What is Demonstrated Need and How Do Colleges Use It?
Learn about demonstrated need, how to calculate it, and how it affects the amount of financial aid you receive.
How to Use the Carnegie Mellon Common Data Set
Learn about Carnegie Mellon University's admissions process. Find out what factors are most important, what majors are popular, and how to stand out.
How to Use a Net Price Calculator
Discover how you can input your financial information to Net Price Calculators (NPCs) and get an estimate of the cost of attending a college or...
Is Early Decision Binding?
Learn about the binding nature of Early Decision agreements. Understand what an Early Decision Agreement is and what circumstances allow it to be...
What if I Have Low Grades on My Mid-Year Report?
If your mid-year grades drop, take action, be proactive with colleges, and demonstrate your commitment to academic success.
What is an Honors College?
Honors colleges offer small classes, research opportunities, close faculty interaction, and a lively social life.
Does Family Income Affect College Admissions?
Learn how income can affect college admissions and understand important financial aid terms.
Veteran Student College Admission & Funding
Learn about college admissions and funding options for veterans and their dependents, including the GI Bill and the Yellow Ribbon Program.
How do homeschoolers get into college?
Learn how homeschoolers can navigate the college application process, including presenting coursework, creating transcripts, and seeking...
3 Reasons Why You Should Take the PSAT
Discover the benefits of taking the PSAT - practice for the SAT, understand your strengths and weaknesses, and unlock merit scholarship opportunities.
How to Appeal Financial Aid
You can appeal your financial aid award. Reach out to the admissions or financial aid office of each institution to learn what the process is.
Do colleges look at SAT scores?
Admissions officers use the middle 50% range to evaluate standardized test scores. Applicants should aim for scores within or above this range.
What is a mid-year report (and why do colleges want one)?
Learn about how mid-year reports impact your college application. Admissions officers use them to see your academic rigor in your senior year.
Grants vs Scholarships vs Loans
Learn about the differences between scholarships, grants, and loans to finance your college education.
Full-Ride Scholarships to College
To increase your chances of getting a full ride, be realistic about your competitiveness, understand scholarship types, and be strategic about your...
How to Use the Penn State Common Data Set
Learn how Penn State evaluates applicants and what you need to know to create a winning application. Explore the Common Data Set admissions data.
How to Use the UC Berkeley Common Data Set
Learn how to use UC Berkeley's Common Data Set to strengthen your application strategy and increase your chances of acceptance.
Three Mistakes to Avoid When Writing a College Essay About Goals
Avoid three common mistakes to write a winning college essay about goals. Understand your motivations, link goals to the university, and consider the...
How to Write the Wake Forest Supplemental Essays
Explore strategies for answering Wake Forest's optional application questions. Boost your application by revealing your personality, intellectual...
How to Write the Johns Hopkins Supplemental Essay
Gain insight into the Johns Hopkins University application process. Learn how to answer their supplemental essay prompt effectively to stand out.
How to Write the Georgia Tech Supplemental Essay
Learn how to write a strong Georgia Tech supplemental essay that showcases your fit for your chosen major and highlights your intellectual...
How to Write the Emory Supplemental Essays
Learn how to tackle Emory's short supplemental essays, focusing on academic interests and personal experiences. Make every word count with our guide.
“Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities”: Tips and Tricks
Learn how to showcase your impact, personal significance, alignment with school values, and extracurricular accomplishments.
How to Write a College Essay About ADHD
Learn how to write a college essay about ADHD. Use the topic to understand trends and growth, highlight your strengths, or emphasize your empathy.
3 Ways to Approach College Essays About Adoption
Learn to write a college essay about adoption, exploring themes of identity, biology, and culture. Avoid common mistakes and focus on your unique...
How long does it take to get accepted into college?
Once you submit your application, how long will you have to wait to hear back? Let’s get into it.
How to Use the Pomona Common Data Set
The Pomona Common Data Set reveals information about admissions statistics, GPA requirements, standardized testing, and more. Let's take a look.
4 Questions to Ask If You're Considering Writing Your College Essay About Video Games
Some college essays about video games are better than others. These four questions will help you decide whether it's the right topic for you.
How to Write the Rice Supplemental Essays
We go through the Rice supplemental essays, including the Rice Box image, and talk about how to ace each.
