Get the Grades

Good grades are a must to get into UMich. For the 2023-2024 cycle, the average GPA submitted by applicants was 3.9, and over 37% of enrolled students had a 4.0 unweighted GPA. The TL;DR is that you want to get as close to a 4.0 unweighted GPA as possible if you want to be a competitive candidate, especially if you are from out of state. However, having good grades is just the start. You also need to take challenging classes. Your transcript should be packed with Honors, IB, AP, Accelerated, and/or Dual Enrollment courses. For engineers, it is especially important to challenge yourself in your math and science courses. Take the hardest ones your school offers. 

While UMich is still test optional (at least through), having excellent test scores will also help you set yourself apart as a competitive applicant. In 2023, around 72% of applicants submitted scores. That is a pretty high number, so if you are coming from out of state, think of scores as kind of not optional. Recently, their 50th percentile was 1470 on the SAT or 33 on the ACT. You should push yourself to get above these scores.

Build a Niche

UMich offers . It should be clear from your application which one you are applying into. To do this, you need to establish an academic niche, aka a history of exploration and involvement in your academic field. Your application and resume should tell a story, and having a defined academic niche is a big part of that. Let’s talk about how to establish it. 

Courses and Reading

The first step you need to take to craft an academic niche is to explore your academic interests outside of school. Early in this process, we recommend reading books. Before you say anything, yes, there are many books on STEM fields. You want to grow your knowledge base, and reading books will help you better speak and write about your interests. Make yourself a reading list and start exploring fields you are interested in learning more about. Once you have read some books, you can supplement them with podcasts, scientific journals, etc., to help learn more about your intended field.

Another great resource is online classes. These are very accessible; many colleges offer pre-tapped and often free courses through platforms like Coursera. UMich is one of these universities that has a lot of You don’t need to take them specifically from UMich, but any class you take needs to connect to what you hope to major in.

School Extracurriculars

Great applicants are involved in their school communities. However, more than that, you need to get involved in strategic ways. Remember, your application needs to tell a story; your extracurriculars should support that story by connecting to your academic interests. Popular clubs for students interested in engineering include robotics teams, science Olympiads, mathletes, STEM tutoring clubs, solar car teams, computer science societies, etc, depending on your exact academic niche. If your school doesn’t offer STEM-based clubs, ask the administration about starting your own.

Signing up for the right clubs is just the first step. You also need to commit to your clubs. Spend time and effort on the activities that matter to you. Ideally, by junior year, you can also take on responsibilities and leadership roles in those clubs. However, even if you aren’t on the board, you need to be a valuable and committed member.

Out of School Extracurriculars

Just like your in-school activities, your out-of-school extracurriculars also should be connected to your academic niche. You can do out-of-school activities all year, but you want to specifically maximize the impact of your summers. A well-strategized summer can make all the difference. There are a lot of opportunities that can make great summer activities, but UMich-level applicants will likely have a mix of research, internships, and academic programs during their summers. We work with even freshmen to strategize impactful summers, and if you don't know where to start, we can help.

Build Something Cool

You can show off your engineering skills by building something you would be proud to tell UMich about. We have worked with students who have built drones, apps, solar panels, computers, robots, and much more. Building something impressive will show you have the type of real-world skills engineers need to master. Don’t be afraid to take on a project that forces you to learn some new skills. We love that kind of initiative.

Apply Early

UMich offers both Early Decision and Early Action. While they do not release an early acceptance rate, it is likely slightly higher than the overall acceptance rate. Even if it wasn’t, applying early is still a good idea. It shows UMich that you are serious about the school, and ED specifically will carry more weight. For qualified applicants, applying early is the best chance of admission. Every good college application strategy includes an ED/EA plan. So seniors, especially, get on it!

UMich is an excellent public option for students who thrive in big schools. If you are dreaming of Michigan, we can help. We work with students from rising freshmen to transfers on all things college.

Don’t wait! Contact us today!

And, of course, every year is unique. The year prior, 932 students applied as transfers and 62 were admitted. A 6.6% acceptance rate isn’t anything to cheer for, but it underlines the possibility of an exceptional transfer. Overall, Dartmouth between a handful and two dozen transfers each year. Remember, that’s out of as many as 1000 applicants. They do not break that down into any planned way as far as incoming sophomores and juniors. The best, they say, get through.

Dartmouth that most admitted transfer students have a GPA above 3.7. However, we’d argue that the bar is actually much higher than that unless there is something exceptional on your resume from an entrepreneurship, philanthropic, or athletic perspective. All Dartmouth transfers apply in March and start in the fall.   

