I’m usually not one to take college rankings too seriously as I believe there are a lot of excellent schools out there, but I came across a list in a Sierra Club newsletter that I read top to bottom: Sierra magazine’s Top 20 Coolest Schools 2019.'

This list ranks colleges in the United States and Canada according to which schools offer the best sustainability-focused courses, eco-friendly cafeteria provisions, carbon-neutral land and energy policies, and opportunities to engage with the environmental movement.

As many of my students are interested in STEM fields and careers, and young people in general are understandably concerned about the health of our planet, from global warming to plastic in the ocean to the burning of fossil fuels, I thought I’d share this list.

​The Top 20 Environmentally Conscious Schools

The top 10 are Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia; University of California, Irvine; SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry; University of New Hampshire; University of Connecticut; University of California, Merced; Colby College in Maine; Middlebury College in Vermont; Colorado State University; and Arizona State University.

Rounding out the list are Sterling College in Vermont; Dickson College in Pennsylvania; Seattle University; Chatham University in Pennsylvania; College of the Atlantic in Maine; University of California, Berkeley; University of Calgary; Santa Clara University in California; University of Dayton in Ohio; and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

These schools boast LEED-certified dorms and buildings, energy derived from solar panels, sustainability programs, community gardens, zero-waste programs, composting, renewable energy, fossil fuel divestment, and water conservation.

If you’re interested in majoring in environmental studies, check out these colleges:

https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/2019-5-september-october/cool-schools-2019/top-20-coolest-schools-2019?utm_source=insider&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter ​

​I'm excited to announce that Amazon has chosen to promote The Write Way into College at $0.99 for the month of October! You can find the ebook on their #KindleMonthlyDeals page or by clicking the link below. 

The book has also become an Amazon Best Seller in College Entrance Test Guides. Thank you for your support and don't hesitate to write a review!

​Early admission and early decision deadlines are just a few weeks away now. If you're feeling stuck, get yourself a copy of my book. You'll learn how to break down the college application essays, tap into the engaging details of your topics, and break away from conventional structure to set your writing voice free. 

By studying example essays, you'll also learn how to self-edit, condense redundant content, and avoid typical application essay pitfalls. 

Congratulations to my friend and collaborator, Doug Wilson, who will be inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in a ceremony to be held on December 17, 2019 at the New York Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan.

In his 50 years with ABC Sports, Doug produced and directed programming for ABC's Wide World of Sports and the network's telecast of 10 Olympic Games, which set the standard for sports broadcasting. Doug is most noted for his innovative work in figure skating and gymnastics, for which he received 17 Emmy Awards. You can read all about Doug's incredible career and the advent of sports television in his memoir (which I helped him write!), The World Was Our Stage: Spanning the Globe with ABC Sports. 

As a member of the Broadcasting Hall of Fame's Class of 2019, Doug joins an elite group of legendary professionals who have made an indelible mark on sports television. Congratulations, Doug!

www.sportsbroadcastinghalloffame.org/2019/08/06/sports-broadcasting-hall-of-fame-announces-class-of-2019/

August is coming to an end and the college application process has begun. If you’re a high school senior, don’t think that only way you will get noticed by college admissions counselors is if you jam as many accomplishments and titles into your essays as possible. Doing so will make your essays an extremely boring read.
​
Transcripts, ACT and SAT scores, awards, honors, activities, volunteer positions, internships, and jobs all have a place in your college applications, but it is not in your essays! The essays are where you want to write about life experiences that will reveal who you are beyond your statistics. Think of your grades and test scores as the cover of a book. We might pick up a book because its cover is appealing, but if the first few paragraphs don’t interest us, we pass. Your essays need to be an interesting read and let us get to know you.

Memorable college essays present story, not stats.  

To check your essay for boring boasting, read it out loud. Does it sound like a list of all the fabulous things you have done? If so, back to the drawing board you go. For any generic statements you have made, brainstorm about the relevant Five W’s (Who, What, When Where, How & Why) behind those statements.  

