thinktango
Marin

We serve our clientele through a multitude of services both typical and atypical, including academic evaluations, standardized test preparation, school selection, curricular and extracurricular management, interview techniques, and application completion. In addition, we offer our services in life coaching, gap-year alternatives, athletic recruitment, and international applications.
  • Educational Consulting
  • Test Preparation
  • Application Assistance
  • Graduate Services
  • cAmPPLICATION
  • FAQ

thinktango
World

Our desire to share our proven programs and intimate approach fostered the development of thinktango world, a full-service expansion of our local, private practice.
  • International Offices
  • FAQ

ttTrue

ttTrue, thinktango's independent global evaluation service, is committed to setting the benchmark for ethical, professional standards in the field of international scholarly evaluation. As practicing experts on US and foreign education and application creation, our nuanced evaluations are prepared with integrity and pragmatic knowledge by our consultants who are not only fluent in the requisite languages, but are also on site locally to translate, interview, test, evaluate, verify, and validate documents and claims both within and beyond the classroom. This service was designed to serve both foreign students applying to US institutions as well as the institutions themselves.

The function of ttTrue is to substantiate, through independent means, the veracity of non-US test scores, transcripts, course descriptions, English competency, writing ability, and essay production on college and university applications.

thinktango
Concierge

  • How?
  • Services
  • FAQ

thinktango cAmPPLICATION

The paragon of our Application Writing Programs, cAmPPLICATION is highly sought after, extremely rigorous, and uniquely effective. Because this component of our Undergraduate Services has a four-year Waitlist of interested 8th graders, freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, all open seats are offered on a first come, first serve basis. Please contact us for more information.
  • cAmPPLICATION 2020 (waitlist status)
  • cAmPPLICATION 2021 (enrollment begins September 2020)

thinktango
Publishing

CKP was first established to produce our acclaimed Cryptid Kids Series, and has grown into a global repository of page-worthy youth achievement. By publishing exciting works from an up and coming community of young people, CKP provides a tangible way for the world’s youth to share the extraordinary written accomplishments.

thinktango Philanthropy

We at thinktango believe that compassionate action is the foundation of integrity. As global citizens, the ability to engage with and consider others is a simple yet profound concept. thinktango Philanthropy constitutes an assemblage of global aid and cooperation through our participatory service operations. Click for more information.
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thinktango began with a simple hand written request. I was studying Mandarin in Taiwan in 1989 when a uniformed gentleman knocked on my door and presented me with a note requesting my presence at the American Club that evening. Intrigued, I rode my bicycle through Taibei in rush hour traffic to arrive at an unexpected dinner in my honor. Dusty and curious, I took my seat at a table of ten smiling faces. Before the main course was served, the topic of American higher education took center stage, and I was bombarded with admission questions. By dessert, the five families who had treated me to dinner became my first clients, and as such, I became a reluctant, albeit enthusiastic, college counselor.

Corresponding with US colleges and universities was challenging before the mainstream use of the Internet, and it seemed that when I was not studying Chinese or sleeping, I was preparing students for the SAT exam or fielding questions about majors and entrance essays. That spring, when the results were mailed, all five of my students obtained admission to the school of their choice. Word spread quickly, and throughout my time in Taibei, I helped many expatriate and Chinese families with the college process. I very much enjoyed the experience, but when my studies in Taiwan came to an end, I returned to the United States to continue with my own education.

Graduate school brought new opportunities to travel back to Asia. It didn’t take long before I began tutoring for the TOEFL, ACT, and SAT in Beijing, Hong Kong, Japan and India. In time, I added graduate exams like the GRE, GMAT, LSAT and MCAT to my repertoire, and I continued to counsel students on appropriate programs and aid them with their application essays.

After spending years back and forth between California and Asia working on my doctorate, studying cultural medicine, and conducting fieldwork, I decided to move back to the States permanently. I wrote, I taught, I practiced my profession. Living in an affluent county just across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco, I was surrounded by families who were trying to navigate the increasingly complex college process. Recommendations from my time abroad continued to follow me, and I soon developed a small, but thriving practice based solely on word of mouth. Still employed elsewhere, I kept my practice small. Within three years, the volume had grown unmanageable and I decided to engage with college counseling as a full-time profession, and as such, pursued the relevant coursework; thinktango education + admission consultants was the culmination of my circuitous route to private practice.

