Application Strategies

April 30, 2014

As college admission consultants, we are aware of the negative labels attached to our profession. In a field occasionally described as exorbitant, unregulated, and even predatory, we work hard...

March 29, 2014

Prior to the 1920s, attendance at a top-flight prep school was nothing less than a prerequisite for admission into an Ivy League college.

January 31, 2014

I got a letter from the Dean! I’m in! For a high school student, there is something undeniably exciting about being the recipient of an unsolicited brochure from a...

December 26, 2013

Deferred.  It’s a word that every early applicant dreads. Neither accepted nor denied, deferred students often feel as if they have been banished to college admissions purgatory, sentenced to...

December 2, 2013

If your high school career has been an uninterrupted parade of top notch grades, near perfect standardized test scores, and saintly behavior then you can stop reading… Except you...

October 16, 2013

On average, college applicants tend to underestimate the importance of recommendation letters, but they shouldn’t.  Letters of recommendation provide context to your application in a way that other credentials...

September 10, 2013

As colleges move to data-driven means of tracking information on prospective students, they have become increasingly savvy about predicting enrollment behavior and gauging an applicant’s true level of interest.  Schools...

August 2, 2013

Early decision has never been a popular choice among college bound seniors. For some, it’s about maximizing their chances of being admitted to the school of their dreams. For...

July 2, 2013

Mark is a highly accomplished senior with excellent grades and stratospheric test scores.  He recalls a friend of similar class rank who was admitted into Princeton just last year,...

May 23, 2013

Despite belief (and perhaps wishes) to the contrary, summer plays an extremely important role in the college admissions process.  These next few months give rising seniors, many of whom...

December 11, 2012

It’s perfectly acceptable to be undecided about a prospective major. You’re still in high school and have yet to explore much of what this world has to offer. Further,...