Before we get too deep into this post, it’s important to note that the majority of kids who apply to the Ivy League don’t really deserve to get in, and they, themselves, don’t realize it. We don’t mean to say this to be cruel. But before exerting time, energy, and money, you should consider what we’re saying.
Transfer Essays That Worked
The transfer essay prompt is going to be “why do you want to transfer.” There are a few important key points you are going to want hit. In many of our past blog posts, we have stressed the need to use the essay to expand upon a personality characteristic that is not expressed elsewhere in your application.
When Should You Hire a College Admission Consultant
Full disclosure: we are not, in this blog post, suggesting that you hire us. Rather, we know from experience, there will, for many parents, come a time in the admission process in which hiring a consultant is the best path forward. So, whether it’s us or someone else, be mindful of your child’s status throughout the process so you can hire someone if you need to before it’s too late.
College Essay Examples for Cornell
In this blog post, we take a deep-dive into the Why Cornell essay. The good news is, there is a formula to crack. There are several key points students should hit in reaching their overall objective of persuading the admissions committee that they are qualified to pursue their intended area of study.
Junior Year of High School College Checklist: Month to Month
If you want to go to a top tiered school, junior year is the time to get serious. There’s a list of concrete things you absolutely must do (no matter where you want to go), but we understand how stressful it can be when you aren’t sure when to do what. We thought it would be helpful to give you a month to month checklist, similar to the schedule we provide for 91̽ students.
Successful Common App Essays About Failure
Humility, self-awareness, and a sense of humor. These are all traits applicants should seek to convey in their college essays, and essays about failure are a great vehicle for doing so. Students are sometimes hesitant to highlight failures. After all, isn’t the objective to cultivate and showcase a cluster of assets on the application? In short, the answer is ‘yes.’ However, highlighting a weakness, if done properly, can also mean underscoring growth, as well as an ability to think critically and learn from past mistakes. Simply put, it’s humanizing.
5 Tips for the Best Supplement Essays 2018
When it comes to stellar supplements, it’s not as easy as just not doing anything on our no-no list. Here are 5 of the ingredients you need to write amazing college supplements.
Skidmore College Admission Advice
Tips for Applying to Harvard University Undergraduate
Have you ever heard the phrase “just because you can doesn’t mean you should?” Your preschool teacher probably said it to you after you coated your hair in fingerpaint, or after you decided it was easier to pee in the playground than to waste precious time going inside. If neither of those things happened, you probably heard it from a parent or grandmother, or concerned aunt. It’s a classic, and it’s a classic for a reason.
Applying to all Ivy League Schools is a Bad Idea
Here is a typical email (paraphrased) that we get this time of year…
My kid is applying to college, and we’re looking to hire someone to help us. He isn’t sure where he wants to go, so can you just do all of the Ivy League apps with him? We can do the rest on our own.
The only answer we give (albeit in a wordier and more *slightly* friendly format) is “N.O. Absolutely no.”
How To Turn Your Summer into an Ivy League Application
Applications are created, made, and broken with free time that students have (or don’t have). Colleges look carefully at exactly how you spend your free time. And if they can’t tell how you spend your free time while they’re looking at your application, then they’re betting you don’t do much. But…we don’t need to tell you that twice, right? Because you’re reading this blog post. Which means you’re interested in the Ivy League. Which means that you’re likely scheduled out for the next 2-4 weeks.
How Many Community Service Hours Do You Need for College?
With students flocking to the Common App to get a head start before supplements are released on August 1st, many are encountering the “Activities” section for the very first time. It’s a weird section—a series of slots that ask you to describe what you do, but don’t give you enough space to say anything beyond the bare minimum. Then you have to say how much time you spend doing each activity, and how long you’ve been doing it for. Then you have to rank them.
The Five Biggest Mistakes in College Application Supplemental Essays
The Best Summer for College Admission Application Essays
Test-Optional Trend: Should I Take an SAT II Subject Test?
How Many Colleges Should I Apply To?
Back in your parents or grandparents’ generation, applying to college usually meant applying to a handful of first-choice schools and calling it a day. There were no AP tests, less competition, and fewer essays to churn out. Gone are the simpler days. You might have heard recent news stories about kids applying (and being accepted into) 20+ schools, including . While we don’t think anyone should apply to 20 schools, we are encouraging our students to apply to more schools than perhaps their parents did. In our years of helping students become the strongest possible applicants they can, we have discovered a range of schools that works best for our students.
Will Playing a Sport Help with Ivy League Admissions?
We recently had a student who was incredibly motivated and was interested in delving into the world of materials engineering. We gave them many online course suggestions, had them read a book from the book list we created, and helped them put together a plan to create a makerspace at their school. Over the course of three months, barely anything happened. The student was able to start the book and the online course, but kept putting off the real project: creating a makerspace at school. This was because they were so preoccupied with homework during their off-time between track tournaments and after-school track team practice.
Last Minute Summer Ideas for Juniors who want to go to a Top Tier College
Social Media and Undergraduate College Admissions
Dear Student: Don’t Get Mad at Your Parents.
If you’re reading this we bet that someone in your family just had a tough conversation that made you mad: they talked to you about your social media presence. More likely than not, someone told you that you needed to either edit or take down your account completely. We get it—it’s annoying being told what to do. And it’s even more annoying being asked to take down something that you've worked hard on.
Social Media and Applying to College: What to Know
We live in 2018—it’s a pretty interesting time to be alive for a number of reasons, but it’s a particularly interesting time to be applying to college because of technology. Namely, social media. We get a lot of questions from (mostly) parents asking us what our best social media practices are. The answer is pretty simple: the best social media presence is no social media presence.