Posts by Dave Bergman:

The Most Common College Admissions Mistakes Fairfield County, Connecticut Families Make and How to Avoid Them

Posted on: 10 Jul 2025

Fairfield County, CT, families enjoy exceptional school systems, abundant extracurricular options, and a culture that values academic and personal achievement. Students here attend some of the top public and private high schools in the country—Darien, New Canaan, Greenwich, Wilton, Staples, Weston, Stamford, Brunswick, and Greens Farms Academy, among others. But the very strengths of the […]

UMich Supplemental Essays 2025-26 – Prompts & Tips

Posted on: 10 Jul 2025

In forming the Class of 2028, the University of Michigan received a staggering 98,000 applications, an all-time high. For historical comparison, there were under 24,000 applicants at the turn of the millennium. Therefore, it is safe to say that more students desire to become Wolverines in 2025 than ever before in the school’s 200+ year […]

How to Get Into Northeastern: Acceptance Rate and Strategies

Posted on: 10 Jul 2025

Anyone who went to college thirty, twenty, or even ten years ago would likely be shocked if you told them that Northeastern University, once viewed as more of a commuter school than a nationally recognized institution, has an acceptance rate in the single digits (the Northeastern ED acceptance rate is much higher). This Boston-based private […]

Is New Orleans a Good Place for College Admissions? A Look at the City’s Charter Landscape

Posted on: 09 Jul 2025

New Orleans presents an unusual case for college admissions. Hurricane Katrina forced a near-total rebuild of the public school system two decades ago. As a result, the city now runs almost entirely on charter schools. Families apply through a single enrollment portal rather than traditional neighborhood zoning. Consequently, whether New Orleans sets a student up […]

The Most Common College Admissions Mistakes Austin-Area Families Make and How to Avoid Them

Posted on: 08 Jul 2025

Austin is one of the strongest secondary-school markets in the country. Students here benefit from exceptional access to Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, dual enrollment, and post-AP coursework, as well as nationally respected independent schools. But that strength creates a hidden problem. In a region where many students attend high-performing schools and present strong academic profiles, […]

Gainesville, FL: Where a Research University Shapes the Secondary School Landscape

Posted on: 08 Jul 2025

Gainesville is, in essence, a college town built around the University of Florida. That fact shapes nearly every part of its K-12 landscape. Families here navigate a market that includes a lottery-admission research school, a large traditional public option, an IB-designated magnet, and two distinct private schools: one non-denominational, one Catholic. Notably, Gainesville’s public schools […]

Public vs. Private High Schools in Hampton Roads: What Actually Matters for College Admissions

Posted on: 07 Jul 2025

Families across Hampton Roads, Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, York County, and the Peninsula face a familiar but high-stakes question: Is a public or private high school the better path to selective college admissions? With strong public options like Ocean Lakes, Princess Anne, Jamestown, Grassfield, Grafton, York, and Tabb, alongside respected independent and faith-based schools such […]

Public vs. Private High School in Columbus, Ohio: What Actually Matters for College Admissions

Posted on: 06 Jul 2025

Few decisions create more anxiety for Columbus-area families than choosing between public and private high school. Central Ohio offers an unusually strong mix of both. On the public side, districts like Bexley, New Albany, Upper Arlington, Dublin (Coffman and Jerome), Olentangy Liberty, and Orange regularly produce competitive college applicants. On the private side, schools such […]