The power of year-end reflection for college applicants

Many of us are looking back on 2025. But what about students? Teenagers, too, benefit from reflecting back on the past year. A balance sheet of what went well and what needs improvement is good for students' mental health and has practical benefits when it comes to college applications. How? As my article on Forbes.com explains:

"A key component of the Common Application for college is the Personal Essay. On the 2025-26 Common Application, four of the six prompts for the Personal Essay ask the applicant to reflect on how something that happened led to new understanding."

Encourage your students in ninth, tenth and eleventh grade to start now to become the author of their lives.