Caroline Koppelman
Rejected Early Decision from Columbia 2023

Getting a rejection in the Early Decision round is definitely not easy. But the good news is, it’s really just the start, and that one rejection has no bearing on how you’re going to do with other, similarly competitive schools. The thing about Early Decision is it comes alone and it comes first. It’s sometimes easier to tolerate a rejection when it’s preceded by several acceptance letters. College admissions are extraordinarily competitive these days and the Ivies are just more competitive than any other time or place in history. That’s it. It doesn’t get harder. And Columbia in particular has just a 4% acceptance rate! So, if you’ve been rejected in the Early Decision round, don’t despair. We have some advice about how you might go forward. (And don’t worry, it’s really not that much more work!)

Caroline Koppelman
Deferred by Harvard — Now What? (2023-24)

If you’ve been deferred by Harvard, you are not alone. Harvard is notorious at this point for deferring an enormous percentage of early admission applicants. While most elite colleges with early admissions programs, like early decision and early action, only defer students they are seriously considering for the next freshman class, the statistics Harvard has released on early admission suggest that they take a very different approach.

Caroline Koppelman
Writing the “Why This College” Essay

Even though every college has slightly different supplementary application materials, you’ll likely run into a variation of one question more than any other: “Why do you want to attend this school in particular?” It’s every institution’s way of saying, Let’s cut to the chase. Why us?

Caroline Koppelman
How to Write an Amazing and Unique Common App ...

If you’re here, you’ve likely already taken a look at the Common App essay options, felt a little bit of existential doom, and fought the urge to take a long nap (and honestly? Relatable).

Caroline Koppelman
The Best Guide to College Application ...

No two college supplements are the same, but there is one question that shows up again and again. Why our school? If you are applying to multiple schools with supplements you will probably have to write multiple essays on this exact topic (no, you can’t just reuse the same one). While word counts and specifics can vary, these essays always follow a similar structure and goal. After reading this blog post you’ll be set to answer all of them.

duke

Applying to Duke as a Student Athlete

Duke University is one of the top large research universities in the country, and one of the top athletics programs — arguably — globally. The campus in Durham, North Carolina is home to 6,500 undergraduate students and even more graduate students, making for a lively and large campus community. The top majors at Duke are computer science, economics, and biology, and they field 27 varsity athletic teams. The athletics programs, especially basketball, at Duke are a major piece of the student community outside of the classroom, bringing students together around celebration, comradery, and excellence.

Applying to Duke as an International Student

If you’re outside of the United States and want to come to college in the U.S., it may be pretty intimidating. The college admissions process in the U.S. is hectic, to put it lightly. Different schools have different expectations and requirements, and you need to keep it all straight. In this post, we’ll make it a little easier for you to apply to Duke as an international student.

What to Do if You've Been Waitlisted by Duke 2024

There are a lot of great things about Duke. The so-called “Southern Ivy” is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Duke is part of the North Carolina Research Triangle along with North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Plus, have you seen their basketball team? However, one way that Duke is not super awesome is how secretive they are around their waitlist. They have basically no resources online about their waitlist and publish almost nothing about the waitlisting process.

Deferred from Duke Early Decision (2023-2024)

If you find yourself here, we’re sorry you got deferred from Duke. First things first, that's tough, and we feel for you. Take the time to let those feelings sink in – be it sadness, frustration, or whatever you're experiencing – because it's valid! But once you've had a moment to regroup, we’ve gotta get to work on your regular decision strategy, and that deferral letter too.

How to Write the Duke Supplement 2023-2024

Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina. They are probably most famous for their research opportunities, work-hard/play-hard attitude, and of course, basketball. Duke is popular amongst students who are looking for an academically challenging school that still comes with a fun social experience. We have written about Duke’s supplement before, but we wanted to revisit it as Duke has become even harder to get into. Last year their acceptance rate fell to just 6.3%.

Duke Legacy Strategy

We work with a lot of legacies every year and every year we have to explain to parents that legacy isn't the make or break at top schools like Duke. What do we mean by this? Well, a lot of parents we work with think that just because their student is a legacy, it means they will get in. However, that isn't true. Colleges don't talk very openly about legacy admissions and that leaves parents in the dark, so we wanted to break down what is really going on with legacy admissions at Duke and what you can do to get your legacy in.

Transferring to Duke University 2023

Duke has a reputation as an Ivy League-caliber university outside of the East Coast. The students at Duke are some of the best of the best, and what was once a backup option for the top high school students in the country has become a stretch for even the best and the brightest. We’ve talked a lot about how the whole idea of “transferring up” is a bit of a fallacy, and Duke offers the perfect example of why trying to leverage a year of college into an aggressive transfer isn’t panning out like it used to. It all comes down to numbers.

Strategy for Regular Decision to Duke

Duke is a popular school and we always work with a ton of students who hope to get in. This popularity usually drives down their acceptance rates. In recent years, Duke has had a lower acceptance rate than schools like Dartmouth, Cornell, and UPenn. So what do we tell students who are dreaming of Duke? Well, one is to demonstrate interest and the other is often to apply early. Fun fact: all of our students who applied to Duke ED last year got in.

How to Write the Duke Supplement 2022-2023

Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina. This part of North Carolina is often referred to as the Research Triangle due it being home to three major research universities, including UNC. Duke is a popular school, and it’s hard to get into. Last cycle, they reported a 7.4% acceptance rate. Duke is a great fit for students who care about academics but also want a robust social college experience.