Undergrad

There is a moment in many parent’s lives when ambition creeps in disguised as love. It might start with a conversation at the school gates, or a college ranking glimpsed online. A university name spoken with a faint, involuntary reverence. And before we quite notice what is happening, our hopes for our children begin to

Freshman year is about building a strong foundation for the entire high school experience. It’s a big step up from middle school: the classes move faster, grades carry more weight, and independence is real. For the first time, performance begins shaping a student’s cumulative GPA, high school transcript, and the long-term arc of their college

If you’re the kind of student who can’t walk past a broken scooter without thinking, “I could fix that,” or who reads about rockets, chips, clean energy, robotics, biotech, or bridges and feels your brain light up, engineering might be the most natural language you’ve ever tried to learn. But here’s the part people don’t

If you’re researching elite colleges in the US, you’ve likely come across the term “Little Ivies.” It’s a term often used as a shorthand for small, prestigious and highly selective schools that are among the best liberal arts colleges in the US. In fact the Little Ivies represent a distinct academic experience: one that rivals

When many people picture a US college, they imagine ivy-clad buildings, historic libraries, and a prestigious college name proudly emblazoned on a sweatshirt. The ‘Ivy League’ has become a symbol of academic prestige and aspiration. However, the official Ivy League schools also come with hefty price tags and single-digit admit rates.  The good news: you

For international applicants, the harsh reality is that acceptance rates for non-citizens at top US universities are usually lower than the overall admit rate. Many elite privates have single-digit acceptance rates for international as well as domestic applicants. Admit rates also vary by major and whether a school is need-aware for international students (meaning whether

In college admissions, diversity continues to play a central role in how schools shape their incoming classes. Admissions offices are looking beyond grades and test scores to build communities that reflect a wide range of backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences. While the legal landscape around affirmative action has shifted, schools remain deeply committed to creating diverse,

During my early years as Associate Director of Admissions at the University of Pennsylvania, I spent each fall traveling across the United States and abroad speaking with students and parents. I would leave my office in College Hall on the Penn campus  for up to two months, meeting high schoolers in their cafeterias at lunchtime