Working with Bay Area families has been tremendously rewarding and enormously successful. Focusing on relationships, service, authenticity, and quality, we limit our one-on-one domestic clientele to less than two dozen students each year. Beginning as early as freshman year, we guide students through the process of test preparation, curricular and extracurricular offerings, college and major selection and application creation, including essays and supplemental materials.

From 2008 - 2019 (based on EA and ED results) more than 95% of our students who worked with us for application production were admitted to one of their top three choices. As a result of our expertise, successes and exclusivity, an interesting business model emerged: our rates made our services inaccessible to the majority, but our waitlist was filled years in advance. We have tried to solve this “problem” by expanding our services with seminars, workshops, and group programs that are economically more viable but maintain the same level of excellence and commitment. Yet, even with all of our exciting new offerings, we still cannot serve all the students who would like to work with us. In an effort to reach out to these students both within the United States and internationally, we are in the process of creating a web-based platform that mirrors our philosophy and employs our proven methodology – and so we present thinktango world. From the Bay Area to Beijing and Timbuktu to Taibei, our journey has come full circle and we can now serve a thriving global community.

Thank you for your interest in our company,
Shari

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Shari studied for her Ph.D. as a UC Presidential Scholar. In her Dissertation entitled, At the Crossroads of Identity and Modernity: Trauma Narratives in Exile, she explored the interface between medicine, politics and religion in the China/Tibet/India region. Her fieldwork with Tibetan refugees and clinical experience in India and China led to her expertise in cultural medicine, specifically in diagnosing PTSD in non-western countries. She has studied psychiatric medicine in California, Beijing, Tibet, and Dharmsala. Additionally, Shari has received three Masters Degrees and earned her undergraduate degree at Georgetown University where she played DI Tennis. Shari studied abroad at Oxford University, Beijing University, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Taiwan University, Tibet Menzekang in India, and Sophia University in Japan.

Shari has won many distinguished awards, and has been the recipient of over a dozen prestigious graduate grants and fellowships including the Fulbright Grant (US Department of State), Pacific Rim Research Grant, National Security Agency (NSA) Language Award, Blakemore Freeman Fellowship and the Rhodes Scholarship (declined). She has founded and continues to fund mental health clinics in Himalayan communities in northern India. The Tibetan Government-in-Exile has utilized her therapeutic questionnaires on torture, trauma and psychosocial illness as their official data-collecting instrument. Shari has consulted for Amnesty International, Medecins Sans Frontiers, and the World Health Organization.

Proficient in many languages, including Chinese, Japanese, Tibetan, French, etc., Shari has traveled the globe and has studied, lived, worked and taught throughout the world. Additionally, she has home schooled children domestically and internationally, as well as lectured at top Universities worldwide. Shari has read for admission committees at both the undergraduate and the graduate level, and has nearly two decades of experience preparing students for international, undergraduate and graduate standardized tests including TOEFL, SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT, LSAT, and MCAT.

Currently, Shari is overseeing operations of worldwide health clinics, conducting seminars and lectures worldwide, working on education curriculum, and running her education + admission consultancy company, thinktango, as the founding CEO and head consultant in the California office. The three most recent manifestations of Shari’s interests and experiences are her grassroots non-profit organizations: Bare No More, which interactively disseminates donated clothing to impoverished, disenfranchised, and war-torn locations through out the world; Life Like a Story Lived, a high-tech, multilingual database that catalogues the first-hand accounts and narratives of our elders; and Cryptid Kids Publishing, a publishing company that not only publishes thinktango’s acclaimed Cryptidkids Series, but also disseminates the work of talented youth from around the globe.

Chloe graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sociology from St. John’s University in 2018. Although she began as a Criminal Justice major specializing in Forensic Psychology, she swiftly realized that her fascination with the discipline was not based in aspirations to enter law enforcement, but rather in pursuit of a more holistic understanding of the impacts of society on humanity.

Chloe’s love of academia and consistent prioritization of helping others perfectly align with thinktango’s exceptional educational philosophy that prizes both intellectual and emotional growth. She believes that understanding garnered through education is the crucial first step to interpersonal growth and philanthropic endeavors, and as such, is a vehement proponent of equal access to higher education.

Chloe, as a first generation University student, has learned that diversity of thought enriches communication and fosters understanding, while inclusive global experiences highlight our shared humanity.

A proponent of the importance of a strong administrative support team, Chloe takes pride in finding innovative ways to make each student’s process a little more efficient and a lot more fun. In her free time, she enjoys finding new recipes to cook or bake and periodically catching up on pop culture.

