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

Category: College Admissions

Reciprocal, Stoic, Sycophantic! Aliens, Zebras!

Jonathan’s profile is over flowing with modest grades in English, poor verbal test scores. He has never read a book that was not assigned and has overlooked many books that were. His most articulate replies in the classroom are mono-syllabic grunts, yet Jonathan’s college admissions essays are replete with “plethoras,”

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More College Admissions Scams

Sometimes the hucksters are so mind-numbingly feckless that they contradict themselves in the same paragraph of their hard sell, sales piece. Imagine if someone communicated both of the following statements: “I’m mailing your check today” AND “I’m 200 fathoms deep in a nuclear submarine off the coast of Komsolsky.” “How’s

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The Mentality of the Old Country

I could not be more proud of my student, Robbie. From 15 years of age until his 20th birthday, Robbie smoked pot daily, stole from his parents, and lied every time he opened his mouth. In college, his major was being a general pain in the ass. He refused to

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Oh, You Shouldn’t Have.

No list of “The Greatest Movies of All Time” is complete without including Orson Wells’s 1940 tour de force, “Citizen Kane.” The following dialog seems to predict conversations in my office 71 years after the film was produced: KANE As far as you’re concerned, Susan, I’ve never wanted anything –

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Choose Your Story, Part Three: Outlaw at the Gates

Dr. Johnson defined second marriage as “the triumph of hope over experience.” Darren and Isabel were both determined to make it work after disastrous first attempts. But there was a stressor that was tearing them up. Not Isabel’s three needy daughters from her first husband. They were an economic and

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Choose Your Story, Part Two: Brothers at Arms

Barry and Jonathan’s computer repair and website design business was nearing the end of its five-year run. Their warehouse was small; there was barely room for all the blame that the brothers threw back and forth. The technological entrepreneurs, aged 29 and 30, were angry at themselves and at each

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Go, Now.

Remember how in The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, one of Douglas Adams’s characters is responsible for summarizing the planet earth? In as few words as possible? Because the encyclopedia for which he writes has limited space? Space is at a premium because there are well over a billion

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Lori’s Brain

I now devote myself full time to helping children and their families choose and apply to colleges and working with troubled teens. But for 20 years I ran a tutoring and test prep shop. My friends and I, most of whom I met in graduate school, would help students prepare

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Life Test

Life is an exam. Failure is not an option. There is only one score card. Before elucidating the scoring system, here is a paragraph about myself: I live on the top floor of the Plaza Hotel in New York City. My 2.3 children go to Cornell and Princeton respectively. My

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Say it Ain’t So

There is no debate over which year was the Greatest Year in the hundred year history of baseball.* You might think that there would be discussion among barflies, tailgaters, and fans from different cities across the country. You might expect a spirited conversation with reasoned arguments, endless statistics and salty

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