Applying to the University of Southern California as a Student Athlete

The University of Southern California, or , is a top-tier private research university in Los Angeles, California. Notably, it is not part of the University of California system so there is no in-state tuition benefit. However, it does have the scale and breadth of a public university. Students have access to a globally-leading array of resources, faculty, and peers — there are 21,000 undergraduates, and nearly 50,000 students total.

The Best Majors at the University of Chicago

The University of Chicago is one of the most well-respected and well-resourced research universities in the world. They have produced 90 Nobel Prize winners, and are famous for pushing fields forward in both the sciences and the humanities. The university, which we (and many, many others) call UChicago, is ranked by U.S. News & World Report Best College ranking, and it is rarely cited alongside the Ivy League.

Deferred Early Decision by Rice 2024-2025

We aren’t going to lie; getting deferred by Rice isn’t ideal. You took all the time and effort to apply to Rice during early decision, and a deferral certainly feels like a massive setback. While no one wants to get deferred, there is a silver lining here. You weren’t rejected, and let us say in no uncertain terms, if you weren’t a Rice-level candidate, you would have been. They are still seriously considering your application and may even accept you in the regular decision round. However, there are a couple of steps you have to take if you want to maximize your chances of that happening.

Deferred Early Decision by Bowdoin 2024-2025

Over the past decade, Bowdoin has transformed in the American imagination from an exceptional, unique, but very out of the way small liberal arts school to one of the most popular colleges in the country. What Bowdoin is, in truth, hasn’t change at all. It’s the same school is has been for a long time because the college is true to its mission. Public perception, though, has skyrocketed. As a result, the acceptance rate has plummeted, dropping nearly 20% over the past 20 years. The acceptance rate for the Class of 2028 was only , a record low.

Deferred Early Decision by Boston University (BU) 2024-2025

BU has become crazy competitive in the last few years – for the 2024 admissions cycle, they had an 11% acceptance rate. They, like many other schools, have kept their test-optional policy, which in turn has increased the number of students applying. Their ED acceptance is a little higher, at 26%, but that still left a little over 5k students with either a deferral or a rejection. And if you’re here, you’re a part of the deferred camp. We have some good news for you: you get another shot.

Deferred Early Decision by Amherst College 2024-2025

Amherst receives nearly 14,000 applications for first-year admissions, and about of those are submitted in the Early Decision round. If you’re reading this post, you were part of that 10%, and it didn’t work out as planned. Instead of the acceptance you were hoping for, you’ve been deferred. This can be a frustrating and overwhelming time, but we’re here to help.

Deferred Early Decision by Boston College (BC) 2024-2025

We get it – you were dreaming of wearing the ol’ maroon and gold, but you found out you were deferred instead. We wish we could wave a magic college admissions wand and automatically get you in, but that doesn’t exist (yet) (we’re working on it). With the wisdom only hindsight can give us, we want to tell you that it’s okay to be sad about this, you will still go to college, and you’re also not done with your BC application journey. You’ve been given another shot! After you take a beat to have all the feelings you’re having, it’s time to jump into action, because we’ve got some things to add to your to-do list.

Deferred Early Decision by Swarthmore 2024-2025

If you are reading this post, things haven’t turned out exactly as planned. You applied to Swarthmore Early Decision because you wanted an answer, early. Accepted or rejected, at least you would have an answer. But now you’re here, with a deferral decision, and everything is up in the air. You can walk away from Swarthmore at this point and not push it out of your mind. You can even pull your application if you want. We think that would be a little silly though. You applied to Swarthmore ED because it is your dream school, so the least you can do is to see it through to a final decision. And if there are things you can do to strengthen your application, even better. The good news is that there are. 

Deferred Early Decision by Pomona 2024-2025

Pomona, it’s a hard school to get into. Last cycle, they boasted an acceptance rate of 7% and an ED acceptance rate of 13%. While that might technically be almost double, that’s still around the acceptance rate of schools like Berkeley, Georgetown, and Wellesley. Pomona tells us that they defer around 10-15% of their ED applicants, so if you’ve been deferred, you’re in a rare group! And we have good news: you still have a shot.

Applying to Wesleyan as a Student Athlete

Wesleyan is a highly-respected with 3,000 undergraduate students on over 300-acres of idyllic New England campus. They offer 45 majors and annually, providing students with diverse opportunities to expand and explore. At the same time, and as a liberal arts college, Wesleyan offers a comprehensive learning experience that emphasizes breadth alongside depth. Wesleyan is also well-known for having an that encourages discovery and creativity.

Deferred Early Decision by Williams 2024-2025

If you are reading this post, things have not gone to plan. You applied to Williams Early Decision because you wanted a decision, early. If it was an acceptance, that would be preferred. If it was a rejection, at least you know where you stand. But now you have this deferral, and you don’t really know what to do about it. You’re neither in nor out, and Williams doesn’t give you a ton of guidance for what to do next. First, though, let’s make sense of where you stand.

Deferred Early Decision or Early Action by Tulane 2024-2025

If you’re reading this post, things did not go to plan. You applied to Tulane Early Decision or Early Action because you really want to attend the university. Now, you are stuck in this weird middle ground where you aren’t accepted, but you also aren’t rejected. You can still get in, but getting to the point of an acceptance requires hard work. Lucky for you, we’re here to help.

11th Grade College Strategy For Business

If you’re a Junior thinking about studying business in college, we have one big question for you: what kind of business? Because there are so many. From project management to accounting, entrepreneurship to finance, undergraduate business programs have a ton of options to consider when figuring out what you want to pursue as a college student. Because business is such a big subject with so many opportunities in college and after graduation, it’s an extremely popular major.

Deferred Early Decision by UVA 2024-2025

Getting deferred can be really hard. Whether you applied Early Decision or Early Action, you were probably invested in getting into the University of Virginia. Maybe it was even your dream school, and this feels like a huge setback. However, this isn’t over. You didn’t get rejected. UVA is still reviewing your application, and there are a couple of things you need to do if you have been deferred.

Deferred by Brown Early Decision 2024-2025

Applying to Brown Early Decision comes with some advantages. The rate of acceptance is higher than in the regular decision round, and you can confirm your plans for college months before the regular decision cycle sorts things out for most students. There’s one other advantage, though, that may feel, in this precise moment, like a set-back: Deferral. Getting deferred by your dream school isn’t the ideal outcome, but it also isn’t the worst possible result. You are still in the game, and in this post, we’re going to break down what you need to know to increase your chances of turning your deferral into an acceptance. We’ll also dive into everything else you must tackle to ensure your entire college application process is a massive success.

Common Supplement Essay Question Guide and Examples 2024-2025

Ah, supplemental essays. Some schools have none, some schools have one or two, and some schools have, like, seven. But, in the chaos of supplemental essays, a few standard questions rise above the rest. As you may have noticed as you work through the schools on your list, a lot of schools are asking the same questions. Maybe they have a little twist to them, or are more narrow than others, or ask you to connect to something unique, but the fundamental questions they’re asking are the same. In this post, we’re going to break down how to answer four of the most common supplemental questions we see every year.

Deferred Early Decision by Wake Forest 2024-2025

This wasn’t the situation you had in mind. Applying to Wake Forest Early Decision I or Early Action (for First-Gen Students) may have felt like a safe stretch, or maybe it was a big dream you knew not to bet on — but, either way, this isn’t the way you thought it would go. A yes would have been amazing and a no would have been a massive bummer, but a maybe wasn’t part of the plan. Now you’re here, reading this post, on the receiving end of a deferral, wondering what comes next.