Posts by Andrew Belasco:

How to Get into Top Colleges from Martha’s Vineyard

Posted on: 30 Sep 2025

Seventeen miles of salt water separate Martha’s Vineyard from the mainland. That distance shapes nearly everything about life on the island: the rhythms of the school year, the range of academic opportunities available, the social fabric of year-round communities, and yes, the college admissions process. Growing up on the Vineyard means growing up somewhere genuinely […]

Demonstrated Interest: Why It Matters + 9 Smart Actions You Can Take Today

Posted on: 26 Sep 2025

At their core, college admissions officers have a good deal in common with seventh graders. While they may not share the same hygiene issues, burgeoning rebellious spirit, or general awkwardness, thirteen-year-olds’ minds are often dominated by one critical question—the same exact question that keeps college admissions officers up at night—do they “like me” or do […]

Case Study: How One Eugene Student Earned Admission to Selective Colleges

Posted on: 23 Sep 2025

Families across Eugene and the surrounding Lane County area know that selective college admissions have grown more competitive every year. High-achieving students at schools like South Eugene, Sheldon, North Eugene, Churchill, and Thurston often carry strong grades and take multiple AP or IB courses. Yet many find themselves asking the same question: how does a […]

7 Ways to Explain a Bad Grade on Your College Application

Posted on: 23 Sep 2025

“Bad” can be a very relative term, particularly when attached to high school grades. For a high-achieving teen with their eyes on gaining acceptance into a prestigious college, an A- or a B might feel like the onset of Armageddon. For an average high school student, a “bad” grade may mean an objectively poor outcome […]

The Most Common College Admissions Mistakes Boise-Area Families Make and How to Avoid Them

Posted on: 19 Sep 2025

Boise-area families now sit in a college admissions environment that looks very different from even a decade ago. While Idaho does not generate the raw application volume of California, Texas, or the Northeast, Boise’s strongest high schools increasingly produce students whose academic profiles rival those from the country’s most competitive suburban districts. Public schools like […]

Should I Apply Early Action?

Posted on: 19 Sep 2025

The average applicant is fully aware of Early Decision as a “card to play” in the admissions game. In that arrangement, each party makes a concession—you, the applicant, give up your free-agency status, and the college, in many cases, grants a borderline candidate slightly better odds at receiving an acceptance letter. (It’s also an option […]

Top High Schools in the Austin, TX Area: How They Compare for College Admissions

Posted on: 18 Sep 2025

If you are raising a college-bound student in the Austin, Texas area, you are navigating one of the most competitive and fast-evolving secondary-school ecosystems in the country. Between nationally recognized suburban public schools, academically intense AP and IB programs, and a deep bench of independent and faith-based options, Austin offers families exceptional choice. But from […]

How to Get into Top Colleges from Brookline, Massachusetts

Posted on: 18 Sep 2025

Brookline sits in one of the most complicated positions in American college admissions. It borders Boston directly. It feeds into one of the country’s strongest public high schools. And it sits within a few miles of Harvard, MIT, Tufts, Boston University, and Boston College. Those facts sound like advantages. In practice, they create a double-edged […]