Haverford is a liberal arts school eight miles from Downtown Philadelphia. The student body is small, only 1,318 students, and Haverford has become known for putting immense trust in them. All students commit to adhering to an honor code that comes with more freedom than most college kids could imagine. This tradition was started in 1897, and the Honor Code is re-approved each year by the student body themselves. Haverford dorms do not have RAs overseeing student behavior, and exams are un-proctored (yes, there is no teacher in the room making sure you don’t cheat). Don’t think about breaking the honor code, though. With great freedom comes great consequence.

Swarthmore is a private liberal arts college in Pennsylvania. Swarthmore is also a member of the tri-college consortium, along with Bryn Mawr and Haverford. With an acceptance rate is 13 percent, Swarthmore has been continuously ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of the top (and for many years the top) liberal arts schools in the nation.  

Pitzer college is a private, liberal arts school and a member of the Claremont Colleges in Claremont, California. In 2017, Pitzer accepted 16 percent of applicants. The supplement requires one 650-word essay. In this blog post, we will go over some tips for tackling it.  

A private research university in Boston, Northeastern is known for its professional co-op program, through which the vast majority of students engage in jobs and internships before graduation. The acceptance rate is about 27 percent. 

Colorado College is a private, liberal arts college in Colorado Springs. The campus is located against the backdrop of the Rocky Mountains and the school is on the block plan, meaning classes run for intensive, three and-a-half week periods. Many classes incorporate the university’s natural environment. The acceptance rate is 15 percent

Smith is a private women’s liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. Smith, one of the largest women’s colleges in the country, has an acceptance rate of about 37 percent. Smith students can also take classes at Hampshire College, U Mass Amherst, Mount Holyoke, and Amherst College.

Wellesley College is a private women’s liberal arts college located outside of Boston in Wellesley, Massachusetts where students can cross-register at MIT, Brandeis, Babson, and Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering. Wellesley’s notable alumni include the likes Hillary Clinton. In 2018, the acceptance rate was 19 percent.

Northwestern is a private university in Evanston, Illinois with an undergraduate student body of approximately 8,000 students. The acceptance rate for the class of 2022 fell to 8.4%, a record low. Northwestern is a Big 10 school, just 30 minutes away from Chicago, and operates on the quarter system.

Duke is a private university in Durham, North Carolina. There are approximately 6,500 undergraduate students and the school is known for both academics and sports. The acceptance rate for the class of 2022 was 8.3%.

Harvard needs no introduction. It is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts with an undergraduate student body of approximately 6,700 students. The acceptance rate for the class of 2022 was just 4.59%, the lowest of any Ivy League school.

NYU is a private university in New York City with an undergraduate student body of approximately 29,000. NYU has smaller campuses in Abu Dhabi and Shanghai. Last year the acceptance rate dipped to 19%, and the school has called the class of 2022 the most diverse class in the history of the school.

Tufts is a private university in Medford, Massachusetts. There are approximately 5,500 undergrads and 93% of students are involved in at least one extracurricular activity. The acceptance rate for the class of 2022 was 14.6%.

Pomona College is located in Claremont, CA and is home to 1,671 undergraduates. It’s a part of the Claremont Colleges, which include Pomona, Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, and Pitzer. The Claremont Colleges are like the West Coast equivalent of the Five and Tri-College Consortium. This past year they received a record number of 10.2K+ applications and had an acceptance rate of 6.9%. Their supplement has two parts, one of which is sort of like a second Common App essay. Read on for our insight:

Princeton University is located in Princeton, New Jersey. A member of the Ivy League, last year, Princeton’s acceptance rate was a mere 5.5 percent. Much like the other Ivy League applications, Princeton’s should tell you something about the school. It’s not easy and if you find it hard to finish, you probably shouldn’t be applying. Sorry. Much like Yale, Princeton was late to its own party and just posted recently their supplement online. So, now that we have the information, we are happy to share our thoughts with the world:

It’s no secret that Yale University is one of the most prestigious schools in the nation. With a six percent acceptance rate, this Ivy Leaguer also rounded out last year as one of the world’s most exclusive. The supplement is a hefty one but is a pretty good indication of the academically demanding environment if the school. If you can’t handle the supplement, don’t bother applying. We would also like to take a moment to welcome Yale to the party who, two weeks after everyone else, has finally published their supplement.

Boston University is a private, research university located in Boston. Situated along the Charles River, BU boasts a 2017 admission rate of 36 percent. The BU supplement is just one question. In this post, we will discuss how to best answer it: