Posts by Dave Bergman:

How Competitive Is College Admissions for Triangle Students in 2025?

Posted on: 15 Sep 2025

What follows is a realistic look at why the Raleigh-Durham/Chapel Hill region has become one of the most academically intense admissions markets in the South, and how families can make sense of it. If you are raising a college-bound student in the Triangle, you have probably already noticed something: college admissions feels harder here. It […]

Case Study: Meet Elias: A Curious, STEM-Leaning Student from Radnor High School

Posted on: 11 Sep 2025

When Elias first connected with College Transitions, he was a motivated Radnor junior with solid academics, broad STEM interests, and a tendency to spread himself thin. Like many students from high-performing schools, he had taken several APs and Honors classes and earned strong grades, but he hadn’t yet developed a clear admissions narrative. Radnor’s environment […]

How Competitive Is College Admissions for Charlotte-Area Students in 2026

Posted on: 05 Sep 2025

If you’re raising a college-bound student in Charlotte, Union County, or Fort Mill, you may have noticed something. College admissions here feel tougher than they were even a few years ago. You’re not imagining it. The Charlotte metro area is now home to some of the strongest public, charter, and independent schools in the Carolinas, […]

University of Washington Supplemental Essays 2025-26 — Prompts and Tips

Posted on: 05 Sep 2025

The University of Washington’s main campus in Seattle isn’t the type of public school that just services local residents. Rather, UW-Seattle attracts twice as many applicants from out-of-state/country than in-state each year. Top-ranked computer science, engineering, business, and nursing programs, in particular, attract an endless stream of high-caliber applicants from around the globe. Great grades […]

MIT Supplemental Essays 2025-26 — Prompts and Tips

Posted on: 29 Aug 2025

When applying to MIT, a school with a 4.5% acceptance rate where a 1500 SAT would place you below the average enrolled student (seriously), teens should be aware that it takes a lot to separate yourself from the other 29,000+ applicants you are competing against. While trying to be among the 1 in 25 who […]

Johns Hopkins Supplemental Essays 2025-26 — Prompts and Advice

Posted on: 29 Aug 2025

In the most recent admissions cycle, Johns Hopkins University admitted 6.4% of applicants into the Class of 2028. As a school that rejects thousands of applicants each year with 1500+ SATs and impeccable transcripts, those hoping for a positive result at JHU need to find additional ways to shine in the eyes of the admissions […]

Columbia Supplemental Essays 2025-26 — Prompts & Advice

Posted on: 29 Aug 2025

Of the nearly 60,000 applications received by Columbia, just 4.2% were accepted, the second lowest mark in the Ivy League (Harvard was the lowest). At a school where 96 of every 100 applicants are rejected, and the vast majority of those applying have near-perfect/perfect grades and test scores, you may be asking yourself, “How do […]

NYU Supplemental Essays 2025-26 — Prompt and Advice

Posted on: 29 Aug 2025

In the 2024-25 admissions cycle, NYU received over 120,000 applications. That was a record-breaking figure for the university, as was the all-time low acceptance rate of 9%. To put these numbers in proper context, consider for a moment that in 1991, NYU had an acceptance rate of 65%. At the start of the Obama presidency, […]