If you want to beat the odds, we can help.   Learn More. 

Dartmouth has their own way of doing transfer admissions, so we’ll break down what you need to know and give you guidance on how to pull together an exceptional application. 

Transfer requirements

Dartmouth transfer application that is separate from the Common App or any other application platform. The application includes all the usual parts, though. There is the general personal and academic information, a secondary school report from high school, a college report and transcript, and two evaluations (also known as recommendations) by college instructors. They also require standardized testing.

Dartmouth does not think that the SAT or ACT should be the determining factor on your application, but they do believe that standardized testing is a useful signal of college readiness and eventual outcomes. This is based on years of intensive research, and is very unlikely to change. They also request your college course syllabi, and require it after acceptance if not sent as part of your application.

The transfer essays are, ultimately, the most important part of your application after your grades. Dartmouth gets applications from far more highly-qualified applicants than they can accept. What helps them filter is fit. They are looking for students who have a strong sense of purpose, a deep understanding of themselves, and a strong motivation for transferring to Dartmouth, beyond it being a coveted Ivy League school.  

THE TRANSFER ESSAYS

You’ve written college application essays before, so this will look quite familiar. However, it’s not the same as when you were a high school senior. Pitching yourself as a transfer is particular, and requires a special approach. We’ll break down what we mean by this within the context of each prompt as we go.  

While arguing a Dartmouth-related case before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1818, Daniel Webster, Class of 1801, delivered this memorable line: "It is, Sir…a small college. And yet, there are those who love it!" As you seek admission to Dartmouth, what prompted your decision to transfer institutions and what aspects of the College's program, community, or campus environment attract your interest? (500 words)

There are two things that your response to this prompt needs to do. Yes, you need to make it really clear why you want to be at Dartmouth. Before that, though, you need to clarify what led you to want to transfer at all.

What you shouldn’t do, though, is spill dirt. Dartmouth does not want to know if your social life is terrible, or you simply don’t like the people at your current school. Even in the situation of real trauma, like hazing, for example, we do not recommend starting this essay with that. It may be why you want to leave your current school, but it doesn’t tell Dartmouth anything that would compel them to find a spot for you. They don’t do pity acceptances.

Keep your mind on academics, and share specific reasons for why your current school cannot meet your academic needs. It can be helpful to share how your interests or focus shifted since picking your college initially. What you thought would work actually doesn’t anymore, but Dartmouth would offer everything you need to excel in your field.

Keep it simple and straightforward. Whereas for first-year applications we are huge proponents of the narrative supplemental start for a “why us”, this transfer supplement needs to be simple and clear, with less storytelling. Spend two-thirds of this supplement on what you want to do at Dartmouth, and only one third clarifying the need for the transfer.

So, after setting up your desire to transfer you need to clarify why Dartmouth is the best place for you to head next. This should be almost entirely, if not completely, academically focused. They do not need you to write about the feel of the campus. Instead, share the major you would pursue, classes you are excited for, professors you’d like to study under or conduct research with, and an academic opportunity beyond the classroom (like lab work) that is especially exciting to you. To add a taste of the social and community life, we recommend specifying 2 clubs or student groups you’d like to join. At least one of these should be connected in some way to your major.

End by envisioning yourself at Dartmouth to give them a strong image to hold in their minds as they continue reading your application.

Respond to one of the following prompts in 250 words or less:

It’s weird, honestly, that they have given you two options here as they are so close to being the same prompt. Nearly any answer for one could be applied to the other without feeling out of place. Even so, there are small differences.

A. There is a Quaker saying: Let your life speak. Describe the environment in which you were raised and the impact it has had on the person you are today.

For this option, they specifically want to know about your background. We don’t dislike this prompt on its face, but it’s not our favorite for transfer applicants. You have now been in college for at least half of a year. For most applicants, this means you’ve been living away from home. You’re pretty far removed from your childhood, so answers to this prompt risk missing the opportunity to show who you have grown into.

And exception, of course, is if you have lived at home while attending college up until this point. If that is the case, you may be able to illuminate the family responsibilities or circumstances that kept you at home, as well as how things have changed such that going to Dartmouth is a logistical possibility.

B. "Be yourself," Oscar Wilde advised. "Everyone else is taken." Introduce yourself.

We like how this prompt allows for a broader view of your life, and strong answers to this prompt focus on who you are now more than where you grew up. Other than that, it’s really a free-for-all. You can write nearly anything, so what matters isn’t what you write about but how you do it.

