Columbia is also an engaged community. A lot happens there, and no one would typify Columbia students as push-overs. Instead, they challenge and question. Sometimes, this gets, well, spicy. More often, though, what Columbia offers is a unique and exciting community that pushes students in positive ways.

The who choose Columbia College or Columbia Engineering have access to over 100 programs of study, and a 6:1 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio. Making it into that few thousand is wildly difficult, so setting a vision for Columbia early is essential if you want to eat an early morning breakfast sandwich on the Low steps or dig into the Butler library archives. For the class of 2028, Columbia received applications and they admitted just under 4%. The hunger for those few seats is global: the incoming class of 2028 represented 93 countries and all 50 states.

Columbia offers students who are truly committed to the school an Early Decision option. If you commit to attending Columbia in advance of applying, they will consider your application early. The long-held understanding is that this early commitment may also come with additional consideration, and perhaps a boosted chance of admission.

What is Early Decision at Columbia?

Lots of schools offer an early decision application option, but they aren’t all equal and they shouldn’t all be approached in the same way. Columbia is no different. The super low acceptance rate at Columbia isn’t new, and .

For the class entering in the fall of 2023, or the Class of 2027, Columbia received 5,733 applications in the Early Decision round. 840 were offered a spot, or 14.6%. This is a much higher acceptance rate than the overall (4%). However, it should also be seen within a particular context. The Early Decision round includes many students, especially athletes, who knew pretty well before submitting that they would be accepted thanks to coach support and positive feedback on an early application read. This means that the chance of getting into Columbia ED isn’t really 14.6%, but it also isn’t 4%. It’s somewhere in the middle, and our goal here is to help you beat those odds.  

At the heart of this process should be passion. “The choice to apply Early Decision,” , “should be driven by a true passion for Columbia.” If you bring the passion, we can help. In this post, we’re going to break down the key actions you need to be taking to increase your chances of admission to Columbia Early Decision. The most powerful tool is ultimately a custom strategy, and we can help with that, too.  

We help strong students achieve exceptional admissions results. Contact us to learn more about getting into Columbia Early Decision.

In order to strengthen your Early Decision strategy for Columbia, you first need to determine your “why.”

Why should I ED to Columbia?

Early Decision application options are, by and large, fabulous. But only if you use them right. If you are a legacy, you must apply ED. If you have a family faculty connection or supplementary recommendation from a Columbia faculty-member, you must apply ED. If you are an athlete hoping to play at Columbia, you must be in communication with coaches and apply ED. And if Columbia is your first choice, you must apply ED.

All of this assumes, of course, that you are qualified for Columbia. So, you need to be a fit for Columbia before you submit. This means having the grades, having the scores, having the leadership track record and exceptional experiences, and having something special, too. Below, we break each of these buckets down.

What can you do to increase your chances of admission Early Decision to Columbia?

Whether you have a year, a month, or a week before pressing submit on your Early Decision application to Columbia, it is possible to improve your chances at admission. Simply trying hard isn’t enough, though, it’s about trying right.

Grades

For Columbia, grades are the foundation for an application that has a chance. of admitted and enrolled students are in the top 10th of their class at graduation. This is to say that it is not simply about straight A’s. If you are at a school where A’s are as common as apples, you need to push beyond that to fight your way to the top of the class.  

Columbia College has no required courses for admission, but they do have required distributions and . This includes a minimum of four years of English and math, and three years of science (including labs), foreign language, history, and electives. Yes, they want to see you doing things outside of standard academics in school.  

The recommendations are unsurprising given the rigidity of the Columbia Core, the iconic liberal arts curriculum that creates a shared foundation across all students bridging art, music, literature, and science. Since all students at Columbia are expected to take courses beyond their area of interest, the admissions committee expects to see this same practice play out on the high school transcripts they review.

They also want to see a deepening into your area of interest(s), especially if your school offers advanced or specialized courses relevant to the field you are hoping to pursue in college. And, of course, the grades in these classes should be outstanding. Columbia doesn’t have a minimum GPA and doesn’t summarily throw out an application due to a B-, but they receive so many tens of thousands of applications with perfect grades that they don’t have much reason to seriously consider an applicant who doesn’t meet that high bar.

Scores

While many of the top-tier schools in the United States have reinstated their pre-COVID policies required SAT or ACT scores for applicants, Columbia has gone against the current. They do not require you to submit an ACT or an SAT score, but that doesn’t mean that you are off the hook.

The admissions officers at Columbia care about and consider SAT or ACT scores, but they aren’t as important as your grades. This is why we remind our students not to sacrifice studying for a biology test (for example) in order to raise their SAT score 10 points. Ideally, everything should be in balance and both outcomes can be exceptional, but if you are struggling in a course, it is more important to improve your grade than it is to improve your standardized test scores.  

That said, while scores may be optional, they do matter. For the fall of 2023, over 60% of accepted students submitted an ACT or SAT score, and we expect to see that number rise in the coming years.  

And the scores that are submitted by accepted students are nearly perfect. To be absolutely blunt, if you aren’t able to get an SAT over 1500 that is a problem for your chances of getting into Columbia. With the ACT, the unofficial threshold is a 32. Lower than that, and you shouldn’t submit the score.

Now, that a small group of students does get in with lower scores. For the fall of 2023, 3% of accepted and enrolled first-years had SAT scores between 1200 and 1399, and 1% had an ACT below 30. You do not want to bet on being one of these outliers. Generally, accepted students with very low scores compared to other applicants had exceptional circumstances that made their scores irrelevant. Do not assume that you can be one of these rare cases. Instead, prepare and execute.

Activities

When Columbia looks at an activities section, or hears about an activity in a supplement, there are a few things they look for. Columbia wants to see focus and passion through long-term commitment. They want to see depth through a variety of ways of engaging in a particular type of activity or subject. For example, if you are very interested in robotics, they don’t just want to see that you’re the head of a robotics club. Rather, they are looking for that plus an internship at a relevant company, a summer job as a camp counselor for a STEM day camp, and an independent project that led to a fair, presentation, or event. This same logic and process applies no matter your area of interest, from the science and math realm to the humanities.  

Let us be clear, none of this is easy. Building out an impressive activities roster for Columbia takes years of work, planning, and strategy. Having help in this process can prove critical. It’s hard to get a top internship as a junior if you haven’t already proven yourself as a leader and learner as a sophomore. We work with our students to get the ball rolling early, helping plan their summers and breaks starting as early as freshman year to ensure that when they are finalizing their applications, they are able to show their absolute best self to the Columbia admissions officers.

Remember, also, that a key piece of doing activities that are impressive is the building of relationships that extend beyond them. This is especially true for research when it comes to Columbia. If you have supported or conducted research with a faculty member or mentor, they want to know more. Applicants with a strong research experience to submit an abstract as a supplement to their application, and they also “welcome” a supplementary letter of recommendation from your research mentor. 

Essays

Everything you do, whether academic or not, eventually leads to your essays for your Columbia application. Over the years, we’ve learned what works with Columbia in the Early Decision round, and a key piece of the process is authentic storytelling that spotlights your leadership, self-awareness, and passion for a challenge. Columbia loves teamwork, but they are less focused on collaborative learning than many other universities. Whereas some schools want to see a lot about how you work with others, Columbia wants to know more about how you know yourself. In their own words, they say that “The Committee s the general attitudes and character of the applicant, special abilities and interests, maturity, motivation, curiosity.” 

Basically, your essays communicate your character — and Columbia cares a lot about character.

So, what do you most want to say about yourself, and your character to Columbia? It is critical that you answer this question far before you even start writing your essays. Then, develop the activities and experiences that will lead to the stories that will emphasize these aspects of who you are in your essays. If this sounds a little complex, we get it. It is. But while a strong application reads as straightforward the process to building it isn’t necessarily simple.

When it comes time to start writing, you’ll begin with your main college essay early in the summer before senior year. It is important to have a solid essay draft done before the Columbia supplement comes out in late summer. Then, you edit them all in parallel to ensure that the entire package is as strong as possible.  

Last, Apply Early to columbia

Finally, you need to be ready to apply early, early. One of the most overlooked parts of the ED application cycle is also the most obvious: you’re on an expediated timeline. You need to be planning early, working early, and writing early. The worst ED strategy is to rush at the end. And, if you absolutely can’t be ready by the ED deadline, don’t apply with a less strong package.

Work with Us

We make sure that our students all have the strongest package possible before submitting Early Decision. This is why our students have an insane track record of gaining acceptance to exceptional colleges and universities. When you’re up against tiny odds, it actually isn’t all that complicated. It’s simple, truly — you have to have a strategy.

We support our students through the Early Decision process, achieving odds-defying outcomes.

UChicago loves Early Decision. They love any admissions path that allows for more students to show heightened interest in their school. UChicago offers ED, EA, RD, ED2, and something we’ve coined ED0. If they’ve got four ways for you to apply early or with heightened interest, and only one way to apply regular, it’s safe to assume it is a smart strategic choice to apply early. So let’s break down what you need to do to be a compelling early candidate to UChicago.

What is ED?

Early decision is a binding admissions decision, which means by applying to UChicago early you’re saying “I will attend if I am accepted.” Colleges care deeply about their yield rate, aka the amount of accepted students who enroll, and UChicago had the highest yield rate out of the top 50 schools we track, at 86%. To compare, MIT has an 85% yield rate, Stanford 81%, and Harvard’s is 84%. That means UChicago takes early applications very, very seriously.

Now, UChicago also offers something we call ED0, which is an even more advanced admissions decision that is only open to students who attend UChicago pre-college programs. If you know UChicago is your top choice, we recommend taking this path. If you �徱���’t attend a UChicago summer program, though, not all is lost. You can still apply ED and have an increased shot at admission.

The vast majority of our clients get into their Early Decision school, and 100% of our long-term clients get into one of their top three schools. If you want to apply early to UChicago, reach out to us today.

While UChicago doesn’t release concrete data, we have reason to believe they accept over 2/3rds of their incoming class from these early applicant pools. We also know, from experience, that 99% of our clients who apply early to UChicago get in. We’re weirdly UChicago wizards. What does this mean for you? You should absolutely apply early to UChicago if you can.

Why Should I ED?

Applying Early Decision is the best strategic move you can make. Again, while UChicago does not publish their early admissions data, we can speculate from experience that the combined ED/EA/ED2 acceptance rates are around 20-30%, with some speculating it could be as high as 40%. While we think 40% is far-fetched, we could absolutely see something in the high 20s or low 30s being feasible.

That said, applying Early Decision to UChicago only helps if your application is already strong. It’s not a free pass. A low GPA, average test scores, or a sparse extracurricular record won’t suddenly become more impressive just because you applied early. UChicago’s early applicant pool is packed with high-achieving, highly focused students who are just as serious about the school as you are. While applying early can show your enthusiasm, it’s only a smart move if the rest of your application holds up to UChicago’s high standards.

What Can You Do?

Getting into a top-tier school like UChicago is no easy feat, but it’s absolutely doable. We work with students every year who gain admission to UChicago, and while we can’t predict the future, we can help you take full control of the parts of this process that matter most. If you’re aiming for UChicago Early Decision, we know how to help you build the strongest possible application to give yourself the best chance at hearing “yes.”

Grades

The students we work with who get into UChicago early all have one thing in common: truly exceptional grades. We’re talking straight As, top-tier course loads, and academic consistency from day one. And that tracks! UChicago sets a high academic bar, especially for early applicants.

But it’s not just about the GPA. UChicago wants to see that you challenged yourself. That means taking the most rigorous courses your school offers (not just the easy As) and excelling in them. Academic curiosity and intellectual risk-taking aren’t just encouraged at UChicago, it’s expected.

Scores

UChicago is for the 2025-2026 season, but let’s be honest – nothing in college admissions is ever truly optional. The students we work with who get into UChicago early are submitting test scores, and not just decent ones, but outstanding ones. If you want to stand out in one of the most intellectually demanding applicant pools in the country, you should be aiming for 1550+ and 35+.

UChicago claims to have a no-harm testing policy, which means your ACT or SAT will only be considered if it helps your application. We don’t know how much we believe this, especially given their middle 50 data.

Extracurriculars

You might have a packed resume, but if it’s all generic (think sports, volunteer hours, a dozen random clubs) then it’s not going to stand out. At UChicago, where intellectual depth matters, your activities need to reflect what you actually care about. If nothing in your extracurriculars points to your academic interests, it’ll look like you just threw things on the page to fill space, and that weakens your story.

If you say you’re passionate about economics, that has to show up in how you’ve spent your time. Maybe you launched a school investing club, completed a research project on income inequality, interned at a local nonprofit focused on economic policy, or took a summer course in behavioral econ. If all you’ve done is check the “Economics” box on your application without any meaningful follow-through, admissions officers won’t buy it.

The strongest applicants don’t start crafting their story senior year. They start early – freshman or sophomore year – so by the time they apply, they’ve built something authentic, intentional, and impossible to ignore.

Essays

The summer before senior year is when we start putting the application together, and it all begins with the Common App essay. The most effective essays aren’t just humblebrags in disguise. They’re thoughtful, personal, and show the reader who you are beyond your resume. UChicago, in particular, has a reputation for appreciating essays that are creative, unique, and offbeat, which you’ll notice from their supplements, too. We’ve helped students write essays like that year after year, and we know how to find that sweet spot between clever and meaningful.

While there are seven Common App prompts, we often recommend prompt seven – write an essay of your own design. That freedom allows you to tell a smaller, more personal story in a creative way, which is exactly the kind of writing UChicago tends to reward. When done right, these essays don’t just stand out, they stick with the reader.

