<p>Thanks CC. I poked around here and found lots of helpful thoughts and potential advice and came to realize, perhaps at a deeper level, that the most important thing is a good essay. I’ll suggest my kid continue reading broadly, picking up vocabularies along the way, and tackling challenging courses with top grades. He should focus on ECs and community services that will strengthen his ability to think of and come up with good essays when he’s more mature in junior or senior year. Will be back often for thoughts. Many thanks to you, students and parents.</p>