Any successful answer to this prompt needs to tell a strong story with a powerful narrative thread. Whether you are writing about tying fly fishing flies or baking a wedding cake, make sure that you are doing something in this supplement. Observing the world around you is great, but we want to see you engaging in it.

Remember that neither of these approaches needs to focus on (or even mention) transferring. Instead, it’s about introducing yourself to the application readers.

Respond to one of the following prompts in 200-250 words:

For this supplement, they decided that two options weren’t enough, so they’ve given you seven. You only pick one, and we find that the simplest way to select is to start by ruling out any options that you aren’t immediately interested in. If it doesn’t jump out as a fun essay to write, don’t write it.

What excites you?

We love this prompt, but remember that any response shouldn’t carry a whiff of the second option for the previous supplement. It must be completely new, and framed within the context of a strong academic focus. Write your response about something within the field you are pursuing. Zoom in super close, whether it’s a biological concept or a detail from a historical event, and show your deep passion by bringing it to life for the reader.

Labor leader and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta recommended a life of purpose. "We must use our lives to make the world a better place to live, not just to acquire things," she said. "That is what we are put on the earth for." In what ways do you hope to make—or are you already making—an impact? Why? How?

This is an amazing supplement for a transfer applicant because it gives you the opportunity to write about how you’ll using your education at Dartmouth to make a difference. Make it really clear how Dartmouth with play into that trajectory, and build on something that you are already doing. Don’t mention some endeavor completely unrelated to anything on your activities list. Instead, build upon what you’re already doing to show how Dartmouth is the next step — not the first.

In "Oh, The Thinks You Can Think," Dr. Seuss invites us to "Think and wonder. Wonder and think." Imagine your anticipated academic major: How does that course of study sync with Dr. Seuss's advice to you?

We don’t love this prompt because you’ve already addressed your academic major and how you’d pursue it at Dartmouth specifically in the first supplement. Picking this option risks redundancy, which is a terrible thing for any transfer application. If you do pick this option, be extremely careful not to repeat anything from before.

The social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees have been the focus of Dame Jane Goodall's research for decades. Her understanding of animal behavior prompted the English primatologist to see a lesson for human communities as well: "Change happens by listening and then starting a dialogue with the people who are doing something you don't believe is right." Channel Dame Goodall: Tell us about a moment when you engaged in a difficult conversation or encountered someone with an opinion or perspective that was different from your own. How did you find common ground?

We love Jane Goodall, but we don’t love this prompt. So many colleges and universities added the “disagreement” question this year, and there are very few instances where answers are truly compelling. Because they are inherently conversations between at least two parties, too much of the 250 words would get spent on what someone else thinks. Instead, we like the prompts that give you all 250 words to celebrate you.

Celebrate your nerdy side.

Take all of our dislike for the previous prompt and reverse it for this one. We love this prompt. Unlike a “disagreement” question, this one is all about what you love. Other people can come into it, but as supporting cast rather than a co-star.

We love answers to this prompt that are vivid, and that bring the reader into your enthusiasm. They should leave nodding along and telling themselves, “this person is really excited about life and learning.” To do this, use a story-first structure and don’t shy away from tools like dialog and strong, descriptive imagery.

"It's not easy being green…" was the frequent refrain of Kermit the Frog. How has difference been a part of your life, and how have you embraced it as part of your identity, outlook, or sense of purpose?

This prompt isn’t inherently bad, but there are challenges. When you’re writing about difference, it can feel like you are setting yourself apart from those around you. Remember, you aren’t applying to Dartmouth simply to pursue a degree. They also want to know how you’ll fit into the community. Describing how different you are doesn’t really serve that purpose…unless it does. Some students do have the perfect type of ‘difference’ that also makes them a strong fit for Dartmouth. If that’s you, this supplement could work.

Buddy Teevens '79 was a legendary and much-beloved coach at Dartmouth. He often told parents: "Your son will be a great football player when it's football time, a great student when it's academic time, and a great person all of the time." If Coach Teevens had said that to you, what would it mean to be "a great person"?

This is a big question, and it stumps most readers. However, if you read this prompt and immediately have something that you want to say it may be a great pick for you. Be careful, though, not to spend all 250 words describing what a great person is. Instead, show them. This supplement needs a guiding story to be compelling, so start there and use experience and imagery to bring your conception of ‘a great person’ to life.