UChicago is famous for their, let’s say, unique supplemental questions. Each year the rotation of questions change, but you’re also able to write supplements from any other year. These questions require you to think outside the box, and we’ll be straight with you – if you hate the questions they’re asking and think they’re cringe, you probably won’t like the culture and vibe at UChicago. Outside of the creative question, they also ask a very long “Why Us” question. They want to see that you’ve done the research and know exactly why you like their school and what you intend to get out of the experience.

Strong stats aren’t enough to get you into UChicago. Sure, the numbers matter, but what the admissions team really wants are students who will lean into the university’s unique culture: curious, driven, a little unconventional, and eager to challenge ideas. That’s where your supplemental essays come in. This is your chance to show UChicago who you are beyond the GPA and test scores, and why you’re the kind of person who would thrive in their intellectually intense, idea-loving community.

Apply Early

Obviously! If you can take advantage of ED0, we fully recommend that. If that isn’t an option for you, then ED is a great option.

A word to the wise about UChicago EA: At a lot of UChicago’s peer schools, like MIT, Stanford, and Harvard, they offer something called Restricted Early Action. This means you can apply early to their school, but cannot apply ED to any other school or apply EA to any private universities. So, if you have your heart set on one of their peers but have UChicago in second place, you will not be able to apply EA to UChicago. You can, of course, hold UChicago back as a potential ED2 option.

Work With Us

The students who start early with us see incredible results. Many have their college decisions finalized before winter break, and our long-term clients regularly earn spots at their top-choice schools – including highly selective ones like UChicago.

We know what UChicago is looking for: intellectual curiosity, originality, and a strong sense of purpose. Whether it’s building an extracurricular profile that reflects deep engagement or crafting essays that are sharp, creative, and memorable, we help students develop applications that speak directly to what makes UChicago, well… UChicago. And we’ll be with you every step of the way.

If UChicago is your dream school and you want your application to truly stand out, we’re here to help you make it happen. Whether you’re starting early to build a distinctive, academically driven resume or need support in junior or senior year to fine-tune your application and essays, we know what UChicago is looking for, and how to help you show them you belong there.

Need help strategizing or working on your UChicago early application? Reach out to us today.

What is ED?

Early Decision or ED is an admission pathway where students pledge to withdraw other applications and attend if accepted. Students who apply ED must submit their applications by November 1 and will know if they are accepted or not by mid-December. Students can only choose one school to apply to through Early Decision (at least– at a time. Some schools offer a second ED round, which accepts applications in January; however, UPenn does not.)

We love it when our students apply early, but whether you are thinking about RDing or EDing to UPenn, we can help! Reach out to us today.

Why Should I ED?

There are a couple of reasons to apply ED. The first is timing. If you get in, you don’t have to be nervous about college admissions through the spring. The second is strategy: ED is your best chance of getting into Penn. This comes with one important caveat: it's the best chance for qualified applicants. Trust us, if you aren’t a Penn-level applicant, ED won’t help you. However, if you are a Penn-caliber student, applying ED can give you a boost. Why? Well, schools want to protect their yield rate, which is calculated by the number of admitted students who actually attend in the fall. Penn knows that many of its applicants are also applying to other Ivies and elite schools. By taking students who have already committed to coming, they can protect their yield.

Last year, they did not release their ED admissions stats (or their overall acceptance rate for that matter). But, during the 2023-2024 cycle, their ED acceptance rate was 14.8%, while their Regular Decision (RD) acceptance rate was only 4.5%.

What Can You Do?

If you want to get into Penn, you need a great application. This takes work, and it doesn’t happen overnight. We often start working with freshmen when it comes to Ivy League hopefuls. If you haven’t been building a great package over the last 3-4 years, Penn might not be the right fit for you. They are looking for a history of excellence. This excellence breaks down into several essential factors.

Grades

Getting excellent grades might sound obvious, but it bears repeating. In 2023, 58% of accepted Penn applicants had a 4.0 unweighted GPA. If you want to get into Penn, you need a 4.0. Perfection is a lot to ask for, but when it comes to Ivy League applicant grades, it is also necessary. Admissions wants to see applicants who take challenging classes and still excel in them. Your transcript needs to show that you can handle a difficult course load with ease. 

Scores

For the 2025-2026 application cycle, Penn applicants have to submit test scores. This is a new policy. For the past few years, UPenn was test-optional; however, that policy has ended. In 2023, only around 70% of enrolled students submitted scores, so take these numbers with a grain of salt. However, the 50th percentile scores for the SAT were 1540, and for the ACT were 35. These are high scores. You want to make sure your scores are similar (if not higher!) That might mean extra studying or even using a tutor!

Extracurriculars

You need spectacular extracurriculars to get into Penn, but more than that, they need to be strategic and tell a story. If you have just started thinking about extracurricular activities during junior year, they are likely a bit thin or scattered. When we work with students, we always plan out an extracurricular path to success. These paths need to include a strong connection to what you hope to study in college (along with leadership and commitment).

If you want to study Art History, your resume should include, for example, an internship at a museum, research with a local professor, serving as president of the art club, taking summer classes at a college, and/or volunteering with a mural project. If you can’t tell what you hope to study from your resume, you likely won’t get into Penn. They are looking for academic curiosity outside of the classroom. Just taking AP Art History is not enough. Your interests and passions need to extend to your activities.  

Your application should tell a story, one with a strong and clear message. Planning out your extracurriculars accordingly will help you tell that story. This isn’t something you can do last minute. If you're serious about UPenn, start early and be prepared to put in the work.

Essays

While most of the factors we have listed take years to master, writing great essays starts the summer after junior year. If you hope to get into Penn, you need an outstanding Common App and a perfect supplement. Your essays need to be thought out, impactful, and memorable.

Penn likes insightful Common App essays and well-researched and structured supplements. We specialize in helping students craft eye-catching, Ivy League caliber Common App Essays. However, the Common App Essay is only one of several essays you will need to write for Penn. While it is more work, we love these essays because they are opportunities to show more about yourself as an applicant.

Penn is especially looking for applicants who can connect their interests to the university. Great Penn applications showcase the overlap between who you are as a student/community member and the opportunities offered at Penn. You need to show that Penn is the perfect school to pursue your specific academic and extracurricular goals. Knowing your academic interests is just the first step. You need to then connect those interests to specific opportunities at Penn and paint a picture of who you would be as a Quaker. This will take some research. The more you know about the school, the easier it will be to pull off a great application.

This is going to take time and good writing skills. If you're worried about polishing your writing and coming up with great ideas, we can help, but don’t leave it until the last minute. Good writing takes time, whether you are working with a counselor or not.

Apply Early

As we said above, if you are a qualified candidate, applying ED is your best chance of getting into Penn. If you're still on the fence, reach out; we can help you make the right decision.

Work With Us

College admissions are hard to navigate on your own, especially at elite schools like Penn. For those looking at the Ivy League, we recommend starting to work with a counselor as early as possible. When we work with students from early in their high school careers, we see fantastic outcomes because we know what colleges are looking for. However, even if you're just looking for essay help or last-minute advice, we help students every day to make their applications as strong as possible. We can help with Penn and so much more.

Getting into Penn is difficult, whether you are applying early or regular decision. However, there are things you can do to make your application stand out. It takes work and preplanning, but if you are ready to jump in, we are too. We would love to help you through this process.

Need help strategizing or working on your UPenn application? Contact us today.

Located in Ithaca, NY, Cornell is closer to Canada than to a major US city like Boston or New York City, but that doesn’t a factor against the school. Instead of leaning on the aura of a large city, Cornell has had to develop a culture that defines the student experience. It is known for offering a ‘big school’ social atmosphere while offering best-in-class academics. The ‘big school’ vibes aren’t just an aura. Cornell has undergraduate students across nine undergraduate colleges. The largest college is the College of Arts & Sciences, with over 1,000 students per class year.  

If you are serious about Cornell, you need to get serious about applying Early Decision.

The overall first-year acceptance rate for the fall of 2024, or the Class of 2028, was That same year, Cornell received just under 10,000 Early Decision applications, compared to over 55,000 Regular Decision applicants. The acceptance rate in just the regular decision round was 6.2%. In the Early Decision round , they accepted 1,661 applicants for an about 16.5% acceptance rate.  

Historically, Cornell has accepted a very large portion of first-year applicants in the Early Decision round. For the Class of 2027, a third of the first-year class earned a spot Early Decision. However, in 2023 Cornell announced that they would be reducing the portion of first-years admitted ED. This wasn’t a full scale-back. Their intention is not to make ED commensurate to RD acceptance rate-wise (). However, they have identified that accepting fewer ED, and more RD, applicants could make for a more diverse class across many metrics.

So, the simple math that the odds are better if you apply to Cornell Early Decision holds true. But what does that really mean?

What is Early Decision at Cornell?

Applying ED is pretty simple. You submit your application, just early. But choosing whether applying ED is a good idea for you is a bit more complicated, and it’s something we are experts at determining. Remember, too, that the ED acceptance rate is boosted by a large cohort of athletes and other students with special consideration who have a pretty good idea that they will get in before they even press submit.

So, the boosted acceptance rate ED is real, but it wasn’t actually 16+% when adjusted for athletes, etc. And, as Cornell adjusts to accept fewer students ED and more RD, the boost will be commensurately reduced.  

In order to stand out as an ED applicant who isn’t going in with special consideration, there are a few things that you must do strengthen your application. In this post, we’ll break down the most crucial areas of focus for strong applicants seeking to amplifying their chances of admission to Cornell Early Decision.

If you have your eyes set on Cornell, get in touch. We help students gain admission to their dream schools.  

If you are considering an Early Decision application to Cornell but are on the fence, this post will break down everything you need to know about what it takes to be a competitive Early Decision applicant. But first, why even do it?

Why should I apply Early Decision?

We are big fans of early application options, but they aren’t for everyone or every situation. If you are a strong applicant with the scores, grades, activities, and all the other pieces of the puzzle ready in the fall, Early Decision can be a strong strategic option to boost your chances of getting into an extremely selective school. If you aren’t completely prepared to submit, though, applying ED can actually be a huge risk. As is true with so much of college admissions, it’s all about balancing risk with reward. We want your potential reward to be much higher than your risk. Check each box below, and you’ve got a shot. For an even better chance, get in touch.

What can you do to increase your chances of admission ED to Cornell?

Applying to Cornell Early Decision is the strongest way to show your interest and intention. When you choose to apply ED, you choose Cornell. But Cornell needs to see more than just your interest. This is the key list you need to be referring back to: 

Grades

This should be obvious given that Cornell is a prestigious Ivy League school with a tiny overall acceptance rate, but they expect to see a transcript packed full of exceptional grades. They know that success can develop over time, but that doesn’t excuse a low grade. And low is relative. For most colleges, Bs are okay. For top schools, and especially in the Ivy League, Bs aren’t. They expect As, nearly, if not entirely, across the board. This is tough, but it’s the truth. Years of hard work add up to a single piece of paper with a cumulative GPA that is, in some ways, a measure of potential. It isn’t the only measure, but when you are up against thousands of applicants who have perfect transcripts, it truly does matter.  

If you do have a less-than perfect grade or two on your transcript, today is the day to do the work to help Cornell overlook it. This means continuing to take the hardest classes you have access to in the more than just your area of academic focus. Cornell wants to see excellence, but also breadth. The university is very focused on training future leaders in their chosen field, which is part of why they have so many career-oriented undergraduate colleges, but they also respect and appreciate that deeper understanding can come through interdisciplinary exposure. If all you focus on is what you are already most interested in, that is a potential red-flag for Cornell. Being exceptional is great, but being exceptional and diversified is better.

Scores

Cornell likes numbers, and that doesn’t only apply to grades. Like most schools, Cornell went standardized test optional during the height of COVID, and a bit beyond. Many schools have made that change permanent, but Cornell isn’t one of them. Like a few of their Ivy League brethren, Cornell is bringing the SAT and ACT requirement back.

For students submitting applications in the fall and beyond, and planning to enroll after the fall of 2026, standardized test scores are going to once again be . This was their norm before COVID adjustments, and it’s back.  

Cornell’s decision was by a multi-year study by the Cornell Task Force on Standardized Testing in Admissions, which revealed that SAT or ACT scores, when considered within the context of the application as a whole, “provide valuable insight into a student’s potential for academic success while at Cornell.”  

While it takes years to build a strong transcript, the SAT and ACT are a potentially powerful way to amplify your application, boosting it above similarly situated applicants or making up a tad for a weak grade early in your high school career. With a few months of focused effort, smart students (which you are) are able to make things happen on standardized tests. Now, we often hear students say, “I’m not a standardized test person.” That’s a big myth and, ultimately, a self-fulfilling prophecy. Nearly anyone who is academically qualified for a top-tier school can be prepared to do exceptionally well on the SAT or ACT if they give it time, attention, and call in help for test prep and strategy. We’ve seen students raise their score substantially based on one decision: they decide that they deserve to excel. So, make that choice for yourself.  

What does exceling look like for Cornell? We advise our students to achieve a 1540 or above composite score on the SAT, or a 34 or above on the ACT composite. These aren’t easy scores to achieve, but they are possible and put you, score-wise, in at least the middle of the pack among other Cornell applicants. If you are applying ED, these scores are nearly mandatory.  

Activities

When it comes to the activities that Cornell wants to see on an Early Decision transcript, they aren’t prescriptive. The school doesn’t tell you want to do, but we do know what they want. After years of supporting students through successful Cornell Early Decision applications, we know what works. So, what works? Strategy.

Just how Cornell wants to see you taking the hardest classes you have access to; they aren’t attracted to coasting through school clubs and maybe picking up a “club head” title only in senior year. Instead, they want to see hunger and drive. They look for applicants who see the options in front of them, and who push for something else, something harder, a big beyond what is immediately in reach.

