Posts by Andrew Belasco:

Is Boston a Good Place for College Admissions?

Posted on: 29 Oct 2025

A City Built Around School Choice Boston does not have one high school experience. It has dozens. Boston Public Schools runs three exam schools, admitted through a competitive test and GPA combination. Alongside them sit comprehensive neighborhood schools, arts-focused pilot schools, and career and technical programs. In addition, independent charter schools add another layer, each […]

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

Posted on: 28 Oct 2025

Families in Bakersfield and Kern County face a college admissions challenge that is worth naming honestly. Bakersfield is the largest city in the San Joaquin Valley and the economic heart of one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world. Kern County ranks among the top three agricultural counties in the United States by […]

Top High Schools in the Bakersfield, CA Area: How They Compare for College Admissions

Posted on: 27 Oct 2025

If you are raising a college-bound student in the Bakersfield, California area, you are navigating a secondary-school landscape that is more stratified than many families realize. Bakersfield is California’s ninth-largest city and the hub of Kern County, one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world. It is also, however, a city with significant […]

How Competitive Is College Admissions for Columbus, Ohio Students?

Posted on: 26 Oct 2025

If you’re raising a college-bound student in the Columbus, Ohio area, it’s easy to underestimate just how competitive the admissions process has become. Columbus doesn’t always carry the national reputation of Fairfield County, Silicon Valley, or suburban Boston. But admissions offices know central Ohio well, and they know the caliber of students coming from schools […]

Is Short Hills, NJ a Good Place for College Admissions?

Posted on: 23 Oct 2025

Short Hills, NJ and the College Admissions Landscape A Neighborhood, Not a District Short Hills is an unincorporated neighborhood inside Millburn Township, in Essex County, New Jersey. Families exploring the area’s schools quickly discover one fact. Short Hills shares its public school system with the rest of the township. In other words, Millburn High School […]

College Admissions from Annapolis, MD: Strengths, Challenges, and What Families Should Know

Posted on: 22 Oct 2025

Annapolis occupies a distinctive position in the Maryland college admissions landscape. It is the state capital, the home of the United States Naval Academy, and a city with deep maritime history and a rich civic culture. It also sits squarely between two of the most competitive college admissions markets on the East Coast: the Washington, […]

The Programs That Turn a Naples Address into a College Advantage

Posted on: 20 Oct 2025

Naples has a reputation built on beaches and golf courses. Today, though, the city also runs a working set of programs where high schoolers can log real hours and build real skills. These experiences generate the kind of material that makes a college essay memorable. Naples in the Admissions Landscape Florida sends a large number […]

35 Best College Interview Practice Questions

Posted on: 17 Oct 2025

Through much of the college application process, you are defined by your hard numbers—GPA, class rank, ACT or SAT score, the number of rigorous courses taken, AP exam performance, and so on. The college admissions interview, however, presents an opportunity to show off your less tangible attributes, that certain je ne sais quoi unique to […]