As you work on your application, remember that Dartmouth does not do interviews for transfer applicants. These essays are your only opportunity to show the admissions officers who you are, so don’t leave anything on the table.

Another note: Dartmouth does not accept art supplements from transfer applicants. If art is a big piece of your life, be sure to weave it in narratively.

If you want to transfer to an Ivy, you need a strong strategy. Get yours.

Transferring isn’t an easy way into a top school, but we can help get you there. Learn More. 

The Brown transfer application is nearly identical to the first-year application. They don’t ask for explanations for why you want to transfer. Instead, they want to know who you are at your (academically-minded) core. This is nice because it means you don’t need to legitimize your desire to transfer. All you need to do is present your best Brown-minded self. Now, let’s get into the essays.  

THE TRANSFER ESSAYS

You’ve applied to college before, so you know how this goes. This time, though, it’s a little different.

First and foremost, length. The first three prompts are their short essays, and they allow for 1500 characters. 1500 characters is a lot. Honestly, it’s too much. Answers that go on too long can ultimately undermine the strength of your application because a broader scope can result in a loss of focus. We recommend using 200-250 words as your guide.

Brown's Open Curriculum allows students to explore broadly while also diving deeply into their academic pursuits. Tell us about any academic interests that excite you, and how you might pursue them at Brown. (1500 characters)

The is a big deal for Brown. It’s a part of the undergraduate experience that is distinctly different from other top universities, and Brown wants to know that you have truly bought into what they offer and prioritize. Namely, that you can explore nearly anything at Brown. This is, of course, within reason when you take into account that you would be a transfer. If you want to graduate efficiently, you will need to spend less time exploring academically than you would have been able to as a traditional first-year.

Once you explore the curriculum and map out your ideal path, you want to find details to include in this supplement. This should include a class or two that you want to take, a professor or two that you want to study under, and, ideally, an academic program such as a research institute, lab, or field-based experience that you hope to be involved with.

Once you have your research, it’s time to weave your story. Open the supplement with an anecdote that illuminates what you love academically and are hoping to study at Brown. Ideally, this is a relatively small moment within a larger academic passion. For example, if you spend a lot of time on lab work this could be observing something in the lab and then zooming out to share where you want to take this next (and, at Brown). Include your research, and help Brown envision you there on campus.

Brown students care deeply about their work and the world around them. Students find contentment, satisfaction, and meaning in daily interactions and major discoveries. Whether big or small, mundane or spectacular, tell us about something that brings you joy. (1500 characters)

This prompt is one of our absolute favorites, and what we love most about it is that it isn’t academic. It’s truly just about joy. For this reason, we advise our students to hold themselves back from making this academic. They don’t want to hear about how much you love a particular academic paper, or how meaningful it is when you volunteer with a charity — even if it truly does matter a huge amount to you. What they want is pure joy.

We’ve seen successful essays in response to this prompt that range from a biology student writing about baking desserts all of the way to a history student writing about long unplugged hikes. There absolutely does not need to be an academic link between what brings you joy and what you want to study. The link that should exist, though, is character-based. This essay should highlight aspects of who you are that are core to your identity and that inform your academic interests and future goals.

What three words best describe you? (3 word limit)

This one is simple. List 10 and pick 3. Try for one earnest word, one academically-minded word, and one fun word.

If you could teach a class on any one thing, whether academic or otherwise, what would it be? (100 word limit)

We love this prompt, but most students overlook the fourth word, teach, leading to answers that fall flat. Anyone can dream up a cool sounding class, and that isn’t what Brown is looking for here. They want to know what you would teach, with the skills and expertise you have right now, not after getting a degree. So, what do you know? Maybe you’re really into sourdough, or you know how to change a flat tire super quickly, or you have a special strategy for cooking dinner for a crowd. We’ve had students successfully dream up classes ranging from dinosaur identification to first-aid for first years.

Try to structure your response like a course listing in the Brown course catalog, from a course name to hall assignment and class schedule, to a description outlining learning objectives and maybe a few highlights from the theoretical curriculum.

In one sentence, why Brown? (50 word limit)

This is probably the hardest Brown prompt, and it’s only one sentence. So, why Brown? We recommend focusing on a small reason that speaks to big themes or opportunities. It could be a specific research opportunity, a particular professor, or a core value that you share with Brown.

The URL

Brown invites applicants to submit the URL to an online presence, like a website, blog, or portfolio. This is not required — at all — and you should think really hard about whether to include something here even if you have a significant online presence. Do not build a website simply to have something to put here, and if you have a website or other presence already, be careful about the content you decide to put in front of Brown. They will scroll deeper than you expect. They will look up what that hashtag means.

