The University of Michigan is one of the top three public universities in the United States, and many rank it at the top of the pile. They are iconic for students pursuing tech, engineering, computer science, and the hard sciences, and have an athletic and entrepreneurial culture that is beloved. The college is wildly popular, and the number of applications has over the past five years from 65,000 first-year applicants to just under 100,000. The overall acceptance rate is 15.6% — remember, though, that this includes both in-state and out-of-state students.
How to Write the University of Miami Supplement 2025-2026
The University of Miami is a leading private research university (not, note, a public university) with over 12,000 degree-seeking undergraduates in Miami, Florida. They students into 9 undergraduate schools and colleges, maintaining a small student to faculty ratio of only 11:1. Despite having such a large undergraduate student body, half of all undergraduate classes have students. The acceptance rate is about
How to Write the University of Wisconsin-Madison Supplement 2025-2026
The University of Wisconsin-Madison is a highly-respected large public research university in Madison, Wisconsin. Students love Madison for mixing strong academics with broad opportunities and an iconic culture. Greek life and athletics are big at Wisconsin, and help to define the social experience whether or not you want to join a Greek organization or cheer on the Badgers in basketball. There are nearly 37,000 undergraduate students, and they receive over 65,000 applications for first-year admission annually. The overall acceptance rate, including in-state and out-of-state applicants, is 45%. Remember though, if you are applying from outside of Wisconsin your chances of admission are undoubtedly far lower than that 45%. Way back in 2018, the university that they aimed to admit 2/3rd of Wisconsin applicants. Using some back-of-the-envelope math, that means that about 25% of out-of-state applicants were accepted to reach a 45% overall acceptance rate.
How to Write the Williams College Supplement 2025-2026
Williams is an iconic liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Home to about 2,000 undergraduate students, the college is with students pursuing majors in biology, psychology, history, mathematics, political science, computer science, English, art, and most of all economics. This highlights the intellectual diversity of the Williams community, with students pursuing the hard sciences and the humanities hand-in-hand. At the core of this is the Williams liberal arts foundation. This has made Williams a coveted school for top-performing students, driving down the acceptance rate to only .
How to Write Common App Essay Prompt 7: Example and Guide 2025-2026
How to Write Common App Essay Prompt 6: Example and Guide 2025-2026
We’re nearing the end of our deep dive into the seven Common App essay prompts, and today we’re shining a light on Prompt #6. This might be one of our favorites! Sure, Prompt #7 will always be our top pick for its open-ended freedom, but we know that many students feel more confident with a bit of structure. If that’s you, Prompt #6 can be a fantastic option.
How to Write the UNC-Chapel Hill Supplement 2025-2026
UNC-Chapel Hill is an acclaimed public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The university is large, with first-year students in each class and an impressive array of opportunities and options. They are also known for an iconic athletic tradition, with students — sporty or not — lining up for hours, if not longer, to get into ‘Tar Heel’ games. Academically, UNC-Chapel Hill has strong programs in almost every field but is especially respected for biology, business, and media and journalism. The acceptance rate is only 15.6%, the most recent data point in a continual drop over the past 5 years. This decline can be attributed to a steep increase in applications, as well as increased attention nationally for academic excellence.
How to Write the Georgia Tech Supplement 2025-2026
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public university in the United States, and the university is especially well-known for the research that happens on campus — and that undergrads get to contribute to. The school is big, with over 50,000 students across multiple campuses, and they have and activity options that a student body of that size demands. Students dozens of majors across seven colleges and 29 schools, covering nearly anything you can imagine from the hard sciences to business, humanities to creative arts. One of the particularly innovative programs at Georgia Tech is the , the largest of its kind in the U.S. The acceptance rate for first-years is 14%.
How to Write the Boston College Supplement 2025-2026
Boston College is a private Jesuit institution grounded in the liberal arts but heavily involved in groundbreaking scientific research, too. Jesuit colleges are Catholic, but in ways that are sometimes surprising to people. The Jesuits prize the learning process, and develop communities of academic inquiry that push students to stretch themselves intellectually. That spirit runs deep at Boston College.