I read a Common App essay last week from a rather accomplished young woman who has clear life goals, but her essay read like her resume in prose. The good news was that lurking in her draft were a couple of lines that stood out because they revealed something about a turning point in her life. I wanted to know more; I wanted to learn exactly what happened and why this particular event changed her. Of course, the student knows “what” and “why,” but she didn’t express that in her draft. The student is now expanding those two lines into an engaging essay.

Remember, we, your readers, have not had a front row seat to your life. Clue us in.

Look for similar diamonds in the rough of your brainstorming notes and early drafts. If you don’t see even a hint of a sparkle, then ponder your activities and accomplishments. But instead of trying to quantify them, think about standout experiences you had while participating in those activities or something that happened that transformed you or a remarkable person you met. Then brainstorm about those memories. Then go write your essay.
 
 

​That’s the mission of Girls, Inc., and I was so impressed by this organization when I recently conducted a college application essay workshop at the Alameda County chapter in Oakland, California.


Holistic Education

In addition to academic support and leadership development for its scholars, Girls Inc. also provides education about healthy living. Programs range from nutrition and cooking (which the girls can practice in the Girls Inc. kitchen) to fitness (they can work out and take yoga classes in the GI gym) to mindfulness (they can take advantage of mental health services provided right in the GI building or relax in a quiet space).

The students of the Class of 2019, most of whom will be the first in their families to attend college, are headed for undergraduate studies at the University of California (Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Riverside), Sacramento State, USC, San Francisco State, Yale, Fresno State, Scripps, Washington State, Jackson State, University of Arizona, Merritt College, Stanford, and more. 

Congratulations to the Class of 2019 and Girls Inc.!

​The best college application essays I’ve read are about the student’s life experiences. What have you got planned this summer? Are you attending an academic program at a university for high school students? Are you working as a camp counselor? Or a sous chef? Are you studying abroad? Rafting down the Colorado River? Or taking an interstate bicycle ride for a cure? Are you playing saxophone in a jazz band that is touring Europe? Or serving an internship in New York City where you will be living on your own for the first time? Are you backpacking the Pacific Crest Trail? Volunteering for a beach cleanup? Or smashing atoms in a scientific lab?
 
Whatever you have planned, take note! And lots of notes! Get yourself a journal or notepad. I recommend keeping your journal the old-fashioned way on paper because there seems to be a deeper connection between pen and paper than fingertips and computer keys. Your journal should be small enough so that you can easily carry it with you wherever you go. Writing daily about your experiences and impressions will help you practice becoming aware of what's going on in your life, the people you meet, and the places you go.
 
The Five W’s and the Five Senses
 
When you write your thoughts in your journal, don't forget the details. Get into the habit of employing every news journalist’s standard tool: the Five W’s. Ask yourself, WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, HOW & WHY, as appropriate. The Five Senses (TASTE, SIGHT, TOUCH, SMELL, and SOUND) can also come in handy when describing certain experiences like the savory sensations of a farm-to-table meal or the scent of your grandmother’s perfume.
 
As a teenager, you haven’t really thought about WHY you do the things you do; you just do them. Activities are fun or feel good, or they are a requirement. The college application essay prompts force many of you for the first time to think about WHY you like to garden or play hockey or study in the park after school. So, each day this summer, whether you’re sitting under a tree or waiting for a subway train or about to go to sleep, write a page or two about your day. Reflect on your experiences and how you feel about them. Your subject matter can be anything, from something you did to someone you met to something you learned about in the news.
 
By becoming aware and exercising the writer in you, you’ll unearth juicy details in things you might have previously considered to be trifle. You’ll be surprised by what you discover and learn about yourself…and you’ll also be exploring content for your college application essays.

Narrowing Down Your College Options

Congratulations, your college acceptance letters have arrived! Now how do you make the big decision?  To those of you who got the nod from your dream school, the next step is easy; but for the rest of you, this important decision can be overwhelming. This process reminds me of my year-end task of selecting a medical insurance policy. Not only do I have several plans to choose from, I also have a long list of benefits to consider, not to mention the fact that I really have no idea what my medical needs will be in the coming year.
​
How do I sort through it all? Call Dad, of course. As a retired engineer, he’s good at crunching numbers and evaluating these kinds of things. Last year, he suggested I employ an old Air Force method whereby I would score each plan’s list of benefits. I had narrowed down to two plans, so I cleared off the dining table and laid the lists—which went on for pages—side by side. I then went down the columns and assigned a score to each benefit, either a 0 or a 1, 1 going to the plan with the superior identical or similar benefit. If a specific benefit had equal value in both plans, each plan scored a 0. I also gave more weight to the more important benefits by using a score of 1*.  In the end, I tallied up the score and the plan with the most points and weight won.

