Picture this: college app deadlines are looming and you’re hard at work on your applications. You’ve compiled and narrowed down a college list, made a strategy for presenting your extracurriculars, and started brainstorming and drafting your essays. Good for you! On top of all this work, you notice that a few of your applications allow for that perplexing, dark horse component: the optional essay. 

For most students, college is expensive. 

Each year, the costs of attending rise, and show no signs of slowing. Between tuition, textbooks, lab materials, and room and board—the path to a diploma exacts a large price. Yet degrees remain highly in demand. Families are asking: how can we afford it? 

Not everyone has the clubs and teams that meet their interests readily available. That's when taking initiative to start your own organization can come into play. It is a lot of work, so never do this just because you think it looks good on a resume—it does, but so do lots of other less draining extracurriculars! If you do decide to strike out on your own, we have some advice to help you on your way. 

The California Institute of Technology—better known by the nickname CalTech—is widely regarded as one of the top ten universities in the United States. In fact, the Wall Street Journal recently named CalTech for the coveted spot #5 on its 2020 list. Want to know how to crack the CalTech essay supplements and present your best self to the admissions committee? In this post, we’ll go through each of their school-specific prompts for you and discuss how to best ace each answer.

The Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education recently published their joint 2020 list of Top US Colleges. Curious who made the cut? Want to know what all this data means? The WSJ puts their article behind a subscription paywall for now, but if you want to read the full list you can find the same rankings published on the Times website. We'll explain what to do with it.

Though often one of the most overlooked parts of the college search, safety schools are actually a very critical component to ensure you have options after the admissions season is over. Everyone applying to colleges should have a safeguard. But as the college admissions field becomes all the more competitive across the board, at what point can we no longer consider mainstay safeties as near-guaranteed acceptances? 

Wondering how to approach the essay supplements for MIT? You’re not alone. It’s no surprise that the school is extremely selective, with the admission rate hovering around eight percent each year. If MIT is your dream school, you face serious odds. Read on to learn a little more about the school itself and get tips on how to think critically about your essay strategy so you can give yourself the best chance possible of standing out.

Taking the SAT or the ACT can be one of the most stressful parts of the college application process. Receiving the test scores themselves can be just as nerve-racking. 

Want to get accepted to college quickly? We have an option for you! With so many admissions deadlines coming up and pressure ramping up too, plenty of students may be relieved to know there’s an underrated alternative. Consider applying to a school with rolling admissions.

Everyone learns in different ways. If you know your learning style, you can adapt your studying methods and start to ace your classes with ease. Sounds pretty good, right? So what are learning styles, again? 

Applying to college can be daunting, but applying to BS/MD programs can seem even more difficult. With admissions rates in the single digits, earning a spot in a medical school while in high school can seem like an impossible task. 

Having gone through the BS/MD application process last summer, there were several tips that I wish I had known before applying to medical programs. Below are some of the most important things I have taken away from my experience applying to BS/MD programs.

Ever wished for a way to “hack” your brain into accomplishing your goals? We all have different aspirations, whether it’s getting into your dream school or achieving a certain score on the SAT. But sometimes these big-picture objectives can feel impossible. When your dreams seem to be unattainable, they may only cause more stress and frustration instead of inspiring progress. Well, you’re in luck, because there’s psychology to help with that! 

It's the start of a new school year, and the perfect time to start building good habits that will serve you all year long. Ready to evaluate your study skills? Test yourself and see where you can improve!

Fall deadlines are fast approaching. You may have noticed that certain colleges offer early action for their acceptance processes. Submit your application early, and you’ll get the result early, too. So, should you apply early action?

The University of California college application is officially online! Now that you're scrolling through the app, you may be wondering about how to handle that little check-box for selecting a major. With so many options available, the choice can seem overwhelming. As a follow-up to our previous discussion series about the UC system, we've also compiled a list of resources for those of you wondering what you need to know when picking a major.