Princeton. The name conjures up visions of its most famous alumni: Michelle Obama, Jeff Bezos, and, of course, 30 Rock own’s Jack Donaghy. It’s a famously hard school, and famously hard schools are famously, well, hard to get into. Princeton certainly attracts some of the most academically accomplished students in the world, but the admissions process is more nuanced than simply identifying who has the highest GPA or the most impressive resume.
An Analysis of How to Get into Carnegie Mellon’s Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences 2026-2027
Carnegie Mellon University is a fantastic school in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with a strong focus in both STEM and the fine arts. Like most mid-sized universities, you can study almost anything there, but what drives students to CMU are the research opportunities and the emphasis on hands-on learning. From leading classical musicians on faculty to cutting-edge technologies being developed on campus, CMU empowers students by surrounding them with the best. It should come as no surprise, then, that Carnegie Mellon is hard to get into. The acceptance rate is only about 11%.
Restrictive Early Action Strategy for Stanford 2026-2027
Stanford is located in Stanford, California, and is one of the hardest schools to gain access to not only in the country, but in the world. Statistically, it is significantly harder to get into Stanford than most of the Ivy League schools. The overall acceptance rate for the Class for 2029 was 3.8%.
Early Action Strategy for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 2026-2027
MIT is not only one of the most renowned STEM-focused schools in the country, it’s famous globally for educating and incubating the brightest young, STEM-focused minds in the world. Why MIT works, though, is that it isn’t a siloed educational experience where students can coast through on what they are already good at. Instead, it challenges students to push beyond their perceived limits and to break down subject area boundaries to fuel breakthrough discoveries. MIT students come from across the country and around the world, and there are about 1,200 seats in each class. The overall first-year acceptance rate for the Class of 2029 was 4.6%.
Inside Admissions: How Dartmouth’s Admission Process Actually Works
Dartmouth occupies a unique place in the Ivy League conversation. It’s incredibly prestigious, wildly selective, and academically intense, yet somehow still feels more personal and community-oriented than many of its peer schools. Dartmouth is not just looking for students who can survive rigorous academics. They are looking for students who will actively contribute to a tight-knit campus culture where people actually know each other, professors are accessible, and students are expected to engage both inside and outside the classroom.
Early Decision Strategy for The University of Chicago 2026-2027
The University of Chicago attracts extremely strong students who are also exceptionally focused academically and just as motivated personally. Successful applicants are actively striving for something great, and good enough isn’t good enough. The acceptance rate is 4.5%.
An Analysis of How to Get into the University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts 2026-2027
The University of Michigan is one of the most famous public state universities in the country, and famed globally for offering an exceptional academic experience. There are 10 different undergraduate colleges at Michigan that first-year applicants can apply to focused on everything from architecture and engineering to dance and pharmacy. Most students, nearly 20,000, attend the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, or LSA, and it offers the most academically diverse opportunities.
Inside Admissions: How Penn’s Admission Process Actually Works
A lot of students hear “UPenn” and immediately think one thing: Wharton. Finance bros. Pre-professional energy. Future consultants mysteriously appearing in Patagonia vests at age nineteen. And while some of those stereotypes exist for a reason, they also dramatically oversimplify what Penn actually is, because Penn is not just a business school attached to an Ivy League campus.
An Analysis of How to Get into MIT 2026-2027
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.
TKG's Official Common App Essay Guide 2026-2027
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.
Early Decision Strategy for Duke University 2026-2027
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%.
Inside Admissions: How Brown’s Admission Process Actually Works
Brown has one of the most recognizable brands in higher education, but not for the reasons people usually think. Sure, it’s an Ivy League school, and sure, it’s wildly selective – but Brown has also cultivated a reputation for attracting and enrolling a very specific kind of student. They want intellectually curious, independent, creative, and maybe just a little bit unconventional students.
Early Decision Strategy for Cornell 2026-2027
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.
Inside Admissions: How Harvard’s Admission Process Actually Works
Harvard. Harvard. Just saying the name feels intense! It’s probably one of the most famous colleges in the world, and its name is essentially shorthand for excellence. If you’re here, you probably are interested in applying, but you also want a glimpse into the black box that is college admissions. While we wish we had some kind of livestream into Harvard’s admissions office, that just doesn’t exist. Thankfully, you've got the second-best thing – us!
Early Decision Strategy for The University of Pennsylvania 2026-2027
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 Top College Counseling Firms in New York City – 2026
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.
Early Decision Strategy for Brown 2026-2027
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%.
Expert Interview: StraighterLine on Transfer Credit, College Prep, and Setting Up Students for Success
Today we spoke with Philip Dunne, President and General Manager of StraighterLine. StraighterLine’s affordable online college courses are accepted for transfer credits at more U.S. colleges than any other online course provider. With a catalog spanning foundational college prep through nursing prerequisites and general education requirements, StraighterLine is built around a single conviction: flexible education is only valuable if the credits actually count. In this interview, Dunne addresses how high-achieving high school students are using self-paced college coursework to get ahead, stand out, save thousands on tuition, and arrive at their target schools better positioned than their peers.
Single-Choice Early Action Strategy for Princeton 2026-2027
Princeton is located in Princeton, New Jersey. It has a suburban feel and a very tight-knit on campus culture. It is also part of the coveted Ivy League, and boasts some of the best academic programs in the country across nearly any subject you could dream of studying. Unsurprisingly, getting into Princeton is exceptionally difficult. The university delays release of admissions data, but the overall first-year acceptance rate for the Class of 2029 was 4.4%.