What the New Dean at Pomona Looks for in an Essay - NYTimes.com Home Page Today's Paper Video Most Popular Edition: U.S. / Global Search All NYTimes.com Education World U.S. Politics Education Texas N.Y. / Region Business Technology Science Health Sports Opinion Arts Style Travel Jobs Real Estate Autos January 12, 2012, 1:00 pm Comment What the New Dean at Pomona Looks for in an Essay By JACQUES STEINBERG Higher Education The Choice on India Ink Guidance on American college applications for readers in India from The Times’s admissions blog Visit The Choice Blog » Like The Choice on Facebook » As part of our effort to pass along authoritative guidance on applying to American colleges to an audience of students and families in India, we have recently posted the second installment in a regular Choice series on The New York Times’s India Ink blog. It is an essay by Seth Allen, the new vice president and dean of admissions and financial aid at Pomona College in California, about, well, the essay. While some of Mr. Allen’s advice about constructing admissions essays is particular to our readers abroad (the last of his seven tips is “When applying to schools in the United States, don’t try to ‘Americanize’ your application by focusing on your trip to the United States”), most of what he suggests is entirely relevant to American readers. Stephen Mally for The New York Times Seth Allen, dean of admissions at Pomona College in California Certainly his opening line is a powerful one worth heeding: “The essay just may be the most important aspect of your application to a United States college or university.” We hope you will give the post a look on India Ink, and leave a comment behind as well. Choice on India Ink , college admissions , College Essay , India , Pomona College Previous Post Part 4: Answers on the Fafsa, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid Next Post Part 5: Answers on the Fafsa, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid Add your comments... Your Name Required Your E-mail Required, will not be published Your Comment Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive. For more information, please see our Comments FAQ . Search This Blog Search Previous Post Part 4: Answers on the Fafsa, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid Next Post Part 5: Answers on the Fafsa, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid Follow This Blog Facebook Twitter RSS Welcome to The Choice Making a college list, filing applications, and marshaling the resources to afford an education can be rather intimidating. But it need not be. Join Jacques Steinberg, a New York Times senior editor and author of “The Gatekeepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College,’’ and Tanya Abrams, a higher education reporter for The Times and former high school teacher, as they examine all facets of the college admissions process. Introductory Post, March 26, 2009 » Video : How to Use Our Blog Contact us: thechoicenyt@gmail.com . Guidelines for comments and Why a post might be deleted . This Week: Guidance Office Fafsa Q. and A. Mark Kantrowitz , an expert on paying for college and the founder of FinAid.org, is answering select reader questions about the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Introductory Post Answers: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 Paying for College » The Choice Newsletter Sign Up for Our Weekly Newsletter The Choice is now available in your in-box. To sign up, visit our subscription page and enter your e-mail address. Every week, you'll receive the latest college admissions news and advice from The New York Times. Sign up for The Choice newsletter The Envelope, Please Eight high school seniors from around the world blog their college searches. Meet the Students: Candice Childress | Sush Krishnamoorthy | Will Walker | Thanh-Tran Nguyen | Leobardo Espinoza Jr. | Maimuna Abdi Yussuf | Bryan Stromer | Chandler Buckingham All Posts in the Series » College Planner Counselor's Calendar January College Checklists: Seniors | Juniors Guidance Office Q. and A. With Deans: Harvard | Penn. | Princeton Choosing a College Applying to College Paying for College Mark Kantrowitz: Financial Aid College Cost Calculator » Student Loan Guide » College Acceptance Rates 2013 Early Admission Trends 2012 Acceptance Rates 2012 Yield and Wait List Data Comments of the Moment “ If they were to not give credit for AP classes, I wouldn't even bother taking them . They take up too much time and honestly most of us take them to get credit and to look good.” — Steph Should Colleges Stop Giving Credit for High A.P. Scores? “ Students working this hard for two semesters should not have to slug through a quarter or semester of a survey class in college. That should be saved for the vast ocean of underachievers who hold themselves in high regard.” — M McClure Should Colleges Stop Giving Credit for High A.P. Scores? “ If the issue is truly about the quality of the high school instruction received, why not allow incoming freshmen to take an exam (as the psych students did in the example) to determine whether their AP course translates into college credit?” — Lisa Should Colleges Stop Giving Credit for High A.P. Scores? “ Having had 4 children go through the public school system and all of them taking every AP class that was offered as an alternative, I have become very skeptical and resentful of the whole process. In my experience teachers teach to the test, and boast of their student's success.” — Veronica Should Colleges Stop Giving Credit for High A.P. Scores? “ I congratulate Dartmouth on their brave decision and hope that my institution will do the same.” — Prof. Paul Should Colleges Stop Giving Credit for High A.P. Scores? By the Blogger The Gatekeepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College By Jacques Steinberg Given an unprecedented opportunity to observe the admissions process at Wesleyan University, Mr. Steinberg accompanied an admissions officer for nearly a year as he recruited the nation's most promising students. “The Gatekeepers” follows a diverse group competing for places in elite colleges. Education Life MOOCs: Massive and Multiplying The phenomenal growth of massive open online courses. Also: brain training, vet school, term-paper tips. The Brain Trainers Asian-Americans in the Argument Go to Education Life » Recent Posts January 24 Lessons From a College Student: Finding Your Fit on Campus The author, a sophomore at Barnard College, offers tips to help new college students become "involved and grounded on campus." January 23 Juggling ‘Too Many’ Scholarship Applications, and Learning to Let Go Leobardo Espinoza Jr., a high school senior in Kansas, says that "having a lot of scholarships to consider can be a double-edged sword." January 22 Should Colleges Stop Giving Credit for High A.P. Scores? Dartmouth College has recently announced that it will no longer give college credit to students who score well on Advanced Placement tests. January 22 Part 6: Answers to Your Questions About the Fafsa Mark Kantrowitz, an expert on financial aid, answers select reader questions about the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Part 6. January 18 Among University of California Applicants, Latinos Take the Lead The U.C. system also received 174,767 applications this year, a record high. 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