College Admissions Guidance

Blog posts about college admissions topics such as essays, extracurriculars, planning, mental health, etc.

How to Stand Out in a Competitive College Admissions Landscape application strategy colleges list demonstrated interest essays extracurricular activities future planning senior year Apr 10, 2023

With so many qualified applicants applying to college each year, it can be difficult to stand out in the competitive admissions landscape. Here are some tips for making your application stand out:

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The Role of Demonstrated Interest in College Admissions application strategy demonstrated interest senior year Apr 10, 2023

When it comes to college admissions, demonstrated interest refers to a student's level of engagement with a particular college or university. Demonstrated interest can play a role in the admissions...

Personal branding for college application strategy demonstrated interest extracurricular activities future planning Feb 13, 2022

Why Your Personal Brand Matters

Why is it important for colleges to know who you are, and what your brand is? College admissions committees will be looking at your application for several...

What is college readiness for middle school students? academics boost demonstrated interest extracurricular activities future planning middle school Sep 26, 2021

Students should casually go to local college visits with parents, make it a fun experience. They should investigate different career pathways at career fairs. They should take assessments to...

Think like an AO (Admissions officer) application strategy demonstrated interest essays Sep 22, 2021

Get in their shoes. when you visit a school fair make friends with them. The more you know how they are incentivized and what they want, the more cohesive and tailored will be your application.
An...

9th, 10th graders... don't slack off... what could you do to get college ready? career options demonstrated interest extracurricular activities financial planning freshman year future planning networking sophomore year Sep 22, 2021

Why is 9th grade so important?
http://stand.org/washington/blog/how-were-investing-ninth-grade-success
After decades of research with Chicago Public Schools, the University of Chicago's Consortium on...

Get a Spike! application strategy demonstrated interest extracurricular activities future planning Sep 22, 2021

Your application should clearly communicate your “spike.” A spike, hook, etc. is a set of activities and accomplishments that show admissions officers what you are truly passionate...

You are unique, contrary to what you tell yourself... application strategy demonstrated interest essays extracurricular activities Sep 22, 2021

Defy stereotypes and go against the grain. You want to distinguish yourself from other applicants with similar backgrounds. For instance, it’s uncommon to see an Asian American student who is...

Intellectual curiosity, what? application strategy demonstrated interest essays Sep 22, 2021

Admissions officers often value intellectual curiosity above all other traits. Intellectual curiosity is the desire to learn because of genuine interest or passion. An intellectually curious...

The post-COVID admissions strategy application strategy demonstrated interest essays extracurricular activities senior year Apr 28, 2021

I know sound like a broken record when I bring up the 6-point evaluation admissions criteria. But this time, though the dimensions are the same, the way they are evaluated has changed subtly or a...