
What to Do for a Successful Junior Year of High School
COLLEGE ADMISSIONSA successful junior year of high school is scary for three big reasons:
In a year or less, you’ll be applying to college.
This year is the most important year academically because it will be the most recent year worth of grades that…

What to Do Your Sophomore Year of High School
COLLEGE ADMISSIONSIt may be hard to believe, but you’re already almost halfway through high school. By the end of your sophomore year of high school, you’ll be just over a year away from the college application process. It’s time to really buckle down.
Sophomore…

What to Do Your Freshman Year of High School
COLLEGE ADMISSIONSIt might seem a bit early to start thinking about applying to college when you’ve barely started high school, but remember: everything you do, even in your freshman year of high school, becomes part of your college application, so it’s important…

How to Write a College Essay that Stands Out
COLLEGE ADMISSIONSIn annual surveys, college admissions officers consistently rank the college essay to be the most important factor in admissions decisions after grades, course rigor, and test scores. It’s no surprise, then, that students find college essays…

Common App Tips and Tricks
COLLEGE ADMISSIONSIf you’re applying to college soon, odds are good that you’ll use the Common Application. After all, more than 800 colleges accept the Common App, and you’re probably applying to a few of them.
Since the Common App is such a big part…

Are You Getting the Best College Counseling?
COLLEGE ADMISSIONSMost students think they’ll get plenty of help from their school guidance counselors when it’s time to apply to college. Unfortunately, although guidance counselors are dedicated to helping their students succeed, they are too often overworked,…

Get A Head Start on College Admissions During Summer Break
COLLEGE ADMISSIONSHigh school can be tough—especially when you combine extracurricular activities, tough classes, SAT or ACT prep, and something resembling a social life. So it’s no surprise that most high school students anticipate the unstructured days…

Brainstorming College Essay Ideas
COLLEGE ADMISSIONSA lot of students struggle to come up with great college essay ideas. After all, most college essay prompts seem to ask for a pretty big accomplishment or a transformative experience. What if you haven’t helped dig a well for an impoverished…

5 Things You Should Do on Every College Visit
COLLEGE ADMISSIONSThe web offers a treasure trove of college information. From college websites to student review sites to rankings publications, there’s no shortage of resources for you to learn about the colleges you might apply to. Given all this detailed…