Know who reads your application–and help them know you.

I feel very lucky to have been accepted to, and graduated from, Stanford University. While I worked hard in high school and put my best foot forward in my applications, I want to emphasize that there will always be some serendipity in college acceptances. At the end of the day, you can only be yourself. What you do have control over--and what you can work on in your college applications--is how well you use your essays to summarize who you are to admissions officers.

If you’re looking for the right way to approach Cornell University’s essay supplement, look no further. The beautiful school, boasting 50 Nobel laureates and a fittingly noble public mission, draws attention for the high caliber of education--and cutthroat 10-percent acceptance rate--and demands a strong application to succeed. But don't let that scare you off. Here is Empowerly's guidance on how to answer Cornell’s essay! 

In this post, we asked a former UC Berkeley admissions employee for some helpful college advice for high school students. Read below for insider knowledge from a college expert with experience working in admissions!

What does UC Berkeley look for in a student?

Brown University is one of the leading universities in the nation with an accomplished staff dedicated to an excellence in teaching. Established in 1764, it is widely regarded as a liberal university, one of the first to accept students regardless of religious affiliation. It is located in the beautiful and historic Providence, Rhode Island. The school specializes in pioneering groundbreaking research in all areas of study.

Interested in learning more? Read up on some current research the campus is leading to enrich your understanding of the school itself.

So you love to tinker on the computer, you’re a whiz at coding—and you’ve managed to pull apart your computer, pop a new hard drive in it, and build it again. Why not pursue your passion for all things computer science and its hardware, and major in computer engineering?

Read the first-hand account from former Empowerly student, Casey M., how she found her home and path to success at the University of California, Los Angeles. 

When I was applying to colleges, I was absolutely paranoid that I wouldn’t get in anywhere. My test scores and grades were fairly good, I had a lot of extracurriculars, and yet, I was still afraid. Applying to college is stressful, but it’s also very exciting. I have found that it is a process of self-discovery more than anything else. My goal in talking to you now is to both provide some advice and to ease some worries.

It's springtime, admissions decisions are being released, and seniors across the nation are celebrating their future college adventures. Like many of our students around this time, you may be thinking to yourself: how do I get into an Ivy League university? Or more specifically, how do I get into an Ivy League university from the Bay Area?

You're not alone. And there is good reason to wonder. The Bay Area is often regarded as the most competitive region for college admissions in the United States, and there is a plethora of misinformation often circulating among students regarding how to get into an Ivy League university as a Bay Area student. However, there are 3 key strategies to remember when crafting an elite college admissions profile.

This is the second article in a series aimed to empower neurodivergent and differently-abled students to prepare for academic success in college. We're aiming to de-stigmatize mental and medical health differences, and to champion advocacy by highlighting resources. There are resources available to you to mitigate obstacles, and you deserve to thrive. 

I’m sharing my personal account seeking reasonable academic accommodations at Stanford University in response to clinical anxiety in an attempt to de-stigmatize mental health struggles. There are resources available to you, and you deserve to thrive. 

Your alumni interview is coming up. I know it seems daunting, but the interviewers are looking to advocate for your background, achievements, and interests. They'll be describing your personality, warmth, sense of humor, and ability to communicate to the admissions officer. In turn, you're evaluating them and their alma mater, too. Let's prepare you to shine. 

University tours try to razzle–dazzle you with alumni facts, trivia, fun facts about parts of the campus that have appeared in movies, etc. Prepare a list so you can stay present and get swept up in the excitement, but gather the info you set out to collect along the way. 

When writing your college essays, you'll want to demonstrate some attachment to the university as far as the campus culture and applicable academic research. You also owe it to yourself to apply to schools that align with your personal values, unless you seek to be immersed in opposition. 

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.

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.

Get the inside scoop on how to get into the UCs from our UC Admissions Expert, Sheelah. She’s seen UC admissions from all sides – she graduated from Cal in 2016 with a B.S. in Genetics and Plant Biology, and has over four years of experience working in UC Berkeley’s Undergraduate Admissions Office.

This will be a three-part series, broadly covering the following categories:  1) evaluation of your academic record;  2) evaluation of your extracurriculars; and  3) fine-print admissions questions. Hope this helps clear up some confusion during this stressful process!