Resume Magic
Yale podcast/blog: https://admissio
Michigan’s application instructions: http
Princeton’s helpful tips: https://admissio
Yale podcast/blog: https://admissio
Michigan’s application instructions: http
Princeton’s helpful tips: https://admissio
DEADLINE TODAY!
Applications for Girls* on Ice Canada are due tonight at 11:59pm PST!
Upcoming deadlines for the rest of our expeditions are:
February 9th for Girls* in Icy Fjords and Girls* on Rock (in two days!)
February 14th for Girls* on Ice Schweiz, Girls* on Ice Suisse, and Girls* on Ice Austria
March 2nd for Girls* on Ice Alaska and Girls* on Water
Share this with teachers, parents, and students who might be interested! Appy here.
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Colleges have long-loved students who take English, Math, Social Studies, Science, and Language every year of high school. It’s my most despised suggestion so I’m sharing College MatchPoint’s blog as backup. I do believe there are exceptions depending on the student, their school goals, major, the selectivity of their list, and where they go to high school, but either way, read more here!
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This is very cool!
From the University of California:
Our researchers collect and analyze all kinds of information about the world. We also track all kinds of UC stats, many of them available on detailed public dashboards in the online UC Information Center.
This fall, UC published a new data dashboard that shows how many first-year students apply to and are admitted at each campus by academic discipline. Until now, UC published the overall first-year admission rates for each campus. The new dashboard expands that by providing additional detail on admissions by academic discipline. For each broad area of study, you can see the admit rate, along with how many students applied, were admitted and ended up enrolling. The dashboard lets you see the admission rate for a discipline versus the overall campus admission rate. You can look at just one campus, or you can compare disciplines across UC’s nine undergraduate campuses. (A separate dashboard shows transfer admission rates by major.)
The goal of the dashboard is to offer the public more transparency into UC admissions. Being able to compare the selectivity of disciplines and campuses gives applicants an additional piece of information in their process and a more refined understanding of the competition. That said, the dashboard shouldn’t be used to assess any particular student’s chances of admission.
Continue reading about the new data dashboard in this October 18 article and explore the dashboard yourself.
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In an op-ed published in Inside Higher Ed, David Blobaum, the director of outreach for the National Test Prep Association and the co-founder of tutoring company Summit Prep, argues that it is in college hopefuls’ best interests to submit test scores, even if a school does not require them.
When accepting – or rejecting – applicants, admissions departments cite often-clandestine “institutional priorities” having to do with students’ backgrounds or areas of expertise. According to Mr. Blobaum, however, “Rhetoric and reality often diverge.”
He contends, unequivocally, that “test-optional institutions have a preference for students with high test scores” and that students applying to test-optional colleges and universities are less likely to be admitted if they do not submit test scores. “If a college does not value SAT or ACT scores, then the college would not use those scores.”
Citing data from Dartmouth’s watershed report, which led the institution to return to test-mandatory admissions, Mr. Blobaum argues that traditionally marginalized students have the most to gain from submitting test scores: “a disadvantaged student with an SAT score between 1450 and 1490 is 3.7 times more likely to get admitted if they submit their score than if they withhold it.”
To support his argument, Mr. Blobaum explores a few key examples of elite institutions that recently were or currently are test-optional:
These examples are compelling, and make clear that standardized test scores can certainly act as key differentiators between candidates who are otherwise qualified for limited class seats. These differentiators are particularly important for hyper-selective schools where the ratio between applicants and enrollment offers is especially stark.
Mr. Blobaum approached this topic with an eye toward the most elite institutions; his observations, therefore, despite their potential relevance at Ivy Plus schools, may not capture the admissions landscape at less selective—but still excellent—colleges and universities. Furthermore, Mr. Blobaum’s argument sometimes strays from hard data; he, perhaps controversially, claims that admissions departments “often outright lie” and bases some of his reasoning on the fact that “it is just common sense.”
Source: Denied? That Top College Lied (Inside Higher Ed)
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Don’t miss your chance to compete in the Wharton Global High School Investment Competition.
Important details, dates, as well as helpful resources and tools can be found here: https://globalyouth.wharton.