In our experience, this means emphasizing independent research, internships, employment, and entrepreneurship, early. If something can come with a “trophy,” even better. This includes awards, recognitions, publication, and experiences with big name and well-known companies or non-profits within your chosen field. For example, if you are interested in robotics, it’s good to be leading a robotics club, but you should also be on a competitive (and winning) team, volunteering with a non-profit that introduces younger students to STEM, and working or interning at a robotics or related tech company.

If the humanities are your thing, it can be a bit harder to figure out how to stand out. Simply “loving history” or writing a lot in your free time does not translate into an impressive Early Decision application. Humanities minded students should be pursuing publication in journals that spotlight young writers and researchers, they should look for research assistant opportunities or internships at publications, and they should also volunteer with a nonprofit or in a library and work at a bookstore. This is all aimed at the same type of full-immersion in the field that STEM students are able to access in a bit more straightforward way.

No matter your area of interest, a key piece is stacking up leadership experience. You don’t always need to have a title to be a leader, but on a Cornell application it does help.

Essays

If you are applying to Cornell Early Decision, you need to start your writing early. We work with our students to begin writing their main college essay shortly after summer break starts. Is this very early? By some estimations, yes. But we have our reasons.

The main college essay is your opportunity to spotlight a few (2-3) aspects of who you are in a way that makes a college application reader fall in love with you. A strong college essay does a lot for your application without trying to do too much. If you try to pack everything into it, the essay becomes muddy and diluted. Instead, we love Cornell applications that are focused, targeted, and narratively clear. Students working on an ED application to Cornell need to accomplish this by first identifying their why for Cornell, and then developing an application that leans into that why across every piece of the application, from the main essay to the supplements.

For example, we worked with a student a number of years ago that dreamed of running a hotel and restaurant group. The Cornell School of Hospitality was an obvious pick, as the Nolan School of Hotel Administration is an iconic leader in the field. In developing her application, we knew that we had to amplify one thing in particular: she needed to show on the ground experience and skin in the game. So, the summer before senior year we focused on one thing: a summer job hosting and waiting tables at a popular high-end local restaurant. To be honest, her parents were skeptical. “Really? Waiting tables?” But our strategy was grounded in a knowledge of Cornell. Her summer experience developed into an outstanding main college essay about teamwork, collaboration, creativity, and one-the-fly decision making. This piece of writing paired with strong scores and grades, and stellar supplements that dialed into her why for Cornell, and ultimately led to an acceptance.

This same logic can be applied across any academic or professional interest. Cornell wants to see you getting your hands dirty, so show them that you don’t just want head knowledge. You’re actually doing it.

Last, Apply Early

When you apply Early Decision to Cornell, you can be admitted, denied, or deferred.

If you are admitted, awesome. If you are denied, that’s a bummer but now you need to focus elsewhere and consider an EDII option. And if you are deferred, the best course of action is to tap an expert. Turning a deferral from Cornell into an acceptance in the regular decision round is possible if you play it right. At the same time, you should also seriously consider an EDII option and, of course, a full regular decision roster of schools. If you �徱���’t go into Cornell with a back-up plan, you need one: and we can help.

As you are deciding whether to take the ED risk on Cornell, there is something to strongly consider if you are a New York student. A full 25% of students across the Ithaca campus of the university come from New York, and the school prioritizes cultivating New York students. We advise all of our New York students who are strong contenders for Cornell, and for whom Cornell is the first choice, to apply Early Decision.

Work with Us

If you are reading all of this and feeling motivated, excited, but overwhelmed by how much there is to do, we can help. We start working with our students as early as possible, often in the first year or two of high school, to craft applications that lead to Ivy League acceptances. What is most exciting to us in this process is to see the students grow into themselves and develop their interests alongside their applications. This process is strategic, but it’s also deeply personal. Getting into an exceptional college requires not just an exceptional student, but an exceptional human. We help those humans shine, so get in touch.

If Cornell is your dream, get an expert on your team.

Early Decision is one of the smartest moves you can make, especially if Duke is your top choice. Colleges love it because it shows commitment, and we love it because it means you could have your acceptance letter in hand before winter break of senior year. Let’s break down why applying ED to Duke can give you an edge, and what you need to do to make that early application as strong as possible.

What is ED?

Early Decision is a binding admissions decision. When you apply ED to Duke, you’re making a clear promise: if you’re admitted, you’re going. You can still apply Early Action to other schools, but an ED acceptance means you’ll withdraw those other applications and any other regular decision applications you’ve sent out.

The vast majority of our clients get into their Early Decision school, and 100% of our long-term clients get into one of their top three schools. If you think you want to apply early to Duke, reach out to us today.

Why do schools like Duke offer ED? Because it boosts their yield, or the percentage of admitted students who actually enroll. And for you, that makes ED a smart strategic move. If Duke is your first choice and your application is strong, applying Early Decision can significantly improve your chances of getting in.

Why Should I ED?

One of the biggest reasons we’re fans of Early Decision? It takes a lot of the stress out of the process. Picture this: it’s spring of your senior year. Your friends are still waiting on decisions, juggling rejections, and trying to get excited about backup options. Meanwhile, you’ve known since before winter break that you’re headed to Duke. That kind of peace of mind is hard to beat.

Now, that doesn’t mean ED is a guarantee. In fact, at Duke, it’s certainly not. While the RD acceptance rate was 3.67% and the ED acceptance rate was 12.8%, that doesn’t mean you’re 4x as likely to get into Duke. It means that instead of being one of four students selected from a group of 100, you’re in a group of 12, that’s not that much more. But you’re not out of luck, either.

Applying Early Decision to Duke only helps if your application is already strong enough to be competitive in the Regular Decision round. ED won’t cover for a low GPA, average test scores, unclear academic goals, or a weak extracurricular profile. Duke’s early applicant pool is packed with high-achieving students, and while applying ED shows serious commitment – it only works if the rest of your application is up to their standards.

What Can You Do?

You need to have outstanding stats to get into Duke – no way around it. And the work doesn’t start when you open the Common App senior fall (although, please open it sooner than that). It starts the moment you walk into your first high school class of your freshman year. Duke looks for students who’ve shown years of academic excellence and drive. The good news? There are parts of this process you can control. Let’s break down what those are and how to use them to strengthen your application.

Grades

Every year, we work with students who apply Early Decision to Duke and similar top-tier schools, and they all have one thing in common: near-perfect grades. No surprise there. Most students admitted to Duke, ED or RD, are academic standouts. If you want to stand out, or even just stay in the game, you need to be taking the most rigorous courses your school offers and earning straight As. There’s no shortcut here. Duke could fill their incoming classes with just kids with 4.0s in North Carolina private schools – so you need to meet this baseline.

Scores

Duke is remaining for now, but that doesn’t mean you should skip submitting scores – especially if you’re applying Early Decision. If you’re using ED as a strategic move, the rest of your application should be just as strategic. That includes test scores. Submitting strong scores can give your application an extra boost, and in a pool as competitive as Duke’s, every advantage counts. To be competitive at Duke, you need to have 1550+ or 35+ on your standardized tests.

Extracurriculars

You’re Class President, captain of the soccer team, and you volunteer on the weekends – sounds impressive, right? Not really, and not to Duke. That kind of resume might have worked a decade (or two or three) ago, but these days, it reads as generic. Duke is looking for students with a clear sense of purpose and direction, not just a list of leadership titles and community service hours.

If you say you’re passionate about political science or plan to go pre-law, Duke expects to see that reflected in your activities. That might mean joining debate, Mock Trial, or Model UN. Maybe you’ve interned with a local law office, volunteered on a campaign, or attended a summer law institute. If you don’t have any of that, it starts to look like you picked pre-law out of a hat, and Duke will notice that you haven’t done the legwork to prove your interest in the topic.

If Duke is your top choice, don’t wait until junior year to get serious. The strongest applicants start early, freshman or sophomore year, building a narrative that actually matches their interests and shows real initiative. We can help you do exactly that.

Essays

Our favorite part.

The summer before senior year is when we dive into the application itself. First up: your Common App essay. The most effective essays aren’t just a highlight reel of achievements; they’re thoughtful, small stories that reveal something about who you are. Duke, in particular, responds well to essays that are reflective, personal, and a little unexpected. We’ve helped students craft those kinds of pieces year after year, and we know what makes them stand out.

While there are seven Common App prompts to choose from, we recommend prompt seven: write an essay of your own design. It gives you the freedom to tell a small, specific story that gives admissions officers insight into your personality and values. And at a school like Duke, where personality and fit matter more than you think, that kind of essay can make all the difference.

Duke’s supplements are often about community and identity. What a school chooses to ask you in essay questions is often a reflection of what that school cares about itself, and Duke has long asked questions about racial, gender, sexual, and religious identities. Our advice with these types of questions is to show, not tell. You can tell them about your identity or the communities you’re a part of, or you can tell them a story that shows them what it means to you.

Apply Early

If you don’t apply early, you’ll lose the momentum. If you’re a recruited athlete or legacy, this goes double for you.

Work With Us

Our students who start early in the process see outstanding results. Most of our clients have their college decisions finalized by mid-December, and all of our long-term students gain admission to one of their top three schools, including Duke.

We know exactly what a school like Duke is looking for, and we can help you build a résumé that reflects real passion and purpose. From shaping your academic and extracurricular narrative to writing essays that truly stand out, we’re here to guide you every step of the way.

If you're aiming for Duke and want your application to be as strong and compelling as possible, we’re ready to help you get there.

With a 3.6% regular decision acceptance rate, applying Early Decision to Duke is one of the smartest strategic moves you can make, especially if it’s your top choice. Waiting to apply RD to all your schools is a major gamble, and in our experience, it’s one that rarely pays off. ED gives you the best possible shot at a place like Duke – so if it’s where you want to be, go for it.

Need help strategizing or working on your Duke ED application? Reach out to us today.

What is Single-Choice Early Action?

Often also called Restrictive Early Action (REA), Single-Choice Early Action is a non-binding path to early admission. However, this is slightly different from other types of Early Action. If you apply SCEA to Princeton, you cannot apply to any other private college in the US early. You can apply to public schools, but Princeton needs to be the only private school you apply to before the regular decision/ED2 rounds. For SCEA, you need to apply by November 1st, and you will know by mid-December if you have been accepted or not. If you don’t get into Princeton, you can apply to other private colleges during the regular decision round. So, for example, you can apply SCEA to Princeton and EA to Michigan. But you can’t apply SCEA to Princeton and ED to Penn. 

Honestly, we don’t love SCEA mainly because it doesn’t allow you to apply to any other private schools that offer unrestricted Early Action (EA) admissions. When schools offer ED (a binding program), they also allow students to apply to other schools EA, which can be a powerful tool. We have also found that ED leads specifically to higher acceptance rates. Binding admissions plans help colleges protect their yield rates (a rate calculated by how many accepted applicants actually enroll). Hyper elite schools like Princeton don’t really have to worry about their yield rate. If a student applies through SCEA and gets in, they are likely to choose Princeton even though it's non-binding. Many students think, “If I get into Princeton, I am going to Princeton.” Since SCEA isn’t binding, it may not lead to higher acceptance rates. While we have found it does (at least slightly) at other schools, Princeton does not release how many students it accepts through this program (which is unideal).

If you are dreaming of Princeton, you will need expert advice to get in. We can help you make an excellent plan for the upcoming college application season. Reach out to us today.

Why Should I SCEA?

While we don’t love SCEA (and greatly prefer ED options), if you are serious about getting into Princeton and are a qualified applicant, you need to at least consider applying SCEA. While Princeton doesn’t release SCEA acceptance rates, its overall acceptance rate was 4.6%. This is… very low... low enough that applicants need to use every opportunity to their advantage. SCEA is an opportunity to show that Princeton is your top-choice school and that you are a serious applicant.

There are some other benefits. One is simply timing. If you get in during SCEA, you will know in mid-December if you have gotten into Princeton. You don’t need to stress about where you will be accepted into the late spring, which is valuable.

However, if you are considering applying SCEA, you need to be a Princeton-level applicant. If you aren’t a highly competitive applicant, you won’t get in and lose out on other EA/ED choices. This is too big of an opportunity cost. But how do you know if you are a Princeton-level applicant? We can break it down.

What Can You Do?

If you hope to get into Princeton, you need to be an elite candidate. The Ivy League is very choosy, and it isn’t worth applying unless you have a truly impressive application. This doesn’t happen overnight. It takes years of work, commitment, excellence, and leadership. We often start working with freshmen when it comes to our Ivy League applicants. We will work with students for years to ensure they meet Princeton standards. However, all applicants must excel in a couple of key areas, whether they are working with a counselor or not.

Grades

To get into Princeton, you need excellent (basically perfect) grades. There is no way around it.  Last year, 68.5% of admitted Princeton students had a 4.0 unweighted GPA in high school. Another 25.5% had above a 3.75 unweighted. You need great grades to get into Princeton. While perfection is not an easy task, it is necessary for those serious about the Ivy League. Princeton is looking for applicants who can excel in challenging classes. You want to take the hardest course load possible while still getting a 4.0. We know it's a lot to ask for, but it's what will make you a strong candidate for a school like Princeton. 

Scores

Princeton has not announced whether it is keeping its test-optional policy for the 2025-2026 application cycle. However, we highly recommend submitting scores anyway. Last year, 77% of admitted students submitted standardized test scores, even though they were optional. Great scores will help set you apart. This is an opportunity to demonstrate that you meet Princeton’s standards. Last year, the 50th percentile among those who submitted scores was 1530 on the SAT or 35 for the ACT. You should be pushing yourself to get similar (or even higher scores… the 75th percentile was 1560 and 35, respectively).

