Your ultimate college admissions resource, brought to you by recent graduates of elite schools. We got in, and so can you!
Congratulations! The first draft of your college essay is done. You have a good sense of how you want to tell the story of that time you did CPR to save a dying baby seal, or what exact details to use from your weekend cat-sitting for the Dalai Lama. All the hard parts are over. Right? Yes and no. The…
It’s an old joke that in order to get into college these days, high schoolers should have their own Fortune 500 company, a Nobel Peace prize, perfect grades and SAT scores, and a recommendation from someone named TIME Magazine’s Person of the Year. While this is facetious (TIME’s Person of the Year 2006 was “You” so anyone could claim a…
Applying to colleges under their Early Decision program (ED) can be both alluring and scary for prospective applicants. On one hand, it offers an increased chance of admission and the peace of mind that comes with having your entire college decision process over by December. On the other hand, it can be frightening to only apply to one college with…
When we talk to students about applying and gaining admission to top-tier colleges and universities, we talk a lot about grades. We want to make sure that students are committed to earning the best ones in the toughest classes. To that end, we stand behind the oft-repeated mantra in the world of college admissions: “what’s better, getting an A in…
In an increasingly interconnected world, writing skills are vital across just about every industry. And yet, last year a study by the National Assessment of Educational Progress found that“Three-quarters of both 12th and 8th graders lack proficiency in writing.” Why so many students have trouble achieving even basic proficiency in writing is a larger question than can be explored in…
This summer the University of Chicago became the most selective university to make the submission of SAT or ACT scores optional for applicants hoping to matriculate as undergraduates. This move has prompted a flurry of speculation and inquiries from students and parents, many of whom think that this policy will profoundly change the game–particularly for applicants with suboptimal scores. Spoiler…
We’ve all been there. Your desk is sagging under the weight of all the things you have to do, and time is running out. Your palms sweat, your heart races, and you manage to perform the gargantuan willpower feat of closing Facebook for good. It’s do-or-die time. Luckily, we’ve got some ideas for keeping calm and making things go easier.…
When you’re looking at colleges and compiling the list of schools you want to apply to, it seems like just about everyone has an opinion. Your aunt went to Miami back in the day and says it’s a party school, but your cousin just graduated with an engineering degree and begs to differ. Your dentist says Wesleyan is full of…
Overall, interviews are an opportunity for a college to get more information about you in a more informal, personal setting. Think of it this way: The only real information they have on you is a big folder of documents — your essay and any supplementary essays, your transcript, your resume, your list of activities, and so on. This is your…
