Applications are created, made, and broken with free time that students have (or don’t have). Colleges look carefully at exactly how you spend your free time. And if they can’t tell how you spend your free time while they’re looking at your application, then they’re betting you don’t do much. But…we don’t need to tell you that twice, right? Because you’re reading this blog post. Which means you’re interested in the Ivy League. Which means that you’re likely scheduled out for the next 2-4 weeks.
How Many Community Service Hours Do You Need for College?
With students flocking to the Common App to get a head start before supplements are released on August 1st, many are encountering the “Activities” section for the very first time. It’s a weird section—a series of slots that ask you to describe what you do, but don’t give you enough space to say anything beyond the bare minimum. Then you have to say how much time you spend doing each activity, and how long you’ve been doing it for. Then you have to rank them.
Best Common App Essay Ideas 2018-2019
How Important Is Community Service For College Admissions?
The Five Biggest Mistakes in College Application Supplemental Essays
When you apply to college, just about every school will receive the same transcript, test scores, essay, resume, and Common App info. Supplements, then, are your place to stand out. Not every college has a supplement, but for those that do the supplement is a key piece of our application since it’s the only place that’s just for them.
The Best Summer for College Admission Application Essays
There are tons of things that you can do over the summer that are certainly worth your time. Everything from programs, projects, reading, working, and of course writing it all down so that you have excess content to play with for your college application essays.
Test-Optional Trend: Should I Take an SAT II Subject Test?
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!”