Caroline Koppelman

Best Colleges for Spanish Literature

If you’re interested in the literature, culture, and language of Spanish-speaking nations, there are lots of options for you to study it in college — including if you are already fluent. Many top schools offer Spanish language programs that go far beyond simply learning to speak it, but they come with a variety of names (as you’ll see below). In some places the major is called Hispanic Studies, while in others Spanish Literature. Some schools use the term Latinx, while others put everything together in the romance languages bucket. Much of this is based on when the department was founded, who runs it currently, and what geographic regions they are most focused on.

Harvard Legacy Strategy

We hear it all the time, “My kid is a legacy so of course, they are going to get in.” We, however, hate hearing this. Mostly because it's simply not true. And it's especially not true at a school like Harvard. Harvard has one of the lowest if not the lowest acceptance rate in America… really take that in. Of course, something as simple as legacy status is not going to make a student a lock.

Summer Ideas for Juniors in High School

The end of junior year is on the horizon, and visions of sleeping in until 11 and watching Gossip Girl are running through your head. We know you worked hard this year, and you want to just do nothing, but this is also the last year of your college admissions journey. You gotta push through!! Summer is the largest chunk of uninterrupted time you’ll have before the full weight of senior year is upon you, and you need to use this time wisely. 

Best Colleges for Environmental Policy

Environmental Policy is an uncommon major, minor, or concentration program that involves a foundation in the study of the environment and climate change layered with policy courses, economics courses, and natural resource management courses. Environmental Policy programs explore the connection between dollars and nature, and the economic and social forces that impact the environment. Students that pursue this program dig into the balance between environmental use and protection, and students with this major may go work for public or private agencies that are involved in the management or planning of natural resources.  

The Best Colleges for your Astrological Sign: Cancer

Strap on your favorite fuzzy slippers and grab a cup of tea, it's time to cozy up with another college list. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: the first step in the college process is creating a list of target, reach, and safety schools. For most, this can be a daunting task. So, we have been experimenting with Astrology as a good way to focus in on different types of college lists. And we must remind you, we absolutely, by no means whatsoever, do not recommend seriously basing your college list on your astrological sign. This is just a fun way to get going.  

Best Colleges for Environmental Studies

Environmental Studies is one of the most popular and widely available majors in America, especially at small and medium-sized liberal arts schools. It’s a science major, but it’s not. It’s a humanities major, but it’s not. It’s that perfect kind of in-between course of study that accommodates humanities students scared of calc and science students who also like literature. Even better: it’s on the cutting edge. The course lists for Environmental Studies majors include geology and the study of past environmental events and trends, but are typically heavily weighted towards courses that are dealing with the here and now — and the future.   

Classes to Take in High School for Mechanical Engineering

It’s never too early to start exploring your academic interests, especially if you are looking into often competitive fields like Mechanical engineering. Before applying to an engineering school, it’s helpful to gain some skills, pack a resume, and have a competitive transcript. Many engineering schools are competitive to get into and taking the right classes in high school can help your application stand out in a crowd. So what classes should you be adding to your course cart if you are a hopeful mechanical engineer? Let’s break it down.

Best Colleges for Biomedical Science

If you’re thinking of becoming a doctor or pursuing a career somewhere in the medical field, you may be considering studying Biomedical Science as an undergraduate in college. Biomedical Science isn’t pre-med, although it can be linked to it and often includes many (if not all) of the courses medical schools require you to complete before you can apply. Biomedical science is a medical-focused biology track specially designed for these types of students, so if you want to be in the medical field and are considering it, you’re on the right track.

What Classes Should I Take in High School to Become a Surgeon?

We love students who know what they want to do early. It takes a lot of steps to become a surgeon. Medical school is the largest part, and while that won’t be for several years (usually, we assume you aren’t a Doogie Houser or anything), there are steps you can take now to help you on your journey. Med school is competitive and going to a great school as an undergrad can help you get into the program of your dreams. TL;DR: Taking the right classes in high school can help you get into college which will help you get into med school. Colleges are looking for applicants who have good background knowledge and skills in their hopeful field. Let’s break down what classes are great choices to take for hopeful surgeons.

Best Colleges for Electrical Engineering

Electrical engineering is the study and design of electronic, electromagnetic, and electrically-powered machines and technologies. It is regarded by some as the largest technical profession in the world, and it encompasses everything from huge systems to tiny electronics. Graduates with degrees in electrical engineering can work in nearly any field that intersects with technology and physical products.

What Classes Should I Take in High School to Become an Electrical Engineer?

Engineering is a hot field right now. More and more students are dreaming of becoming engineers. If you hope to be an electrical engineer, going to a great undergrad engineering program should be your first step. However, these programs can be competitive. With more students becoming interested in engineering these programs are also getting more selective. To really stand out as an applicant, you want to show that you have the skills and knowledge base to hit the ground running as an engineering student. But how do you do that? Let’s break down some of the classes (and extracurriculars) that you should get on your transcript.

Best Colleges for Artsy Students

If you’re a creative student in love with the arts, you’ll be looking for a college that empowers you as an artist and encourages you to go deeper into your favorite forms and fields. You could, of course, find that at an art school — but we find that some students are looking for a college experience with more diversity and greater room for academic exploration than most art schools allow for. After all, when you apply to an art school, you are saying “yes, art, this is it.” But maybe it’s just one piece of you that you want to hold onto and grow, but without having to say goodbye to everything else.

Best Colleges for Environmental Engineering

If you’ve looked into majoring in engineering in college or majoring in environmental studies, or possibly a dual major combining the two, you’ve probably seen environmental engineering pop up as an option that merges them seamlessly. Cornell, the first school on this list of the Best Colleges for Environmental Engineering describes Environmental Engineering well , “Environmental engineers are called upon to understand, arrange and manipulate biological, chemical, ecological, economic, hydrological, physical and social processes to balance our material needs with our impacts on the environment.”

What Classes Should I Take in High School to Become a Dentist?

While most students will decide to become a dentist later in their academic careers, some students just know that they are destined for dentistry before they even apply to college. While there is no one set of courses you have to take in high school to become a dentist, there are some classes you can take to help you build a set of skills and an impressive resume that will help you on your journey to dentistry.

Classes to Take in High School for Aerospace Engineering

Ok, first off, let us just say you are cool. Not a ton of people know in high school that they are serious about Aerospace engineering. It’s a fairly specialized major, meaning not every college is going to have a program in it. Future aerospace engineers thus have to start planning a little earlier than your average engineer. Many of the schools that offer this major are highly competitive, so you should make sure you are the best candidate you can be. Part of this is choosing the right classes to take in high school. So what classes should you be taking? Let’s break it down.