Author: Gwyneth Findlay

Starting college may feel like going back to school feels every year. It’s in August or September, the month you’ve started classes for most of your life. You’re heading into four months of classes during weekdays – much like every other semester of school you’ve experienced. You’ve spent the last few weeks collecting odds and ends of school supplies and other college essentials, which feels a lot like the annual school supply round-up you’ve done for many years. While these similarities are comforting, the first few weeks at college can be overwhelming, even with college orientation. Here are a few ...

AP courses, year-round extracurriculars and community service look good on college applications. Incidentally, those activities also help you prepare for the demands of college. But some parts of college take a different kind of preparation. Sometimes, you’ll help yourself by doing things that colleges aren’t looking for specifically. Sometimes, the best ways to prepare won’t be visible on your college application or in your college essays at all. When I was in high school, I didn’t check off every box on the list of college preparation courses or join a new club every season. I did, however, take up some ...