<p>That's an excellent question! I don't know how they will adjust the AI -- I would imagine they'll just average all 3 scores, but who knows? I know they haven't ruled yet, so we'll keep attentive.</p>
<p>In A is for Admission I have a conversion scale for the ACT which can be used in place of the SAT I's. I don't know the whole table in my head, but it is there.</p>
<p>No revision for A is for Admission in the works yet (the new one was 1999 I think), but I keep writing more books! Thanks for the suggestions,
M</p>
<p>
[quote]
And Interesteddad, is there any way you could post a sample or two of the kind of essay you find particularly effective?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>No, because what I find to be effective varies so much from student to student. They really have to be judged individually.</p>
<p>I've read several successful (by the only measure that counts!) essays for Swarthmore and they are all very different. Conversely, I know that two Swarthmore parents here read one successful essay. One of us absolutely hated it, thought it was terrible. The other loved it. Go figure!</p>
<p>The common links in the successful ones is that they were all somewhat personal -- not so much describing activities as communicating feelings, or responses, or humor, or some personality trait emerging from those activities. They all had some humility, as in not trying to "puff" up the activities, or draw grand sweeping conclusions. None were big "overcoming adversity" or particularly "heavy" essays -- in fact, they were all pretty breezy.</p>
<p>Michelle, I don't know if you're still hanging out on the boards, but I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your newest book. </p>
<p>I've now read your all of your books, Harvard Schmarvard, and Chuck Hughes' book. The emotional swings I've experienced while reading these have borne a marked similarity to Kubler Ross's 5 stages of accepting a terminal illness...in this case the sickness of applying to elite colleges. I'm now accepting the difficulty of the process and the most likely outcome that my child won't get into her dream school, no matter how smart she is, but was still lingering in the depression stage when I found your new book. It is the ONLY book that 1) addresses the kids (not the parents) and 2) injects the realism about the process that many kids and parents don't want to hear...in a POSITIVE and ACTION-ORIENTED way! For the first time, I felt that, although my kid may ultimately not get into the prestigious school she thinks she desires, she WILL get into the college that's right for her and has the tips she needs to show her best self to the adcoms. I dog-eared several pages and put it on the table next to her backpack. I actually saw her pick it up, start leafing through the pages, and then take it with her to the kitchen table to read while she ate her breakfast this morning. Thank you!</p>
<p>Okay, you made my day! That's so nice of you. Now of course you are REQUIRED to go to Amazon and write a review of my new book! Spread the word.</p>
<p>I appreciate all the feedback -- I love reading and trying to help families on the CC board. Thanks again :-)</p>
<p>aisforadmission - Michelle, thanks for writing your books ... I have found them very helpful and I'm sure my kids will also. When asked for books to read about college admissions yours is always on the short list I recommend ... thanks again!</p>
<p>gatekeepers was really interesting! and im a student, not a parent.
haha except i agree with you NewHope33, that damn brownie girl was soo irritating. i wanted to kick her.</p>
<p>ps. i will definitely read a is for admission now too</p>
<p>pps. marilee jones, the dean of admissions at MIT, came and talked at my school a few months ago about admissions and the ridiculous stress it puts kids under. she had some good points but it was kind of hard to take coming from her, the dean of admissions at one of the craziest/hardest-to-get-into schools out there...
the worst part was that the day after she visited, MIT came out with a brochure that essentially said:
"12 Reasons Why MIT is Great....But if you have time to read this list, don't bother applying"</p>