When considering a Computer Science (CS) major, many students think of applying to large research institutions that churn out CS graduates and research papers. While these larger universities can offer a great education, we encourage all of our applicants to take a look at some smaller schools too–some liberal arts colleges have great CS programs. Studying at a liberal arts school offers students several advantages: smaller class sizes, more involved professors, and the benefits of a well-rounded liberal arts curriculum.
Top 5 tips for the Brown University Interview
If you have been following our blog, you might have picked up on a series that we have been doing where we share our top tips for Ivy League school interviews. We wanted to include Brown, but this one has to be a little different. The reason? Brown is moving away from alumni interviews and is replacing them with videos.
The 12 Most Unique Programs at Yale
If you’re looking to go Ivy for college, it helps to be specific in your application and essays. Not only does knowing what you want to do help with the apps, but it also helps you construct a clear set of goals for yourself. However, because college websites seem to be in a competition for “worst navigation,” it can be hard to find the niche programs that fit into your niche.
The Ultimate Ivy League Interview Guide
Many schools offer interviews for hopeful candidates. Volunteer alums conduct the majority of these and recently the large majority have been virtual. These interviews are a powerful tool for getting to know more about the school and getting the school to know more about you. Most Ivy League schools offer these types of interviews. We have been doing a series with specific interview tips for the Ivies, but we also wanted to share what these interviews are, which Ivies offer them, how to get one, and some general tips that work for these interviews across the board.
Dartmouth College Interview Tips
When looking at Ivy League interview tips many inform students to be as relaxed as possible. They stress the importance of the interview feeling like a conversation. This isn’t necessarily untrue at Dartmouth. They want you to be at ease, but it is one of the more formal interviews in the Ivy League. Maybe we shouldn’t say “formal.” Formal feels scary. And this shouldn’t be scary. Let’s just say that Dartmouth takes their interview seriously and you should do some prep to meet their standards. With a little prep, you should be able to crush this interview. And we have our top tips to help you do that!
9 Unique Programs at MIT
When applying to elite colleges, you want to make sure you’re doing your research on what they have to offer. Not only will this help tell you if the school is a good fit for you, but it will help when you go to write your supplemental essays in the fall. Schools want to see specificity. You want to study engineering? Prove it! What kind of engineering? What kind of research? Which professors? What labs?? Thankfully, we’ve come up with this guide to steer you in the right direction when it comes to those deep dives into the Bulletins.
Top 4 Columbia University Interview Tips
So you got an email from a random email address asking you to set up a Columbia Interview. What’s next? Many schools offer alumni interviewers for prospective students and Columbia is on that list. If you haven’t already done these types of interviews for other schools or are just super nervous about Columbia, these interviews can seem scary, but they don’t have to be. We wanted to break the Columbia interview down and share our top tips and tricks for how to approach it!
12 Unique Programs at Cornell
The Ivy League is competitive, and tons of students from across the world will be submitting their applications in only a few months. So how do you set yourself apart from the crowd? Specificity. When you tell a school what you want to study, you need to be more specific than just “biology, because it’s cool.” Thankfully, schools like Cornell have detailed, niche programs that can help you articulate what you want to study and why. Let’s dive into some of their unique programs.
Princeton University Interview Tips
Almost all the Ivy Leagues have alumni interviews. If you have read any of our blogs on Ivy League interviews, Princeton isn't much different from the rest of the Ivies. Princeton doesn’t provide much in the way of tips for hopeful students, so we thought we would share our top tips and tricks to help ace your Princeton interview.
Top 5 Tips for the Harvard College Interview
Some of the Ivy Leagues are very upfront about their interview process. They post statistics on how many interviews they offer. They post sample questions and make how-to videos. Harvard doesn’t. Their admissions interview can thus feel like it is shrouded in secrecy. But it doesn’t have to be. While Harvard doesn’t offer up students as many tips for its interview as other schools do, we got you covered. Here are our top tips for nailing your Harvard interview.
Most Popular Majors in the Ivy League
What is the most popular major in the Ivy League? It’s hard to say exactly. Since there are 8 schools, not every school will have the same breakdown when it comes to popular majors. However, two majors have made the list of Most Popular Majors at almost every Ivy League School: Computer Science and Econ.
Most Unique Programs at UChicago
UChicago is a very unique school with a unique culture, so finding unique programs here was relatively easy. When applying, you’ll want to prove that you’ve done your research on what they have to offer, and hopefully our guide will make it simple to get a jump on the types of niche programs you can talk about in your application. It also takes a unique personality to really jive with UChicago, and doing your research on the school and their programs will help you determine if it’s the right fit.
Virtual Essay Bootcamp for College Admission Essay
It’s about to be summer. Meaning, it’s time for college essay Bootcamp! Students who are looking into top schools tend to be busy during the school year. Between AP classes, leadership positions in extracurriculars, sports seasons, and everything else students tend to do, it can be hard taking on college admissions essays.
Cornell Interview Tips
Almost all the Ivy Leagues have alumni interviews. Cornell is a little different. They don't offer interviews for the vast majority of students. College of Architecture, Art, and Planning and specifically only the Architecture majors are required to interview and students in Fine Arts or Urban and Regional Studies majors have an optional interview and that's it. It might seem unfair, but Cornell does have another option for those who are craving something akin to the interview.
9 Unique Programs at Stanford University
With over 100 majors, minors, research institutions, think tanks, and programs at Stanford, you might be having a hard time narrowing down what you’re interested in. Sure, you could apply to study something broad like engineering or political science, but does that really capture what you’re passionate about? If you’re thinking about applying to Stanford, there are a million pieces of advice we could give you. Maybe even more than a million. But the biggest thing in your application to Stanford needs to be specificity. Thankfully, Stanford offers a ton of unique programs and majors that can help you dive deep into your interests, prove you did your research and could introduce you to things you didn’t even know you could study.
Best Liberal Arts School for Nursing
While many students interested in nursing turn to large research institutions for their undergraduate degrees, we’ve found that liberal arts schools are an attractive alternative for students drawn to small class sizes and intensive learning. That said, many of the traditional ‘top’ liberal arts schools don’t offer nursing majors–many of those storied institutions don’t directly train nurses.
Top 5 Harvard Interview Tips
Some of the Ivy Leagues are very upfront about their interview process. They post statistics on how many interviews they offer. They post sample questions and make how-to videos. Harvard doesn’t. Their admissions interview can thus feel like it is shrouded in secrecy. But it doesn’t have to be. While Harvard doesn’t offer up students as many tips for its interview as other schools do, we got you covered. Here are our top tips for nailing your Harvard interview.
MIT Test-Optional Policy
During the start of the pandemic, a ton of schools went test-optional. It made sense since a deadly panorama made it so you couldn’t take tests in person. Make the tests optional! Many Colleges, even when schools went back into in-person learning, kept extending their test-optional status. Harvard notably extended it until 2026.
UPenn Interview Strategy
So you applied to UPenn, what’s next? Well for most students, you will be offered an alumni interview. Don’t freak out, unfortunately, it doesn’t mean you are on the shortlist to get in. Penn offers interviews to about 90% of candidates. They actually try for 100% if possible. Penn’s admissions office has a short video of tips and tricks for interviews and also a very long one. These can be super helpful resources for preparing for the UPenn Interview, but we thought we would share our own top tips for a great Penn interview.
Best Liberal Arts School for Pre-Law
Attending a Liberal Arts school is a great way to prepare for a future career in law. Liberal Arts (LA) schools will offer smaller classes and opportunities to work closely with professors. Most Liberal Arts schools focus on the humanities, writing, and developing critical thinking–all of which are necessary for practicing law.