Extracurriculars

Great grades and scores are not enough to get into Princeton—they are the absolute bare minimum baseline. You also need to have outstanding extracurriculars. However, students often don’t know what makes a great extracurricular resume. Just being generally involved isn’t enough. You need a strategic resume that tells a cohesive story. This is one of the number one things we help our students accomplish (especially with those we start early with.) Ideally, you have been strategically building your resume since your Freshman year. If not, it will likely feel a bit random, unfocused, and not up to Princeton standards.

Your resume needs to not only include a history of leadership and commitment, but it also needs to showcase a strong connection to what you hope to study at Princeton. For example, if you want to study Math, just taking BC Calc is not enough. You need a resume that shows that you are also pursuing your academic interests outside of class. You want to be president of the Matheletes, tutor math after school, complete a summer program or internship in mathematics, and/or do research with a professor. If it isn’t clear what you hope to study just by looking at your extracurriculars, Princeton is likely not the right choice for you. This is harsh but true.

Crafting a great resume isn’t something you can do last minute. You have to start early and be prepared to work hard. Great extracurriculars tell a story, and you need to have a strategic plan in place.

Essays

Unlike extracurriculars, you can’t really plan your essays years in advance. The large majority of your essay writing will happen the summer after junior year. You will not only need to write an eye-catching Common App, but you also need great supplemental essays.

Princeton usually asks for several supplemental essays. It has a very long supplement. This can be a turn-off to some, but we think of it as an opportunity to show who you are as an applicant. We actually love Princeton’s application. It is a lot to take on, but you want to make sure all your essays are wonderfully written and tie in to some important themes.

The first point you have to make in your supplemental essays is that you have clear academic goals and that they can be accomplished at Princeton. You need to show the overlap between your academic interests and the specific opportunities at Princeton. The more research you have done into the school and the more fleshed out your own scholarly interests are, the easier this important theme is to establish. While you can’t write the essays until your junior summer, some of this research can and should be done in advance.

You also need to bring Princeton into your world. Your supplemental essays should share some personal stories with them. You need to showcase your background, interests, and/or experiences through impactful personal narratives. These don’t need to be big stories, but they do have to be meaningful and detail-filled snapshots. You want to show Princeton more about your personality, growth, and personal interests. By the end, the reader should have a sense of who you are as a person, outside of your transcripts and resumes.

Finally, Princeton tends to ask some fun questions, usually in the form of short answers. Sometimes students get nervous about these, but they are really just a chance to show your quirkier side. Princeton asks questions like this because the admissions officers want to get to know you as a person. You can’t come off as uninteresting or robotic to Princeton. They have too many applicants for that. The essays are your chance to show yourself and stand out. You need good writing skills and ample time to edit to pull this off. If you're worried about your writing, consider working with a counselor. Whether you're working with one or not, give yourself plenty of time. Good writing needs it!

Apply Early

Just like we mentioned above, applying SCEA is the best chance qualified applicants have. If you are serious about Princeton, you should be highly considering applying early. If you're still on the fence, contact us; we can help you make the right decision for you. Not to brag but we had load of kids get into Princeton for the 2024 admission cycle.

Work With Us

When you are considering elite schools like Princeton, working with an experienced counselor can make all the difference. We help students get into top schools every year. While we see especially exemplary results with students we work with from early in their high school careers, we can help students with everything from essay help to semester planning to last minute advice. Whatever you need, we can help make your application as strong as possible. We send students to Princeton (and many other top schools) every year. Let us help you on your application season and so much more.

It isn’t easy to get into Princeton. Whether you apply SCEA or during the regular decision round, you need to be a top candidate. We can help you do that from pre planning to essay writing. It’s never too early to start!

Ready to start on the path to Princeton? Contact us today.

UT Austin offers Early Action, which means you should absolutely apply early. They used to call it “priority” but that means the same thing. Applying early to UT is the best way to signal to the university that you have a heightened interest in the school, want to attend, and will probably attend if you get in.

What is EA?

Early Action is a non-binding admissions decision that allows you to send in your application before the regular decision round and typically has a higher acceptance rate than regular decision. Early action is great for the non-committal students, but it doesn’t come with that same guarantee that ED holds. The great thing about it though, especially since UT is a public school, you can apply EA to any other school and potentially apply ED or REA to another.

The vast majority of our clients get into their early application schools, and 100% of our long-term clients get into one of their top three schools. If you think you want to apply early to UT, reach out to us today.

Students who get into UT Austin – especially for competitive majors, like comp sci – are often applying to other top public and private universities. So if you’re the kind of student UT really wants, applying through their early admissions timeline is a smart move.

Why Should I EA?

Applying EA, to us, is a no-brainer. It’s non-binding, which means you can do as many as possible, you get it out of the way sooner, and you’ll find out if you get in earlier than if you apply RD, typically around February.

In 2024, UT’s EA acceptance rate was 32%, compared to their 29% regular decision acceptance rate. You might think this means you’re good either way, but that’s not the case. UT auto-admits in-state students who are in the top 6% of their class, and if you look closer at the non-top 6% and out-of-state students, you see an acceptance rate closer to 10%.

Applying early to UT Austin, especially as an out-of-state-student, won’t make up for a weak application. A low GPA, average test scores, an undeclared major, or minimal extracurricular involvement won’t cut it. UT’s applicant pool gets more competitive every year, and applying early signals that you're serious about attending. However, it only makes a difference if the rest of your application is strong enough to compete.

What Can You Do?

To get into UT Austin, you need outstanding stats. Your path to admission starts the moment you walk into your first high school class freshman year. But the good news? While UT’s admissions are competitive, there are key parts of the process that are absolutely within your control.

Grades

Every year, we work with students applying early to UT Austin and other top public universities, and the one thing they all have in common: impeccable grades. That’s no surprise. The vast majority of students admitted to UT, especially into competitive majors, are straight-A students. If you want to stand out (or even just stay in the running) you need to take the hardest classes available at your school and excel in every single one.

At UT Austin, you’re also facing another obstacle, grade-wise. If you are in-state, you’re competing against public school students in the top 6% of their class who have been given automatic admission to UT. For students not in that top 6%, the acceptance rates plummet to around 10%, so if you’re a private school student or in the 7% or lower category, you need to make sure you have as perfect of grades as possible.

Scores

Tests are no longer optional at UT Austin. We won’t lie, this surprised us. A lot of Ivies and other similarly rigorous schools have brought back the requirement, but it’s less common for public schools. That being said, if you want to be a competitive applicant to UT, you need to have the best test scores possible. As an out-of-state or not-6%-er, high test scores signal your readiness for college and schools care about that.

Extracurriculars

Being class president, a varsity athlete, and doing some volunteer work might look good on paper, but for a school like UT Austin, it's not enough. Admissions officers have seen that exact combo a thousand times. They’re looking for more than just well-rounded students. They want applicants with a clear sense of direction and the initiative to back it up.

If you say you’re interested in business but haven’t done anything to show it, like participating in DECA, taking a business-related summer course, getting real-world experience through an internship, or even starting your own small business, it’s going to feel hollow.

That’s why it’s smart to start early. If UT is your goal, you should be building a track record of genuine interest and impact starting as early as freshman year. That kind of focused, intentional work is what makes your application stand out in a competitive pool.

Essays

The summer before senior year is the time to get serious about your essays. First up: crafting a standout Common App essay – one that’s thoughtful, original, and doesn’t sound like anyone else’s. Once that’s locked in, shift your focus to the UT supplement. It’s your chance to show them not just what you’ve done, but why you’d be a great fit for their campus and culture.

UT has a number of school-specfic prompts, most based on your academic goals and what you hope to achieve after graduation. There are more if you’re choosing to apply to Liberal Arts Honors, McCombs, Plan II, or other specific or honors-based colleges.

Apply Early

As we said, applying EA to UT Austin is a no-brainer. There are literally no downsides. You’re not locked in if you get into an Ivy or Ivy+ school, and you can apply EA to UT even if you’re applying REA to a private college or ED somewhere else. Seriously, just apply early to UT.

Work With Us

The students who start early with us see incredible results. Most of our clients have their college decisions in hand by mid-December, and our long-term students? They consistently get into one of their top three choices – including competitive schools like UT Austin. We’re hard pressed to think of a longterm client who �徱���’t get into UT Austin.

We know what UT is looking for, especially when it comes to high-demand majors like Business, Engineering, and Computer Science. From building a resume that reflects real passion to writing essays that actually stand out, we’re here to help every step of the way.

If you’re aiming for UT Austin and want your application to reflect your best self, let’s make it happen.

Applying EA to UT Austin is the best strategic move you can make for that school. We strongly encourage it – not just because it boosts your chances, but it also means you’re done sooner. We do not recommend sending out your UT application RD, it’s just too much of a gamble. TL;DR: apply early to UT. It’s worth it.

Need help strategizing or working on your UT Austin EA application? Reach out to us today.

Early Decision is a smart choice, ioho (in our humble opinion). Schools love it because it means you’re committed to them, and we love it because it means you’ll know where you’re going to school before the end of the fall term of your senior year. Let’s talk about Early Decision, why you should do it, and what you need to do to maximize your chances. 

What is ED?

Quick definition time! Early Decision (and its sibling ED2, which Vanderbilt offers) is a binding admissions decision – when you apply ED, you are telling Vanderbilt that if you are accepted, you will absolutely attend. While you can still apply Early Action to other schools, ED takes precedence over any EA decision you may receive. Schools like using ED because it means you will positively impact their yield rate, or the number of students who are accepted and enroll in the school. This means that applying Early Decision is your best strategic choice for getting accepted to Vanderbilt.

The vast majority of our clients get into their Early Decison school, and 100% of our long-term clients get into one of their top three schools. If you think you want to apply early to Vanderbilt, reach out to us today.

Students who get into Vanderbilt are most likely applying to other top-top-tier schools, so if you’re the kind of student Vanderbilt wants, they will take the chance to lock you down before you can leave for one of their peer institutions. If Vanderbilt is your dream school and you have the stats they want, we think applying ED is a no-brainer.

Why Should I ED?

We like Early Decision because it means you get to take a lot of the anxiety out of the process. Imagine this: it’s the spring of your senior year. Your friends are waiting, nervous, dealing with rejections, and coping with acceptances they’re less than thrilled about. You, however, have known where you’re going to college before you even started winter break. Sounds pretty nice to us.

Let’s start by saying that Vanderbilt is crazy hard to get into, period. Their 2024 acceptance rates were lower than some Ivy League schools, and were equal to ���ٲ��Դڴǰ���’s acceptance rate. This may shock a lot of you, but not us! Recently, added Vanderbilt to a list of what they call the “New Ivies,” where they joined other elite schools like Johns Hopkins, Michigan, and Rice.

In 2024, Vanderbilt’s early decision acceptance rate was 15.2%, compared to their 3.7% regular decision acceptance rate. Now, let’s be clear, this does not mean you’re 4x as likely to get into Vanderbilt if you apply ED, but it does mean you could have a significant boost if you do.

However, in order to get into Vanderbilt ED, you need to have the kind of stats that could get you in during RD. Applying early will not negate a low GPA, middling test scores, an undeclared major, and lackluster extracurriculars. In an extremely competitive applicant pool, applying ED signals that you are truly committed to Vanderbilt, which they like for the aforementioned yield rate reasons.

What Can You Do?

You need to have great, and we mean great, stats to get into Vanderbilt. Getting into Vandy ED doesn’t start when you start filling out your Common App, it starts the moment you crossed the threshold into your first class of freshman year. Let’s dive into the factors you can control in the process

Grades

Every year, we work with students who ED to Vanderbilt and similar schools, and what they all have in common is perfect or nearly perfect grades. That’s not exactly shocking – most students accepted to Vanderbilt in general are in the same boat. If you want to stand out in that crowd, or at the very least make it to the next round in the process, there’s really only one move: take the most challenging classes your school offers and earn straight As. Period.

Class Rank of the Class of 2028

Looking at last year’s admissions data, the overwhelming majority of students accepted to Vanderbilt weren’t just in the top 25% of their class—they were in the top 10%. And those rare admits from the bottom half or quarter? They were not ED applicants. Those students are the mega-exception, not the rule, and you cannot hedge bets on being the exception.

Scores

Vanderbilt is in place through 2027, but don’t let that lull you into thinking you shouldn’t submit scores. Yes, they superscore both the SAT and ACT, but for ED applicants, playing the “optional” card or submitting more than one less-than-perfect test probably isn’t your smartest move. Remember: you’re applying to ED for strategy reasons, which means you need to implement other good strategy options, like submitting test scores.

Vanderbilt’s middle 50% scores are some of the highest we’ve seen outside of the Ivies and Ivy-adjacent powerhouses like Stanford, UChicago, and MIT. Most admitted students score between 750–800 on the SAT Reading/Writing section, 780–800 on SAT Math, and 34–36 on the ACT. That’s just the middle 50%. In the top quartile? We’re talking perfect scores across the board.

So if you want to send a message that you belong at Vanderbilt, the best way to do it is with flawless scores. If you’ve got them, submit them.

Extracurriculars

You’re Class President, captain of the soccer team, and do community service, so you think you’re totally fine. Wrong. Vanderbilt doesn’t really go for a generic resume of school clubs and team captain titles. That might have worked years ago, but not now. While these things are impressive, they’re not enough – or, honestly, not even the right thing to be doing.

If you claim to be passionate about, let’s say, political science, but haven’t done anything with that interest outside the classroom – no campaign work, no internship with a local official – they’re not going to buy it. If you’re interested in poli sci for the pre-law side of things and you aren’t in in-school things like debate, Model UN, Mock Trial, etc., or out-of-school things like law firm internships or summer programs, it won’t look sincere. The same goes for any academic focus, whether it’s computer science, biology, or history.