Okay, probably not. Most of the time, they simply do not have enough time to click through and go down rabbit holes. However, there are always exceptions. You do not want to be betting that they don’t look too deeply.

Standardized Tests

Brown standardized tests as part of the transfer application process. However, we highly recommend submitting strong scores if you have them. Most students who are accepted to Brown do submit scores, and those scores are impressive.

The Brown transfer application is perfectly tuned to highlight how awesome you are. Now, you just need to do the work to make it shine.

We help strong students transfer to outstanding schools. Contact us.

But first, you need to get in. And at Princeton, this is easier said than done. Last year, Princeton’s acceptance rate was only Whether you are coming in as a Classics or a Chemical Engineering major, you need to be a top candidate. But how? We are glad you asked. We have a couple of steps that you must take if you hope to gain admission to Princeton.

Get the Grades

Before Princeton looks at anything else, they are going to make sure you have a great transcript. Last year, over 72% of applicants who submitted a GPA and over 68% of enrolled students had a 4.0 unweighted GPA in high school. The average applicant had a 3.95 GPA… not the average accepted applicant, just the average applicant. TL;DR: you need a 4.0 or extremely close to it to be a competitive Princeton applicant.

But in all honesty, a 4.0 isn’t really enough. You also need to be challenging yourself in your class selections. If your transcript is all easy A's, Princeton won’t be impressed with your outstanding GPA. You want to pack your schedule with as many Honors, IB, AP, Accelerated, and/or Dual Enrollment classes as you can while still doing well in them. While IB English or AP Spanish will help you, as an engineering major, especially make sure you are also taking the highest level of math and science courses available to you.

Princeton is one of the few Ivy League schools that has extended its test-optional policy for fall 2025. However, great test scores will help your application. Last year, 77% of applicants submitted scores. We would guess that number is actually higher for STEM majors as well. We recommend submitting scores, but they do need to be good. Last year, the 50th percentile was 1530 on the SAT or 35 on the ACT. In the ACT and SAT Math sections, the 75th percentile was a perfect score. That means 25% or more of the students who submitted scores had perfect scores in math. Perfection is a lot to ask for, but it’s Princeton. You need to shoot for similar scores to be a competitive candidate.

Build a Niche

It needs to be clear exactly what you want to study from your resume. Note that we didn’t say from your application. Princeton’s supplement asks the following:

Please describe why you are interested in studying engineering at Princeton. Include any of your experiences in, or exposure to engineering, and how you think the programs offered at the University suit your particular interests. (Please respond in 250 words or fewer)*

While you can write “I want to major in Bioengineering,” if you don’t have the right resume to back that up with specific experiences you can speak to, you won’t be able to answer this question. You need to build a history of academic curiosity and involvement with your educational interests, aka an academic niche. The more defined and specific, the better. Establishing an academic niche won’t just help you with this question; it will help you stand out as a serious applicant. BTW, if you need help answering this question, we have a whole blog about how to write the Princeton supplemental essays here.

Courses and Reading

The first step in exploring your academic niche is learning as much as you can. Part of this needs to be reading books. Before you say anything, “Yes, there are books about engineering.” You don’t need to be a literature major to read, and honestly, a lot of students don’t read outside of class. Reading books also makes you better at speaking and writing about your interests. So make yourself a reading list! Trust us, it's the first step to becoming an expert in your desired field. You can supplement this list with podcasts, scientific journals, tech blogs, etc. See what's out there and what you can explore.

We also recommend taking online classes to help build your knowledge base. Resources like Coursera offer many pre-tapped (and often free) courses. Taking a class that relates to your niche builds a history of academic curiosity. You can also look for courses through your local library, community college, or university summer programs. We love students who take the initiative to learn outside of school.

in-School Extracurriculars

Princeton-level applicants are involved in their high school communities. Ideally, you are signing up for activities that connect to your academic niche. It's a win-win: get involved and build on your academic passions. Popular activities for engineers include robotics teams, science olympiads, mathletes, STEM tutoring clubs, solar car teams, computer science societies, etc. Depending on your specific niche, some of these clubs will be more relevant than others. Find the one that speaks to you. If your school doesn’t offer STEM-based clubs, talk to the administration about starting one.

Once you have found a club or two, it is essential to take on responsibilities and leadership roles in those activities. Princeton won’t be impressed with a one-hour-a-week commitment as a member, so run for that board and get ready to spend time and effort on the activities that matter to you.

