NYU is a highly-respected university in the heart of an iconic city. Located in downtown Manhattan, NYU is truly in the middle of the action. This has led to the university gaining a reputation as a place where people go to make things happen now. Students at NYU, whether studying music production, economics, art, or entrepreneurship, are doing what they are passionate about. NYU students are not waiting for graduation day to start a career, they begin alongside their academic studies. NYU students regularly build careers, start companies, and break through as artists while at the university.
Best Extracurriculars for High School Freshman Interested in STEM
Having excellent grades isn’t enough to get into an elite schools as a STEM major. Majors in the science, technology, engineering, and math fields are often among the most competitive. If you dream of attending a top college, great grades and scores are just the first steps. You also need to have amazing extracurriculars. It’s never too early to start building a stand-out extracurricular resume. But how? Don’t worry; we are here to break it down for you.
University of Southern California (USC) Legacy Policies and Guide
The University of Southern California (USC) is a private research university located in Los Angeles, CA. Students who want to study business, communications, and film are drawn to this school, and it’s known for having a robust campus culture and a real work-hard, play-hard vibe. If you’re reading this, though, you probably know this, because one (or both!) of your parents went to USC, and you want to go there too.
University of Pennsylvania Legacy Policies and Guide
The University of Pennsylvania, or Penn, is a top-tier American university and member of the famed Ivy League. The University offers one of the only undergraduate business programs of the Ivy League, and certainly the most iconic nationally. Rooted in Philadelphia, the Penn experience is dynamic, intense, and famously full of opportunities to push oneself beyond perceived limitations. Penn : “Penn is a place for people who want to do something big.” It’s unsurprising, then, that they get a lot of love. Penn received 65,236 applications for the Class of 2028, and offered admission to , or 3,523. For the , it got even more competitive. Penn received 72,000 applications. While they have not released the acceptance rate, it was almost certainly less than 5%.
The University of Michigan Legacy Policies and Guide
The University of Michigan is regularly ranked in the top 5 public universities in the United States. The undergraduate program offers top-tier academic programs alongside an iconic on-campus culture. Mich has always been popular within the state of Michigan, with a little over 50% of first-years coming from the state, but it has also become extremely popular for out-of-state applicants. This has driven the acceptance rate down to However, if an applicant is not living in Michigan the acceptance rate is still misleading. Because the in-state acceptance rate can be assumed to be much higher than that for out-of-state students (), it skews the average. In reality, getting into Mich from outside of Michigan is like getting into an Ivy League university.
Vanderbilt Legacy Policies and Guide
Located in the Music City (Nashville, TN, for the uninitiated), Vanderbilt University is a private research university that was founded in the wake of the Civil War by railroad tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt. The school is extremely popular with students looking for a work-hard, play-hard environment and with students who want to study business or law, and has become incredibly competitive over the last few years. In 2024, their regular decision acceptance rate was 3.7%, and their ED acceptance rate was 15.2%. But if you’re here, you probably know at least some of this, because one (or both) of your parents went to Vanderbilt and you’re looking to follow in their footsteps.
Best Extracurriculars for High School Freshman Interested in Humanities
Don’t listen to the haters; getting an undergraduate degree in the humanities is a valuable pursuit. There are so many great humanities majors at elite schools. However, if you are eyeing a top school, you need to make sure you are a top candidate, which means building a great extracurricular resume in the humanities. It's never too early to get involved in the humanities outside of class. If you don’t know where to start, don’t worry: we have you covered.