What are the best college essay topics?

It depends. We recommend juniors begin building a college list of about 15-20 schools. Over the year, students should narrow this list down through campus visits, personal exploration of majors, evaluation of school size, location, and numerous other factors. Ultimately a student should end up with a list of approximately 10-12 schools, well-balanced between reach, target and likely schools. A reach school is a college that is very challenging for the student to get into relative to their high school historic admissions trends. The student's GPA or test scores may be significantly below the college's average student or the college Continue Reading

College planning empowers students in navigating an important decision for their future. The more prepared and informed a student is, the better able they are to identify and apply to the best-fitting colleges. A holistic approach to planning can help students connect interests, talents and skills to consideration of career paths as a way of identifying the right major and college list, thereby increasing potential for graduating in four years.

We advocate starting the college planning process early due to the many advantages students gain. After the PSAT in sophomore year, we start discussing more directly a student's interests to help identify opportunities that best position them for college applications through their resume-building to form a cohesive narrative. May 1 of Junior year we begin active and rigorous formal college application work.

By starting early, students and parents gain the freedom and flexibility to spread out the work, be confident in their plan, and increase their ability to identify the best fit for their needs. Begin by cultivating a foundation of strong grades, rigorous course load, and extracurricular involvement. Students will build on these skills throughout their high school careers. Junior year, start to build a college list and fine-tune that list via college visits and careful consideration of the criteria and characteristics you seek in a college. We offer a consultation that can help catalyze this process for you!

May of 11th grade is an optimal time to launch the formal application process. However, early college planning can begin well beforehand with campus visits, list and portfolio development, resume audits, and more. Starting to complete application materials before and during the summer before 12th grade will in turn lower stress and raise the likelihood of producing your best possible application. This goal requires that parents are on board with helping motivate and support student focus as well!

Yes. Though uncommon, colleges can rescind an offer of enrollment if grades suffer unnecessarily senior year. It is important students maintain their commitment to excellence as they round out their high school career. Plus, for any regular decision or waitlist, grades are your superpower! Consistent or improved performance can help you stand out over other applicants.

Colleges will assess a student's cumulative GPA, course grades and rigor throughout high school, and results on any reported AP/IB tests, ACTs, and SATs as an initial filter. Often essays and applications are not fully reviewed if a student does not qualify for a particular college. Smart list selection is paramount!

We recommend students aim to narrow their final lists as much as possible to create an optimal blend of around 10 - 12 reach, likely, and target schools. There is often little advantage or need for applying to additional schools beyond this threshold if the final list is well-cultivated to fit the needs and performance levels of the student. Too many schools may lead to increased stress as well as distraction.

Students should ask teachers, a guidance counselor, and a coach (if applicable) who know them well as a student and individual. Typically, a teacher who can attest to the student's academic proficiencies and growth is a good option. An educator or coach who also knows the student well through extra-curricular activities may speak best to their leadership qualities or particular talents. We do not encourage more recommenders than is required as colleges do not want more than they have requested.

If students have applied to a school through a binding application type (namely, Early Decision or Restrictive Early Action) are not able to accept another offer, once accepted. However, students applying Early Action or Regular Decision, in most cases, are able to review their offers before submitting their deposit. In the case of a waitlist, students must often submit a deposit and rescind their acceptance to that school if they come off a waitlist at another college after the deadline. But, we encourage never having two deposits submitted concurrently.