An infinitive is a verb that is used as a noun, an adjective, or an adverb. Usually it is the simple verb form preceded by the word “to.” In the sentence: “Karen and Donna need to eat the bran muffins quickly,” “to eat” is the infinitive and is operating like a noun, a direct object [...]
Sing the following to nice C major scale. “I, you, he, she, it, we, they—will NEVVV-VER be objects.” Now repeat it. “I, you, he, she, it, we and they” are subjective pronouns, and they will NEVVV-VER be objects. When they appear in sentences, they are the subjects, the doers, the instigators. Their counterparts, “me, you, [...]
The Wrong Time to be Normal I usually have to write about my students with aliases. But since I want to share my own son’s admissions horror story, I feel free to use his name. ROBBIE. Robbie is the kind of person NOT likely to space his University of Chicago interview. Robbie never [...]
I grew up in Chattanooga, Tennessee at the Girls’ Preparatory School, where we NEVER split infinitives, and if we did, we heard about it. Of course, if we dared to end a sentence with a preposition, we were immediately corrected. “Where’s it at, Mrs. Good?” “It’s in the grammar tree,” would be the deadpanned response. [...]
Too often when students go through the process of finding their “best fit” college, they focus almost entirely on finding the right academic, social, or intellectual fit. As a result, many college lists are crafted without regard to whether or not the student’s college will, in the end, be an affordable option for their family. At Admission Intuition, we believe that evaluating the “financial fit” of a college [...]
When it comes time to apply to colleges, too often students and their families dismiss the idea of applying for financial aid. The reasons for this are varied, but a study by Mark Kantrowitz (college financial aid guru and founder of www.finaid.org) showed that the top 5 reasons that students don’t apply for financial aid [...]
The possessive modifies a gerund. A gerund is a verb that has been turned into a noun by the suffix “ing.” Visiting a college can be awesome. “Visiting” is a gerund—a former verb wearing the costume of a noun. Like any self-respecting noun, it must be modified by a possessive pronoun. You wouldn’t say, “Me [...]
As an independent college counselor and educational consultant, I specialize in the college admissions process. I approach students with respect and optimism. I am often humbled by the trust my students place in me. I empower students to recognize themselves, to value their instincts, and to gain confidence in their own voice—knowing that their own [...]
Kalie’s mom, Pandora, interviewed me at a noisy hamburger joint when I first began my work as an educational consultant. As a mentor and high school volunteer I had helped many neighborhood students with the college process at the time she interviewed me. I had also just completed my first application cycle with several a-la-carte [...]
