First and foremost, liberal arts colleges are not for everyone. Universities have their own list of positives, including larger social groups, more graduate connections, and often much cheaper tuition.

The story of a former high school student:

Stepping back in America for high school after spending over three years in India was not an easy experience for me. I had no clue as to what to expect from the educational system and the college admissions process. 

 Students often ask whether GPA or standardized test scores are more important, especially in the case that they have a strong GPA but a lower SAT/ACT or vice versa. Will a low test score ruin my chances of getting into my college of choice? 

College interviews can be an intimidating task, but they are also a really great opportunity to show off your personality. Whether you’re doing an on-campus interview, or an interview with an alumnus near your hometown, here are some tips for making sure you’re ready to impress. 

Our team asked a former Stanford University admissions officer for some helpful college advice for high school students during their college application process. Read below for insider knowledge from a college expert!

What does Stanford University look for in an applicant?

High School is hard. A typical day might begin at 6:00 am, getting ready, finishing up last minute homework, commuting to school. Then going from class to class for 8 hours, followed by extracurriculars, club meetings, SAT prep, and sports practices for another 2-4 hours. By now it is 7:00 pm and a student might still have 3 hours worth of homework ahead of them before they can finally take a break and either fall right asleep or stay up until the early morning watching tv, scrolling through social media, or playing video games, doing any activity in an attempt to regain some downtime.

The University of Chicago has recently announced its new test-optional policy beginning with the Class of 2023. UChicago now joins a list of highly-ranked schools who also give students the option to submit their test scores. The George Washington University, Wake Forest University, and Wesleyan University are also on that list, to name a few. This is great news for students who have not done well on standardized tests or do not have access to test prep services. But what exactly does the test-optional policy mean for you and your application?

Your senior year has finally arrived! Senior year is exciting and filled with lots of activities, but it is definitely not the time to slack off. It is time to get serious about college applications.

 Harvard University has always had an extremely competitive acceptance rate and it is only getting more competitive. Some controversy has recently been uncovered regarding Harvard admissions and a potential bias against Asian Americans due to low personality scores.