If a school like Vanderbilt is at the top of your list, we recommend starting as early as freshman or sophomore year. This means we can help you build a real, focused narrative backed by meaningful experiences that show the Vanderbilt admissions committee you’re qualified and serious about their school.

Essays

During the summer before your senior year, you should work on creating a truly exceptional Common App essay, and once that’s done, an exceptional Vanderbilt supplement. From experience, we know that Vanderbilt appreciates creative, outside-the-box Common App essays, and we’re experts at writing those kinds of essays.

On the other side of the essay coin, Vanderbilt’s one supplement is very community focused:

“Vanderbilt University’s motto, Crescere aude, is Latin for “dare to grow.” In your response, reflect on how one or more aspects of your identity, culture, or background has played a role in your personal growth, and how it will contribute to our campus community as you dare to grow at Vanderbilt.”

Vanderbilt is not just looking for academic fits – if it was just about the numbers, you could probably fill an entire incoming class with just students from Nashville itself. Vanderbilt is looking for students who will fit in seamlessly with the school culture, and this essay is part of that.

Apply Early

Well, duh. That’s the point of this blog post!

We will also say that Vanderbilt is a really, really good ED2 option, and it’s one that’s popular (and successful) with our clients. If you applied early to schools with a similar vibe, like Duke, USC, Rice, UPenn, or Cornell, and got deferred or rejected, you might want to consider applying ED2 to Vanderbilt.

Work With Us

Our clients who start early on in the process have incredible results. The majority of our clients know where they’re going to college by mid-December, and all of our long-term clients get into one of their top three schools. We know what colleges like Vanderbilt want to see and we can help you create a resume that shows passion and dedication, and we can help you with the application and essays themselves, too.

If you need help making your application perfect or writing excellent essays, we’re ready to help you. 

With a 3.7% regular decision acceptance rate, we think Vanderbilt for ED is the smartest strategic move you can make if it’s your top choice. It is not a good idea to only apply RD to the schools on your list – it’s a huge gamble and one we’ve rarely seen pay off. As long as you have the stats and resume to be competitive, you should go for it.

Need help strategizing or working on your Vanderbilt ED application? Reach out to us today.

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Explore What You’re Interested In

The humanities is a diverse and extensive category. You need to start narrowing down what you hope to study. The more specific, the better. For example, you could love post-1800s world history or international applications of political science. Maybe anthropology with a focus on East Asian cultures is your jam. See if you can narrow your focus from your general academic interests to something specific.

The best way to do this is by learning as much as possible. Make a reading list for yourself. Yes, that means books…outside of school. We always make the students we work with read. We don’t want to sound like an old man yelling at a cloud, but many young people don’t really read books outside of class! However, they really should, as colleges as about your reading lists and also this is the easiest way to get a taste for a bunch of topics.

As a humanities major, you are going to have to read a lot in college: may as well get those skills/habits down now. Reading books will also allow you to hone your academic niche, build your vocabulary, and strengthen your writing skills—all things you will need as a humanities major. Outside of books, explore podcasts, magazines, journals… whatever helps you sharpen your interests.

We also love online classes. There are tons of pre-tapped online classes on platforms like Coursera (and many of them are even free). Once you have an idea of what you hope to study, start an online class. It is a great way to start exploring your academic interests outside of school.

Do Well in School

This should be obvious, but freshman-year grades count. If you are looking at elite schools, you need to do stellar in your classes. This means all your classes, not just the ones related to what you want to study (however, you should also be slaying in those as well). Usually, freshmen don’t have a ton of choices when it comes to choosing classes, but if you have any flexibility, try to take the most challenging classes you can. For example, if there is an honors math class or if you can skip an intro language class, do it.

That being said, freshman year can be an adjustment. Your new courses are probably harder than your middle school classes. If you are struggling to keep up, you need to be proactive. Go to your teacher’s office hours. Get a tutor. Start a study group. You want to ensure you are doing everything possible to set your report card up for success.

Extracurriculars

We have a complete blog about this, but TL;DR: get involved with extracurriculars that connect with what you hope to study. Usually, high schools have at least one related club. Joining is a great place to start. For example, consider joining the debate team or Model UN if you hope to study Political Science. If you want to study English, sign up for the newspaper or a book club. See what your school offers. If there really isn’t any club that connects to your interests, consider starting your own. Over the next four years, you should take on more responsibilities and commit to the club. Joining a club is just the first step.

You can also look for volunteering opportunities that relate to what you want to study. Often, humanities students can volunteer as tutors, at museums/historical societies, or with other relevant community organizations.

Your job for the year is to start to get involved outside of class and choose opportunities that connect with your academic interests. Trust us, it's a far better strategy than signing up for a bunch of random clubs.

Summer Plans

This is important. When we work with freshmen, summer planning is a big part of our job. After grades, it is probably the most important part of freshman year. Even the busiest students are usually more available during the summer, and you should use that uninterrupted extra time to do something that builds your resume.

Finding a summer job or internship as a freshman can be hard. However, volunteering and unpaid internships can be a great summer plan if the opportunities help build your resume. We also recommend applying for summer programs. Many colleges offer summer programs for high school students. These are great opportunities to learn more about college and take a course related to your academic goals. In the past, our students have loved the summer programs at Brown, USC, Harvard, Stanford, U Chicago, Emory and many others. There are a lot of programs out there, and they vary in date, classes offered, cost, and location. Find one that works for you and if you need help, we can do that!

We know applying for college feels a long way away (it kind of is), but you can set yourself on a successful path by doing a little bit of strategizing now. Trust us, things move fast, and college will be just around the corner before you know it. You want to ensure you have everything you need to get into a humanities program at a top school.

Need more advice? We have you covered! Reach out today!

Stanford has, historically, practiced legacy admissions. Being a child of a Stanford graduate was a boost to an applicant’s chances of admission. It wasn’t an easy-in by any means, but it helped. Up until the fall of 2024, legacy applicants benefitted from an advantage, as reported in the 2024-2025 . Then, in the fall of 2024, California changed the game. 

When Assembly Bill 1780 was by Gov. Gavin Newsom, legacy admissions were officially banned for private universities in the state of California — including at Stanford — as well as giving preference to donors and applicants who are the children of donors. The University of California system, for comparison, “.”

However, Assembly Bill 1780 was a major shakeup. of the admitted first-years for the Stanford Class of 2027 were reported to have a legacy or donor tie. A few years earlier, of undergraduates admitted for entrance in the Fall of 2019 were reported as the children of Stanford graduates. Legacy admissions isn’t a myth at Stanford or, rather, wasn’t. It was a real, and really impactful, piece of the college application process. Now, for the 2024-2025 application cycle, this boost to legacies and the children of donors was erased. In this post, we’ll break down what this means for legacy students applying after the fall of 2024 and what legacy applicants must do to increase their admissions odds.

We help students beat the admissions odds. Learn how.

What’s going on with Legacy Admissions?

California isn’t the only place that the role of legacy in admissions, especially to elite universities, is in question. , students and experts are asking if a legacy admissions approach is in the best interest of the schools they love. Many say no. Legacy admissions may reduce economic and racial diversity.

Others say yes, that getting rid of legacy admissions does have a negative impact on student experience and the health of the university. Legacy admissions, they argue, nurtures strong alumni networks that benefit everyone at a given school, not just the legacies. It is a community building tool, they argue.

 At Stanford, this argument was considered fact, at least until this past fall. Now, there’s nothing pro-legacy advocates can do. The decision has been made for the school. Stanford cannot legally practice legacy admissions, so they are not permitted to take an applicant’s legacy status into account when making an admissions decision.

This has left legacy applicants and their family members asking: “Ack, what do I do then?!” Well, below we break it down.

What Should You Do?

Legacy had power at Stanford. Now, students and their families cannot necessarily lean on it. This is what to spend your time on instead of stressing about the lost legacy advantage.

For the Family Member: It may be a bummer, but legally, legacy can’t sway admissions anymore. We recommend that Stanford graduates with kids applying to the university support their student in pursuing their passions as deeply as they can. Stanford cares a lot about direction, commitment, and passion. Talking about wanting to do something doesn’t go a long way with Stanford — taking action does.

For the Applicant: Applicants to Stanford need to do a few things to make their application stand out. These were important when legacy advantage was in play, and are even more important now.

Grades + Scores

To get into Stanford, a student’s grades need to be spectacular. While Stanford does not have minimums, they do expect students to be exceptional. There are so many students with such high GPAs and scores applying to Stanford that anything much less than perfect stands out in a bad way.  

For your GPA, you’re aiming a 4.0 — or higher.

For your SAT or ACT, it’s basically the same kind of situation. You want in each section as you can get to. Like with grades, there is SAT or ACT score for consideration, but functionally there is. Stanford is, once again, requiring standardized tests as part of the application process. Simply not sending scores is not an option. So, study.

Extracurriculars

If you have the grades and the scores, the most important tool for setting an application apart from the pack is what happens outside of the classroom. Stanford looks for applicants who are singular. They don’t want copycats, so looking at what has helped someone else get into Stanford isn’t the answer. Students need to follow their passion as far as they can take it, which might mean independent research, an internship, employment in the field, starting a business, or teaching others. What’s most important isn’t what you are into, but that you are truly committed and focused — and, of course, that it is something that you could study at Stanford.

Apply Early

Typically, we tell legacy applicants that they need to apply early to make the most of the legacy advantage. Here, obviously, that needs to be worded differently. Students shouldn’t apply early because of legacy, but they do need to apply early.

The overall acceptance rate for Stanford is less than 4%. However, this is an average of the early and regular decision acceptance rates. Like most colleges, Stanford accepts a higher percentage of applicants early than they do regular decision. So, if you want to get in you must apply early.

In the fall of 2024, Stanford was required to take legacy off the table when considering an applicant. For students who were betting on a legacy advantage when they applied, this is a bummer. But that isn’t a reason to be discouraged. Instead, double down on the things that make you stand out and focus on the aspects of your application that are in your control.

Applying to college is stressful. We make it simple. Learn how.

Legacy admissions have become a national talking point, and at UNC, legacy status is not a formal admissions factor. But that doesn’t mean your connection to the university doesn’t matter. It just means you’ll need to make an even stronger case for yourself through your academics, activities, and personal story. So, let’s talk about what it takes to stand out as a UNC legacy.

What’s up with Legacy Admissions?

After the affirmative action Supreme Court decision, legacy admissions are the next up on the chopping block. According to , a lot of colleges have undertaken this on their own, with schools utilizing legacy admissions decisions being cut in half over the last decade. Even still, some states like California, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, and Virginia have introduced legislation to either ban or highly restrict legacy admissions.

UNC claims to not consider legacy in their admissions decisions, but the hot goss around town is that at least 20% of their student body is made up of legacy students. Now, we could look at that and say, “Well, maybe most UNC grads stay in North Carolina after graduation, and their kids are just applying to the best public university in the state.” But we’re a little more cynical than that. Legacy students, typically, are able to pay for college outright, and that factor matters more than you might think, especially for out-of-state applicants.

The fact of the matter is, the majority of legacy applicants, at any school, are not getting into their parents’ alma maters. But whether UNC cares about your legacy status or not (or secretly cares), our advice to you will be the same. Let’s dive into what you can do to stand out as a legacy applicant. 

What Can You Do?

Look, even if UNC did reaaaally care about legacy, you would not get into UNC if you had a bad resume and applicant profile. Our advice to legacies, whether the school officially counts it or not, is to have an application that could get into UNC regardless. You need to have an undeniable profile, so let’s get into what that means for you.

Grades

At UNC, legacy status doesn’t guarantee anything – but we think it’s fair to assume it does set certain expectations. When admissions sees that your parents are alumni, especially if they’ve used their UNC education to become successful, they’ll assume you’ve had access to strong academic support, whether that’s elite schools, private tutoring, or other educational advantages. That’s why nearly every legacy applicant we work with has close to a perfect GPA. To compete, you need to be doing more than just “well” in school – you need to be taking the hardest classes available and excelling in them.

Acceptance Rates for the Class of 2028

Scores

UNC is remaining for the future:

“For students applying for the 2025-2026 academic year, students with a weighted GPA of 2.8 or above (on a 4.0 scale) are not required to submit a test score. Students with a weighted GPA below 2.8 (on a 4.0 scale) are required to submit either an ACT or SAT score.”

Our note on this is that according to last year’s data, 0% of applicants with a 3.25 GPA or less were admitted. That does not mean it is okay to not submit scores. You should always submit test scores when you can, because it adds another undeniable factor to your application. Also, you may notice that UNC’s middle-50 data is lower than you might have thought, but we know from experience that for out-of-state students, you need a 34 or 1500+ to be competitive – even higher for their most competitive majors.

Extracurriculars

Having a leadership title or joining a handful of clubs might look good on paper, but it’s not enough to impress UNC. If you claim to be passionate about public health, journalism, or computer science, your application needs to show it. That means taking action outside the classroom: think research, community involvement, internships, personal projects – something that backs up your interests with real experience. This applies to every field, from the humanities to STEM. For legacy students especially, we recommend starting early, freshman year if possible, to build a focused, authentic narrative that highlights both passion and follow-through.

Apply Early

UNC does not offer early decision, but they do offer early action. If you’re serious about UNC, you need to apply early. Note to the wise: they are one of the first applications due every year, typically on October 15th. While this decision is not binding, it does signal to UNC that you a) have the drive and initiative to get their app done first and b) that you have a heightened level of interest in the school.

Stay Involved

Let’s talk to the parents for a second. If UNC is where you once called home and you're hoping your child will do the same, simply checking the alumni box won’t do anything for you. What we’ve seen work time and again? Families who stay actively engaged – volunteering, attending events, mentoring, or otherwise staying connected to the Carolina community. Even though legacy status isn’t part of UNC’s formal admissions criteria, that kind of meaningful involvement can help reinforce your family’s genuine connection to the school. If you're serious about UNC, it’s worth showing that commitment, loud and clear.

