Here’s the advice most students don’t hear: don’t start by trying to write your college essay. That sounds counterintuitive. But in 25 years of working with students on college essay writing, the single most common mistake I see is students opening the Common App personal statement prompt, staring at it, and trying to produce something

Every fall, families navigating the college admissions process encounter a bewildering alphabet soup: ED, EA, REA, SCEA, ED II, RD. Each acronym represents a different way to submit a college application, and each comes with different rules, deadlines, and strategic implications. This guide explains what each application round actually means, how admissions committees read them

There’s a version of this question that admissions advisors hear frequently, perhaps from a parent who watched their student ace AP Chemistry coursework all year and then score a 2 on the AP test. How does that affect their college application process? And the honest answer is: it depends. AP scores can matter in college

We are often asked by students and families how much extracurricular activities really matter in the college admissions process – and the question is often wrapped up in a great deal of anxiety. Is the student doing enough activities? The right kinds and with the right amount of engagement? Is something missing? It’s an understandable