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In the most difficult application cycles in history, 2009-2019, 99% of our students who worked with us for test preparation, college counseling and application production were admitted to one of their top three choices, and 90% of these students were admitted early.

This is extraordinary as, according to NACAC, a majority of colleges and universities reported increases for each of the following: total applications (62 percent); Early Decision applications (51 percent); Early Action applications (68 percent).

The following list reflects those schools in which our students have been accepted.

UNITED STATES UNIVERSITIES
Allegheny College
American University
Amherst College
Arizona State University
Babson College
Bard College
Barnard College
Bennington College
Boston College
Boston University
Bowdoin College
Brandies University
Brown University
Bryn Mawr College
Bucknell University
California Institute of Technology
Carnegie Mellon University
Case Western Reserve University
Catholic University of America
Chapman University
Claremont McKenna
Colby College
Colgate University
College of the Holy Cross
College of William and Mary
Colorado College
Columbia College
Connecticut College
Cooper Union
Cornell University
Dartmouth College
Davidson College
Denison University
DePauw University
Dickinson College
Drew University
Drexel University
Duke University
Elon University
Emerson College
Emory University
Florida Institute of Technology
Florida State University
Fordham University
Franklin and Marshall College
Gates College
George Washington University
Georgetown University
Georgia Institute of Technology
Gettysburg College

Goucher College
Grinnell College
Hampshire College
Harvard University
Harvey Mudd College
Haverford College
Hiram College
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Hofstra University
Howard University
Ithaca College
Johns Hopkins University
Kalamazoo College
Kenyon College
Lafayette College
Lehigh University
Lewis & Clark College
Loyola Marymont University
Macalester College
Marlboro College
Marquette University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Middlebury College
Mount Holyoke College
New York University
Northeastern University
Northwestern University
Oberlin College
Occidental College
Ohio State University
Oregon State University
Pennsylvania State University
Pepperdine University
Pitzer College
Pomona College
Princeton University
Purdue University
Reed College
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rhode Island School of Design
Rice University
Rochester Institute of Technology
Rollins College
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Rutgers University
Saint Mary’s College
Santa Clara University
Sarah Lawrence College
Scripps College
Skidmore College
Smith College

Southern Methodist University
St. Johns College
Stanford University
State University of New York Binghamton University
State University of New York Buffalo
State University of New York Stony Brook
State University of New York University at Albany
Swarthmore College
Syracuse University
Texas A&M University
The Evergreen State College
The Franklin W. Olin College of
Trinity College
Trinity University
Tufts University
Tulane University
University of Arizona
University of California Berkeley
University of California Davis
University of California Irvine
University of California Los Angeles
University of California Riverside
University of California San Diego
University of California Santa Barbara
University of California Santa Cruz
University of Chicago
University of Colorado, Boulder
University of Connecticut
University of Delaware
University of Denver
University of Florida
University of Georgia
University of Hawaii
University of Kentucky
University of Madison, Wisconsin
University of Maryland
University of Massachusetts Amherst
University of Miami
University of Michigan
University of New Mexico
University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill)
University of Notre Dame
University of Oregon
University of Pacific
University of Pennsylvania
University of Puget Sound
University of Redlands
University of Rhode Island
University of Richmond
University of Rochester
University of San Diego

University of San Francisco
University of South Carolina
University of Southern California (USC)
University of Texas at Austin
University of Utah
University of Vermont
University of Virginia
University of Washington
Vanderbilt University
Vassar College
Villanova University
Virginia Polytechnic Institute
Wake Forrest University
Washington & Lee University
Washington and Jefferson College
Washington University in St. Louis
Wellesley College
Wesleyan College
Wheaton College (MA)
Whitman College
Whittier College
Willamette University
Williams College
Yale University
CANADIAN UNIVERSITIES
McGill University
Queens University
University of British Columbia
University of Toronto
BRITISH UNIVERSITIES
Bristol University
Cambridge University
London School of Economics
Oxford University
University of St. Andrews

*There are a plethora of international schools to which our students have been accepted in countries such as France, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Germany, Scotland, Australia, and the UK.

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Email: thinktango@gmail.com
Send us an email!

Phone: (415) 897-4977

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thinktango’s holistic approach to education and academic counseling imbues our dedicated students with self-awareness and self-confidence. Each individually constructed program is dynamic, yet specifically tailored to our students’ needs, interests, and expectations. From early education to graduate school admission, personalized action plans empower our clients to realistically and successfully navigate the challenges of a competitive admissions process.