Out of School Extracurriculars

You can do out-of-school activities all year, but for Princeton hopefuls, you must specifically strategize your summers to help build an impressive resume. Your summers should include opportunities like an academic summer program, an internship, and/or research. While there are many other great extracurriculars you can also do in the summer, these three will specifically help build your academic niche (when you specifically choose them in areas that connect to what you hope to study). While we love to see hopeful engineers who volunteer at repair cafes or job shadow, Princeton-level applicants usually have at least one related internship and research on their resumes.

Setting up a strategic summer plan can be tricky. We work with students as early as their freshman year to ensure their summer plans work for their goals. Take some time to strategize your summer. This likely means applying to programs, leaning on your network, and putting yourself out there. If you don’t know where to start, reach out. We can help.

Build Something Cool

Engineering requires skills. Whether it is a drone, computer, solar panel, or anything else, you can show off your skills by using them to build something impressive. Show off what you can do, or even better, challenge yourself by choosing something that requires you to learn new skills. We love students who push themselves to build their repertoires. 

Apply Early

Princeton doesn’t publish its Restrictive Early Action acceptance rate, but we don’t need it to know that REA is the best chance at getting in for qualified applicants. Princeton is extremely competitive, and you need to take every opportunity you can to stand out. Applying early shows Princeton that it is your top choice and that you are a serious candidate. Good application strategies include an EA/ED plan. If Princeton is your top choice, you need to seriously consider applying early.

No matter if you are a freshman or a senior, we can help you with all things college. It takes a lot to get into Princeton, but you can set yourself up for success by following these steps and being ready to put the work in.

Ready to start strategizing? Reach out today!

Get the Grades

The first thing you need to get into Georgia Tech is excellent grades. Trust us, when it comes to college, there is no substitute for impressive grades. Last year, over 92% of enrolled students had a 4.0 unweighted GPA in high school. The TLDR is that you need a 4.0 or are incredibly close to it if you hope to get into Georgia Tech. However, a high GPA is only the beginning. You also need an impressive transcript. This means packing your resume with Honors, IB, AP, Accelerated, and/or Dual Enrollment classes. You want to take the most challenging class load that you can while still maintaining a high GPA. For engineers, this especially means taking the hardest math and science classes possible. However, competitive candidates will have high-level courses in as many subjects as possible. The average GPA submitted by applicants was a 4.14 weighted GPA last year, so add those APs to your transcript!

While many schools have been test-optional recently, Georgia Tech has required test scores for the past couple of years and will continue to do so going forward. This means you also need excellent test scores. Last year, their 50th percentile score was 1460 on the SAT or 33 on the ACT. You should be aiming for similar, or ideally, better scores to be a competitive applicant.

Build a Niche

Georgia Tech offers 11 undergraduate engineering majors; it should be clear from your resume which one you plan to pursue. There is a big difference between aerospace and biomedical engineering. Georgia Tech is looking for serious applicants who have already started to explore their intended field. Crafting a history of involvement and knowledge in your field builds an academic niche. There are a couple of steps to do this. Let’s break them down.

Courses and Reading

To start building an academic niche, you need to learn as much as you can about your intended field. Remember, you want to be an expert. A great way to start is simply by reading books. At the risk of sounding like a full boomer, many young people don’t read outside of class. Reading books will help you speak and write about your interests. So make yourself a reading list. You can supplement that list with scientific journals, podcasts, or whatever else you can find, but books should be integral.

Online classes are another great resource to learn more about your intended field. Many universities offer pre-taped (often free) courses through third parties like Coursera. You can also look for summer programs at colleges or community college courses. Taking classes outside of your normal school day shows that you are academically curious and committed to what you hope to study.

School Extracurriculars

Georgia Tech is looking for students who are involved in their school communities. The best candidates do this not by just joining random clubs, but by getting involved in a strategic way. If you do this correctly, you can help build your niche by getting involved in clubs that support your academic goals. Popular clubs for students interested in engineering include robotics teams, science Olympiads, mathletes, STEM tutoring clubs, solar car teams, computer science societies, etc.. Ask about starting your own if your school doesn’t have STEM-based clubs.

Signing up for related clubs is step one. Step two is investing time and effort in your clubs. Colleges are not impressed with one-hour-a-week commitments. You want to take on responsibilities and, ideally, leadership roles in the activities that matter the most to you.

