

Given how busy everyone is lately I thought I might take the liberty of writing a couple of speeches for you. I know it may seem like the wedding of your son is some years away, but tempus seems to keep on fugit-ing, whatever that means, so let’s not wait

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Score!

There may be some child somewhere for whom higher SAT scores will be important in the college admissions process. For your child, the chances are that higher SAT scores won’t matter at all in determining where she is admitted. Bold statements, I know. But after 30-something years of counseling students

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Cheetahs!

A buddy of mine is a world class distance runner. If I mentioned some of his accomplishments–running across Costa Rica, for example–you would just shake your head in wonder. He is a complete and utter beast. Never having run more than 50 miles in a day myself, I’m in awe

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What are the Odds?

When a slot machine pays out ten thousand dollars, sirens blare, lights flash, and young women in bathing suits crowd around to help pick up the explosion of spewing quarters. The joyful winner bathes in admiration and coins up to his ankles as joyful music plays and the crowd cheers.

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Jefferson on Education

“Educate and inform the whole mass of the people… They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty. That’s as may be, but the issue of who gets educated where remains unresolved 200 years after Jefferson wrote about our fledgling democracy. It is not news that those

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The Idiot-athon

Of all the gloriously exuberant excesses of the “Idiot-athon”, surely the shuttle run was the silliest and the most fun. After running 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 yards out picking up and putting down blocks of wood, competitors were required to remove a plastic bone-the femur if memory serves-in

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Wargames

Before Matthew Broderick was Ferris Bueller and Ally Sheedy was the weird girl in “Breakfast Club,” the kids starred in “War Games,” an uplifting film about global thermonuclear war and the end of all life on the planet, that sort of thing. Spoiler alert: the world does not come to

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Copyright © David Altshuler 1980 – 2022    |    Miami, FL • Charlotte, NC     |    (305) 978-8917    |    [email protected]