The lure of an elite undergraduate institution is undoubtedly very powerful. And if you have the credentials and money to comfortably matriculate, by all means… However, if finances are tight and the financial aid isn’t right, take a moment to put your education and career into perspective. In today’s...
Read MoreIf 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 probably won’t since you perfectionists like to finish every single thing you start, right? Academic blemishes come in all shapes...
Read MoreThe vast majority of college admissions officers rarely, if ever, Google applicants names, rifle through their Facebook accounts, carefully pore over their archived tweets, or analyze their “selfies” on Instagram for artistic value. For some officers, this is a moral issue; your social media should be your private space....
Read MoreIt is common knowledge that private colleges and universities are typically eager to recruit out-of-state applicants in order to help enhance the geographic diversity of their freshman classes. However, many elite public schools have traditionally set a higher bar for those applying from afar in order to maintain a...
Read MoreThe basic rules for writing a stellar college essay vary little from the general guidelines for producing any strong piece of written work: be authentic, tell a story that is personal and compelling, and diligently edit, revise, and polish your product. Writing in an authentic voice does not mean...
Read MoreLast week, U.S. News & World Report released its highly anticipated, and highly controversial, annual college rankings. Like most people, we love ratings systems and refer to them when purchasing a variety of things, like computers or household appliances. But let’s face it, paying for a higher education is...
Read MoreAs 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 often refer to this as the “interest quotient,” and admitting students with high scores on this measure can improve a...
Read MoreEarly Decision (ED) is one of the most debated strategies in college admissions. For some students, it’s a powerful tool for locking in an acceptance at a dream school. For others, it brings calm and certainty to a stressful senior year. But early decision college admissions is not a...
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