The Pop Out

What is the actual purpose of a personal statement in a college application? It might not be what you think. You might have gotten advice like: don't use humor don't talk about the immigrant experience don't write a sob story don't list your accompishments be unique showcase your hobbies or other talents These advice all miss the key purpose of a personal statement, and so is not always correct (o...

Before we talk about personal statements, let's talk a bit about what you should be looking for when you want help, whether it's with your writing, subject-specific studies, or exam preparation. The truth is that you can access all the information you need to learn for free. The problem isn't access to help. The question is what kind of help you need.

As a fellow parent, let's take a moment to reflect on our role in our children's education: With all that you are doing for your children, ask yourself: "Who is this REALLY for?" It's time to set aside our own pride or desires, and help our children find out the best version of themselves, which probably is not what you think it is.

This is a new segment on this podcast in which I just rant about whatever annoys me or puts me in an unreasonable state of rage. Everything I say is meant to be taken as entertainment.... though I believe everything I say is true.

College rankings give the impression that one college is better than another. That whole endeavor is a lie. These rankings just feed into reputations that are not necessarily deserved, and it does not reflect what is the best fit for students given their particular interests and desires for their college experience. Unfortunately, reputation makes a difference in how people treat you. Still, we ca...

All this crying about fairness in college admissions. College admission was never fair. It was never a meritocracy, never about what you deserved. I'll try to break down why we need to start by getting rid of this idea that college admission is based on your merits, this idea that somehow you are owed a spot into a specific college because of your hard work. If you want college to be fair, then we...

Welcome to the Pop Out I'm popping out like Kendrick did to dismantle the colonizing fraud that is Drake, but for education. I have been teaching high school and college students for over two decades in both the public and private sector. If there's anything I learned, it's that people constantly act on bad information. So let's set the record straight and talk honestly about issues in the educati...