How to Write the Tufts University Supplement 2025-2026
Tufts combines the close-knit community of a liberal arts school with the powerhouse academics of a major research university. They have , including rural, suburban, and urban settings, all around — or in — Boston. Across Tufts, there are 460 student organizations and clubs, and over 150 majors and minors. Nearly no matter what you want to study, from the humanities to the hard sciences, Tufts doesn’t just have a program — they have one of the best.
How to Write the University of Chicago Supplement 2025-2026
The University of Chicago is an outstanding Ivy-caliber institution in, unsurprisingly, Chicago, Illinois. The university truly is comparable to Harvard in caliber of education, but there are a few things about the culture of the school that make it stand out. UChicago is truly unique, and it doesn’t use the idea of being ‘quirky’ simply as a marketing gimmick. As you will see when we break down the supplement questions below, they challenge students to think outside of the box from day one. Being cookie cutter does not work for UChicago. The acceptance rate is only .
How to Write the Northwestern Supplement 2025-2026
Northwestern is a top research university in Evanston, Illinois that has become iconic for combining a collaborative learning environment with innovative hands-on research opportunities. They a top engineering program, a top business school, a top education program (as in teaching future teachers), a top speech-language pathology program. If that sounds diverse, it is. Northwestern doesn’t pigeonhole themselves, and they excel across the board. It’s not surprising, then, that it isn’t easy to get in. There are about undergraduate students, and the acceptance rate is under .
How to Write Common App Essay Prompt 5: Example and Guide 2025-2026
As summer marches on, so does our series breaking down each Common App essay prompt. If you’ve spent any time on our blog, you already know we’re big Prompt #7 people (the “write whatever you want” one). We love the freedom it gives you, but we also know that a structureless prompt can feel overwhelming for some students. So today, we’re diving into Prompt #5, sharing our honest takes along with tips and tricks to help you write it well.
How to Write Common App Essay Prompt 4: Example and Guide 2025-2026
We’re continuing our deep dive into each of the seven Common App essay prompts, giving you advice on how to brainstorm, write, and refine your Common App essay. If you’ve been here a while, you know we don’t always follow “conventional” college essay advice, and honestly, that’s why our students get results. Today, we’re tackling the newest Common App prompt: Prompt #4.
Computer Science Extracurricular Activity Strategy for Sophomores
Computer Science has been one of the most popular majors for nearly two decades — and for good reason. Students with solid computer science foundations, and an impressive academic record, have been launching into well-paying careers just out of college for just as long. With AI, Machine Learning, and other emerging technology, though, things are starting to shift in totally wild ways. Simply having a computer science degree isn’t enough to guarantee a solid job anymore, as AI is going to be replacing so many entry-level programmers. Computer Science as a whole, though, still carries immense value as a degree path if you pursue it right.
Classics Extracurricular Activity Strategy for Juniors
If you are a junior interested in the classics, you are a pretty awesome student — and this certainly didn’t come out of nowhere. Building an interest in the classics while in high school typically means that you’ve been exploring ancient Greek and Latin language, philosophy, and history beyond the standard coursework available at school. Maybe you are taking an elective focused on the classics, or maybe you’ve taken online courses on your own, or perhaps you’ve been reading and studying independently. Whatever the course, you’ve had to build the path yourself, and that is exciting.
Sloan (MIT) Undergrad Admissions Strategy
The MIT Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, located in Cambridge, MA, is a top business school at one of the most challenging universities in the world. Now, let’s get one thing straight: if you’re aiming for MIT Sloan, you’re not just competing with other students interested in business – you’re competing with engineers who code in their sleep, founders of biotech startups, and teens building climate finance models for fun. It’s MIT. The bar is high. And Sloan is no exception.
Psychology Extracurricular Activity Strategy for Sophomores
A major in psychology is popular and practical from the perspective of having a clear career trajectory. The only option isn’t to become a therapist, though. Students who major in psychology go into everything from marketing to social work, to counseling, with many going on to graduate or medical school to achieve licensing. The first step is your undergraduate degree. There are strong psychology programs at most well-respected colleges and universities, but the Ivy League, UCLA, Stanford, Vanderbilt, Duke, and Rice are particularly famous for having outstanding psychology programs.