If you're a UNC legacy and truly aiming for admission, your application has to be exceptional across the board. Rigorous coursework with top grades, a strong academic record, and a track record of involvement that reflects real initiative are non-negotiable. With tens of thousands of applicants and limited spots, especially for out-of-state students, there's no room for weak links. Legacy or not, your application needs to stand on its own.

If you need help crafting an application that helps you stand out among the crowd, reach out to us today. We can help.

Yale is a top choice for Ivy hopefuls – and with a 3.9% acceptance rate last cycle, it’s also one of the toughest to get into. If you’re looking for a strategic angle for your application, you might be considering applying early. Yale doesn’t offer Early Decision, but rather something called Restricted Early Action (REA). In a lot of ways, it’s functionally the same, but there are a few key differences. We don’t loooove REA, for reasons we will get into, but we do love that if you apply and get accepted, you’ll have your acceptance letter in hand before winter break senior year. No endless waiting, no guessing games.Let’s break down why REA can be a smart move, and what you need to do to make the most of it.

What is REA at yale?

Quick definition time! Restricted Early Action is a non-binding admissions decision, but it’s a little more complicated than that. REA is very non-committal for Yale, but requires almost more commitment from you. At Yale, applying REA means you cannot apply Early Decision to any other school or Early Action to any other private university. You are, however, free to apply EA to public universities. Since it’s non-binding, we get to incorporate some fun game theory – if you’re rejected or deferred, you might be relying on EA at a public school, and those decisions typically come out later, like February, but most ED2 schools are due the same time as RD, in early January. This can make for some interesting decision trees, especially if your other top options are public schools like UC Berkeley, Michigan, UNC, UT Austin, etc. We find these strategy conversations fun, and we take a data-driven approach with our clients.

Schools love early admissions because it boosts their yield—the percentage of admitted students who actually enroll. When you apply early, you’re signaling that they’re your top choice, and that makes them more likely to say yes. If you have the stats to get into Yale, applying REA is your best strategic choice for getting accepted to Yale outside of sports or legacy status.

The vast majority of our clients get in early, and 100% of our long-term clients get into one of their top three schools. If you think you want to apply early to Yale, reach out to us today.

If you’re serious about Yale and are qualified, then applying REA is going to give you the best chance of admission. It’s a strategic choice we think you should take.

Why Should I REA?

We love early admission because it takes a huge weight off your shoulders. Instead of waiting until spring to know where (or, heaven forbid, if) you’re going to college, you have a good shot of knowing before you even head off for winter break. That’s pretty nice.

Let’s start by saying that Yale is hard to get into. It’s an Ivy, after all. In 2024, Yale’s RD acceptance rate was 3% (yeesh), while their REA acceptance rate was about 14%. This doesn’t mean you’re 4x as likely to get into Yale, but it does mean applying early can give you a pretty nice boost.

That said, applying early to Yale only helps if you already have the kind of stats that could get you into Yale. What do we mean by that? REA won’t magically make up for a low GPA, average test scores, an undecided major, or a weak extracurricular list. Yale’s early applicant pool is incredibly competitive, and while applying early does show serious commitment, it only works if the rest of your application is already strong.

What Can You Do to increase your chance at yale rea?

If you want a real shot at Yale, your application needs to be bulletproof. This isn’t something you can start to prepare for in the fall of senior year, because your journey to Yale started the moment you stepped into high school. The truth is, successful Yale REA applicants bring years of consistent excellence to the table. So let’s talk about what you can do for the factors you can control.

Grades

We work with students every year who apply early to Yale, and one thing is always true: their transcripts are spotless. Straight As, top of their class. And that tracks, because most students who get into Yale have near-perfect (or just straight-up perfect) academic records.

If you’re aiming to make it past the first round of review with the Yale admissions committee, there’s no shortcut. You need to take the hardest courses your school offers and get amazing grades. Straight As aren’t just impressive. They’re expected.

Scores

Yale now from all applicants. They say the policy is “test flexible,” which means AP and IB scores are accepted, but we don’t think that’s a successful strategy. For the best shot at success, you need to take the SAT or ACT, and you need to aim for the highest score you can get.

Yale reinstated standardized testing (along with a few other Ivies) because the data is clear: strong test scores are one of the best predictors of college success. If you apply REA without an SAT or ACT score, you’re more than likely hurting yourself in the process.

Extracurriculars

You’ve got leadership titles, varsity letters, and volunteer hours. On paper, you think it looks solid, but it won’t cut it for Yale. It’s just noise if there’s no real direction behind it – they might impressive, but they also might not be the right thing for you to spend your time on. Top schools aren’t interested in a greatest-hits list of high school roles, and generic involvement doesn’t move the needle anymore. Yale is looking for students who’ve carved out a niche, pursued it with intention, and can show why it matters to them.

If you say you’re passionate about computer science, but there’s no sign of that interest beyond your report card, i.e., no coding projects, no hackathons, no summer programs, no internships, admissions officers aren’t going to take you seriously. If you’re aiming for CS and you’re not involved in things like robotics, app development, competitive programming, or building your own tech-focused projects, it’s going to feel like a surface-level interest. And the same logic applies across the board – whether your intended major is political science, biology, or history.

If Yale is your dream school, you can’t afford to wait until junior year to get serious. The strongest applicants start early – freshman or sophomore year at the latest. That gives us time to help you craft a clear, compelling story, supported by real experiences that align with your goals.

Essays

The summer before senior year is when we start on the essays. You need to write a standout Common App essay, something original, thoughtful, and memorable. Yale, in particular, gravitates toward essays that are unique and creative, and we’ve helped students write exactly those kinds of pieces year after year.

Once your Common App is polished, it’s time to tackle the Yale supplements. Their prompts cover a wide range, from your academic passions to your role in your community to your personality. You need to illustrate the overlap between you and Yale so that they know you’re a perfect match. You want your essays to be dynamic and have depth. We absolutely love working on the Yale supplements with students because of how interesting some of their prompts are.

Numbers aren’t enough to get you into Yale. What they really want are students who will contribute to the culture and thrive in their community. That’s where your supplemental essays come in: they’re your chance to show you’re not just qualified, but a true fit.

Apply Early

We mean, obviously. If you are a qualified applicant, you should apply Early. We can help determine if this is a good strategy for you.

Work With Us

The students who start early with us see the easiest and most incredible outcomes. Most of our clients have their college decisions locked in by mid-December, and our long-term students get into one of their top three schools every time.

We know what top-tier schools like Yale are looking for, and we know how to help you get there. We can help with every step, from building a resume that reflects genuine passion and commitment to writing excellent standout essays. If you're aiming for Yale and want to submit an application that truly stands out, we’re here to make that happen.

With a 3% regular decision acceptance rate, applying to Yale REA is one of the most strategic moves you can make, especially if it’s your clear top choice and you have the qualifications for it. Don’t just gamble on submitting all your applications RD, we know that won’t work.

If your grades, scores, and resume put you in Yale-range, there’s no reason not to go for it early. When used wisely, REA can give you a real edge.

Need help strategizing or working on your Yale REA application? Reach out to us today.

Want even more help planning for college? Reach out today!

Explore What You’re Interested In

During your freshman year, you need to zero in on what you hope to study. STEM is a big field, and ideally, you should already have an inkling of what you are interested in. If you already know you are interested in engineering, take some time to learn the difference between biomedical engineering and mechanical engineering. Or if you love “science,” ask yourself, “Am I more of a biology, chemistry, or physics person?” The more specific you can get, the better; for example, we would always prefer a student who knows they want to study Environmental Science with a minor in Computer Science because they hope to explore how software can model climate change than someone who “IDK likes Bio and wants to do STEM.”

Finding your specific academic niche (aka your particular scholarly interests) takes work. You want to learn as much as possible. We highly recommend reading some books. Make your own reading list! We know what you might be thinking, “Books? I am not an English major.” Trust us: colleges want students who read during their free time, whether they are studying history or biology. And yes, there are books about math! You can supplement your reading list with journal articles, podcasts, and even news sources. We also love online classes. There are a ton of pre-tapped, often free, classes that you can take online. These are a great way to learn more about subjects you are passionate about. Remember: the point of freshman year is to start to figure out levels of specificity within a niche. And the easiest way to get a taste of a bunch of things is to read.

Do Well in School

We probably don’t need to tell you this, but you must do well in school. While freshmen usually don’t have a ton of options when it comes to choosing classes, you should also take the most challenging courses you can. You need to do well in all your classes, not just the STEM courses.

Freshman year can be an adjustment. Your classes might be harder than they were in middle school. If you feel yourself falling behind, be proactive! Go to tutoring, sign up for office hours, or make a study group.

Extracurriculars

Get involved in extracurriculars that connect to your academic interests. A great way to start is by joining clubs. If you are interested in math, join the Mathletes. If you are more of an engineering person, join the robotics team. Most schools should have (at least) a somewhat related club to what you hope to study. However, if yours doesn’t, think about starting one.  

Often, STEM students also volunteer as tutors either at their school, a community center, or local middle schools. This is another great way to get involved. You can also look for related events and competitions such as hack-a-thons, science olympiads, or science fairs.

The most important thing is to get involved outside of class. Don’t just sign up for a bunch of clubs randomly. Instead, choose a couple that you can commit to and grow with.

Summer Plans

This is another subject we have a whole blog about. Honestly, when working with freshmen, we focus a lot of energy on crafting an excellent summer plan. Students are generally less busy in the summer, and it's a couple of months where the sky's the limit. If you don’t know where to start, we recommend looking at summer programs at colleges. Many colleges offer summer programming for high school students, and it's the perfect way to start building a history of academic engagement outside of school. These programs vary in the classes they offer, dates, and cost. Find a program that works for you. If you don’t know where to start, we can help!

Outside of programs, you can also look for job shadows. While most internships/jobs are looking for slightly older candidates, job shadows are a great way to get your foot in the door. Reach out to your local network and see if there are opportunities for you to learn more about jobs in the STEM fields.

It's never too early to start planning for college. We know it's a long way away, but taking these first steps will set you on the path to success. A little strategizing early on can make all the difference, so don’t drag your feet!

Talk with a dedicated counselor today! Contact us here.

Does UChicago care about legacy? Maybe! It’s complicated! We’ll get into that in a moment. But, with this uncertainty, you might be wondering how can you make the most of it? Let’s walk you through how to align your academic record, personal narrative, and extracurriculars to reflect the values UChicago is known for, and how to make your legacy connection feel like a meaningful part of your story, not just a footnote.

What’s up with Legacy Admissions?

Legacy admissions have found themselves in the national spotlight – and not in a flattering way. After the Varsity Blues scandal and the Supreme Court’s decision re: affirmative action, legacy has become the next big issue. Over the past decade, the number of colleges giving legacy applicants a leg up has been cut in half, according to Forbes. In some states, like California, Colorado, Maryland, and Virginia, lawmakers have gone so far as to extremely limit or ban the practice altogether. In Illinois, for public colleges and universities in 2024, so not UChicago.

Despite the growing criticism, legacy still plays a role at several elite institutions. Universities like Notre Dame, Duke, and Georgetown continue to give it meaningful weight in their admissions process. Others, like MIT and Johns Hopkins, have taken a different route – eliminating legacy consideration entirely in the name of ‘promoting more equitable admissions.’

So, does UChicago care about legacy? Let’s look at the factors they consider in admissions:

Huh. That’s weird. They literally do not fill out that part. A search of their admissions site also reveals about legacy.

In 2019, listed UChicago as a school that �徱���’t care about legacy, but from experience, we know that isn’t true. Legacy at UChicago is not meaningless, per se, but it’s not going to help you like it would at a school like Duke. There is a place to denote your legacy status on a UChicago app, but they do not explicitly state whether or not this is a positive boost on your application. In times like these, it’s best to assume that legacy is not going to be the thing that tips the scales for you, but that doesn’t mean you’re out of luck.

What Can You Do?

The truth of the matter is that the vast majority of legacy applicants will not get into UChicago, just like how the vast majority of applicants overall won’t get into UChicago. UChicago expects all applicants, including those with family ties, to meet the same rigorous academic and personal standards. And given that legacy students often come from well-resourced backgrounds, there’s even more pressure to prove you’ve made the most of your opportunities. That means top-tier grades, impressive test scores, and a set of extracurriculars that reflect real curiosity, impact, and intellectual depth.

Grades

We’ve worked with plenty of UChicago legacy applicants over the years, and there’s a clear pattern: nearly all of them have flawless academic records – think straight As in the most challenging classes their schools offer. Many come from environments where academic support and enrichment opportunities are the norm, not the exception. And UChicago expects students with backgrounds that include private schools and tutors to capitalize on those advantages. Last cycle, 97% of admitted UChicago students were in the top 10% of their class. You cannot slouch.

Class Rank of the Class of 2028:

Scores

UChicago is test optional, and they claim to have a “no harm” testing policy, which they define as this:

“Submitting an SAT or ACT is optional and not required for admission. In addition to being test-optional, UChicago practices a “No Harm” policy for application review when considering SAT or ACT scores. Any SAT or ACT score submitted will only be used in review if it will positively affect an applicant’s chance of admission. Test scores that may negatively impact an admission decision will not be considered in review. All applicants including domestic students, international students, and transfer students will be reviewed under this policy.”

We have a very, very high success rate with UChicago, and the students who get in are the ones a) submitting test scores and b) submitting only 35+ and 1550+, even higher is better. As a legacy, you need to have an undeniable application, and submitting a very high test score is an easy way to be undeniable.