How to Use the Rice Common Data Set
Let's go through the Rice Common Data Set and look at information about Rice's acceptance rate, standardized test scores, average GPA, and popular...
How to Write the Dartmouth Supplemental Essays
Your Dartmouth supplemental essays are crucial. We'll go through all the Dartmouth supplemental prompts and give you strategies for answering them.
Navigating College Admissions and Changing Reproductive Rights Laws
Are you avoiding applying to college in states with abortion bans? You're not the only one. Access to abortion is becoming part of college decisions.
How applying to college works, grade by grade
A grade-by-grade guide for applying to college, with links out to longer posts for each grade.
Your Senior Year Timeline
Welcome to senior year! It'll go by quick. This guide will keep you on track with everything you'll need to do throughout the college application...
Your Junior Year Timeline
Hello, junior! Get ready for a busy year. We're here to help you make the most of it so you're a stellar college applicant next year.
Your Sophomore Year Timeline
Now that you've gotten the hang of high school, it's time to (slowly!) start thinking about how to prepare yourself for college. Here are some top...
Your First-Year Timeline
Welcome to high school! Thoughtful planning now can make your college application process a lot easier come senior year. Let's talk about what to...
How to Write the Notre Dame Supplemental Essays
What are the Notre Dame supplementals? Do you have to write about Catholicism? Which prompt should you choose? We answer all these questions and more!
How to Get into Boston University
Ready to get into BU? In this post, we go through what Boston University looks for in applicants, and we talk about how to strategize your...
25 College Essay Brainstorming Questions
Find your perfect college essay topic with these 25 college essay brainstorming questions.
How to Get into the University of Chicago
If you're wondering how to get into the University of Chicago, you're in the right place. We talk statistics, strategy, and standing out from the...
How to Use the University of Michigan Common Data Set
Join us in exploring the University of Michigan Common Data Set. We look at GPA, standardized test scores, major popularity, and other admissions...
How to Use the Harvard Common Data Set
The Harvard University Common Data Set is a powerful tool for understanding Harvard's admissions priorities.
How to Get Into USC
We break down how to get into USC, the University of Southern California. Application strategy matters—you have to align with the school's core...
How to Get into MIT
How do you get into MIT, one of the best schools in the country? Read everything we know about what it takes to stand out in the super-competitive...
Everything You Need to Know about Academics & GPA
We talk about academic factors like weighted GPAs, unweighted GPAs, and course rigor. We explain how admissions officers read your transcript and...
Our Guide to Gap Years
We talk about the best ways to spend your gap year before college. We also show you how to write about your gap year in your college application.
A Complete Guide to Applying to College as an International Student
We talk about applying to college in the United States as an international student. We cover legal documents, English exams, financial aid, and more.
Our Complete Guide to College Interviews
College interviews are usually more informative than evaluative. We talk about how to navigate your college interview and stand out in the process.
Financial Aid for Colleges: Our Basic Guide
We talk about different kinds of financial aid, including merit and need-based aid. We also cover tuition discounts and how to get outside...
Touring Colleges: What You Need to Know
We talk about different kinds of college visits, including in-person, virtual, and events. We explain the strategic and personal benefits of visiting.
How to Show Demonstrated Interest
We talk about demonstrating interest in a college. We explain why and when demonstrating interest matters, and we show you how to demonstrate...
How to Craft Amazing Extracurriculars by Combining Interests
We explain how to impress admissions officers by combining two of your extracurricular interests to create a compelling personal project.
Extracurricular Magnitude and Impact
We talk about how extracurriculars affect your personal score in college admissions. We explain how to show impact and magnitude in your...
The 3.5 things I learned reading essays in a top-15 admissions office
We talk about what it's really like to work in a top admissions office. We explain what admissions officers look for when they read application...
The Basics of Athletic Recruiting
We talk about DIII athletic recruitment. We explain the NCAA DIII rules, and we go over how being a recruited athlete can help in the admissions...
Letters of Recommendation for College: A Guide
We talk about why letters of recommendation are important, and we give you advice about how to get great teacher and counselor letters of...
Do Colleges Care About AP Scores? A Complete Guide
We go over what course rigor is, why AP classes matter, what to do if your school doesn't offer AP, and how to decide whether to submit your AP...
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