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.

biology

11th Grade College Strategy for Biology

From cancer research to developing new medical treatments, biology is an extremely broad subject to consider majoring in as a prospective college student. Because it’s such an open-ended topic, it attracts a lot of attention from high school students who are trying to decide what they want to study in college. From wanting to go to medical school to doing research on new diseases, the possibilities for a biology student are endless.

9th Grade Summer Plans: Biology Major Edition

You’ve heard about the birds and the bees, but what about the biomes and the black holes? Sorry if that opener was misleading — we’re not talking about the reproductive cycle of the void today (although hold up while we file this away for future presentations #WelcomeToMyTedTalk). The point is there’s a lot more to ~the study of life~ than you’ve got time to cover in AP Bio. Whether you’re studying abyssery and starlight in astrobiology or learning about infectious diseases in microbiology, you’re falling under the biology umbrella in one way or another.

Best Online Summer Courses 2020 for High School Students Interested in Biology

We’ve written about the benefit of enrolling in online courses in the past. We’ve always known that colleges care about how you spend your free time, and that is especially true in the age of Coronavirus. If you take a look at how you’re spending your days during this new normal, we’re willing to bet that you could allocate a few of those hours you spend learning Tik Tok dances to advancing your skillset. Start by thinking about what you enjoy learning about when no one is forcing you to do so. If the answer to that question is biology, this blog post is for you. Below you’ll find a few of our favorite biology courses that are being offered online right now, meaning that you can sign up today.