Out of School Extracurriculars

We love students who are involved outside of school all year long, but summers are especially important. We work with students of all high school grade levels (even freshmen) to ensure their summer plans are strategic. Your summer plans should help build a cohesive resume and academic niche.

While there are many opportunities that can help craft a strong resume, Georgia Tech-level applicants will likely have a mix of research, internships, and academic programs during their summers. Finding these opportunities can be tricky, but we can help if you need it. However, if you are trying to strategize your summers on your own, make sure your activities build on your academic interests. For example, internships at science museums, educational institutions, STEM camps, or tech companies will likely look better for most engineering applicants than interning at a bank or a law office.

Build Something Cool

Engineering requires skills. Whether you have computer programming, design, or fabrication skills, you can show them off by building something cool. Even better, challenge yourself with a project that requires you to learn some new ones. In the past, we have worked with students who have built drones, apps, solar panels, computers, robots, and much more. Think about what you would be proud to create, and do it!

Apply Early

Georgia Tech doesn’t have a traditional early decision route. However, they have two opportunities to apply: one for Georgia residents and one for non-Georgia residents. While they do not release a separate early action acceptance rate, we generally advise students to apply early if Georgia Tech is a top choice (and especially if you are an in-state student). It shows that you are serious about Georgia Tech. A great college application plan includes ED and EA schools; you need to be strategic and weigh your early options.

Georgia Tech is an excellent school for engineers, but you need to be a great candidate to get in (especially for those outside of Georgia). Reach out today!

High schoolers have some exposure to dealing with data through high-level science classes, statistics, and sometimes an elective, but for most students it isn’t framed as data science — it’s simply sorting through a muck of numbers to find a pattern. But this is where all data scientists start. What comes next, though, is what differentiates students who are truly interested in data science from those just talking the talk. To get into a college with a top data science program, like Stanford, MIT, UC Berkeley, and Carnegie Mellon, it’s not enough for a student to write about what they want to be doing. They need to be actively engaging in it already. That is where extracurricular activities come in.

We work with our students to guide and support them through exceptional pursuits beyond the classroom. In this post, we are going to give you a peek behind the curtain at what we are prioritizing for sophomores interested in data science who want to go to a top-tier program with a scary low acceptance rate.

Getting into a top program at a top school doesn’t just ‘happen.’. Learn how we pull it off.

If you want to go to a highly selective college, you need to be building your activities early. This isn’t just for the activities section of your application. Building up your activities now will help focus and deepen your interests, and will give you stories to write about in essays and supplements. Writing about what happens inside the classroom during normal class hours tends to be a bit boring, so you need to be building up a roster of experiences, leadership roles, and independent exploration that will then be perfect material for stellar applications. This is where to start…

CLUB/TEAM

It is highly unlikely that there is a data science club at your school. If there is, that’s awesome and rare and you should 100% be a member working towards a leadership role. Assuming that there isn’t a data science club, though, you’re going to want to look beyond that narrow of a framework. Yes, you could start a data science club, but we actually like the idea of you joining and, later, leading, a Quiz Bowl or Science Olympiad team.

This is because both Quiz Bowl and Science Olympiad are built on teamwork. They have clear and well-understood ways in which members are required to collaborate, and there are opportunities for mentoring younger members. Data Science is a really easy subject to pursue in a vacuum, and both Quiz Bowl and Science Olympiad reject that. They make you be in the midst of something, and that is a good thing. To set yourself on a trajectory towards leadership, schedule a meeting with the current club heads and ask them how you can best support them in their vision for the group. Maybe it’s leading a committee, recruiting, and orienting new members, or running a community fundraiser to help your team get to a big competition. Whatever it is, supporting the current leaders proactively and enthusiastically will be a major move towards future leadership roles.

RESEARCH

As a student interested in data science, participating in and/or conducting your own independent research is one of the best ways to begin exploring your interest on a deeper level. It all starts with a research question. Take that question, and either begin exploring it on your own or search for who is already digging into that topic and ask them if you can help. This could be a professor, graduate student, or research group. If you are going to reach out to professionals (graduate students included), though, it’s key that you have a resume and approach this completely professionally. You’re not a high school student looking to support research — although, yes, you are — you are a young and passionate professional student with a lot to offer and aiming for an opportunity.

If you are going to conduct your own research and data analysis, keep your question close to home and your sample pool manageable. You most likely don’t have access to granular data for all of the US, but you can create data through surveying and research for your school and home community. So, look small to go deep. And remember what the ultimate goal is: publication or presentation. You don’t want to do all of this work and have it languish on your computer. Instead, the goal should be to publish in a paper open to high school students or present the paper through a conference or competition.

