Our Blog

November 10, 2025

If you are raising a college-bound student in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, you are operating in one of the most academically accomplished school districts on the East Coast. Anne...

November 9, 2025

If you live in Fairfield County, Connecticut, you already know the college admissions process feels different here. Harder. More intense. More competitive. And you’re not imagining it. Fairfield County...

November 9, 2025

College admissions outcomes for students in the Boise area can surprise families who assume that elite universities primarily draw from coastal or metropolitan pipelines. In reality, strong Boise students...

November 7, 2025

On October 1st, the U.S. Secretary of Education sent a “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” to nine universities. The administration’s proposed compact is a wide-ranging agreement between...

November 7, 2025

We would never unequivocally tell an applicant that any proposed college essay topic is off-limits. Great writers can take the most mundane, banal, and generic topic and transform it...

November 7, 2025

Many battle-worn applicants, weary from the slog of completing a dozen or so applications, encounter optional essays and requests for other non-compulsory application components, such as a resume, interview,...

November 7, 2025

At all nine UC campuses (Berkeley, Santa Barbara, UCLA, Riverside, Irvine, Davis, San Diego, Santa Cruz, and Merced), admissions officers learn more about how you spend your time outside...

November 7, 2025

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,...

November 6, 2025

Who’s hungry for trivia? Food is the thing that brings us all together, and it’s always fun to learn a little more about the food facts in our world....

November 6, 2025

Make no mistake about it: people love playing video games. In fact, there are billions of video game players worldwide. How many, exactly? Well, that’s one of the trivia...

November 6, 2025

Fayetteville doesn’t get mentioned in the same breath as Boston, the Bay Area, or New York City when families talk about selective college admissions. However, it should get more...

November 6, 2025

On August 1st, the Common Application went live for the 2025-26 admissions season. If you’ll be applying to any colleges using this form, it’s a smart idea to start...

November 5, 2025

Families in the Salt Lake City area face a school choice dilemma that didn’t exist a generation ago. Today, the region offers: Highly competitive public high schools like Skyline,...

November 5, 2025

The short answer is yes, but with important nuance. Fayetteville is one of the most academically dynamic small cities in the South. It is home to the University of...

November 4, 2025

Sometimes I think: What would happen if Apple Maps disappeared tomorrow!? This thought is typically followed by low-key panic—“Awesome, I have absolutely zero navigational skills! I will be useless...

November 4, 2025

Families in Fayetteville and Washington County know that college admissions have grown more competitive with every passing year. Northwest Arkansas has changed rapidly. The region now attracts corporate relocations,...

November 3, 2025

If you are raising a college-bound student in the Fayetteville, Arkansas area, you are navigating one of the most academically dynamic secondary-school markets in the South. Fayetteville is home...

November 2, 2025

For students who want to move quickly into a stable, in-demand career, traditional four-year colleges are not always the best or most practical option. Rising tuition, longer time-to-degree, and...

November 2, 2025

Rising college costs, longer time-to-degree, and growing demand for applied technical and healthcare skills have pushed many students to look beyond traditional four-year universities. Career-focused institutions that emphasize accelerated...

November 1, 2025

Did you know that there are over 20,000 high schools in the United States? With so many choices, picking the right high school might not be as easy as...