The competition is a free, English-based, experiential investment challenge for high school students and teachers that includes an online trading simulator. Participants compete with other students from around the world and learn about finance, teamwork, strategy building, analysis, communication, and the stock market.
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Colleges have continued to roll back test-optional policies. We will update this post as more updates are made.
You’ll need competitive test scores to apply to the following schools:
Auburn (testing STRONGLY preferred; required with certain GPA)
Brown
Cal Tech
Cornell (2026, require, 2025 recommended for certain colleges)
Dartmouth
Georgetown
Georgia Tech
Harvard
MIT
Purdue
University of Georgia
University of Florida (state-wide)
University of Tennessee (state-wide)
UT Austin
Yale
We have also found it beneficial to send high scores to most other test-optional schools in the top tier, especially if you are applying to a selective major (engineering, comp sci, data science, business, hard sciences) or attend a high school where the majority of students test and test well:
Ivies
Stanford
Vanderbilt
Northwestern
JHU
Duke
Rice
WashU
Notre Dame
Carnegie Mellon
Tufts
Emory
USC
Boston College
Boston University (exception: General Studies)
NYU
Clemson
Case Western
Villanova
University of Chicago
University of Michigan
University of Wisconsin
University of Virginia
University of North Carolina
University of Illinois
University of Maryland
Reach out to us if you’d like help with your application strategy and deciding whether you are a good candidate to apply test-optional or not.
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For those looking to develop as a writer and work with a mentor…
Adroit is accepting applications from current high school students (including seniors!) for their online summer mentorship program through April 7th @ 11:59pm PT.
For guidance and answers to Frequently Asked Questions, please visit our Mentorship FAQ page.
For those with a polished piece of poetry or prose that’s ready for submission…the Adroit Prizes, awarded annually to two students of secondary or undergraduate status, are open for submissions.
The 2024 Adroit Prize for Poetry will be selected by Ocean Vuong; the 2024 Adroit Prize for Prose will be selected by Kaveh Akbar. The submission deadline for the 2024 Adroit Prizes is May 1st, 2024 @ 11:59pm PT.
If you would like to submit your work, please familiarize yourself with the submission guidelines.
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More than 75 percent of EDII admits had studied math through calculus, taken biology, chemistry, and physics, and learned a foreign language for at least four years.
Students who are well matched with MIT take the following classes in high school: math through calculus.
Four years of mathematics; calculus is strongly recommended for majors in Architecture, Business, and Engineering; science majors in Arts & Sciences; and those who intend to pursue a pre-medicine path.
The above are just a few snippets shared by selective colleges and universities regarding high school coursework.
Calculus.
It’s a hotly debated topic. Just Google “calculus and college admissions,” and you’ll find plenty of articles such as this one. Although I agree that it counts for a little too much in the college admissions process, the “math bar” is not something that appears to be changing anytime soon. Right now, it’s set at calculus. And if you can take BC over AB, do that. BC is the gold standard for selective schools, especially if you are applying for a competitive major.
So, if you plan to apply to selective colleges, plan to take BC calculus to be the most competitive applicant that you can be.
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The strength of your curriculum (rigor), the grades you receive in academic courses (core academic GPA), and your extracurricular activities (ECs) are what matter most in the evaluation of a college application.
College counselors can help students choose the right courses and connect them with the learning support they might need to achieve excellent grades, but advising on the extracurricular activities that will help students stand out is much more complicated!
It’s getting harder and harder to stand out extracurricularly; a lot has been done before, and it can be tough to come up with original ideas when the internet provides conflicting information. It is easy to pay to undertake research or get published; spend time on a college campus taking a course alongside peers; or travel the world serving communities you don’t have an intimate connection to but that are exciting to visit and experience. For some applicants, these ECs do the trick—really!
However, if you are targeting selective schools, you’ll benefit from not taking the easy path when it comes to ECs.
Your ECs will need to not only support a clear academic narrative and demonstrate your intellectual curiosity but also highlight what matters most to you and what you care about in your world. You will benefit from getting creative!
We understand not everyone needs or wants full-blown college counseling, but we also want to make sure students really understand the role of extracurriculars in the college admissions process and spend their time wisely. If you are interested in a standalone extracurricular planning session to maximize the summer of 2024, reach out!
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