Posts by Andrew Belasco:

Applying to College from Asheville, NC: What Students Need to Know

Posted on: 11 Feb 2025

Asheville occupies a particular place in the American imagination: a creative mountain city, beloved for its arts scene, independent spirit, and natural beauty. For college-bound students, however, the question worth asking is a more practical one. What does growing up in western North Carolina actually mean for your chances at selective colleges? The answer is […]

Public vs Private in Fairfield County: What Actually Matters for Selective College Admissions?

Posted on: 10 Feb 2025

If you live in Fairfield County, there’s no such thing as a simple school decision. With nationally ranked public high schools in Darien, New Canaan, Wilton, Greenwich, and Westport, and elite private options like Greens Farms Academy, Brunswick, Greenwich Academy, Sacred Heart Greenwich, and Greenwich Country Day School, families are surrounded by opportunity — and […]

Barnard Transfer Acceptance Rate and Requirements — 2025

Posted on: 21 Jan 2025

For those applying as first-year applicants, Barnard College has a single-digit acceptance rate. The standards for this Columbia-affiliated women’s college have reached full-blown Ivy League levels. More promising for prospective applicants is the fact that Barnard remains an extremely transfer-friendly school. In fact, they ultimately accept an encouraging 150-250 transfers per year. This blog will […]

Cornell Transfer Acceptance Rate and Requirements — 2025

Posted on: 14 Jan 2025

Once considered the “easiest” Ivy League school to gain admission into, Cornell today has a single-digit admit rate for freshman applicants. However, for anyone who wasn’t able to earn admission right out of high school, the university admits 800+ transfer applicants every year. Even more encouraging, acceptance rates for transfers at this university are roughly […]

Columbia Transfer Acceptance Rate and Requirements — 2025

Posted on: 12 Jan 2025

Columbia University is as hard to get into as Harvard, Stanford, or MIT directly out of high school. With a sub-4% acceptance rate for first-years, Columbia is an extremely selective institution. However, unlike those other schools, Columbia is a bit friendlier to transfer applicants. To quantify this, between 400 and 500 transfer applicants are typically […]

Best Online High Schools – 2025

Posted on: 21 Nov 2024

Although virtual high schools gained more exposure during the COVID-19 pandemic, many have been around for decades, delivering highly structured, meaningful, and engaging instruction in a remote capacity. Whether you are looking for an alternative schooling arrangement that can accommodate intensive athletics, performing arts, or travel, a more rigorous environment than what your current school […]

Best Extracurricular Activities for College Applications – 2024

Posted on: 13 Aug 2024

There is a famous saying in baseball that you can’t win a pennant in April but you sure can lose one. This adage is equally applicable to high school freshmen and sophomores with regard to grades (GPA math is more fun when you start strong), yet it is also quite relevant when it comes to […]

50 Best Colleges on the East Coast – 2024

Posted on: 09 Jul 2024

Given the geographic location of the original 13 Colonies, it’s not a shock that many of the nation’s oldest (and most prestigious colleges) are situated on the East Coast of the United States. From the Ivy Leagues to flagship state schools to elite liberal arts schools spread across New England, the Eastern Seaboard is teeming […]