Posts by Dave Bergman:

Case Study: How One Sarasota Student Earned Admission to Cornell, Georgia Tech, and the University of Florida

Posted on: 05 Sep 2025

The Sarasota Landscape Sarasota County sends a distinctive mix of students into selective college admissions each year. Pine View School, a magnet for gifted learners in Osprey, currently ranks first in Florida and 12th nationally among public high schools, according to U.S. News & World Report. Riverview High School, home to an International Baccalaureate program, […]

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 […]

Case Study: How One Great Falls Student Earned Admission to Selective Colleges

Posted on: 01 Sep 2025

Families across Great Falls know that selective college admissions have grown more competitive every year. Notably, high-achieving students at Langley High School, the anchor school for this rural pocket of Fairfax County, often carry strong grades and a full course load. However, many parents still ask the same question: how does a student from an […]

How to Get Into Top Colleges from Albany, New York

Posted on: 01 Sep 2025

If you’re a college-bound student in the Albany area, you’ve probably wondered: does living here hurt or help my chances? The answer is nuanced. Albany’s location creates both real challenges and genuine advantages for top-college applicants. Understanding both sides is essential for building a smart strategy. Does Geography Affect College Admissions? Yes, but not in […]

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 […]