Extracurriculars

At UChicago, a scattered, packed activities list or a solitary leadership title won’t carry much weight on its own – especially if you’re applying as a legacy. What really stands out is a focused, authentic narrative. If you say you’re passionate about economics but your involvement ends with a class and a club, that’s not going to make the cut. UChicago looks for evidence of intellectual curiosity in action: research, independent studies, competitions, creative projects – something that proves you’ve gone beyond the classroom. That’s why we work with legacy students early, often starting in 9th grade, to help them develop a strong, cohesive story, one that reflects genuine interest and sets them apart in a sea of highly qualified peers.

Apply Early

If UChicago is at the top of your list and you’re a legacy applicant, applying early is the smartest move you can make. While legacy status doesn’t guarantee anything, applying early shows the admissions team that you're serious, and not taking advantage of UChicago’s numerous early admissions options and applying RD will null and void any bonus that legacy might offer you.

UChicago’s acceptance rates are highly competitive across the board, but the early pool tends to offer slightly better odds. Submitting early is one of the few levers you can control – and it sends the message that UChicago is your first choice.

Stay Involved

Parents, if your dream is to see your child carry on the UChicago tradition, your involvement matters. It’s not just about checking the alumni box on the application. The legacy families who see the strongest results are the ones who stay actively engaged with the university long after graduation, which might mean participating in alumni interviews, contributing consistently, or serving on a volunteer board. Admissions takes note of that ongoing relationship! Even if they act like they don’t!

If UChicago is the goal, showing that your connection to the university is current and meaningful, not just a fond memory, can help reinforce your child’s application. We’re happy to help you think through the best ways to show that commitment.

As a legacy applicant to UChicago, your application needs to be nothing short of outstanding. There’s no wiggle room here – academic excellence, standout test scores, and extracurriculars that show real depth and focus are must-haves. Legacy status might offer a slight nudge, but it won’t make up for an application that isn’t already compelling. Your goal? Make the decision easy. Show UChicago you’re not just another well-connected applicant, you’re the kind of student they can’t afford to turn down.

If you need help crafting an application that helps you stand out among the crowd, reach out to us today. We can help.

Want a bespoke plan made by a top college counselor? It’s what we do. Reach out today!

Explore What You’re Interested In

It is essential to find your niche. Business is too broad. Maybe you are fascinated by operations, or real estate is your jam. Perhaps you dream about accounting or are all about finance. You need to know what area of business is best for you. A great first step, if you have no idea where to start, is looking at business schools and seeing what types of majors they offer.

To truly find your niche, you will have to learn as much about “business” as possible. There are many ways to do this, but we recommend starting by reading some books. Yes, books. You can supplement this with podcasts, newspapers, magazines, etc., but books are essential. Many young people don’t read outside of school, and colleges hate to see that… yes, even business programs.

Once you have an idea of what subject of business you are interested in, we also love online classes. There are a lot of pre-tapped, often free, online classes out there. These are a great resource to start learning more about your niche. You can look at sites like Coursera for courses on many different business topics. The point of this initial process is to start to articulate preference curves, because we want to find a niche and build you into an expert.

Do Well in School

This is kind of a ‘no duh’ moment, but it's important to say it: to get into a great college, you must do well in high school. Grades are the most important factor in college admissions. If you are interested in business, you should especially push yourself in your math classes. You should also take any electives that align with your area of interest within business. Business uses a lot of math and numbers. Try to take the most advanced math courses you can.  While most freshmen don’t have many choices when it comes to what classes they can take, if you can take any related courses like economics, it's another great idea.

The TL;DR is to take the most challenging classes available to you and do well in them. However, if you find yourself struggling, you need to get on top of it. The minute you feel yourself slipping, you need to get a tutor, go to office hours, or start a study group.

Extracurriculars

The main takeaway with extracurriculars is to start getting involved as quickly as possible. Check to see if your school has any relevant clubs. Popular ones usually include entrepreneurship, finance, mock stock, or econ clubs. If your school doesn’t have a related club, think about starting your own!

You can also do a job shadow, write a business column for the school paper or even plan out your own side hustle. Your job over the next four years is going to be to take on responsibility and show leadership in your extracurriculars, but you can’t do that until you start them.

Summer Plans

When we work with freshmen, a big part of our job is helping them craft an excellent summer plan. Summer is usually when students are the least busy and can spend more time building a great resume. For freshmen, we generally recommend applying for summer programs at colleges. Colleges like Brown, NYU, UCLA, Georgetown, and many others offer summer classes and programs for high schoolers. These are great opportunities to learn more about business and related subjects. If you need help finding programs or applying, we can help!

We also love it when students do job shadowing, internships, or summer jobs. Not all of these opportunities will be available for freshmen, but it is never too early to start looking into opportunities and making a plan.

Freshman year is just the start, but it's your chance to start on the right foot. For those interested in business, you should already be exploring your academic interests and getting involved in your community. We know it can feel like a lot, but strategizing is what we do, and if you are lost, (again) we can help!

Start crafting a great college application strategy today! Contact us here. ex

Legacy admissions, or the practice of giving preference to applicants with a family connection to a university, has long been a standard of most top-tier colleges and universities in the United States. However, that standard has been shaken up in recent years. of legacy admissions practices was further heightened following the Supreme Court decision striking down affirmative action. This has meant that some colleges are deprioritizing legacy, and others are doing away with legacy admissions altogether.

This is not the case at Notre Dame. Instead, Notre Dame has doubled down on the role of legacy admissions in their admissions process. In this post, we’re going to dive into the history and role of legacy admissions at Notre Dame, and what applicants (and their families) absolutely must be doing to take full advantage of the boost that legacy offers.

At Notre Dame, legacy admissions are a deep tradition with very real benefits for applicants with a family connection to the university. So, if an applicant with a legacy connection to Notre Dame wants to get in this is the step-by-step guide you must follow.

We help top students achieve outstanding outcomes when applying to their dream schools. Learn More.

What’s going on with Legacy Admissions?

Notre Dame is highly committed to legacy admissions. In an August 2023 interview, Micki Kidder, Vice President for Undergraduate Enrollment, underlined why the university gives special attention to legacy applicants. “Notre Dame alumni are deeply devoted….,” , “This dedication is something we greatly value and we don’t want to ignore it.”

The devotion truly does run deep among the Notre Dame alumni. A very high percentage of alumni make financial contributions to the university, more than almost any other elite research university. 

There is also statistical strategy involved. Notre Dame, like all top schools, wants a high yield rate — they want as high a percentage as possible of accepted students to pick Notre Dame over any other options they might have. of admitted legacies pick Notre Dame, while the yield rate for non-legacy applicants is about 50%. So, admitting legacies offers layered benefits. 

Ultimately, legacy admissions is Notre Dame’s thank you to the community that makes what the university is and does possible, and of first-year admits are legacies. But that they don’t admit unqualified applicants, even if they are a legacy. So, students who are legacies must have a strong application. It’s a balance between “recognizing and appreciating the dedication of alumni children,” t “never placing an unfair advantage to those individuals.” Below, we break down what that requires.

What Should You Do?  

“Being a legacy does not equal admission,” the Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Notre Dame in their own admissions podcast. It is not an easy route into the university. Every student must earn their spot. While legacy gives an application additional attention, you need to prove that you deserve it to get an acceptance.  

Below, we’ll go into the three things students need to do to get that attention, as well as what families should do to support their legacy applicants. And you should note that, at Notre Dame, legacy a parent — not a grandparent, not an aunt, and not a sibling.

For the Family Member: As we just said, you must be a parent of the applicant. If you are not a parent of the applicant, this is not a legacy situation, and the applicant will not receive the benefits of being a legacy.

If you are the parent, there are a few things you need to be doing.

First, donate regularly.  

Next, you need to be involved with the school beyond writing a check. Attend alumni events, and look for opportunities to engage on campus. Based on your career, there may be chances to volunteer as a speaker for a student event or course, or to guest judge a competition on campus. Ultimately, you want to be present.  

Finally, you need to step back. Pestering the admissions office with emails or calls about your child is not helpful. In fact, it can undermine a strong application. Instead, focus on supporting your child in doing their best, most authentic work.

For the Applicant: There are three things legacy applicants need to do to strengthen their application.

Grades

Notre Dame expects a lot. While there is “no minimum grade point average or class rank required,” they warn prospective applicants that “up against the best and the brightest in the world.” So, what’s next?

There are three key things they look for on a transcript:

• High grades

• Rigorous courses

• High class rank

These are non-negotiable for Notre Dame. They want to see every applicant, legacy or not, achieving at a high level in the most difficult courses they have access to, especially in their prospective area of study. A high class rank confirms that a student is truly a stand-out, and not benefiting from an inflated transcript.

You need to be pushing yourself, and not trying to float through on the legacy advantage. If it feels to admissions like you don’t have your foot on the gas, they’ll reject you. And, obviously, that is not the goal.

Students should also the suggested, and sometimes required, course distributions to ensure that they are eligible for their prospective program. For example, students intending on pursing certain majors are required to have taken four unite of mathematics, including an advanced course such as pre-calculus or calculus.

Class Rank of the Class of 2028 

Scores

Notre Dame has applicants to submit scores in recent years, a decision stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. This may change soon, but for now students can apply without submitting an ACT or SAT score. However, that doesn’t mean that legacy applicants should stop studying or skip sending scores in.

Just like with course selection and grades, Notre Dame wants to see students that are pushing themselves. Strong standardized test scores are a great way to spotlight focus and dedication. For the Class of 2028 and Class of 2027, were a 1500 or above on the SAT or a 34 or above on the ACT. These are not cut-offs, but they are something to aim for.  

Extracurriculars

As a Catholic university rooted in faith, Notre Dame cares about service and caring for your community in an ongoing way. One off service trips or missions do not make a strong impact on an application, as so many of the applicants have done these types of short-term experiences.

Instead, the admissions team wants to see students who are aware that they are part of something bigger than themselves, and who are passionate about supporting those around them in achieving great things.

And, of course, leadership is important.

They would rather see quality over quantity when it comes to what an applicant does outside of the application. So instead of packing your days with things just to fill time, do less but deeper. So, we recommend that our students try to pursue activities that can become long-term commitments with potential for a leadership role. If you can’t become a leader in something, it may not be worth putting on your application.

Apply Early

The final step literally comes last: apply early. Legacy matters at Notre Dame, but it matters more if you apply early. The restrictive early action acceptance rate in was just a hair under 15%, or about 3% higher than the overall acceptance rate. The regular decision acceptance rate that same year was only 8.7%. So, if a student wants to get into Notre Dame, they need to apply early — and that is especially true for legacy applicants.  

Getting into Notre Dame as a legacy isn’t simple. The application needs to be strong, legacy or not. Planning ahead and approaching the application process with a clear strategy is crucial to pulling off an acceptance.

Being a legacy isn’t a free pass. We help students make the most of the advantages they have to get into their dream colleges and universities. Learn more.

UT Austin (and all UT’s) haven’t utilized legacy admissions since the mid-90s, but that doesn’t mean being a legacy hurts you. Generations of families have been Longhorns before, and you can too – so let’s talk about what you need to do to have the strongest application possible.

What’s up with Legacy Admissions?

After the Supreme Court decision on affirmative action, legacy admissions have come under a lot of scrutiny – but at UT, it’s not a factor. The state of Texas actually banned “affirmative action” for public universities back in the 90s, and legacy admission was folded into that. UT also has auto-admission for public school students in the top 6% of their graduating class (it was 10% prior to 2018, but the second-most populated state has a lot of kids in public school, as you can imagine), and in a lot of ways, that can work in your favor as a legacy.

Here’s what UT about legacy:

“Does UT-Austin consider legacy status for children of alumni? 

No. That is against state law.

Managing the admissions process at the public flagship University of Texas is a tremendous responsibility. Each day, I witness the transformative educational experience here on campus, and this institution’s ability to unlock student potential. My focus is to ensure we meet our public obligation to all Texans by recruiting and admitting talented students from across the state in accordance with the law and in meeting the high standards we have set.” 

Well, you might be thinking you’re out of luck, but you’re not. Because legacy isn’t a factor, you need to be one of those “talented students” they’re talking about. Let’s get into it.

What Can You Do?

A lot of families think UT Austin should be a safety school for their kids – and if you attend a public school in Texas and are in the top 6% of your class, then yes, it’s a safety for you. But if that doesn’t apply to you, it’s almost certainly not. If you are out of state, interested in their top business, communications, or various honors programs, or attend private school, UT is very competitive. It’s considered an extremely top-tier public university and is often grouped with other “public Ivies” like Berkeley, UCLA, Michigan, UNC, and UVA.

Now, let’s talk about what you can do to stand out as a legacy without that legacy boost.

Grades

Each year, we work with the children of Longhorns who want to follow in their parents’ footsteps, and most of them have near-perfect GPAs. That’s not shocking – a lot of legacy students come from environments with access to top-tier schools, academic coaching, and well-connected extracurricular opportunities. If you want to stand out in this crowd, the formula is simple: take the most challenging classes your school offers and aim for straight As. If you’re at public school, that’s an easy way to auto-admission, and if you’re not, that’s the baseline.

Scores

Starting in fall of 2025, applicants to UT . A lot of colleges have brought this back recently, but we’re surprised to see a public university like UT follow in the footsteps of Ivies on this one.

UT is pretty coy with their testing stats, and they have been for a while – but we can tell you from experience that you need to have a 1500+ or 34+ to be a competitive applicant – higher, even, if you’re out of state or shooting for their more competitive programs and schools, like McCombs.

