Many parents believe the greatest hurdle to applying for college scholarships is finding scholarships. Nope. Not by a longshot. For many seniors, the motivation to write one more autobiographical essay for a scholarship application is the largest impediment. For one, many are depleted of energy after writing a dozen (or more) college essays over the fall and winter. Plus, many…
On Friday, January 20, 2023, according to a newsletter sent to counselors, the University of Southern California (USC) admissions officers admitted its first ever class of approximately 2400 Early Action candidates, a 5.9% admit rate. 40,600 first year applicants requested admissions by the November 1, 2022 Early Action deadline, which was also the deadline for any students to be considered…
Gen Z and increasingly Millennials are disaffected. For many, the dystopian stories they consumed as kids, Percy Jackson & the Olympians, The Hunger Games, the Divergent series and the like, are now reality. Adherents of YOLO (You Only Live Once), Z’ers and Millennials often maintain a “winner take all and consequences be damned” attitude. Their “Ok, Boomer” eye-rolling may be…
For the first time in US history, the younger generation will not gain more wealth in their lifetime than their parents. As Scott Galloway points out, Millennials are the largest percentage of full time workers in the US, but economic growth has been slower than for their parents at the same age. Furthermore, Millennials hold 31.4% of all student loan…
There are three college admissions decisions: admit, deny, and the most confusing of all, Waitlist. Yet, students, choosing to remain on a waitlist by “opting-in” before the deadline posted in the admissions letter, should be sure they understand what the choice entails. First, understand there is no guarantee that any students will be considered for admissions from the waitlist. But,…
With test optional/test free/test blind admissions policies, applicants (and their families) are empowered with choice how to present a student’s unique qualifications for admissions. Yet, like with any choice, being informed to choose responsibly is essential. First, as previously posted in What’s the difference between Test-Optional, Test-Blind, and Test-Free College Admissions Policies?, students must understand the difference between test optional,…
Welcome to The Big Wait, the post-application period, with nothing to do but check applicant portals and wait for admissions officers to respond. High school students (some transfer admissions candidates too), anxious to “get done” with applications in the fall, expect to relax during the winter months, as “there’s no more college essays to stress over”. Unfortunately, that’s not always…
For at least one more application cycle, all Ivy League applicants will once again consider if they can demonstrate their aptitude with a standardized test score. Yale and Princeton admissions officers recently announced maintaining test optional admissions policies through Fall 2023, joining the rest of the Ivy League colleges, although with varying timeframes for the extensions. Admissions officers at Brown,…
The applicant portal is an online dashboard assigned to students by each college’s admissions officers to track their application, be notified of any missing information, possibly alerted to scholarships as well as likely most important to students: receive admissions decisions. Typically, admissions decisions are sent through the applicant portals or email, fewer admissions officers send responses using US Postal Mail.…
Yes, students can edit/update/revise/rewrite the 650 word Common Application essay after submitting an application to one (or more) colleges, as was discussed last Fall 2020. Yet, once a 650 word Common Application essay is submitted, the copy is final for that college. A revised 650 word Common Application essay will only be reviewed by college admissions officers who receive the…
