9 Biggest College Essay Mistakes
If you want to write a great college essay, you'll need to avoid common pitfalls. Read the biggest college essay mistakes so you know what not to do.
Choosing Supplemental Essay Topics
Learn how to brainstorm supplemental essay topics. Develop a strong fit between yourself and the school to make a persuasive argument for your...
How Important Are College Essays?
Learn how college essays help students stand out and why they are especially crucial at selective schools.
What to Do After Being Accepted Early Decision
Discover what to do after being accepted Early Decision, including securing your seat, withdrawing other applications, and celebrating your...
19 Questions to Ask A College Interviewer
Learn how to make the most of your college interview by asking engaging questions that build a genuine connection with the interviewer.
Should I take out loans for college?
Learn about the considerations for taking out student loans for college. Make informed choices based on interest rates and repayment terms.
4+1 Programs: What You Need to Know
Discover how 4+1 degree programs streamline your education, saving time and money. You can earn a Bachelor's and a Master's in just five years.
Is a 3+2 program right for you?
Learn about the benefits of 3+2 degree programs, allowing you to earn two degrees in five years from two distinct institutions.
How to Become Valedictorian (and is it worth it?)
Learn how to become valedictorian and discover if it's worth it. Boost your college admission chances with strong grades, extracurriculars, and...
The Truth about Passion Projects (And 15 Ideas for Yours)
Do admissions offices want to see passion projects, or are they played out? We share our framework for passion projects and 15 passion project ideas.
QuestBridge: Everything You Need to Know
QuestBridge is a non-profit that helps high-achieving, low-income students apply to and pay for college. Learn how it works and key dates.
How to Use the Rutgers Common Data Set
Learn how to create a stronger Rutgers application with insights from the Rutgers Common Data Set. Rutgers values academic performance above all else.
How to Use the UCSD Common Data Set
Learn about what UCSD admissions officers look for in your application, including GPA, class rank, essays, and extracurricular activities.
How to Use the Northeastern Common Data Set
Understand how to use Northeastern's Common Data Set for a winning application strategy. GPA, test scores, and essays matter.
How to Write a Why Us Supplemental Essay
Discover the keys to crafting a compelling Why Us college application essay, from research strategies to avoiding common pitfalls.
How to Get into Purdue
Learn how to increase your chances of admission to Purdue University by strategically aligning your application, grades, and extracurriculars.
How to Use the Georgia Tech Common Data Set
Understand Georgia Tech’s admissions process, what factors are prioritized, and how to align your application for success.
How to Write the Caltech Supplemental Essays
We talk about how to approach Caltech's supplementals, with tips on choosing an academic interest, detailing STEM experiences, and expressing...
How to Make the Perfect College List
Build a college list that balances your dreams with your chances of admission. Research and proactive planning will ensure all your options are good...
The Best Extracurricular Activities for Ivy League Admissions
Discover the importance of extracurriculars in Ivy League admissions, learn common mistakes to avoid, and understand the best strategies to create a...
The Best Way to Write College Essays About Moving
Discover effective approaches for writing a college essay about moving, including personal insights, family context, and lessons learned.
How to Write a Great College Essay About Music (with examples)
Learn how to write a college essay about music that stands out to admissions officers by avoiding cliches and focusing on your strengths.
How to Write the UNC Supplemental Essays
Learn how to tackle the UNC supplemental essays and create concise fill-in-the-blank responses that showcase your personality and narrative.
How to Write the UIUC Supplemental Essays
Learn how to write effective UIUC supplemental essays, showcasing your academic fit, personal goals, and future aspirations.
4 Questions to Ask Before Writing a College Essay About Volunteering
Considering writing your college essay about volunteering? Let’s make sure it’s the best topic for you.
How to Use the Johns Hopkins Common Data Set
The Johns Hopkins Common Data Set tells us a lot about what JHU admissions officers look for in applications. From GPA to major choices, let's take a...
The First Paragraph of Your Supplemental Essay is All that Matters
The first paragraph can make or break your supplemental essays. Let's talk about why.
Diversity Essays Are Actually Community Essays
Struggling with diversity supplemental essays? You're not the only one. To help, I recommend that you think about diversity essays as community...
How to Write the Columbia Supplemental Essays
We'll go through the Columbia supplemental essays, including the Columbia list questions and the Columbia short answer questions.
How to Get into Columbia University
To get into Columbia University, good grades alone aren't enough. You also need a compelling application narrative that shows your alignment with...
Building a Moat
Just like in business, your college application needs a personal brand to help you stand out. You need a moat. In this post, I'll explain what that...
How to Get into Rice University
They don't call Rice an Ivy of the south for nothing. It's a top school with a sub-10% acceptance rate. Here, we'll talk about how to up your chances.
Using Regional Job Markets to Build a School List
Think about the regional job markets surrounding schools. Internship and networking opportunities can be more important than the school you attend.
How to Answer the UC Essay Prompts
We go over everything you need to know about the UC essays. We talk about UC essay requirements and break down how to answer each of the UC essay...
