The admission essay is an essential part of any college application. Here are seven tips for writing a great one. 1. Put your best foot forward. Submitting your admission essay online may feel like you’re sending email, but you’re not. Incorrect capitalization or abbreviations like b4 or thx are not appropriate for a formal document. Make sure your essay represents the best of you. 2. Stay focused. Read the essay question carefully. Jot down a…
A college visit is the best way to evaluate whether a campus suits you. If possible, do a college visit for every school that you are strongly considering. No website, guidebook, or testimonial will give you a better feel for a school than you’ll get by seeing it for yourself. Many students change their minds after a college visit, and this is obviously preferable to changing your mind after you enroll. Get the most out…
Your involvement in high school extracurriculars can help you gain a competitive advantage when applying to college. These activities can also show what makes you unique beyond your transcripts and test scores while demonstrating leadership ability and a willingness to serve your community. While different schools put different stock in extracurriculars, almost every college considers them when deciding which students to admit. The right high school activities can make a big difference during the admissions…
During the 2022-23 school year, nearly 2.5 million high school students took college classes, simultaneously earning high school and college credits. That’s up from 1.5 million students in the fall of 2021 and roughly 300,000 students in the early 2000s. Figures released last week show that dual enrollment grew another 7 percent in the fall of 2024 from a year earlier, even as the number of traditional college freshmen fell. Alongside this meteoric rise of…
Communities around the country had been experimenting with free community college programs since 2005, usually with private funding, but Tennessee was the first to make it a statewide policy, and it inspired 36 states to follow suit. This year, Massachusetts was the most recent to make community college free. But as free-tuition programs have multiplied, so have questions and doubts. Are low-income students benefiting? Is free tuition leading to more college graduates? Unfortunately, we have…
College isn’t for everyone, many argue. But what is the alternative? An old idea is to train kids in a trade in high school via shop class. However, high school trade programs have had a deservedly bad reputation as a “dumping ground” for low-income students, providing a subpar education and failing to prepare young adults for the modern world. These classes are also bound up with a shameful racial history. When schools were forced to…
One college admissions officer at a large public university described how test-optional admissions had spurred more disagreements in his office. A third reader on an application was often called in to break a tie when one staffer said ‘yes’ and another said ‘no.’ Without SAT and ACT scores, he explained, the job of admitting students had become more subjective and more time-consuming. “I feel like everyone who reviews applications has their own perspective or opinion,”…
For those families applying for financial aid, you should plan to fill out the 2023-2024 Free Application for Federal Student Aid, also known as the FAFSA, and the 2023-2024 CSS Profile. Both applications open on October 1, 2022. While the FAFSA and CSS Profile help determine need-based financial aid, some colleges may require them to be considered for non-need-based merit scholarships as well. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or the FAFSA, is a…
It’s essential for students to like and be a good fit for the school they attend. No matter where students find themselves in their college journeys, they may need help navigating the search and application process to ensure students end up at an institution where they can truly thrive. Nearly a quarter of American college students who start at one four-year institution will transfer to a different one to finish their degree. So, if you’re…
Attention, high school juniors: keep the momentum going this summer. You’ve made it this far, and now is not the time to lose steam. Use your time wisely to get ahead. What you do this summer could be the factor that pushes your application from a no or maybe to a yes. Here’s your college to do list for the summer. 1. Draft your college essay. By starting your college essay over the summer, you…