Educational Consulting

Programs Description Junior High Student Rising Freshman/Sophomore /Junior/Senior Transfer College Student Graduate Student In-field Professional
High School We offer our informed expertise for private and parochial high school admission.
College/University We provide professional, compassionate, and comprehensive college and university guidance on institutions throughout the world. All information is tailored specifically to the individual student.
Graduate School We offer high-level guidance on discipline-specific graduate programs, as well as Business, Law, Dental, Veterinary, and Medical School consultations.
Professional
/Career Change
We provide industry informed guidance on educational opportunities, requirements, and programs necessary to facilitate employment or a successful career change. We also offer our services on resumes, cover letters, and interviews

Undergraduate College Consulting

Programs Description Rising Freshman Rising Sophomore Rising Junior Rising Senior Transfer
Initial Consultation During our initial family meeting we will discuss the student’s experience, performance, and goals. We provide an overview of the college process including testing information, options, and suggestions. Tailored to the student’s grade level and development, we will create a strategic action plan that includes suggestions on high school courses, extracurricular activities, service and leadership options, internships and summer opportunities, and preliminary college ideas and college visiting strategies.
Education
& Academic Counseling
During these 60-minute counseling sessions, we provide clear, informed, and professional guidance. Topics run the gamut from high school course selection, extracurricular and summer activities, community and service initiatives, college identification and list creation, college visits, college majors/minors, college-specific academic programs, interview techniques, essay brainstorming, learning difference, transfer applications, etc. We routinely discuss student goals, adjust action plans, and answer all questions with student specific responses.
Athletic Recruiting
Admissions Counseling
Designed for student athletes who plan to compete inter-collegiately in NCAA Division I, II, or III, these counseling sessions combine athletic recruitment with admissions counseling.
Learning Differences During these one-on-one counseling sessions, we help students select colleges with comprehensive LD support. Additionally, we provide guidance for addressing learning differences in the college application.
Gap Year During these counseling sessions, we offer inspiration, options, and recommendations for the gap year. We also discuss deferrals, writing and submitting the college application after high school graduation, and the admission effects of taking a gap year.
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Our weekly, one-on-one SAT/ACT sessions are exceptional and exclusively available through recommendation, as we limit our testing enrollment to approximately a dozen domestic families each year.

High School Testing Preparation

Tests Description K-8 Students
HSPT
COOP
SSAT
We offer comprehensive test preparation for high school entrance exams. We concentrate on both content confidence and standardized testing techniques that will prove of great benefit going forward into the SAT and ACT preparation cycle.

College Test Preparation (Test Prep)

Tests Description Rising Freshman Rising Sophomore Rising Junior Rising Senior Rising Transfer International
PSAT (preSAT)
PLAN (preACT)
In preparation for these preliminary or predictive standardized college exams, we focus on content confidence, time management and personal strategy.
SAT
ACT
Because many students do not initially recognize whether the SAT or ACT best suits their abilities, we have created a parallel preparation program that effectively treats the SAT and ACT together. Our unique approach actually enables our students to benefit from the complementary preparation until they are able to select the most appropriate exam for their admission goals. At that point, we narrow our focus and teach specifically to either the SAT or ACT.
SAT II The requirements for these subject driven one-hour exams vary from school to school. We prepare our students for these tests by providing a detailed study guide, tutoring services, practice tests, correction sessions, and strategy development.
TOEFL We offer comprehensive preparation for the iBT TOEFL through student specific curriculum. We emphasis interactive instruction for the listening section, content confidence in the reading and writing sections, overall time and stress management and individual strategy.
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Our full-service application preparation includes essay workshops, intensive summer camps, weekly composing sessions and private application strategy, writing, and editing. We serve as engaged guides, facilitating the creative and administrative processes as much or as little as each family desires.

