Applying to college is a major commitment not just for high school seniors but their entire family. From visiting colleges to completing applications, soliciting letters of recommendation to acing interviews, there are many elements to this process that require a high level of thought and preparation.
Read MoreNow that you’re in the second semester of 10th grade, hopefully you’ve gotten the rhythm of high school down. By now, you should have an understanding of what your teachers expect from you, what kind of effort is necessary for you to succeed in your classes, and which extracurricular activities are most meaningful to you.
Read MoreThe second semester of junior year is like the moment you pull back an arrow. With your eyes on the goal, you are preparing to launch into the start of the college application process with hopes of hitting the red mark: your dream school.
Read MoreThe last six miles of a marathon can often be the most difficult for many runners. After 20 miles and hours of running, you hit the dreaded “wall” and “the wheels fall off.” Your body is pushed to its limits, and it’s all a mental game from there on out to cross the finish line.
Read MoreCongratulations! After months of slaving over your computer to craft brilliant applications for colleges, you are now done with most of them and can give yourself time to rest as you wait for the results.So, what’s next? You can expect to hear back from most colleges in March and, by April, you’ll have all your results in hand to decide where you want to spend your next four years.
Read MoreEvery admissions cycle, a greater number of students take advantage of early decision (ED) and early action (EA) deadlines to apply to colleges that excite them. Not only do these admissions pathways tend to offer those that use them greater odds of being accepted, they can also reduce the amount of time students spend worried about where they’ll attend school.
Read MoreCongratulations! You received an early holiday present. The school of your choice admitted you early action or—even more conclusively—early decision and now you can start shopping for sweatshirts and other college swag.
Read MoreAt this time of year, the number one thing on most students’ minds is winter break. Plans of family trips, celebrations, and—maybe most importantly—no school work, start filling their thoughts shortly after Thanksgiving.
Read MoreNot every college student is happy with his or her choice of school. As perspectives change and people evolve, sometimes it makes sense for students to consider transferring to a different institution to complete their degree.
Read MoreTrue or false? STEM students are inherently bad writers and the college application process will be painful for them because of its abundant essay requirements.Most definitely, false.
Read MoreFound in the Writing portion of the Common App, the additional information section gives students 650 words to write about anything that couldn’t fit elsewhere. Some students may have important stories to share that did not fit in any other of the spaces in the Common App, such as the reason behind why they chose a certain activity or the way they earned their grades.
Read MoreWe are in the midst of another application season. Chances are high that you’ve already started thinking about your personal statement and the numerous supplemental essays you’ll have to write before you can submit to all the schools on your list.p
Read More“If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter,” said Blaise Pascal, a 17th century French mathematician and philosopher. This quote, commonly misattributed to famous persons such as Benjamin Franklin or Mark Twain, holds a resonant truth that has kept it alive for over 350 years: Less is More.
Read MoreIf you’ve planned out your application writing process correctly, then you’ve made a list of every essay you’ll have to write before you began to draft them. And you’ve probably noticed that there is some overlap between what several of your colleges are asking you.
Read MoreLet us first begin by qualifying that there is almost always an exception to the rule. Any college advice you receive should be filtered through your own personal experiences because something that may be true for the general population may not apply to you. So, we don’t want you to automatically disregard a story even if it appears on this list.
Read MoreWhen admissions officers are deciding who they want to attend the college they represent, one factor that can make or break a student’s chances at many schools is demonstrated interest. This somewhat nebulous but nonetheless important term seeks to answer a basic question to the process: how clear have you made it that you love the schools high on your list and in what specific ways have you shown it?
Read MoreIt goes without saying (OK we'll say it) that senior year is incredibly busy. Many 12th graders have chosen to undertake the most difficult class schedule of their high school career, in addition to studying for standardized tests and completing dozens of college applications.
Read MoreSpoiler alert: Yes, they are! But let’s a take a step back….Senior year can feel like an ironman triathlon. You are taking your most rigorous course load yet, stepping into new leadership positions, and then writing a gazillion essays for college apps. Demands pile up, one upon another, and they do not seem to relent on any side.
Read MoreThe opportunity to spend the night on a college campus as a prospective student is very instructive in making your ultimate decision about where the right school is for you. And even more importantly, it can be very fun!But when you are on someone else's campus as a guest, it’s crucial to know how to conduct yourself.
Read MoreThe timing of your college visit will have a major impact on how you experience the campus. For a lot of students, summer is the only time they have a chance to see their favorite schools.While there is much you can learn from a college visit during the summer, visiting colleges in the fall will give you the best chance of experiencing campus life in action.
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