College Planning

Introduction The college admissions process can be one of the most daunting and stressful experiences in a young person’s life. With the pressure to stand out in a sea of applicants and secure a spot at a dream institution, it’s essential to have a well-thought-out plan in place. In this blog, we will explore college application strategies and college admissions strategies that can help you navigate this challenging journey with confidence and success. 1. Start Early: The Foundation for SuccessThe first and foremost strategy in the college admissions process is to start early. Begin thinking about your college aspirations and goals as early as your freshman year of high school. Building a strong academic foundation, participating in extracurricular activities, and maintai...

As the school year winds down and summer season begins, it’s important for rising seniors and parents of college-bound high school students to understand the necessity of writing the college application essay during these sunny months. In this article, we’ll explore why tackling this crucial task early on can lead to a smoother application process and increase your chances of standing out among your competitors.  Beat the Fall Rush: Start Crafting Your College Application Essay Now Waiting until the last minute is a recipe for stress and mediocre essays. Writing your essay during the summer allows you to beat the business of the fall. Many students wait until the last minute to start their essays, which leads to unnecessary stress and compromises the quality of their work- when the school...

Choosing whether to take the SAT or ACT for college admissions has always been tough. But now that the SAT is switching over to a digital format, there’s even more to consider!  In this article, we’ll give you the info you need to choose the best college entrance exam option for you. We’ll:  Explain how the transition to the digital SAT, or DSAT, impacts your decision-making Provide a complete comparison between the DSAT and the ACT (nifty chart included!) List the reasons you might prefer the ACT over the DSAT, or visa versa  Give you a quick, five question quiz to help you decide whether the DSAT or ACT is right for you Are you ready? Let’s dive in! Note: ACT, Inc. is running a small pilot in December to test out a digital version of their test, so some of this is subject to change an...

September 15, 2023 All eight Ivies use The Common Application. Five Ivies also use The Coalition Application. Over 1,000 colleges and universities are members of The Common Application, the most widely used college application platform. Over 1,000 colleges and universities are members of The Common Application, the most widely used college application platform.  As there are only around 50 highly selective universities in America, suggesting an array of schools use the platform in their admissions processes would be an understatement. But, among the elite universities, do they all use The Common Application? Let’s dive in! Which Ivy League Schools Are On The Common App? All eight Ivy League sc...

Applying to college early can be a good idea for a lot of reasons. Acceptance data shows that students who apply through early action have a slightly higher chance of being accepted. And once accepted, you can breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy the rest of your senior year. But is early action the same as early decision? And if you're accepted through early action, is it binding? Let’s take a look at what early action is, how it works, which schools offer early action, and just how soon you have to get your applications in. (more…)

Choosing a college in California can be tough, especially since there are so many great options available. One of the best school systems to choose from is the University of California. In this article, we’ll provide a complete, ranked list of the best UC schools, give you information about each. We’ll list the campuses, give you important stats like how much each costs…and so much more! That way, you can pick the UC school that’s best for you. Let’s get started! (more…)

As the back-to-school season kicks off, students and parents of college-bound students are gearing up for one of the most crucial aspects of the college planning process: the application itself. One of the most popular (and common) application tools is the Common App. Developed to simplify the application process for students, the Common App has become widely used by more than 1,000 colleges and universities across the United States and around the world.  The Common App allows both first-time students and transfer students to apply to multiple colleges at once, eliminating having to repeat some of the most tedious parts of the application. However, navigating this platform can be daunting, especially for first-time parents. Fear not! In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through the...

iStock NACAC, in collaboration with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and several other organizations, is carefully exploring admission policies and practices in an increasingly test-optional or test-free environment. In a previous post, we provided an overview of the project, which is grounded in the work that the Task Force on Standardized Admission Testing for International and US Students completed in 2021. “The task force observed that if standardized testing perpetuates or worsens inequities, and if it is to remain a part of the undergraduate admission process at all, it must receive the most stringent of reviews,” according to the task force’s report on standardized testing. As an extension of this thinking, the committee recommended that colleges’ decisions about their tes...

