If you’re a high school junior applying to college this fall, chances are you’ve been on a college visit or two and have spent a considerable amount of time researching colleges and universities. Many students who have only a limited view of what colleges are like are sometimes shocked to find out how vastly different most institutions are from one another in terms of size, campus life, academics, athletics, and more.
You have a lot of decisions to make when it comes to choosing which colleges to apply to, and one factor that might influence your balanced college list is choosing a major. Some students already know what they want to major in, and this may influence which colleges they apply to. For other students, the choice of undergraduate major may be a bit less certain.
Harvard is one of the most popular first-choice colleges for students, and it’s also one of the most competitive. Admission rates are consistently under 5% — for the class of 2028, the admission rate was 3.65%.
Given this competitive admissions rate, some very talented students are going to find themselves on Harvard’s waitlist. While most applicants have a general idea of what a waitlisted outcome means, few understand how waitlists really work and what they can do to boost their odds of admission.
Students interested in attending college in Los Angeles often prioritize two schools: the University of Southern California (USC) and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). While they are both located in the same geographic area, they differ in a few significant ways that may impact which school you choose. If you’re considering both schools, it’s helpful to take a deeper dive into their similarities and differences.
Are you ready for Regular Decision notification dates? Admissions offices across the U.S. are working hard to get through hundreds of thousands of Regular Decision college applications for the class of 2029 in order to notify students of their decisions this spring.
Superscoring is used by many colleges to evaluate your best possible performance on the SAT or ACT. What is superscoring? It’s when admissions committees consider only the highest section scores across all SAT or ACT test dates that are submitted when evaluating applications.
A letter of continued interest (often referred to as a LOCI) is a written statement that a student sends to the admissions office of a school they are still interested in attending, despite being deferred or waitlisted. Generally, these letters reiterate the student’s interest in and fit for the college in question and update the admissions office on any achievements that the student has earned since submitting their initial application.
Single-gender colleges — institutions that exclusively admit either male or female students — are often praised for their ability to empower and inspire confidence in their students. However, students may also miss out on some benefits and experiences offered by coeducational institutions. Learn more about the pros and cons to determine if a single-gender education is right for you.
The college admissions season is flying by, and before you know it early admission decisions will be released. Here’s our annual list of early admission decision notification dates!
Beginning last year, the college admissions cycle feels like more of a return to “normal.” After two years of primarily virtual college tours, many schools reopened their campuses for visitors. While remote during the COVID-19 pandemic, students applying during the 2023-24 admissions cycle have spent most of their time in high school attending in-person classes.
However, some of the college admissions changes brought about by the pandemic remain. Most notably, many schools are maintaining test-optional admissions policies. Students also still have the option to discuss how the pandemic impacted their admissions process in the Common App’s optional section.
You’ve worked hard throughout high school, hoping to be admitted into one of your top-choice colleges. You put time and effort into your application and supplements, only to find out you’ve been placed on the waitlist. Confused? You’re not alone. Fortunately, there are steps you can take in this situation.