How to Use the Georgetown Common Data Set
The Georgetown Common Data Set gives us insight into Georgetown's admissions process. We look at application review, GPA statistics, major data, and...
How to Write the Boston University Supplemental Essays
The Boston University supplemental essay asks you what excites you the most about being a student at BU. Let's talk about how to ace it.
9 Ways to Start a College Essay
We know—the introduction to your college essay is always the hardest. Here, we talk about introductions and offer up 9 proven ways to write your own.
How to Get into Brown University
Wondering how to get into Brown? So are nearly 50,000 other applicants! In this post, we talk through a few strategies to help you beat the odds.
Should You Write Your College Essay About Losing a Loved One?
We discuss college essays about losing a loved one, and we offer up some advice about how to approach such a personal subject in your Common App...
Admit Report's Teaching Quality and Value Ranking 2023
Announcing the winners of Admit Report's Teaching Quality and Value Ranking for 2023 — state by state.
How to Write the UChicago Supplemental Essays
Can't quite crack those UChicago supplemental essay prompts? We've got some essay advice that will help.
How to Use the University of Chicago Common Data Set
The University of Chicago Common Data Set can help you craft your application. Here, we walk you through all the UChicago admissions data.
How to Write the University of Michigan Supplemental Essays
You've got two University of Michigan supplemental essays to answer. In this post, we break down both prompts and walk you through how to answer them.
How to Use the Vanderbilt Common Data Set
We look at the Vanderbilt Common Data Set. It has lots of valuable admissions data, and it tells you exactly what Vanderbilt admissions officers look...
How to Write a College Essay About Photography
Want to write your college essay about photography? We explain the challenges you might face, and we give you advice about the best approaches.
How to Use the UPenn Common Data Set
The UPenn Common Data Set tells us a lot. We pull out the most important application, GPA, essay, and standardized test information for you.
How to Get Into Yale
Learn how to get into Yale. It isn't easy to be admitted to one of the top schools in the country, and one of the most well-known Ivy League schools.
How to Write the Northwestern Supplemental Essays (With Examples)
Let's tackle the supplemental essays required by Northwestern University. We go through best practices and give an example of a great supplemental.
How to Write the Princeton Supplemental Essays
Learn about how to approach the Princeton University supplemental essays. There are three types, and we cover how to approach all three of them.
How to Get into Duke University
Ever wondered how to get into Duke University? We lay out everything we know about the amazing school—and how to crack its admissions process—right...
How to Get Into Harvard
So, you want to know how to get into Harvard? We serve up everything we know about how to crack the crown jewel of the Ivy League. Buckle up.
How to Write the Stanford Supplemental Essays
We go through all of the Stanford supplemental essay prompts. We explain how to write the Stanford Roommate Essay and Stanford Short Questions.
An Overview of Basic Extracurricular Pathways
We talk about different extracurricular pathways, including in-person and hybrid options. We also talk about how to make your extracurriculars stand...
Leveling Up Your Extracurriculars (with examples!)
We talk about how to easily take your existing extracurricular activities to the next level. Doing so will help your college application stand out.
How to Strategize Your Early Decision Application
We talk about strategies for applying Early Decision I and Early Decision II. We give advice about how to pick the best ED school for you.
Early Action vs Early Decision: What is the Difference?
We explain the difference between applying Early Action and Early Decision. We talk about the advantages of both and explain how many EA schools to...
How to Write a Diversity Supplemental Essay
We cover what a diversity supplemental essay is. We talk about the best ways to approach diversity essays and give you some tips for writing your own.
How to Write a Why This Major Supplemental Essay (with Examples)
Let's talk about how to write a why this major supplemental essay, with examples!
12 Common App Essay Examples (Graded by Former Admissions Officers)
We go through 12 Common App essay examples. The examples show you want to do (and not do) when responding to the Common App essay prompts.
How to Write Supplemental Essays that Will Impress Admissions Officers
We talk about how to write supplemental essays, including reading supplemental prompts, doing school research, and showing academic and school fit.
21 College Essay Examples (Graded by Former Admissions Officers)
We review 20 amazing college essay examples, focusing on personal statements and some supplemental essays. Our college essay examples are also...
How to Write a College Essay (Exercises + Examples)
We go through how to write a college essay. We talk about finding a Common App essay topic and drafting your college essay. We also show you examples.
How to Use the Common Data Set
We explain what the Common Data Set is and why it's so important. We show you how to use a school's Common Data Set to inform your application...
How to Organically Find your Extracurricular Interests
Your extracurriculars should be fun and productive. We talk about finding extracurriculars based on your interests as a first-year or sophomore...
The Incredible Power of a Cohesive College Application
Above all, your college application needs to be cohesive — it needs to work in concert to help you stand out.
How A Selective Admissions Office Reads 50k Applications In A Season
Going behind the scenes of the admissions processes at a highly selective university. Let's look at how Admissions Officers actually get through so...
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