With nearly 4,000 colleges and universities in the United States, the choices can be overwhelming, to say the least. There’s so much to think about when deciding where you will spend the next four years of your life, and it’s sometimes difficult to narrow down the choices. In choosing your best fit college, it’s best to consider as many variables as possible. If you’ve thought through various possibilities and reflected on what you’re looking for in a school, you'll know you’ve chosen the best fit when it’s time to sign your letter of acceptance. The best fit school is one that suits your personality, matches the goals you have for yourself, will help you reach those goals, and will meet your other needs and wants when it comes to social atmosphere, extracurricular opportunities, and acad...

In the wake of the Supreme Court's landmark college affirmative action decision, our head of admissions, Eren Harris, sat down to chat with two of the members of our Admissions Advisory Panel: Dr. K.E. Carver, a metaphysics researcher and former admissions officer at Harvard, and Brandon Mack, an experienced college counselor and former admissions officer at Rice University. Their wide-ranging conversation covers how this decision changes admissions, what diversity really means to colleges, and what students need to do going forward.    Despite this landmark Supreme Court decision, colleges aren’t going to suddenly give up on recruiting and admitting a diverse class of students, right? What are some of the ways they are going to try to meet these goals? The part of the ruling about e...

If you have your sights set on Los Angeles for college, the University of Southern California and the University of California Los Angeles are two great options to choose from. But when it comes to USC vs UCLA…what are the differences and which is better? We’re going to break down both of these schools and what they have to offer, including campus sizes, the majors they offer, and how much tuition costs. Information is power, and once you have all the fact, you can make the best decision for you.   Ready? Let’s get started.  Royse Hall, University of California, Los Angeles (Satyricony/Wikimedia Commons)   What Is UCLA? The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university part of the University of California system, founded in 1919. It’s a large university wi...

You might have heard that getting into college is more competitive than ever. Students are applying to college in ever greater numbers, and many apply to multiple colleges, making the pool of applications even deeper. As a result, you are likely looking for anything that will help you edge out the competition. Your counselors or friends might have suggested applying early action or early decision to increase your chances of being accepted. But does applying early raise the odds of being accepted to the college of your choice? While not all schools offer these options, about 450 colleges across the U.S. offer one or both early admission option, according to College Board. Many popular and competitive colleges fall into this category, offering one or the other, or both. Read on for an expl...

Looking for info on 2022-2023 ACT test dates? Knowing the correct ACT test dates is crucial for a solid test-taking plan. Though you might be tempted to go ahead and register for the next possible test date, what you should really be doing is finding a date that works well for you and your schedule. In this guide, we offer an overview of upcoming ACT test dates, registration deadlines, and score release dates. We also give you tips on how to choose an ACT test date and go over which test dates work best for juniors, seniors, and more.   ACT Test Dates and Deadlines for 2023-2024 ACT test dates are generally on Saturdays, but you might be able to take the ACT on a different date if you have a religious exemption or are taking a special administration of the test. Here, we give you the upc...

If you want to get accepted to any college in the U.S., you need to know its admissions requirements. That includes whether you’ll have to submit SAT or ACT scores! Many colleges have adopted test optional admissions policies over the past several years…but what about top schools? Is Harvard test optional? Are Ivy League schools test optional? We know all the changes can be confusing, but we’re here to help. In this article, we’ll walk you through Harvard’s current testing policies and the testing policies at top 25 universities. We’ll also explain whether test scores still matter at test optional schools and how to make decisions about standardized testing.  There’s a lot to cover, so let’s dive in.    What Are Harvard’s Testing Policies? Is Harvard Test Optional?  Test optional admissi...

Two cases before the Supreme Court have the potential to restrict long-standing recruitment and admissions practices at colleges and universities. The cases, brought by a special interest group called Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA), allege that race-conscious admissions practices are unfair and violate the Constitution. As liberal arts college presidents, we strongly disagree. Holistic review of applicants is critical to recruiting a well-rounded class, and that includes consideration of the richness of students’ many attributes and interests–including their lived experiences and backgrounds. While each of our colleges has a unique mission, we all work tirelessly to create the most well-rounded student body possible in a competitive admissions market. This means not only striving for...