Posts by Dave Bergman:

Public vs. Private in Mercer County: What Actually Matters for Selective College Admissions (2026 Guide)

Posted on: 05 Oct 2025

A clear, research-backed look at how Princeton, WW-P, Hopewell Valley, Lawrenceville, and Mercer County’s private schools compare and how families can make informed decisions. Families in Mercer County face a uniquely complicated school decision. With academically elite public districts including Princeton High School, WW-P North and South, Hopewell Valley, and Robbinsville and powerhouse independent schools […]

Top High Schools in Martha’s Vineyard, MA: How They Compare for College Admissions

Posted on: 02 Oct 2025

If you are raising a college-bound student on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, you are navigating one of the most distinctive and genuinely unusual secondary-school markets in the country. Unlike most communities served by this series, Martha’s Vineyard is a geographically isolated island accessible only by ferry or plane, approximately seven miles off the Cape Cod coast. […]

Is Martha’s Vineyard a Good Place for College Admissions?

Posted on: 29 Sep 2025

There are few places in New England quite like Martha’s Vineyard. The island’s natural beauty, tight-knit community, and surprisingly rich cultural life give students a backdrop that most mainland applicants will never experience. That distinctiveness is one of the most underappreciated admissions assets a Vineyard student has. However, it only works as an advantage if […]

Thirty Miles Out: A Nantucket Student’s Guide to Building a Competitive College Application

Posted on: 26 Sep 2025

Nantucket sits 30 miles off the Massachusetts coast. It is reachable only by ferry or small plane, and it has a single public high school. That isolation shapes how students there build a college application. Instead of choosing among a dozen nearby internship providers, Nantucket students work with a small, tightly connected set of island […]

Is Eugene a Good Place for College Admissions?

Posted on: 24 Sep 2025

Eugene, Oregon, is a mid-sized university city with a strong progressive culture, deep outdoor recreation traditions, and an educational landscape that reflects the broader character of the Pacific Northwest. Families here have access to a range of public schools with varying levels of academic intensity, and the presence of the University of Oregon shapes the […]

Do Colleges Look at Social Media?

Posted on: 24 Sep 2025

Wondering if colleges look at the social media accounts of prospective students, and how they find them? Let’s start with a cautionary tale. In a well-publicized story that made international news, Harvard University rescinded offers of admission to more than ten students who posted obscene, sexually explicit, and racist memes in a private Facebook group. […]

Case Study: How a Nantucket Student Turned Island Preservation Work into a Winning Admissions Strategy

Posted on: 23 Sep 2025

Families on Nantucket face a college admissions landscape unlike almost anywhere else in Massachusetts. The island has exactly one public high school. Consequently, its students compete for selective seats against applicants from large mainland districts with dozens of AP sections. However, Nantucket also offers something those districts cannot: direct, hands-on access to one of the […]

Greenville, SC: A Growing Upstate Market with Real Academic Depth

Posted on: 18 Sep 2025

Greenville has transformed over the past two decades. Specifically, it moved from a textile town into one of the fastest-growing metro areas in the Southeast. In turn, that growth has reshaped the local secondary school landscape. Additionally, families relocating for jobs at BMW, Michelin, and other advanced manufacturers have raised expectations for rigor. As a […]