Estrela Consulting Blog

“But…what counts?” A common question vocalized by many high school students as they consider their extracurricular choices. Decoding their question, what they mean to ask is: "What will impress college admission officers?" The answer is both strangely simple and deep...YOU. You will impress college admission representatives. Or, at least, that’s the goal.

Summer is coming! Summer is coming! Every year we hear from parents seeking our input on what their children should do during summer vacation to "make their applications look better" or to make them a "stronger applicant." While it's true that the summer months are a great time to do SOMETHING, the question is whether what that something is really matters on your college applications.

At the dinner party of social media sites, LinkedIn may not be as eye-catching as Instagram or as entertaining as TikTok, but what it lacks in charm, LinkedIn more than makes up for with its forward thinking and resourcefulness. As the most popular platform for professional and career networking, LinkedIn offers an abundance of resources for those wanting to engage in career development. And ...

At first glance, the Activities List seems like a straightforward section of the Common Application; a simple place to list up to 10 extracurricular activities and describe your personal involvement and contributions. In reality, it is one of the unique opportunities for an admissions committee to gain an understanding of who you really are as a person and to see beyond your GPA and test scores. ...

More than 300 college admissions deans (and growing) have signed a statement about what they expect and value in the admission process during this time. Here is just a snippet of the "why":