Undergraduate Applications

Programs Description Rising Freshman Rising Sophomore Rising Junior Rising Senior Transfer
One-on-One Writing One-on-one completion of Common Application and supplemental essays.
cAmPPLICATION In this 80+ hour, 8-day camp, students will create a balanced and appropriate college list, research relevant college offerings, receive personal guidance about majors, programs, universities, etc., and brainstorm reflective, authentic and multifaceted application essays. Finally, the Common Application (The Personal Essay and short Essay), Brag Sheet, Aspiration Essay, State Application (i.e. UC, SUNY, etc.), Why school X Summaries, and other short essays will be written, edited and completed. This intensive and intimate summer camp (6 students per session) is designed to alleviate stress, prevent senior year burnout, and allow students to concentrate on their seventh semester grades, extracurricular activities, and college supplements come senior year.
Boot cAmPPLICATION An intensive 4-day, 3-person camp, similar to our cAmPPLICATION without the extras. The campers will complete the Common Application (Personal Statement and short essay) Brag Sheet, and Aspiration Essay. This camp is best suited to those students who have already identified the colleges to which they will apply and their potential major.
Summer Supplement Seminar (S3) A 21-hour long, weekend workshop during which students will brainstorm, draft, and edit Supplemental Essays in the same low-risk, low-stress, high-reward, high-quality environment as cAmPPLICATION.
Supplemental Sundays Intimate Sunday camps (3-4 people) created to complete supplemental essays in a supportive and productive environment that mirrors our summer camps.
Application Review A review of application materials completed outside of thinktango. We will advise on red flags, balance, interest, authenticity and appropriateness given the student’s grades, coursework and activities.
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thinktango’s Graduate Services mirror our Undergraduate Services, and provide high level, one-on-one guidance, test preparation, and application completion based on each student’s individual needs and goals.

From school selection and application strategy to professional presentation and essay creation, thinktango’s Graduate Services empower deliberate and intelligent action and minimize stress and uncertainty. Whether still a full time college student, employed in the field, or in a state of flux, our Graduate Services provide organization, program-specific expertise, guidance, and successful management of every stage of the admission process.

We offer:

Tests Description Rising College Seniors/
College Seniors
Post College
Graduation
GRE Our CAT GRE instruction is student specific and highly detailed, enabling those students who wish to attend selective graduate programs to achieve excellent scores. Our curriculum emphasizes content confidence, time management, and personal strategy.
GMAT Our CAT GMAT instruction is student specific and highly detailed, enabling those students who wish to attend selective MBA programs to achieve excellent scores. Our comprehensive curriculum emphasizes content confidence, time management, and personal strategy.
LSAT Our LSAT instruction is student specific and highly detailed, enabling those students who wish to attend selective Law Schools to achieve excellent scores. Our comprehensive curriculum emphasizes content confidence, time management, and personal strategy.
MCAT Our MCAT instruction is student specific and highly detailed, enabling those students who wish to attend selective Medical Schools to achieve excellent scores. Our comprehensive curriculum emphasizes content confidence, time management, and personal strategy.
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Frequently Asked Questions

What is a thinktango?

The collaboration of thinking, creating, and preparing with a highly skilled and professional mentor over time, progresses like a dance – fluid and orchestrated. A “think” tango, like the tango itself, is a response to many cultural and personal elements, and is defined by world influences, individual styles, and faceted experiences.


Where is thinktango located?

We are located in northern California in the Bay Area, about twenty minutes north of the Golden Gate Bridge in Marin County.


I do not live in the Bay Area. Can I still utilize thinktango’s services?

Certainly. We work with students all over the United States and throughout the world. Depending on availability and preference, we are able to offer our services in person or remotely, via Internet video, Skype, phone, or email. All of our students, regardless of location, benefit from our unique methodology.

For our Concierge Clients, we are able to travel at certain intervals throughout the year to meet with you face to face at your location of choice. If interested, please inquire about these services directly with Mariah at 415-897-4977.


Does thinktango only work with students who aspire to attend the top schools in the United States and the world?

No. We welcome students with many levels of talents, skills, achievements, and aspirations. The common thread amongst our students is their earnest commitment to the process; each thinktango student has the personal drive, discipline, and determination to identify and pursue his or her unique goals.


When should I begin the college process with thinktango?

You are welcome to schedule an Initial Consultation or attend a preliminary lecture, seminar, or workshop at any time, but thinktango’s programs for college-bound students do not begin until 9th grade. Our Early Guidance programs for 9th and 10th graders will allow our student to receive guidance prior to the start of the application process, which generally begins in the spring prior to senior year. Once the student enters the second semester of 11th grade, it is time to embark on the application process.


How many hours of consulting, test prep or essay editing will I need?

It varies for each student and depends greatly on several factors, including the student's academic and personal history and his or her college admission goals. During an Initial Consultation we will create a preliminary strategic action plan based the student’s academic and extracurricular record, as well as his or her interests, achievements and goals.


I just have a few specific questions. May I speak with a thinktango consultant without an Initial Consultation?

Admission guidance depends on factors and information unique to the student and his/her academic and personal history and goals. Therefore, we need to do a thorough review in order to provide advice and accurate and comprehensive answers to questions. All general questions can be addressed at any time via telephone or email.