What Do You Want from Your College Experience?

Try this scoring method to select your college. First, create a list of what you want from your undergraduate experience. Your factors might include major, minor, specialized academic programs, internship opportunities, location, certain professors, research being conducted at the university, weather, size, cost, scholarship, housing, transportation costs to/from school, family or friends nearby, Division I football, fraternities and sororities, marching band, ski team—whatever is of importance to you.

If you’re a pre-med student, does the college have an affiliation with a local hospital or research institution? If you’re a computer science major, does the school have an internship program at a nearby technology company? A school might have a dual-major program of interest to you like engineering and economics or education and music. If you want to live and work in a certain city after college, then location might be a weighted factor for you in that you can start to establish yourself in that city.

Create a Spreadsheet 

Whatever your parameters, create a spreadsheet with your schools in the top row and your factors in the first column. Then start scoring. Give more weight to items that are of more importance to you. If you are deciding between two schools, the 0/1/1* system will work (you could also use 2 for the weighted score, but I liked seeing the total the number of weighted benefits when I was evaluating medical plans).  If you have more schools, you might need to expand your scale. With three schools, try using 0/1/2/2*.  Expand your scale further if necessary. Once you isolate your final two schools, start over with the 0/1/1* for a true head-to-head comparison.

Do your parents want you to go to one college and you want to go elsewhere? Sharing your score sheet with mom and dad can help you demonstrate to them why your pick is the best choice for you.
​
When I employed this method to choose my medical insurance policy, there was a hands-down winner. So clear through the confusion with this simple method.  Once you choose your school, don’t look back. Look forward. The truth is, what becomes of your four years in college has more to do with your attitude than anything. I grew up in Los Angeles and always wanted to go away for college. But one of the best schools in the country for what I wanted to study was right in my backyard. Though only six miles away, UCLA was a whole new world. I lived on campus and took advantage of all the school had to offer. No regrets. So, pick your school for the right reasons and commit to it. When you arrive on campus, don’t just go to class, explore and get involved. Make your college the experience you seek.

​We all know that legacies, especially those of alumni who make large donations, have always had an advantage over other applicants at certain colleges, but to learn that bribery schemes took place at two public schools I attended, UCLA and The University of Texas at Austin, was disturbing.

UCLA alumni received an email from the Chancellor today which cited the UC Board of Regents Policy 2202 of 1998 concerning admissions criteria:

​These criteria include an applicant's academic achievement, special talents, and life experience. Admissions motivated by concern for financial, political, or other such benefit to the University do not have a place in the admissions process….

“Who you know” will always give some individuals an edge, but I believe there are good schools across this country. There is also much research out there, as reported by NPR today, to support the fact that a student’s choice of major “is a far more powerful factor in her eventual earnings than her choice of college.” The article also noted that while most Supreme Court justices do, indeed, hail from the Ivy League, 86 CEOs of the top 100 U.S. companies attended college elsewhere, including abroad (U.S. News & World Report, 2018).

As your college acceptances come in, make your choices for the right reasons. Will one of your schools enable you to better explore your special talents? Will one better provide the life experiences you seek? If you do not receive a scholarship or tuition assistance, will the school be affordable without stressing your and/or your family’s finances?
​ 
An “elite school” might very well be the place for you, but if it isn’t, check your ego when making your decision. My big sister had the grades and SAT scores to go anywhere, but she chose San Diego State because it offered her a specific area of study, environmental design. She relished her “Big U” experience at SDSU, made life-long friends, and went on to a successful career in design. Granted, San Diego State isn’t a slam-dunk entry these days, either, but the point is, don’t fret if you aren’t a legacy or your family’s name doesn’t grace the entry of a building on campus. There are plenty of good schools out there waiting for you.

www.npr.org/2019/03/13/702973336/does-it-matter-where-you-go-to-college-some-context-for-the-admissions-scandal

https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/2018-06-11/top-fortune-500-ceos-where-they-went-to-college

​Bryn Mawr College, Chapman University, Columbia University,  Indiana University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, Santa Clara University, Stanford University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of Pennsylvania , University of Wisconsin–Madison. Great job everyone!