Extracurriculars

Look, being in a few clubs or leading your soccer team to the state champs is not enough. If you claim you're passionate about government or public policy but haven’t volunteered on a campaign, attended a leadership program, or done anything hands-on, your application won’t make much of an impact. The same goes for any major – communications, engineering, business, biology – you’ve got to show, not just tell. That’s why we work with UT legacy hopefuls as early as freshman year, helping them build a track record of real engagement that supports their story.

Apply Early

If UT Austin is your top choice – especially as a legacy – applying early is a smart strategic move. While UT doesn’t offer Early Decision, applying through the priority deadline sends a clear message: you’re serious. In such a competitive admissions landscape, showing strong interest matters. Submitting early, with a polished, intentional application, helps reinforce that commitment and puts you in the best possible position from the start.

If you’re a UT Austin legacy and seriously aiming to get in, your application needs to be bulletproof. That means perfect grades, solid test scores, and activities that show real drive and direction. Your goal? Leave no doubt in the admissions office’s mind that you’re ready to be a Longhorn.

If you need help crafting an application that helps you stand out among the crowd, reach out to us today. We can help.

In the Fall of 2024, it was announced that of students in the first-year Class of 2028 were children of alumni, also known as legacies. Later, in the Daily Princetonian’s fourth annual Frosh Survey, they shared that the legacy percentage was as high as when including siblings, grandparents, and other family members.  Princeton has a long tradition of prioritizing legacy applicants. In this post, we’re going to dig into legacy admissions, the role that legacy admissions play at Princeton, and what potential Princeton legacy applicants absolutely must do to strengthen their application ahead of submitting.

Getting into an exceptional college requires a strong strategy — even if you are a legacy. Get yours.

What’s going on with Legacy Admissions?

Legacy has become increasingly contentious, especially for elite universities like Princeton. With the Supreme Court striking down affirmative action, many schools have disavowed legacy admissions practices, but top schools like Princeton continue to practice it. In fact, in March of 2024 the university publicly that they would continue “to consider the legacy status of applicants as a factor in its undergraduate admission decisions.” The Princeton board that legacy preference “functions as a tie-breaker between equally well-qualified applicants,” but that most legacy applicants – 70% or so — are rejected.

For Princeton, legacy plays an important role in the admissions process. In a 2023 opinion piece in the New York Times, Princeton Professor Shamus Khan wrote that, in 2018, the acceptance rate for legacies at Princeton was six times that of non-legacy applicants. Professor Khan goes on to argue that the legacy admissions system has a lot of problems, including racial and socio-economic bias. However, legacy policies at Princeton persist and we believe strongly in helping students to get every boost they have access to as they strive to get into their dream school. So, in this post we explain what legacy applicants to Princeton must do given the long-standing bias towards legacy that the Princeton admissions team continues to practice today.

What Should You Do?

When applying to college as a legacy, it’s important to remember that both the student and their family member who is an alumni have a role to play.

For the Family Member: The truth of legacy at Princeton is that it matters, and it can be the difference maker for an applicant, but most legacy applicants to Princeton are still rejected. If a family wants legacy to be a tie-breaker in a good way, though, there are a few things the alumnus can do. First, be involved. This is not just donating. You don’t need us to break down the role money plays in admissions. Here we are talking about good ole’ fashioned face time. Reach out to offer your time to speak to classes, judge student competitions, or to help organize alumni events. Give us a call if you want to chat about this! 

Finally, you need to support your kid. The stats on getting into Princeton are rough even with the legacy advantage. It’s important to be there for the applicant throughout, and to make it clear to them that they are valued and loved, and will have a fabulous future, regardless of the outcome with Princeton.

For the Applicant: Most important to this whole process, though, is what the student who is applying is doing to prepare in advance of the application deadline. Below, we’ve broken it down into four key areas.

Grades

We can’t beat around the bush. To get into Princeton, your grades need to be awesome. who get into Princeton have a 4.0. Princeton doesn’t actually have a minimum GPA to be considered for acceptance, but statistics tell us that there is, functionally, a minimum. The transcript is the most important first impression. In order to get the admissions officers to really consider an applicant, the grades need to be there to make a positive impression. If not a 4.0, the GPA must be above a 3.8 to be seriously considered — even as a legacy applicant.

GPA Distribution of the Class of 2028

Scores

When you are applying to Princeton as a legacy, your standardized test scores need to be . The middle 50% — note middle — on the math section of the SAT for the Class of 2028 was 770-800. The middle 50% SAT score on the evidence-based reading and writing section was 740-780. On the ACT, the middle 50% was 34-35 for the accepted and enrolled Class of 2028.

Now, it is important to note that Princeton was also test-optional for the 2023-2024 application cycle, so the stats are likely skewed upwards. The year prior, 77% of accepted and enrolled students had sent in scores. Applicants who �徱���’t have high scores most likely �徱���’t send them, so the averages are based on the best of the best.  

As of this moment, Princeton test optional through the 2024-2025 application cycle, and there is no minimum test score to be considered. We highly recommend that legacy applicants submit test scores, but we also advise students to not submit scores that are below the middle 50% of recently accepted students as long as Princeton remains test-optional. So, the best case scenario is to put in the work ahead of time to achieve high scores. Second best is to not submit scores and instead to make a huge impact with high grades, strong essays, excellent recommendations, and, of course, awesome activities.

Extracurriculars

Community service was the high school extracurricular among accepted students for the Class of 2028, with over 75% of accepted and enrolled first-years prioritizing community service. Other top activities were honors societies and varsity athletics, and academic research. One important extracurricular that often gets overlooked by legacy applicants, though, is employment. Most students who are accepted by Princeton have had a job. This surprises a lot of families, but it’s a big reason why we highly encourage our students to work even, and perhaps especially, if the job isn’t ‘impressive’.

You can work at a summer camp related to your potential major, or get a job at a local restaurant simply to make spending money. You can get a paid internship, or start a lawn service company even if you have no intention of building a lawn care empire.

What you do for a job matters, but it matters less than what you learn. Instead of worrying about sounding ‘impressive,’ focus on finding opportunities to grow, explore, and challenge yourself. Then, write about your experiences. These memories can become the bones of future Princeton essays or supplements.

Apply Early

Princeton doesn’t offer Early Decision, but they do offer a option that is non-binding while still communicating to Princeton that the university is your first choice. We highly recommend that legacy applicants take advantage of the single-choice early action option. If you don’t apply early as a legacy, you risk giving away any advantage that you may have had. That is a silly thing to risk, so don’t do it. Instead, apply early.   

Legacy admissions continues to receive criticism from those both outside of and internal to Princeton, but the university has reinforced their commitment to offering legacy applicants a boost in the admissions process.

We help strong students get into exceptional schools.  

They receive well over 100,000 applications, annually. For first years starting in the fall of 2023, they accepted only For the class of 2028, the number of applications went up by thousands and the overall acceptance rate dropped further to only . For three of the undergraduate colleges, the acceptance rate was less than 5%.

In this post, we’ll break down the landscape surrounding legacy admissions at NYU and what students considering an application to NYU must do if they are a legacy. This includes a fair amount of planning ahead, so don’t wait to get things going until the summer before application deadlines. Instead, start now. 

We help strong students get into exceptional universities through custom application strategies. Get yours.

First, let’s look at the state of legacy admissions and what is going on at NYU in particular.

What’s going on with Legacy Admissions?

Let’s begin with a definition. Legacy is when you have a parent who went to the college, and nearly half of private universities in the US give some level of additional consideration to legacy applicants. Some schools define legacy more broadly, but typically it’s either a parent (or two) who graduated from the school — ideally even from the same undergraduate college within the university, if applicable, you are applying to.

Except, of course, if you are applying to NYU.

The practice of legacy admissions has been under fire for years. Higher education at the elite level is, quite fairly, seen as a world full of hurdles. Jumping over these hurdles requires exceptional focus, determination, and execution. The grades in an application must be great. The scores must be great. The activities must be interesting. The essays must be moving. In short, the applicant must be awesome. But, for some, bloodline also plays a part.  

Some of the most competitive colleges and universities in the country heavily prioritize applicants who are legacies. As awareness of these legacy admissions practices has grown, so has the frustration with them. It’s nice to believe that college admissions is a meritocracy, and then there’s legacy admissions. The whole concept casts a shadow over the meritocracy dream.

When we work with students who have a legacy at a school that practices legacy admissions, we help them make the most of that advantage. But what about NYU?

Again, NYU does not practice legacy admissions. This is not a hypothesis or theory — it’s policy. They write: “…being the relative of an NYU alum is not and has not been a factor we take into consideration in our admissions decision-making.” They continue that, while they are “delighted when the children of alums apply,” the hope that they will enroll if accepted do not play a role in whether they are admitted. “Being the child of an alum is not a factor in our admissions decision-making,” NYU spokesperson Joseph Tirella said in a 2023 interview with NYU’s independent student newspaper the Washington Square News, “we don’t pay heed to legacy status in shaping a class…”

This policy was concretized that same year, in 2023, when NYU removed questions about legacy status and alumni relations from the Common Application, and stopped marking alumni relations as a factor that is “Considered” when reviewing an application.

However, NYU clarified that they had not been giving legacies priority consideration before these changes and the changes were simply to make their policies more transparent to applicants.

What Should You Do?

As NYU take alumni relations, or legacy, into consideration when reviewing an application, legacy students looking to apply need to follow a particular playbook. Below, we break it down.

For the Family Member: Parents who graduated from NYU are often itching to do something to give their kid whatever boost they can. Focus on supporting your kid in their college admissions process by being encouraging and providing the nurturing environment you have surely been cultivating for years. And give us a call.  

For the Applicant: The applicant, unsurprisingly, has more to do.

Grades

Looking at for recently accepted and enrolled first-year students, NYU doesn’t require a 4.0 to get in — but you do have to be close to that. We advise students to achieve a 3.75 or above if they want a chance at an NYU acceptance, and 3.8 or higher for a strong chance that they’ll be offered a seat in the first-year class. However, remember that GPA isn’t everything. Students should strive to get the best grades they can in the hardest courses they have access to, especially those related to a potential area of focus in college.

GPA Distribution of the Class of 2028

Scores NYU test optional when it comes to the SAT or ACT, but this has not become a long-term policy. We highly recommend that all NYU applicants do the work ahead of taking the SAT or ACT to achieve impressive scores that underline an equally impressive transcript.

Can you get into NYU without submitting scores as long as the testing policy is “test optional”? Yes, you can. But it’s a gamble. an impressive application with an SAT over 1500 or an ACT of 34 or above can be a critical tool in any applicant’s toolbelt.

Extracurriculars

NYU loves to see passion. The school is full of artists and innovators, and the admissions team wants to see the seeds of that in the applications that they read. We encourage NYU applicants to pick two areas of deep interest and pursue them through school clubs and student groups, volunteering and service work, and independent work such as research, projects, or creative endeavors.  

Apply Early

NYU received the largest number of early decision applicants for the class of 2028. This capped off a 56% surge in ED applicants across NYU’s degree-granting campuses over a period of 5 years. Applying to NYU ED matters. They want to bet on students who are committed to them, and applying ED does this. We advise all of our students who are passionate about NYU, and who are strong applicants between grades, scores, and personal profile, to apply Early Decision.

NYU doesn’t consider legacy admissions, and they are part of a trend that we predict will continue to gain steam. New York State is legislation that would ban colleges and universities within the state from considering legacy when making admissions decisions. While NYU has practiced this policy for years, it’s worth noting that other states are pursuing similar legislation, and Virginia, Colorado, and California have already passed bans that impact public schools (VA, CO) or all colleges and universities (CA).

Knowing the ins-and-outs of college admissions can make the difference between an acceptance and a rejection. We bring more than a decade of expertise to our strategies for each student, and it shows in our results.

Need expert guidance in all things college? We have you covered!

Join a Club

You should check if your school offers any clubs related to what you hope to major in. For example, if you are interested in math, you should join the Mathletes. If you are interested in engineering, see if your school has a robotics or solar car team. If you are more of a science person, see if there is a chemistry club. Likely, they will have something that connects to your interests. If there really is nothing, ask your school about starting your own club.

Joining a club is just the first step. Over the next four years, it is your job to take on more responsibility in the club to show a history of commitment and leadership. Today, you might just be the newest member of the coding club, but hopefully, by the time you graduate, you’ll be the president.

Build Something Cool

This is also our advice for freshmen interested in STEM over the summer. However, you can also do it during the school year, and it is actually a good idea to get a jump start. Many STEM majors require hard skills, and now is the perfect time to learn some and show what you can make. Computer engineers can build their apps, while electrical engineers can take a stab at solar panels. See what it takes to create something awesome and learn the skills to do it correctly.

In the past, our students have built drones, computers, robotic legs, and so much more. Think about what would excite you most and start there.

Do a Competition

Many STEM students participate in competitions like the Hack-A-Ton, Science Olympiad, Science Fairs, or robotics competitions. While as a freshman, you might not be a winner or even a team leader, these can be a great way to connect with other STEM-minded students and start to learn about research in the sciences.

If you’re not going to enter a competition freshman year, we recommend getting acquainted with competitions within your area of interest for sophomore and junior year. Freshman year is an excellent time to start planning.

Volunteer

There are many ways to volunteer in the math and science space. Many STEM students volunteer as tutors at their schools or at local middle schools. However, you can also look for related positions at science museums, repair cafes, ecology centers and more.

Just like with clubs, the act of volunteering isn’t impressive on its own. A lot of students volunteer at a soup kitchen once, but colleges don’t care about that. When it comes to volunteering, you want to show passion, commitment, and drive. Double points if you can connect your volunteering to what you hope to study!

Starting your extracurricular journey early gives you more time to strengthen your resume and find impressive opportunities. Making the right choices this year can start you on your path to success. If you are still worried about building a great resume, we can help!

Need expert help? Reach out today!