When should I start preparing for college applications?
Start exploring interests and building strong academic habits early (even in 9th grade), but formal application prep (essays, resumes, etc.) begins in junior year.
How many colleges should I apply to?
Most students succeed with 8 – 12 well-researched schools: 2 – 3 safeties, 3 – 5 matches, and 2 – 3 reaches. Highly accomplished students might consider applying to a higher proportion of reach schools, but every student should balance out their list with colleges of varied selectivity.
What GPA does my student need to get into the college of their choice?
Every high school has a different way of calculating grades, which makes it difficult to use GPA as a metric for college admissions. Some colleges provide aggregate GPA data for recently admitted students, but this is nowhere near as widely available as test score data. Some colleges standardize GPA themselves [...]
How important is standardized testing now that many colleges are test-optional?
Many colleges switched to a test-optional policy with the onset of COVID-19. However, some colleges (including MIT) have switched back to a test-required policy, so we’d recommend checking the requirements of each university on your college list. On the opposite end of the spectrum, a handful of colleges have committed [...]
Which extracurriculars should my student enroll in?
Generally speaking, colleges do not make value judgments about the extracurricular activities a student chooses to pursue. They do, however, value quality over quantity; they look for students who commit to particular activities for the long-term and rise to leadership roles within them. Ideally, your student’s extracurriculars should reflect their [...]
What do colleges take into account when assessing an application?
College admissions officers assess applications holistically, meaning they evaluate the “whole” student. No factor (including grades, test scores, or extracurriculars) is considered in a vacuum; rather, these pieces are all assessed in the context of each student’s unique background. With that being said, a student’s academic record (including their grades [...]