Caroline Koppelman

Applying to Duke as a Student Athlete

Duke University is one of the top large research universities in the country, and one of the top athletics programs — arguably — globally. The campus in Durham, North Carolina is home to 6,500 undergraduate students and even more graduate students, making for a lively and large campus community. The at Duke are computer science, economics, and biology, and they field 27 varsity athletic teams. The athletics programs, especially basketball, at Duke are a major piece of the student community outside of the classroom, bringing students together around celebration, comradery, and excellence.

Applying to Bowdoin as an International Student

In the United States, there are the colleges everyone knows about because they’re so old or famous or big that you really can’t avoid knowing them — and then there are the colleges everyone knows about because they are both so beloved, and so hard to get into, that you feel like you never stop hearing about them. Bowdoin is one of the latter. In this post, we’ll break down how to break into Bowdoin if you’re an international student applying to college in the United States.

What Classes Should You Take Freshman Year of High School?

When you’re just a freshman, you don’t really have a ton of options for different classes to take. You’ll probably have a history class, science, math, english - the typical stuff. But you might have opportunities to take advanced classes, and since colleges care about what you’ve been doing since Day One of high school, we think you should take them.

Applying to the University of Michigan as an International Student

The University of Michigan is a major research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan that is in the top five public universities in the United States. The university is a powerhouse academically, athletically, and socially, and they offer more than 280 degree programs across 14 undergraduate colleges and schools. There are over 50,000 students overall, and about undergraduates. Of that undergraduate community, about , or nearly 2,900 students, are international. The international student community at the University of Michigan (or Mich, for short), represents more than countries and brings a diversity of thoughts, cultures, perspectives, and traditions to campus.  

10th Grade College Strategy for Economics

Macro. Micro. Marginal utility. The invisible hand. You love ‘em all. Or maybe you don’t just yet, but you think you might want to study economics in college. You’re not alone, it’s one of the most popular majors in the Ivy League and beyond, and probably the most popular social science major alongside political science. Maybe you’re interested in Econ because you want to go into business or finance, or maybe you’re not even sure why you’re drawn to it. But now you’re here, and we can help.

How to Get into Yale

Yale is a private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Yale is the third oldest university in the United States and was actually founded before George Washington was even born. Yale has excellent research opportunities, outstanding academics, and unique programs, such as its multidisciplinary academic programs and special divisional major. Plus, their aid meets 100%of demonstrated financial need (regardless of citizenship status), which we love.

The Best Ways to Spend the Summer of Your Freshman Year

It’s finally over. The last ten months have been a whirlwind of new responsibilities and experiences, but now, you’re officially in high school now. With your freshman year behind you, you might think you have two months of rest and relaxation before classes start back up again. Wrong! Kinda! Like, you can relax, but you also need to explore some of your academic interests! It might seem early to think about college, but colleges care about what you’ve been doing since day 1 of freshman year.

Applying to the University of Pennsylvania as an International Student

The University of Pennsylvania, commonly called Penn or UPenn, is a major top-tier research university nestled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The university is home to about 24,000 students, of whom are undergraduates. The undergraduates are spread across four colleges: the College of Arts & Sciences, the School of Engineering and Applied Science, the School of Nursing, and the Wharton School, the only undergraduate business school in the Ivy League. Yes, Penn is part of the vaunted Ivy League and considered one of the best universities in the world.

Applying to Middlebury as an International Student

The idea of going to college in rural Vermont in the far northeast of the United States where the winters are long and cold may sound like a hard pitch for exceptional international students. Surprisingly, it’s not. Middlebury College is one of the most prestigious colleges in the U.S., and one of the most popular among international applicants. In this post, we’ll break down why Middlebury is so popular for international students and how you can increase your chance of acceptance if you apply.

Applying to Trinity College as an International Student

Trinity College is a liberal arts college in the heart of the city of Hartford, Connecticut. The college has an old school vibe, a liberal arts foundation, and a close-knit community. There are other Trinity Colleges in the world, but here we’re talking about a super special one founded in 1823 that about 2,000 students call home. Proportional to the student body, Trinity has a very large international student population of just under representing over 80 countries. These students benefit from everything Trinity has to offer, but Trinity also fully embraces how much the international students also have to contribute to the community. The supports international students in both the quantitative and qualitative aspects of going to college in the United States, from how you manage your visa to finding comradery and friendship on campus.

Applying to Columbia University as an International Student

Columbia College is the undergraduate liberal arts college of Columbia University, and SEAS is the undergraduate college of engineering. The university is home to nearly 35,000 students, 6,700 of whom are in Columbia College or SEAS. There are 1,000 international undergraduate students between the two colleges, or about 16% of the students enrolled.

Applying to Vanderbilt University as an International Student

Vanderbilt is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee that is home to 7,152 undergraduate students. Vanderbilt is known for balancing work and play. The students there are super smart, and they also know how to have a good time. There are 475 student groups and intramural and club sports, and Nashville is a bustling city known for live music, amazing food, and outstanding opportunities for launching a career. The university matches innovation with tradition, and they to build a diverse, inclusive, and equitable community. The students on campus agree, and there is a deep commitment to community. More than half of Vanderbilt students participate in community service, and first-years form deep bonds by living together in a cluster of houses, the .

Demonstrated Interest at Cornell

For the last few decades, students looking to weasel their way to get accepted into top-tier colleges like Cornell University have stressed themselves silly about demonstrated interest. Should they send handwritten letters to their assignment admissions reps? (No, that’s creepy). Should they go to Cornell’s homepage once a day in case someone is tracking their home address? (No, that’s creepy, but in a different way).

Applying to Connecticut College as an International Student

Connecticut College is a small liberal arts college along the Thames River — in New London, Connecticut, to be clear, not England. The school is home to 2,000 students, and is lovingly called “Conn.”  Conn is rooted in the , but is also committed to preparing students to excel in a constantly changing world. The college has always been at the forefront of change ever since it was founded in to right a wrong. When a local university barred women from entry, Connecticut College was created to open doors.

Demonstrated Interest at Stanford

Alright, let’s get right down to it. Forget the fact that Stanford has a 3-point-something acceptance rate and is a perennial star of the U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges” list.  Most days in Palo Alto fall in the balmy 70s, Stanford’s campus has a residential co-op called the “Enchanted Broccoli Forest,” and notable Cardinal alums include icons ad infinitum (John Steinbeck, Tiger Woods, Reese Witherspoon, and *mother eternal* Sigourney Weaver). Forget about ~demonstrating~ cause, um, yeah you’re interested.