Posts in personal statement
What the Heck Do Independent College Counselors Do?

From advising on course selection to choosing best fit colleges, independent college counselors like Dr P can make your child's journey from high school to college happier and smoother.

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How to Finish College Applications On Time, Sanity Intact

Is your teen starting to panic about college apps? Are you? Inside Dr. P. has three strategies to start and finish the Common App and other college applications on time, with everyone's sanity intact.

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What Rising Seniors Can and Should Do This Summer in the Common App

This month, Dr. P. lays out what rising seniors need to do during the summer in order to produce the best essays and applications possible.

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Dr. P.'s Back-to-School Tips for High Schoolers

An educator for more than 25 years, Dr. P. shares her wisdom from the trenches of classrooms, testing, and college admissions with parents of the Classes of 2024, 2026, and 2027.

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Using Summer to Create Happy Students Who Reach Their Goals

With a little planning, summer can be filled with fun AND fulfilling goals for 2023-24, whether they’re in the classroom, on tests, or in college applications!

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Will ChatGPT REALLY Kill the Student Essay?

Dr. P. (Dominique Padurano, Ph.D.) weighs in on the debate surrounding the future of student writing in the age of ChatGPT. Some writing may change radically; others, not so much….

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Dr. P. Summarizes 2022 and Forecasts 2023 in Education

SAT and ACT tutor, college essay coach and counselor, and part-time college professor Dr. P. (Dominique Padurano, Ph.D.) summarizes the year in education and predicts where the worlds of standardized testing, college admissions, and college life will go in 2023.

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Why – and How Much – Does the College Essay Matter in the Admissions Process?

Never thought the college essay was important in the admissions process? Think again. Dr. P. lays out why this is the ONLY part of the application that high school seniors have any real control over and suggests ways to leverage that opportunity to earn admissions and possible merit aid.

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Dr. P. Shares Key Trends & Takeaways from This Spring's Admission Cycle

Crimson Coaching Founder and President Dr. P. (Dominique Padurano, Ph.D.) shares three trends from the 2022 admissions season -- and two takeaways for those coming up in 2023 and later.

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“Zero Out of Eleventy-Million”: Do’s and One Big Don’t for Getting a Great Letter of Recommendation

Think the college app’s all about GPA, SAT, and extracurriculars? While those elements matter, in these days of test-optional admissions policies, the teachers’ letters of recommendation matter more than ever. Learn several “do’s” and one big fat “don’t” in the process of getting GREAT teacher letters of recommendation.

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