Once you have broken down and understand the prompt, it’s time to pick a topic. Pay attention to those first few ideas you jot down. Don’t think they’re “stupid” or not “big enough.” You’re 17, you likely haven’t thought about why you do the things you do in your life or why you like them. You just do. The college application prompts may be forcing you, for the first time, to actually think your activities, hobbies, behavior, and values, and why you do or possess them.

I’ve had students write about the couch in their living room, going to Target, killing a mouse for scientific research, gardening, and studying in the gazebo at the park. At first blush, such topics may not seem meaty or impressive enough, but take time to explore before you dismiss an idea.

Brainstorm about your topic relative to the prompt. Try to write for at least 10 minutes on each point of the prompt. Employ the five W’s to help you flesh out your details: Who, What, When, Where, How and Why. You can also use the six senses, as appropriate: Touch, Smell, Sight, Taste, and Hearing. You’ll be surprised by what you discover!
​
So never underestimate the power of a “small” story.  My students’ instinctual topic ideas have always resulted in rich, personal stories—stories that the folks in admissions remember.

By Stacey Powells, Times Correspondent

​If a college application essay isn’t top-notch, kiss acceptance to that college goodbye. Jody Cohan-French, who was looking for a significant way to incorporate writing into her already busy life, found a niche helping students polish their college essays. 

"I needed to make a living like everybody else and a friend of mine who is a teacher at UCLA asked me if I thought about doing this," said Cohan-French. The ‘this’ she is referring to was helping college-bound students with their essays, an integral part of their college application process. "I found that I had a knack for doing this and I love it. There’s a huge business out there now where people help students apply to college. This has happened because there are more students applying to university."

Cohan-French stated that when she applied for college she only applied to two universities. These days, students can apply to up to ten colleges, hedging their bets because the competition is so fierce. "There are more Americans applying than there were several decades ago as well as more international students who apply to colleges here in the states. There are hundreds of thousands of violinists, students extraordinaire, and students with excellent grades and SAT scores applying to these colleges." She said the essays are where the core of the student applications can really leap off the paper.

"Some colleges may have students come in for interviews, but they have to get past the essays first," she said. "The essay is where the student can really make themselves stand out. My focus is helping the students write their essays and that starts first with interpreting the prompts."

There are several types of prompts. The CommonApp prompt stands for ‘Common Application.’ Several schools in the United States sign up for this prompt because it’s one-stop shopping for the main essay used by many private universities. Many of those schools also have supplemental essays which will have to be done for each school. 

"For the CommonApp, you have to pick out one of seven prompts and write a 650-word essay," said Cohan-French. A sample of a prompt would be to, ‘Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking and what was the outcome?’

The University of California does not use the CommonApp. "They have their own set of prompts," said Cohan-French. "Since last year, they now have eight prompts and students have to answer four of them." Each University of California prompt has to be 350 words.

"If they don’t read the prompt correctly or understand them, students can go off in another direction or end up telling instead of showing their life stories and the details of those stories," said Cohan-French. "I make sure the details of their life stories are in their essays."

In her experience, Cohan-French said a lot of students underestimate the entire process. "You cannot treat these like the essays due in English class that you write the night before it’s due," continued Cohan-French. "I get a lot of smiles when I tell students that because that’s exactly what most of them do. I tell them they have to write a finished, polished essay which means on average, they will go through each essay between six and sixteen times." 

