How to demonstrate interest in your prospective colleges
At their core, college admissions officers have a good deal in common with 7th graders. While they may not share the same hygiene issues, burgeoning rebellious spirit, or general awkwardness, thirteen-year-old’s minds are often dominated by one critical question—the same exact question that keeps college…
A Guide to High School Course Planning
The answer to what students should strive for in most areas impacting college admissions is a straightforward, “More/higher is better.” Whether you’re talking about GPA or standardized tests scores, the goal is always going to be to max out your potential. Yet the problem of…
Dealing with deferral: A few tips for applicants
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…
How to Create the Perfect College List
A great sculptor stares at a giant hunk of stone and can visualize, in their mind’s eye, a finished work of art. The average person just sees a rock. When it comes to the task of creating a list of prospective colleges, most teens and…
Is There a Private School Advantage in College Admissions?
Prior to the 1920s, attendance at a top-flight prep school was nothing less than a prerequisite for admission into an Ivy League college.
5 Tips to Jump-Start your College Application this Summer
For many high school students, summers are a time to hang by the pool, work a summer job, or simply take some time off from coursework and extracurricular demands. Whether your summer plans involve serving tables, lounging on the shore, or participating in a summer…
Do I need to enter college with a major?
The high school student who is the ultimate type A, planner extraordinaire can probably lay out an accurate vision for the next decade of their life, including their college and career path. Whether due to rigidity or innate passion, there are teens who truly know…
Cast a wide net: Geographic diversity and college admissions
We think of matriculation into college as a time of great separation, the moment where the young leave the nest, spread their wings, and fly into the great beyond to meet their futures. It turns out, however, that most little birdies don’t fly too far….