You may have been puzzled by the title of this blog post, as Early Decision (ED) is considered a binding commitment. This means that if you apply to a college ED and are admitted, you agree to attend. However, as I explained in a blog post I wrote a few [...]
For many high school students, writing college essays is one of the most dreaded aspects of the admissions process. Unlike an essay for an English or history class, these essays don’t require hours of research, note taking or creation of a bibliography. In many ways, that should make them easier [...]
It’s the time of year when many high schools ask students to select their courses for next year. As students consider their options, they may be choosing from among several Advanced Placement (AP) courses, and they may wonder how many such courses to take. The truth is, there is no magic [...]
It seems as though college admissions has become increasingly more competitive over the last several years. Many colleges, especially the most selective ones, have reported record numbers of applications year after year. But since most of these schools have not increased the size of their freshman class, more applications have [...]
In a recent New York Times op-ed, Jenny Anderson and Rebecca Winthrop highlighted a survey of over 4,000 members of Gen Z in which 49% “said they did not feel prepared for the future.” Additionally, employers have reported that employees from this generation lack many of the key skills necessary [...]
High school students and parents are often bombarded by well-meaning friends and relatives who think they know it all when it comes to college admissions, the college search process, college applications, essay writing, and more. But truly great advice comes from experts. Here’s a list of podcasts where you can [...]
As discussed in a recent blog post, grade inflation has exploded in the last several years. This has resulted in grade compression, which means most students' grades are in the A/B range. A recent webinar from test prep and tutoring company Applerouth addressed these issues. In it, Jed Applerouth, the [...]
Many high school seniors received college admissions decisions in December. Some were excited to be admitted, others were disappointed to be denied, and still others may have been confused because they were deferred. If you applied early action or early decision and received a deferral, this means the college is [...]
Have you ever sent a text or email asking someone two simple questions, such as “What day and time would you like to meet?” only to get a response which provides just one of the answers? It happens to me frequently. Not reading these sorts of questions carefully and failing [...]
When colleges consider applicants, they are interested in several factors. At the majority of institutions, the most important factors are whether students challenged themselves in high school and took the most rigorous classes available to them, as well as their GPA. But, colleges consider other factors too, such as letters [...]
