Sara Harberson-essay editing

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UVA admissions is aware of her bc they Dean J responded on social media when she posted on her website that students shouldn’t mention they are Jewish/write about their Jewish identity.

Really? Why not? My kid did write about his Jewish identity - although he is going to a large flagship, and not one that is routinely discussed here - definitely not UVA.

My kid connected to his religion in high school, no thanks to his parents (we do not belong to a synagogue, etc); it was all him and that’s what he wrote about. I didn’t tell him not to - I had no idea it was taboo.

Dean J basically said that this advice was ridiculous and not to listen to it. Sara H suggests admissions folks are anti semitic.

Dean J had to retract and apologize for her response to Sara H because of a word she used. Sara H has backed away from her position. I suspect - but don’t know - that the latter is pretty conservative and was working her way toward an anti- affirmative action position.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did any of you get your kid's essay edited by Sara Harberson? What were your thoughts? Thank you

Funny. I work in the college admissions field. I’ve never heard of her but SHE says she’s called “America’s College Counselor”. I don’t think so.

If you haven’t heard of her, then you are not really paying attention to the college admissions space. She is a pretty visible figure with a book and public appearances. And social media.

We didn’t have essays edited, but did join her private Facebook group. Members always seemed thrilled with her edits. I believe 3-4 essays from students she worked with recently were selected by the NY Times in their “best college essays” piece.

Sorry, I'm another poster who HAS been paying attention and has never heard of her. Just read a compendium of successful essays, and you'll see that your kid needd a Proust's madeleine moment: an event (major or minor) that will trigger a thoughtful introspection and delineate who that student is and how well they can think. The best essays are personal and mature.

Are you the Sara in question, perhaps? You're doing a bad job of advertising.

Nope—just a parent that joined her Facebook group. My kid is going to an Ivy, so I guess their essays were adequate (although, not edited by Sara).

Well good for you, that is the ultimate achievement. Why do people feel the need to brag about this.

[Anonymous]

Apparently, she was a regional AO at UPenn in the early 2000s, per a few old College Confidential posts.

Of course, that doesn't mean she knows everything. And if it's been a long time since she was an AO, her views may be further off the mark.

[Anonymous]

When I worked in the admission office at Princeton I was on a search committee that interviewed her for the Director position (just below the Dean). We ultimately hired someone else (a man) but she struck me as very professional. She has a lot of free advice on her website that is pretty sound. I like that she has so many free resources on her website, and I also think she's really good at social media and self-promotion.

[Anonymous]

I was a member of Sara Harberson’s Application Nation FB group for two cycles. Found her advice to be excellent, and an excellent value. Enjoyed comments/info/support from fellow parents. Option to pay for specific personal services but felt no pressure, and gained so much just from the basic (low) monthly FB page group access fee. Cost was nowhere near a private counselor, yet between the FB group and her book Soundbites my kids felt more confident with the process and have results they are super happy with. Just my experience but I really feel Sara is an expert with a heart, a wonderful resource and a great person. I am not getting paid to say this, I’m a customer, and no I am not Sara. Try her book if you want to look at a very low cost resource that helps a ton.

[Anonymous]

Thank you Sara & Sara's mom/sister/better half.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was a member of Sara Harberson’s Application Nation FB group for two cycles. Found her advice to be excellent, and an excellent value. Enjoyed comments/info/support from fellow parents. Option to pay for specific personal services but felt no pressure, and gained so much just from the basic (low) monthly FB page group access fee. Cost was nowhere near a private counselor, yet between the FB group and her book Soundbites my kids felt more confident with the process and have results they are super happy with. Just my experience but I really feel Sara is an expert with a heart, a wonderful resource and a great person. I am not getting paid to say this, I’m a customer, and no I am not Sara. Try her book if you want to look at a very low cost resource that helps a ton.

Finally, a genuine challenge to Vermont's Maple Syrup.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When I worked in the admission office at Princeton I was on a search committee that interviewed her for the Director position (just below the Dean). We ultimately hired someone else (a man) but she struck me as very professional. She has a lot of free advice on her website that is pretty sound. I like that she has so many free resources on her website, and I also think she's really good at social media and self-promotion.

Search committee processes are supposed to be highly confidential.

Speaking of being professional.

Did you sign a confidentiality agreement before serving on the committee? At my University we all have to.

So, I am pretty shocked that you would discuss a candidate by name on a public internet forum.

[Anonymous]

Cynics aside, I’m the PP - no relation to Sara, I do love genuine VT maple syrup, and I love even better ethical businesses who provide a great service. No skin in the game - buying a less than $20 book will hardly set you back, compared to other vendors. Help yourself or no - just sharing my experience. Which is kind of the point of this board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did any of you get your kid's essay edited by Sara Harberson? What were your thoughts? Thank you

Funny. I work in the college admissions field. I’ve never heard of her but SHE says she’s called “America’s College Counselor”. I don’t think so.

If you haven’t heard of her, then you are not really paying attention to the college admissions space. She is a pretty visible figure with a book and public appearances. And social media.

We didn’t have essays edited, but did join her private Facebook group. Members always seemed thrilled with her edits. I believe 3-4 essays from students she worked with recently were selected by the NY Times in their “best college essays” piece.

That's an ad. (PR hit.) NYTimes is not a college.

It is not an ad. It is a piece the NY Times does every year. Search NYT and “college essays” to find it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cynics aside, I’m the PP - no relation to Sara, I do love genuine VT maple syrup, and I love even better ethical businesses who provide a great service. No skin in the game - buying a less than $20 book will hardly set you back, compared to other vendors. Help yourself or no - just sharing my experience. Which is kind of the point of this board.

Or you can take the book out of the library for free!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I worked in the admission office at Princeton I was on a search committee that interviewed her for the Director position (just below the Dean). We ultimately hired someone else (a man) but she struck me as very professional. She has a lot of free advice on her website that is pretty sound. I like that she has so many free resources on her website, and I also think she's really good at social media and self-promotion.

Search committee processes are supposed to be highly confidential.

Speaking of being professional.

Did you sign a confidentiality agreement before serving on the committee? At my University we all have to.

So, I am pretty shocked that you would discuss a candidate by name on a public internet forum.

Yeah I'm sure a Princeton AO is hanging out on this forum. Hi, Sara! *waves*

[Anonymous]

You can sign up for her weekly free emails. These include some useful worksheets for the student.

I have found them very sensible and helpful.

I don’t do Facebook so I appreciated being able to access them for free over email.

Someone told me her full-service package is upwards of $30k.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cynics aside, I’m the PP - no relation to Sara, I do love genuine VT maple syrup, and I love even better ethical businesses who provide a great service. No skin in the game - buying a less than $20 book will hardly set you back, compared to other vendors. Help yourself or no - just sharing my experience. Which is kind of the point of this board.

Or you can take the book out of the library for free!

Our library doesn't have it. But, I was able to get it free using 1 Audible credit on Amazon, which puts the PDF in your Audible library. The questions indeed are what a consultant would ask, though what is missing is the consultant doing the asking. Would my kid ask this of himself? Maybe, but it's not easy thinking. And my kid is not the sort to tell me the answers to many of these questions, which is where the third party (a consultant) comes in.

[Anonymous]

Noticing when people have posted a rec for another great resource - Jeff Selingo’s Who Gets in and Why - there’s no assumption that it is Jeff himself or his mother writing the post. Have seen this several times re Sara H. Interesting.