From Bowdoin to Brandeis, liberal arts schools (and even some not-so-liberal arts schools, like GW) across the country are rolling back their testing requirements. So, what does this mean for you and your SAT II plans? In short, nothing.
How Many Colleges Should I Apply To?
Back in your parents or grandparents’ generation, applying to college usually meant applying to a handful of first-choice schools and calling it a day. There were no AP tests, less competition, and fewer essays to churn out. Gone are the simpler days. You might have heard recent news stories about kids applying (and being accepted into) 20+ schools, including Ivy Leagues. While we don’t think anyone should apply to 20 schools, we are encouraging our students to apply to more schools than perhaps their parents did. In our years of helping students become the strongest possible applicants they can, we have discovered a range of schools that works best for our students.
What You Need to Have Done by September 1 for College Admissions 2018
The summer is upon us, which really means that it’s basically September in our minds. The summer is not a time for play, it’s a time for work. It’s a preview to the rest of your life, if you’re a student. Not to get too dark, but it’s true. Parents, while summer might be a time that you associate with vacations and relaxation, if you have a kid who is applying to colleges next year we’re going to strongly encourage you to wait to schedule vacations for winter break.
Why Did the University of Chicago Become Test-Optional?
You might have read or heard about University of Chicago’s announcement that the school is dropping the ACT/SAT requirement of its application. Previously, it was required that all applicants sit for the SAT or ACT and include the scores on their application to the university. Now, University of Chicago has gone “test-optional” along with numerous other top-tier institutions.
Why is the University of Michigan So Popular?
Nearly every student we work with either wants to apply to the University of Michigan or asks if they should, and about 50% end up applying. This includes kids looking to be in urban areas, or totally ok with going rural. It includes kids who want a liberal arts education and those who are certain that they want to specialize. It includes athletes and artists, bookworms and filmmakers, and city kids and suburbanites. So, it begs the question, “Why is Michigan so popular?”
24 Do's and Don’ts of Writing a College Admission Essay
Great college essays aren’t built on a formula, but there are a handful of things that every strong essay has and a bigger handful of things that it most certainly does not. For rising Seniors getting ready to write their essay, it’s crucial that they know what to emphasize and what to avoid. When it comes to the college application process, there’s little worse than realizing that the essay you’ve spent months on is a dud. Well, not getting into your dream school is worse, but fixing your essay before it’s too late is a way to avoid that happening.
Can I get into Columbia?
When Should I Start the 2018-2019 Common App?
Will Playing a Sport Help with Ivy League Admissions?
We recently had a student who was incredibly motivated and was interested in delving into the world of materials engineering. We gave them many online course suggestions, had them read a book from the book list we created, and helped them put together a plan to create a makerspace at their school. Over the course of three months, barely anything happened. The student was able to start the book and the online course, but kept putting off the real project: creating a makerspace at school. This was because they were so preoccupied with homework during their off-time between track tournaments and after-school track team practice.
2018 Junior (Rising Senior) Parent Checklist
If you’re the parent of a rising senior who is just finishing up their junior year, odds are that you’re starting to feel a bit overwhelmed by all of the deadlines, to-dos, and applications that will surely be coming your kid’s way. Stress is undoubtedly transferable, and any stress that you or your kid might be feeling will inevitably make its way to your family and your home. We want to help prevent that as much as we possibly can by helping you stay organized.
Last Minute Summer Ideas for Juniors who want to go to a Top Tier College
How to Get into an Ivy League School with a B+ GPA
Prospective parents always ask us what we can do to help ensure their kids get into the Ivy League. As hardworking and bright as we’re sure they all are, those with B+ (or less) averages don’t always like our answer: If you’re knocking on the Ivy door, they’re not going to answer for you.
How to Start a Common App Essay
The hardest part of any writing project is the first sentence. Staring at a blank white page can be terrifying, especially when the stakes are as high as getting into your dream school. One of the things we do at TKG is guide students through writing stellar college essays, but there are some things you can do at home to help you get through that initial rut.
One of the Best Essays of 2018: A Dinner Scene
Some say that the college application essay is formulaic. If that were to be true, the stereotypical formula would go like this: Typical high school experience + dramatic interpretation attempting to raise the stakes + a grand takeaway that is often along the lines of “and then I realized that life has meaning beyond becoming homecoming queen!”
Best College Application Supplement of 2018
After the Common App essay, supplements are the second-most creative part of the college application process. Actually, they’re really the only other creative part. Grades and test scores are quantitative, and recommendations are out of your control once you’ve requested them. The essay and the supplements are the places you get to speak in your voice and to be yourself. But where the main essay needs to work for every school you apply to; your supplements need to be tailored. Reuse a story, sure. Copy and paste a supplement, though, and you’re setting yourself up for failure. (We’ve all heard horror stories of when a supplement about Hamilton is accidentally sent to Middlebury, and it happens more often than you’d even imagine.)
The Best Transfer Essay of 2018: Hurricanes
The transfer process is a lot like applying to college the first time. You need transcripts and teacher recommendations; there are far more supplements than you’d like, and the all-important college essay is still mandatory. So, in many ways, it’s the same. However, transfer essays are pulling double duty. In addition to showing schools that you are a great student, a community member worth coveting, and an overall stellar human being, you need to answer one more question: Why? Why are you looking to transfer? Why is where you are now not good enough?
One of the Best Essays of 2018: Oma’s Sayings
We talk a lot about topics to avoid. Avoid writing about death, avoid writing about grandparents, avoid writing about volunteer experiences, and avoid things that could be read as you trying to ‘impress’ the reader — we want to engage the reader, not to show off. And then, sometimes, there is a way of bringing together a handful of those “don’ts” to create a piece that is engaging, beautiful, and that does one of our favorite things: it proves that even our rules aren’t really rules at all, they’re guidelines.
Social Media and Undergraduate College Admissions
Dear Student: Don’t Get Mad at Your Parents.
If you’re reading this we bet that someone in your family just had a tough conversation that made you mad: they talked to you about your social media presence. More likely than not, someone told you that you needed to either edit or take down your account completely. We get it—it’s annoying being told what to do. And it’s even more annoying being asked to take down something that you've worked hard on.
Social Media and Applying to College: What to Know
We live in 2018—it’s a pretty interesting time to be alive for a number of reasons, but it’s a particularly interesting time to be applying to college because of technology. Namely, social media. We get a lot of questions from (mostly) parents asking us what our best social media practices are. The answer is pretty simple: the best social media presence is no social media presence.