Blog Posts | College Application Advice

Admissions + Testing in 2021 and Beyond

We co-hosted a webinar providing tips for high school students and their parents regarding the college application process and the fate of standardized testing.

Early Applications Are Up at Colleges and Grad Schools, Snow Days Are Out at Cornell, and Early Decision Notifications Are In

This week, with some early figures released for graduate school applications and some colleges already releasing Early Decision notifications, the numbers are in and applications are up — sometimes quite a bit — at the schools our students tend to apply to. The national picture, however, tells a different story.

2020 Admissions Numbers, Affirmative Action in the Courts and Spring 2021 Announcements

Last week was a busy week in admissions: one affirmative action court case ended and one began, Fall 2020 application numbers started to trickle out (buckle up!), grad school admission is getting more competitive, and changes to several colleges’ spring semesters were announced. And if you’re curious which colleges had the lowest admit rates last […]

Expert Admissions on the Today Show

NBC invited our own Bari Norman to speak with the Today Show about how the college admissions process has changed – or stayed the same – during the pandemic. With deadlines swiftly approaching, Bari offers advice about where students should be in the process, staying organized, presenting your best self to colleges, and of course, […]

Extended Early Application Deadlines, Doctoral Program Cancellations, and Large Donations

This week, one university pushed back its early deadlines to give seniors some breathing room, 50+ universities cut back on doctoral programs and, despite the economic downturn, four schools announced ground-breaking donations. We’ll start with good news! Villanova University pushed their Early Action and Early Decision deadlines back until November 15. Seniors, you have a little more time […]

Should You Write About Covid?

Are you wondering if you should write about Covid on your college application? It’s an optional question on the Common App this year, but let’s discuss whether it makes sense to respond…because in this case optional truly means optional. The specific wording of the “Covid essay” is: Community disruptions such as COVID-19 and natural disasters […]

All About Early Decision (Including a List of Colleges with Early Decision!)

You’re a high school junior or senior and you’ve heard of Early Decision, but aren’t quite sure what it means? Allow us to explain! Early Decision is an application plan that allows you to apply to a college early – in the fall of your senior year (typically by November 1 or 15). If you […]

A Change to the Common Application, Another Round of SAT Cancellations, and a College Getting it Right!

This week included a change to the Common Application, another round of SAT cancellations, and a spotlight on a college touted as a model for reopening and containing community spread. Hundreds of thousands of students who registered to take the SAT this September and October will be unable to take their exam because the testing […]