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Articles / Applying to College / College Admissions Pay-Off for Telluride Particpation?

College Admissions Pay-Off for Telluride Particpation?

Sally Rubenstone
Written by Sally Rubenstone | May 25, 2009

Question: Does the Telluride Association Program for Juniors (TASP) really pay dividends in the application process? In other words, do top schools actively recruit TASP students, or is it their academic abilities that set them apart?

Spotting Telluride on an application almost always puts a gleam in admission officials' eyes. While there are certainly plenty of other summer activities that wow admission folks--especially endeavors that are creative or unique--Telluride does stand apart from many of the other organized programs. Unlike those that purport to be by-invitation-only "honors" but send mailings to the masses, TASP really does cater to the best and brightest juniors and provides a challenging academic experience. Even so-called "selective" summer sessions on elite college campuses often set the admissions bar far lower than the host college ordinarily does for its aspiring freshmen. Telluride, on the other hand, turns away many outstanding applicants. So those who do make the final cut are likely to get special attention in admission offices when it's time to apply to college.


Not surprisingly, there are several Telluride threads on College Confidential. For instance, see:

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/summer-programs/673194-telluride-association-summer-program-tasp-2009-a.html

Even "The Dean" has written about Telluride, too. Go to: http://www.collegeconfidential.com/dean/?s=Telluride

Written by

Sally Rubenstone

Sally Rubenstone

Sally Rubenstone knows the competitive and often convoluted college admission process inside out: From the first time the topic of college comes up at the dinner table until the last duffel bag is unloaded on a dorm room floor. She is the co-author of Panicked Parents' Guide to College Admissions; The Transfer Student's Guide to Changing Colleges and The International Student's Guide to Going to College in America. Sally has appeared on NBC's Today program and has been quoted in countless publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Weekend, USA Today, U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek, People and Seventeen. Sally has viewed the admissions world from many angles: As a Smith College admission counselor for 15 years, an independent college counselor serving students from a wide range of backgrounds and the author of College Confidential's "Ask the Dean" column. She also taught language arts, social studies, study skills and test preparation in 10 schools, including American international schools in London, Paris, Geneva, Athens and Tel Aviv. As senior advisor to College Confidential since 2002, Sally has helped hundreds of students and parents navigate the college admissions maze. In 2008, she co-founded College Karma, a private college consulting firm, with her College Confidential colleague Dave Berry, and she continues to serve as a College Confidential advisor. Sally and her husband, Chris Petrides, became first-time parents in 1997 at the ripe-old age of 45. So Sally was nearly an official senior citizen when her son Jack began the college selection process, and when she was finally able to practice what she had preached for more than three decades.

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