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...
7 Questions to Ask Your School Counselor
Discover how to build strong rapport with your school counselor. Ask key questions about safety schools, admission trends, and more.
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...
What is a CBO for College Admissions?
Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) guide you through the college admissions process & offer valuable resources and connections with admissions...
Art Portfolios in College Admissions
Understand the requirements and guidelines for submitting an art portfolio and learn how it can complement your application.
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.
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.
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...
What is a college major (and why does it matter for admissions)?
Learn how your college major influences your degree type, career path, and application process. Get tips on standing out in competitive majors.
How to Transfer Colleges
Learn how to transfer colleges, including the reasons to transfer, writing about transferring, and how to stand out as a transfer student.
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...
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 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 Notre Dame Common Data Set
Discover what Notre Dame looks for in applicants, understand its acceptance rate, and learn about its popular majors.
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...
How to Write an Email to a College Admissions Office (with a sample!)
Learn when and how to appropriately email a college admissions officer. Enhance your application, demonstrate interest, and make a positive...
What to Do Summer Junior Year of High School: A Guide
Learn how to make the most of the summer after your junior year of high school. Explore options like pre-college programs, internships, and research.
How to Get into Tufts
Discover strategic approaches to increase your chances of admission to Tufts University. Craft a compelling application narrative and make an impact.
“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 Pick a College
Learn how to make the right college decision by considering financial aid, visiting campuses, and interacting with the community.
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 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 Write the UVA Supplemental Essays
Let’s go through all of the University of Virginia supplemental essay prompts.
How to Write the Tufts Supplemental Essays
Let’s walk through the Tufts supplemental essay prompts. We’ll talk about what strong responses will look like.
Quirky vs. Traditional Research Projects
Extracurriculars are an essential part of your college application, but you aren't limited to traditional activities. Quirky ones may help set you...
Extracurriculars: Why They're So Important for College Admissions
We know from Common Data Sets that extracurriculars are crucial in the application review process. Finding the right kind of activity is just as...
The Harvard Admissions Lawsuit and What It Means for You
The Harvard Admissions lawsuit revealed a lot about Harvard's admissions process. You can use that information as you prepare your application.
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.
What Does Test Optional Actually Mean?
We talk about test-optional policies and test-optional strategy. We give you advice for deciding whether or not to submit your SAT or ACT scores.
How to Get into Dartmouth
Ready to tackle your Dartmouth application? Let's go over the GPA, extracurriculars, coursework, and strategy you'll need if you want to get in.
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 Get into Georgetown
Ready to get into Georgetown? In this post, we show you what GPA, essays, and extracurriculars you'll need to stand out.
How to Get into Notre Dame
From GPA and course work to extracurriculars and essays, we'll go over everything you'll need to do to get into Notre Dame.
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...
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.
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...
College Essay Requirements: Everything You Need to Know
Let's walk through all the college essay requirements you need to know. We talk about length, style, topic, tone, and more.
How to Get into University of Michigan
We give you tips on how to get into the University of Michigan, including looking at the UMich application process. We talk about academics and more.
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 Get into UPenn
Getting into the University of Pennsylvania isn't easy. In this guide, you'll learn our best tips about crafting a strategic application.
How to Get into Princeton
To get into Princeton, you'll need more than good grades. You'll need a strong application strategy. We show you exactly what that means in this post.
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 Northwestern
Ready to learn how to get into Northwestern? We'll talk application requirements, GPAs, strategy, and more. And we'll show you our best application...
How to Get into Vanderbilt
Let's talk about what, exactly, you need to do to get into Vanderbilt. We'll go through application expectations and talk about how to stand out.
How to Get into NYU
How do you get into NYU? The urban campus is one of the nation's flagship universities and has an increasingly competitive admission rate.
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 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 Stanford
We lay out everything we know about how to get into Stanford University. What does it take to be admitted to one of the best schools in the country?
How to Get into Cornell
Learn about the four criteria Cornell University uses to determine who gets in. We break down exactly what it takes to get into Cornell.
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...
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.
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.
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...
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...
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...
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...
Oops, no posts matched your selected topic.
"The #1 college application newsletter. Something useful every time."
Open Admissions Thesis
Provide free, reliable resources for everyone at all phases of the application.
Write only the best & most insightful content for any topic we discuss.
Bridge the information access gap and help more students apply successfully.
Grow our community of 2,429+ students and parents who benefit from our insights
Get weekly updates. No fluff, just value.