I would like to work with thinktango, what is the first step?

You may call us at 415-897-4977 or email us at thinktango@gmail.com to schedule an Initial Consultation. Prior to the consultation, we will do an in-depth review of the student's dossier, including transcripts, test scores, extracurricular involvement and more. This will ensure the most productive consultation possible.


Why is thinktango not capitalized?

Paralleling our origins and methodology respectively, thinktango’s lettering is simple and unique.


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The paragon of our Application Writing Programs, cAmPPLICATION is highly sought after, extremely rigorous, and uniquely effective. Because this component of our Undergraduate Services has a four-year Waitlist of interested 8th graders, freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, all open seats are offered on a first come, first serve basis. Please contact us for more information.

Overview of Program:

Documents Produced during Camp:

Document Description
College Matrix This matrix is a finalized list of schools to which a student will apply; it includes safety, possible and reach schools. Additionally, the matrix serves as a one-page roadmap for application production outlining application due dates, required testing and interviews, as well as the type of application needed. The schools are selected after intense one-on-one counseling, dossier evaluation, and an understanding of the student's future goals.
Top 3 College
Profiles
At least three full outlines of why each specific school appeals to the student, these outlines will cite specific academic programs, activities, clubs, location, opportunities, etc. These profiles are then used as the basis for any "Why School X" essays required in many supplemental applications.
Academic and
Professional Aspirations
This full essay explains what the student wants to achieve in their academic and professional future. Students describe why they want to study what they want to study-usually expressing a deep passion for their intended field or the history/progression of their developing interest. This essay also serves as the essay answer to the "Why Study X" question seen on many supplemental applications.
Extracurricular
Activities/Brag Sheet
This student résumé from grades 9-12 is arranged in a specific college accepted format that includes titles, positions, descriptions, years of participation, and hours per week and weeks per year of participation.
Extracurricular
Activities Summaries
These short essays explain at least two or more important activities with which the student has been involved and why each is significant to him/her. These summaries are used as short essays required on the Common Application, State Application, and Independent Applications. Any unused summaries/short essays are used for additional essays on supplemental materials, and/or for additional enclosures to show the student's wealth of experience and multi-faceted nature.
Personal Statement This is "The College Essay." It is used on all applications including the Common Application, State Applications, and Independent Applications. This document is a special 500-600 word essay that reveals the characteristics and qualities of the applicant not seen elsewhere. It is often a balance for the other material and can take a serious, humorous or philosophical tone. The topic is free choice, and can be as diverse as the global population. The only commonality among all the essays is that each should represent the very best of which the student is capable.

Boot cAmPPLICATION

Overview of Program:

Documents Produced during Camp:

Document Description
College Matrix This matrix is a finalized list of schools to which a student will apply; it includes safety, possible and reach schools. Additionally, the matrix serves as a one-page roadmap for application production outlining application due dates, required testing and interviews, as well as the type of application needed. The schools are selected after intense one-on-one counseling, dossier evaluation, and an understanding of the student's future goals.
Top 3 College
Profiles
At least three full outlines of why each specific school appeals to the student, these outlines will cite specific academic programs, activities, clubs, location, opportunities, etc. These profiles are then used as the basis for any "Why School X" essays required in many supplemental applications.
Academic and
Professional Aspirations
This full essay explains what the student wants to achieve in their academic and professional future. Students describe why they want to study what they want to study-usually expressing a deep passion for their intended field or the history/progression of their developing interest. This essay also serves as the essay answer to the "Why Study X" question seen on many supplemental applications.
Extracurricular
Activities/Brag Sheet
This student résumé from grades 9-12 is arranged in a specific college accepted format that includes titles, positions, descriptions, years of participation, and hours per week and weeks per year of participation.
Extracurricular
Activities Summaries
These short essays explain at least two or more important activities with which the student has been involved and why each is significant to him/her. These summaries are used as short essays required on the Common Application, State Application, and Independent Applications. Any unused summaries/short essays are used for additional essays on supplemental materials, and/or for additional enclosures to show the student's wealth of experience and multi-faceted nature.
Personal Statement This is "The College Essay." It is used on all applications including the Common Application, State Applications, and Independent Applications. This document is a special 500-600 word essay that reveals the characteristics and qualities of the applicant not seen elsewhere. It is often a balance for the other material and can take a serious, humorous or philosophical tone. The topic is free choice, and can be as diverse as the global population. The only commonality among all the essays is that each should represent the very best of which the student is capable.