(Applying early or contacting professors) shows interest.

Students forget they can use (the school of their choice) as a reference on how to write the essay.

When reading an essay, it's immediately obvious if the student put a lot of thought into it. It should reveal something about the person to know the student better since we often don't meet them.

First impressions do make a difference, and we prefer a typed application so we don't have to interpret the information.

[In the meantime, the recent 98 Degrees reunion stoked the group's interest in getting back in the studio, which the guys plan to do soon.] Nick and Jeff [Timmons] have studios in L.A., so we're going to get together and start writing and working on our next project, ... Everyone is ready to come together and it's taken this long, so we're in no hurry to drop something before we feel like we have things the way we want them.

Card rates are rising faster than the rise in general interest rates.