Should I Apply Early Decision?
In the early 1990s, the University of Pennsylvania was struggling to keep up with their fellow Ivy League universities and found themselves frequently relegated to “back-up plan” status among the nation’s top students. Their institution’s location in less-than-idyllic West Philadelphia and the “sounds like a…
What is a Financial Safety School?
The act of drawing up college contingency plans is entirely antithetical to the passion-filled optimism pulsating through the average teenage brain. Counting on your son or daughter to put careful thought into their post-secondary backup plan is like expecting Romeo & Juliet to respond to…
What is an SAT/ACT Superscore?
It is human nature to selectively showcase only our best moments while simultaneously sweeping those that are less flattering out of sight. When serious high school athletes put together highlight reels for recruitment videos, they cherry-pick touchdowns, dunks, or homeruns; not fumbles, air balls, and…
How to Apply to a US College as an International Student
Last year, 1,169,464 international students were studying at colleges and universities across the United States. While this number is slightly down from previous years due, at least in part, to the current political conditions in the United States, American institutions of higher education continue to…
How to Get Accepted into a College of Music
The college admissions process is emotionally taxing for the average teen and their family. Juggling the FAFSA/CSS Profile, essays, standardized tests, demonstrating interest, soliciting recommendations, AP exams, and extracurricular involvement, all while maintaining stellar grades in a rigorous academic program is not an easy task….
How should 9th graders prepare for college?
Let’s begin with a caveat: The College Transitions team is philosophically opposed to the unhealthy obsession with elite college admission that begins in the womb, ramps up to overdrive by the time pre-school selection rolls around, and by high school—well, that’s when the therapy bills…
Which Colleges Have the Best Greek Life?
One of the more polarizing facets of the college experience is the presence of Greek life on campus; it all depends on who you are speaking with. To some, fraternity and sorority life is an essential element of the higher education social scene, inseparable from…
How to Email an Admissions Officer
Typically, there are two reasons that a prospective college student would want to email a college admissions officer: 1) They have a legitimate question that they are genuinely not able to find the answer to online, or 2) they are “playing the game” by demonstrating…