Posts tagged college prep
Cracking the Code: How to Prep for Your Grad School Admissions Interview

Like a job interview, the graduate school admissions interview is an opportunity for you to share your skills, accomplishments, and passions. It’s a great way for admissions officers to put a face to your name, and determine your fit for the college and your chosen program.

Read More
Preparing for the MCAT? 8 Free Resources to Get You Started

If you’re applying to medical school, the MCAT is an essential piece of your application. It tests your knowledge of General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, General Biology, Biochemistry, Physics, Psychology, and Sociology, along with your critical analysis and reasoning skills. Below, we’ve put together a list of 8 free resources to help you start studying.

Read More
Breaking Down Dual Enrollment: 5 Common Questions Answered

AP courses, IB diploma, CTE programs--there are many different options to consider when you’re trying to challenge yourself academically. There are pros and cons to each of the options, so take a look at our breakdown of dual enrollment to help you narrow things down.

Read More
Breaking Down How to Contact Admissions Officers - Tips for Emailing, Calling, and Meeting In-person

Out of all the parts of the application process that usually cause a little bit of stress, communicating with admissions counselors doesn’t have to be one of them. Whether you’ve already established communication with an admissions counselor or you’re about to visit the college for the first time

Read More
How to Get Ahead Before You Get Behind: 3 Ways to Balance School and Extracurricular Activities

Senior year is a juggling act. You’re involved in extracurriculars or busy with your part-time job. You’re managing a full course load, with exams and essays and projects galore. Add college applications into the mix and everything starts to feel off-balanced.

Read More
Starting High School? Here are 4 Tips to Get You Going on the Right Foot

We’re not saying you have to start stressing about applying to college one day. (Please don’t stress! There will be plenty of time for that later). But, it’s much easier to maintain your GPA than it is to bring your grades up. Just like it’s much easier to gradually add responsibilities and activities to your plate, instead of signing up for anything and everything and risking complete burnout.

Read More
50 Questions to Ask Next on Your Next College Tour

A college tour is your opportunity to get to know the campus and start picturing yourself as a student there. You can research colleges for weeks on end, but nothing beats the experience of walking on campus and seeing the college with your own eyes. Many students know as soon as they step foot on campus whether or not they see themselves attending.

Read More
College Admissions 101: What You Need to Know about the Universal Common Application

Decisions, decisions. Throughout the college application process, it starts to feel like everywhere you turn there’s another decision waiting for you. Of all the decisions, choosing between application types doesn’t have to be stressful. Most of the time, the decision might be made for you, especially if the college you’re interested in only offers one type! Here’s everything you need to know about the Universal Common Application.


Read More
College Admissions 101: How to Make Your College List

If you’re entering your senior year, now is the perfect time to start thinking about the college admissions timeline. The College Board recommends students apply to 4-8 schools. According to C2Education, approximately a third of all high school students apply to 7 or more colleges. By September, you should have a running list of colleges that you’re interested in before narrowing them down to your top schools.

Read More
The 8 Best Websites for College Scholarships in 2019 (and 3 Honorable Mentions)

There are a ton of scholarship websites out there and it’s hard to know which ones are legit and which are well-cloaked scams. So, I felt the need to put together a list of websites I’ve personally used and vetted (mostly as a recent grad student). Below is a list of my favorites for 2019.

Read More
Making the Most of Your Summer: 10 Must-Reads for Rising Seniors

Summer is the perfect time to give reading a second chance. Even if you’ve been overwhelmed by your high school reading requirements and swore you’d never read again, there’s something magical about getting engrossed in a new book. I promise.

Read More
College Admissions 101: Introducing 10 of the Top Undergraduate Engineering Programs (+ Acceptance Rates for Class of 2023)

Are you thinking about studying engineering? From mechanical engineering to computer engineering, there are plenty of paths to explore. Plus, the field of engineering is expected to continue growing in the next decade, so you’d be looking at a strong job outlook for the future.

Read More
Want to Streamline Your College Admissions Process? Start with Your Local College Fair

As helpful as it is to research online and browse college websites, nothing beats speaking face to face with a college representative. College fairs are a great way to get to know different colleges and start to understand what you prioritize in a school.

Read More
Q&A: What are some things I can do in high school to help me get into good colleges?

As an experienced admissions file reader, there are some basic guidelines I would give any applicant, that if followed, would make their application profile more competitive for top schools, like the Ivies.

Read More
Accepted into College? Here’s What You Should Do Next

It’s finally here. You see a large envelope in the mail, and a part of you already knows what’s coming. After the long nights studying, the hours writing and editing, you take a deep breath in and open that long-awaited letter. Finally, you’ve been accepted into college.

Read More
Summer Internships: How to Write a Winning Cover Letter

Summer internships and jobs are important parts of your high school and college experience. Whether directly related to your desired field of study or not, every internship and job will help you narrow down what you want to do with your career while building up your transferable skills.

Read More
5 Ways to Show Demonstrated Interest for Your College Application

There are a number of ways you can show colleges you’re interested in attending their school ranging from email admissions reps to taking an overnight trip to visit campus. Here are five practical ways you can demonstrate interest in the college you’re applying to:

Read More
The Legacy of Diversity Recruiting and What Colleges Might Learn from the Military

As a college admissions coach, I am constantly surprised by how many of the people I work with misunderstand why diversity matters in the college admissions process and how its factored in to an applicant’s “score”. During a recent coaching session, I was explaining to a client that most universities specifically consider socioeconomic factors when evaluating candidates to which his response was, “Oh, is this the affirmative action thing?” No, was my response to him, but he wasn’t exactly wrong.

Read More
4 Things You Can Do as a Freshmen or Sophomore to Help Your College Application Stand Out

We all know that to get into top colleges, students need to start preparing early in high school to stay competitive. That means, participating in extracurriculars and taking a rigorous course load as early as sophomore year. Starting a club or building houses in your free time is more common than you think, so to truly stand out among hundreds of undergraduate applications, you really have to go the extra step in pursuing and participating in opportunities that aren’t run of the mill. Here’s what I suggest for freshman and sophomores to get a leg up in the race:

Read More
Q&A: What Should I Wear to My College Interview and Other Questions

What should I wear to a college interview?

I’m struggling with figuring out what to wear for a college admissions interview I have scheduled for next week. I know that people say not to go too over the top, but my interview is going to be inside at a medical office during the business day.  Should I wear a full suit?

Read More