Getting into MIT is crazy hard. Obviously, if you’re here, you probably already know this. But while it’s hard, it’s not impossible – because, obviously, MIT is graduating full classes every single year. Your internal monologue around getting into extremely selective schools like MIT needs to change from “Can I get in?” to “What do I need to do to get in?” Because, look, getting into MIT isn’t something you can just decide you want to do in your junior year, you need to spend your high school career working towards this goal.

For those who have been with us from the beginning (and what the heck, newcomers too!!), feel free to take a big breath of relief. We’ve done it! Over the last month, we’ve been breaking down the Common App essay prompt by prompt, which means we’re ready to bring it all together for the big finale: a comprehensive guide to writing the Common App essay.

Duke is an exceptional leading private research university in Durham, North Carolina. The school is big, it’s bold, and an acceptance letter is highly coveted. They have over 17,000 students, and about 6,500 are undergraduates. Students come from all 50 US states, all US territories, and over 90 countries. The university is good at just about everything, but they are especially beloved by students interested in pursuing a career (after graduate studies, of course) in the medical or legal fields. Those interested in business are also strongly drawn to Duke, which offers an amazing pathway into the world of business both through coursework and through campus culture. Duke received nearly 62,000 applications in the last cycle for first-year admission — the Class of 2030 — and only accepted 3,237 students. The overall acceptance rate was a measly 5.2%.

Cornell is a major research university in Ithaca, NY that just so happens to be part of the prestigious Ivy League. We say “just so happens” like it happened by chance, but Cornell’s status comes from past performance, present prominence, and future excellence. The university is exceptional, and it has the outcomes to prove it. The admissions numbers, though, can be a bit misleading.

The University of Pennsylvania, or Penn, is a prestigious Ivy League university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The university has a strong global perspective, and is ranked #1 for study abroad among its Ivy League peers. The focus on global affairs plays out on campus, too. Students in the Class of 2028 came from 90+ countries, and 15% of the class has addresses outside of the United States. Penn isn’t just about globe-trotting, though. What the school is particularly well-known for, actually, is being home to the most famed undergraduate business program in the United States. The university is home to nearly 30,000 students across and over 10,300 undergraduates. The overall acceptance rate for the Class of 2029, including both the Early Decision and the Regular Decision rounds, was 4.9%.

The college admissions consulting industry has grown significantly over the past decade, particularly in New York City, where families are increasingly seeking highly individualized guidance in an already competitive academic environment. What was once a niche service has evolved into a complex landscape of boutique firms, large organizations, and independent consultants – each offering a different philosophy on how students should approach the admissions process.

Brown is the artsy Ivy. This isn’t because it is an arts school, but rather because the culture of the university embodies the ethos of the arts. This is amplified by where Brown is located, in the creative hub of Providence, Rhode Island, and who it has as a neighbor: RISD, one of the most famous creative schools in the world. Brown takes bits and pieces from the communities around it, adding exceptional research opportunities and unique educational approaches to the mix. They have an open curriculum that encourages exploration and discovery, which is very much on theme. Brown receives well over 40,000 applications each year and aim to admit about 2,400. The acceptance rate for the Class of 2029 was 5.65%. Then, it dropped. For the Class of 2030, the acceptance rate went down .3% to 5.35%.