Cohan-French said that being organized and understanding that these essays will take time can make the difference between acceptance and being denied acceptance. Cohan-French will hold her first local free workshop based on her book, “The Write Way into College: Rising Above GPA’s and Test Scores with Memorable Application Essays” on Monday, Aug. 27 at the Mammoth Lakes Library from 5 – 6:30 p.m. Anyone considering applying for college is encouraged to attend. For more information, contact Jody Cohan-French at www.jodycohan-writer.com

Get organized for the demanding college application process! You'll learn how to interpret and break down the Common App and University of California prompts, conquer the "why" essays, tap into the details of topics to find personal story angles, and break away from conventional structure to find your voice!

​Bring paper and pen. Parents and guardians welcome!

Monday, August 28, 2018
5:30 pm

Mammoth Lakes Library
400 Sierra Park Rd.
Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546

​“The Write Way into College is a worthwhile addition to available college readiness resources. Cohan-French offers user-friendly guidance and practical advice that will assist students in tailoring their personal message while simultaneously teaching skills that can be carried over into college.”

EB Gathrid
Mentor/Coach

“Jody’s skilled and compassionate guidance has been absolutely invaluable for students looking to craft college application essays that shine. It’s wonderful to see her expertise on the subject gathered into one fantastic resource. How fortunate for college-bound seniors that this book is now available!”

Leslie Awender, MFA
Education Team Leader & Manager, Bold Future, WriteGirl
​

I'll be at Surf City's library to talk with high school seniors about how to get organized for the demanding college application process, interpret and break down the Common App and UC essay prompts, tap into the details of topics to find personal story angles, and break away from conventional structure to write memorable essays. 

Parents are also welcome.



Sign up at hbpl.libcal.com/event/4259436

I'm excited to announce the arrival of my new book, The Write Way into College—Rising Above GPAs and Test Scores with Memorable Application Essays.

Competition to get into colleges is fierce. Many applicants have solid GPAs, test scores, and similar leadership and volunteer experiences—so how do you rise above the crowd? My book shows you how to set yourself apart and present your unique potential through compelling college application essays.

Learn how to interpret and break down the essay prompts, tap into the engaging details of your topics, and break away from conventional structure to set your writing voice free. By studying example essays, you'll also learn how to self-edit, condense redundant content, and avoid typical application essay pitfalls. 

STAND OUT. Get in.

From River Grove Books. Available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com
Also available in Kindle and Nook Book formats.

To get started, don't plan!

You're used to doing a lot of academic writing, which can be forced and dry. Loosen up!  Begin by reading and understanding the prompt. Break it down by highlighting the key words and phrases:

Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again? 


This prompt has four elements. Next, simply brainstorm about each element. With this particular prompt, it would be a good idea to identify the belief or idea first, but don't worry about finding structure or making sense at this point (you'll get to that later!) Just write. You are on an exposition expedition! Don't judge, don't hold back, just keep your pen or fingers moving...for at least ten minutes on each element of the prompt. 

Once you have exhausted your thoughts, print out your notes. That's right, print them out. Get on paper so you can get physical with what you've written. Now wade into your rivers of words and pan for the gold. Highlight what you like and what seems interesting to you. These gems will become the "bones" of your essay. 

For the first time in 25 years, ice skaters will compete in figures at the inaugural World Figure Championship and Figure Festival. Preceding the awards ceremony on August 29, Doug Wilson will present his "Memorable Moments in Figure Skating," a video montage including performances by Peggy Fleming, Torvill and Dean, and Brian Boitano. Doug's book, The World Was Our Stage, will also be available.

1932 Olympic Arena - 7:30 pm

Purchase Tickets
More Event Informatio

Seventeen-time Emmy Award winner Doug Wilson will talk about and share video clips from the Golden Age of Sports Television. He will also sign his book, The World Was Our Stage.

Greenburgh Public Library
300 Tarrytown Road
Elmsford, NY 10523

Event Time: 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm

The World Was Our Stage : Spanning the Globe with ABC Sports has been named a Finalist in the Sports Category of the 2014 USA Best Book Awards. ​

The National Indie Excellence Awards celebrates the best of books in print. "This year the expert team of publishing insiders who serve as judges of the NIEA were challenged because of the quality of entries," said Ellen Reid, President & CEO of the NIEA. "I would have to say it was the fiercest competition we've seen."