While it’s true that biology, biochemistry, biomedical engineering, and chemistry still top the list of the most popular majors for students who are pre-med, it’s also entirely possible to graduate with an undergraduate degree in the humanities, take the MCAT, and then attend medical school. Another option is to study STEM at a liberal arts school, and then follow the same path. We’ve found that most people think that pre-med students are better off at large research universities. This blog post will detail the pros and cons of attending a liberal arts college if medical school is your ultimate goal.
How To Transfer Colleges as a Freshman
While it’s true that transferring colleges is common, there is a major misconception floating around about the process. A lot of people think that transferring is easy, and that if you want to end up at Harvard, you can start out at a state school and transfer in your sophomore year. This is very much not the case.
College Tour Itinerary Template
We recently wrote a guide for how to choose a college to tour, and this blog post is about the logistics of planning the tour once you’ve decided where to go.
Deferred Early Decision with No Backup Plan
Before we get into the specifics of the next steps, let’s discuss what being deferred actually means. A lot of students think that colleges defer them “to be nice” or “to not hurt your feelings.” This is not something that colleges do. When you are deferred, you are put into the regular decision pool of applicants. It means that the school wants to see how your application will hold up once everyone else applies.
Online Courses as Extracurricular Activities for High School Students
We’ve found that how students use their free time is a big indicator of success (or lack thereof) during and after the college application process. That’s exactly why we emphasize the importance of spending free time, whether it is short or long breaks from school, summer, that 2-hour block before bed when you play video games, doing something that expands their academic interests. We’ve written in the past about how extra classes, like college-credit courses and online courses, affect admissions. While there’s no one guaranteed path to gaining a college acceptance letters, we do know that colleges don’t like kids who waste their free time. In fact, it’s this non-school, non-extracurricular time, and how you spend it, in addition to your essay, that we think most determines whether or not you’ll be accepted.
Choosing a College for Early Decision or Early Action
Subject: Choosing a College
Message: Hi! I’m going to be applying to college very soon. I have my three top choices, but I have been back and forth on which one I want to apply ED to and cannot figure out how to decide. I know I would be happy at all three of them, but if I apply RD, my chances of getting into any of them goes down. This decision is making me physically and mentally sick! Any advice for how to make it?
Rejected Early Decision with No Backup Plan
Being rejected early decision is not easy. We recommend taking a day to feel however you’re feeling and clear your head. It’s understandable that you’re upset, so try doing something to take your mind off of what just happened before diving back into the process. And we aren’t saying that being rejected isn’t painful! Rejection is hard. But you now need to make a lot of moves in a short amount of time, and getting that process started might be a welcome distraction from focusing on what isn’t going to work out. Before you start, remember this: it’s going to be okay. This happens a lot. And while that doesn’t make it any less upsetting, knowing that many other students are in your boat might offer a sense of comfort.
Top Materials Science and Engineering Undergraduate Colleges & Programs in the US
Materials engineers are detail-oriented, careful, and accurate workers with an eye for incongruities. If you love to solve puzzles, materials engineering might be for you. Potential career industries for materials engineers include biotechnology, tech, aerospace, and research labs, among others. The fact is that materials engineers are highly sought after and can contribute to any industry that ‘creates,’ which is essentially every industry. Fun fact: Materials Scientists and Engineers have some of the highest starting salaries upon graduation from their undergraduate program.
Tulane’s Acceptance Rate Explained
Once upon a time, Tulane was considered a safety school for some. That time is over. The acceptance rate for the class of 2023 was 13%. For context, Cornell’s acceptance rate for the class of 2023 was 10.6%. Tulane’s acceptance for the class of 2020 was 26%, which means that in three years their acceptance rate was cut in half.
How to Request a College Class Visit Over Email
If you’re planning on visiting a college, you should seriously consider trying to sit in on a class. Some admissions offices are willing to schedule this for you, especially if you are an international student or are already doing an overnight. Most schools, however, leave it up to potential applicants to schedule their own class visits — and so most students don’t do it.
Guide for how to Choose a College to Tour
Before you get your hopes up about finding the right school on your first try, cozy up to the fact that you’re not going to walk away from your first college tour knowing that you want to attend that college. And you shouldn’t! If you do feel that way, you haven’t done enough research and you haven’t gone on enough tours.
8 Tips for Writing Transfer Essays
This post includes tips for both writing transfer essays and the intense prep work it requires to transfer. We’ve written a lot about the transferring process, and it’s important to keep in mind that transferring isn’t as easy as most people think. And you need a better reason than simply wanting to trade up. But if you’re reading this, you might already have your reasons for wanting to transfer. If you’re unsure but want more information and/or validation, read our “Should I Transfer” post.
Starting an Extracurricular Club in High School
Extracurricular activities are an important aspect of the college application process. But not in the way that many students think they are. Deciding which extracurriculars to pursue is an exercise in branding yourself, and it starts freshman year. Let’s compare two different activity lists and then discuss:
Where Should I Go to College?
The “college prep” process usually starts with high school students asking themselves: “where should I go to college?” Or maybe someone asked you where you’re thinking about applying, and you realized that you have no idea. It’s the question that comes first, and it can be seriously overwhelming. If you’re beginning to think about the future, this blog post will tell you where to start.
How to Major in Creative Writing in College & the Best Creative Writing Undergraduate Schools
Creative writing isn’t the most popular major, but those who pursue it are uniquely passionate. In a world where the written word seems to be declining in importance, the decision to commit four years to studying a craft that some feel to be an artifact takes commitment, drive, and a sense of purpose that is rare anywhere, let alone among teenagers.
What to do if You’re Deferred Early Decision
If you’re reading this, you’re in a frustrating boat. It’s fair to feel confused, angry, annoyed, whatever. For a lot of students, deferral can be more confusing than straight-up rejection, because the definition of deferral means that the college’s decision has been pushed off to a later date. Then it can be hard not to feel like you’re being dragged along and, likewise, don’t know how to feel or what decision to make next. We’ve created this post to offer a few simple guidelines about how to proceed once you’ve heard back from your first choice ED school that you’ve been deferred.
How to Address College Professors Over Email When Applying to College
There are several reasons you may need to email a professor or other instructor at a college or university you are considering applying to. The most common reason potential applicants need to email a professor is to request a class visit. Other reasons include having a question about a department, desiring more information about an academic program, or following up after meeting them during a visit, event, or through another connection.
How To Fill Out The Activities Section of the Common App:
We get a fair amount of questions about the activities section of the common app. Our first piece of advice is to start a running log (on a google document and a saved word file) of all of your extracurricular activities starting freshman year. If you’re reading this as a junior and missed the boat, it’s not too late. Think back and type out everything that you’ve done in order. This will be especially helpful when you start writing a resume.
How Long Should my Resume be for College Applications?
How Many Colleges Should I Apply to?
It’s no secret that acceptance rates at competitive colleges are decreasing every year. And when colleges put out articles detailing their stats for their incoming class, they ensure that the takeaway is that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to get in, but YOU can probably get in so you should apply. More applicants than ever! Students from all over the globe!