Does being a “legacy” increase your admission odds?
Colleges love to throw around high-minded words like meritocracy, access, and egalitarianism when discussing admissions policies. Yet proclamations of a focus on social justice and opportunity ring a bit hollow when you consider that so-called legacy applicants, those who have familial ties to an institution,…
How to Get Into Harvard: Admissions Data and Strategies
Outside of “Encourage your ultra-wealthy parents to donate a building” or “Be a heavily-recruited athlete who also happens to have an SAT score in the 99th percentile,” there is no meaningful succinct nugget of wisdom that is going to unlock the gates to Harvard Yard….
10 Best College Guides: Must-Read Books for Parents and Teens
Prior to the advent of the modern internet, data-starved applicants had to head over to Barnes & Noble or another, now defunct retailer (remember Borders and Waldenbooks?) to find insights beyond those contained in the official glossy brochures that arrived in the mail. The internet…
What to Do After Getting Deferred By Your First-Choice College
You shed any Prufrockian paralysis and boldly confess your undying love to the college of your dreams. By applying early decision you’ve offered them 100% commitment and devotion with no guarantees in return. Your heart is all in their hands now. After a nervous, lengthy…
Transfer Applicants: How to Complete the Common Application
A college diploma features the name of just one institution; yet, for many, this hardly tells the true story of their unique college journey, which is often an amalgam of experiences across two or more postsecondary settings. In fact, at some point, 38% of all…
Career Advice for Teens: How to Become a College Professor
This is from a series of pieces from the College Transitions team designed to help career-minded high school students think intelligently about their postsecondary journeys, these blogs will look at the financial, academic, and personal factors one should consider when exploring various professions. Life as…
Should I Use the Common App Additional Information Section?
The Additional Information section on the Common App appears to be a 650-word oasis amidst the desert of Draconian character limits found elsewhere in the application. Yet, this inviting expanse of brag-sheet real estate should not be mistaken for an invitation to spew random musings…
How to Complete the Honors Section of the Common App
Depending on your circumstances, the five allotted entries in the Honors section of the Common Application can look like anything from a frighteningly vast and boundless ocean to a maddeningly constrictive kiddie pool. “Normal” high schoolers, those without any prestigious national awards to their names,…
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