Estrela Consulting Blog

Starting anything new is hard – the first day of a new school year, a new class, getting in shape.  We tend to put these things off, and they linger and linger. Add to that the pressure of wanting it to be “perfect” (which nothing is!), and sitting down to write the common app essay for your college applications can seem pretty daunting!  

They're here! They're here! If you're like us you've been patiently waiting for the 2021-22 Common App Essay Prompts to be announced. The BIG NEWS is that there is a NEW prompt included this year: Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?

Join your crewmates in a multiplayer game of teamwork and betrayal! I recently received a request from my kids to download the game “Among Us” on their iPads. As we do with all of these requests, I checked out what this game was all about before giving the go-ahead. Reading the succinct description above, and being in the thick of college admission season with my students, I immediately thought ...

College application season has almost started, and for many rising seniors this means that it’s about time to start on the Common Application...which includes the dreaded essay. If you’re like me, then you may have found the idea of writing a personal essay to encapsulate yourself for colleges a little stressful, to say the least. Having survived the process with minimal pain, I can safely say ...

The Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA) released this month its 2020 ranking of What Colleges Look for in High School Students, based on a nationwide survey of IECA members. While grades and standardized test scores are near the top of these annual rankings, a number of significant changes and surprises are challenging the assumptions about college admissions. Number 1 on the ...