DavidAltshuler,M.S. That organic chemistry makes more sociology majors than it does doctors is well known. Less obvious, is that colleges who claim that “92% of our pre-medical students are admitted to medical school!” are not quite telling the whole story. The 92 % figure may be accurate, but what happened to those bright eyed first-year students…Read the full article
The temperature in the high 80s with 100% humidity at mile 20 of a recent marathon, my friend Daniel glanced down as we stumbled by a line of broken, twitching bodies writhing on the side of the road, runners unable to continue. We weren’t in significantly better shape ourselves–pasty, salty skin, achy and miserable–but we…Read the full article
Which small colleges in the Pacific Northwest have a competitive women’s varsity volleyball team and a strong musical theater department? Which Midwestern universities have support for students with learning differences and good Greek life? Which colleges have the best four-year and six-year graduation rates? Which colleges have the highest percentage of alumni contributions? Which liberal…Read the full article
College admissions counselors are taught to communicate that “Admissions is a match to be made, not a game to be won.” We are trained to help parents understand that a child who is academically and socially well suited to a university is more likely to succeed there than one who doesn’t fit. Consider John, whose…Read the full article
April showers will bring college admissions decisions this week and although “fat envelopes”-filled with roommate selection, immunization and myriad other forms-have been replaced by lengthy emails with links, the elation and sadness remain constant across generations. Thin envelopes still represent “we had too many qualified applicants.” Fat envelopes remain the door to a world of…Read the full article
One of my running buddies is, by any objective measure, absurdly successful. He is blissfully happy in his personal life with a supportive, accomplished, well-spoken wife. They are that rare couple who met young, fell hopelessly in love, have been happily married forever, and now have three adolescent children whom they adore. Professionally, Ben is…Read the full article
Envision vicious combatants locked in a zero-sum game in which only a small number can survive and only one can triumph. Imagine the contestants scratching, clawing, and punching one another for any and every competitive advantage. “Omni contra omni” wrote Hobbs. “All against all.” No quarter asked or given. Winner take all and devil take…Read the full article
Did you, by any chance, buy Qualcomm for two dollars a share in 1992? If you were that prescient, did you sell all your Qualcomm holdings eight years later for $75 a share? Because had you invested ten thousand dollars at the start of the run-up, you would have walked out of the casino with…Read the full article
I want a wife who works, who works out, who takes care of the kids, takes care of herself, takes care of me. I want her to be creative at work and creative in bed. I want her to be a tireless helpmate, to understand herself, her husband, and our relationship. I want her to…Read the full article
When Harvard University denied Warren Buffet’s candidacy for admission, the university smiled on two out of three applicants. Today, Harvard admits two applicants out of 33, around six percent. “Competitive” as admissions may be at some schools, there is a growing sense in our culture that attending college is no longer about acquiring skills, developing…Read the full article