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“Being able to see something on the resume that has actually evolved over time and helped the person into a better individual as opposed to having 10 to 15 on their resume, I think that the former is way more valuable than the other.”

— Jerilyn, Harvard admissions interviewer  

“…only keep one set of eyes on your personal statement, whether it’s Northwestern or anyone else.”

— Justin, Northwestern admissions director  

“There are still students now who think that they could get a spot off the waiting list, even though it’s like beyond statistically unlikely.”

— Deborah, Carnegie Mellon admissions director  

“I read her essay and I told her, ‘Your essay is horrible. You have about a paragraph and you’re not saying why you’re interested in University of Michigan.'”

— Bryan, UMich admissions director  

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Interview

Interviews

Latest

Chess and Baseball: Angel Villeraldo’s Stanford Admissions Story

"Hearing those words of encouragement every really helped me overcome some hurdles of procrastination of applying to college," said Angel Villeraldo, a senior at James A. Garfield High School in Los Angeles. With his family's support, first-generation baseball and chess player Angel got admitted to Stanford University, Class of 2027. What you'll learn:

  • What helped Angel's college essay flow
  • Overcoming insecurities about college applications
  • Getting rejected: what Angel did to deal with college rejections

Dear Socrates, Feature

Latest

Perfect, But Rejected from Colleges. What Went Wrong?

She had a 1550 SAT and 3.95 GPA. Directed 30 plays. Founded a school accounting club. Denied from Berkeley, Northwestern, Penn, USC, Harvard, Yale, and 3 other colleges. She ended the college app season with an acceptance into Arizona State (88% acceptance rate) for business, where she's headed. While I personally think ASU is a fun place to learn, people are wondering how to avoid working so hard for just one viable acceptance. As a college consultant, here's what I would done to help her gain multiple attractive offers of admission.

The Skinny

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We’re not a content marketing blog for a college consulting firm. We’re journalists on the frontlines of college admissions, writing original pieces and curating the best must-knows, fueled by your questions and curiosities