WRITING

As you conduct your research, we also want to see you writing about it. A key part of being a successful data scientist is being able to communicate about what you discover, effectively communicating the importance of what you have to share. Yes, this means you should be writing a paper and report about your research, but we want to see you developing your writing beyond this. Join the team of your school newspaper, and begin working up the ranks with the goal of a column focused on data science and using the principles of data science to convey information to your peers that is relevant and important to them.

By senior year, you should have an editorial role with the paper. Right now, prove yourself by getting the job done.

SUMMER COURSES

Most students do not have access to elective courses focused on data science beyond a simple AP Statistics course. That isn’t enough, so you’re going to have to do some work on your own time. Take a course with a local community college or 4-year university, or sign up for an accredited online course. The key here is ‘accredited’. Do not pay for a course offered by one of the many online educators that don’t carry any weight with colleges. You need to pad out your academic resume with experiences that truly develop your interests and add to your credentials.

As a sophomore, you have a lot of time to make big moves before you need to start writing your college applications. This is powerful, and it is important to use the time right. This is truly when you can make bold moves that transform your college outcomes down the road, so let’s make it happen.

We help strong students achieve outstanding results. Learn more.

Get the Grades

To get into Penn, you need an amazing transcript, which includes having a 4.0 unweighted or very close to it. Last year, 59% of accepted students had an unweighted 4.0. If you don’t have perfect or near-perfect grades, Penn is likely too far a reach for you. However, just having good grades isn’t enough on its own. You also need to be challenging yourself. You want to take the hardest courses available to you; this means taking honors, IB, accelerated, AP, or dual enrollment classes and doing well in them. Ideally, your transcript should be loaded with these types of classes more generally; however, for engineers, you need to be especially challenging yourself in STEM-based courses. Taking the hardest math and science you can is the bare minimum for Penn Engineering.

For the 2025-2026 application cycle, Penn is no longer test-optional. That means you will also have to submit great test scores on top of your excellent transcript. Last year, only about 67% of applicants submitted test scores, so take these numbers with a grain of salt, but the 50th percentile for the SAT was 1550, and for the ACT, it was 35. You should be trying for similar scores (or better). For SAT Math and the overall ACT, the 75th percentile was a perfect score. Yes, over 25% of Penn applicants who submitted scores had perfect ones in Math. This is an important note for engineering hopefuls. You need excellent math scores to even be considered—time to start studying.

Build a Niche

When applying to Penn's engineering school, it isn’t enough to say, “I want to be an engineer.” You must prove it by having a clear and defined history of academic curiosity and engagement in engineering-related activities. You also need to be more specific. There are many types of engineering: a Biomedical engineering major is very different from one in Computer Science. It should be clear from your application what your specific engineering interests are and how you have explored them. This is your “academic niche,” and there are a couple of steps that you should take to build an impressive one.

Courses and Reading

To find your niche, you will need to learn everything you can about your academic interests. Start with what interests you the most and pursue it. We highly recommend that this pursuit initially includes reading books. Can we be honest, even if it makes us sound like boomers for a minute? A lot of young people simply do not read books… and an even smaller number of high school students read outside of class. Reading books makes you a better writer, and reading books connected to your academic niche will make you better at talking about your interests. Make yourself a reading list. Once you have done that, you can supplement it with podcasts, science journals, tech news, etc., but books need to be at its heart.

Once you have started reading, don’t be afraid to sign up for a class. Many colleges and universities offer pre-tapped (often free) courses through resources like Coursera. Take a class or two that relates to your niche. We love to see students who take the initiative to learn outside of regular school and explore their academic curiosity. You can also look for classes at university summer programs or community colleges if you are looking for more opportunities to learn about engineering.

in-School Extracurriculars

A great academic niche has an established history of involvement. One of the first steps you need to take to establish this history is to join related clubs at your school. Depending on your exact engineering niche, you should look for robotics teams, science olympiads, mathletes, STEM tutoring clubs, solar car teams, computer science societies, etc. If your school doesn’t offer clubs connected to STEM, speak with your administration about starting your own.

Just signing up for activities isn’t enough for Penn. You need to spend time and effort on the activities that matter to you. Ideally, you should take on leadership roles and responsibilities in your school clubs by around junior year. So run for that board. Trust us: treasurer sounds a lot better than member.

Out of School Extracurriculars

While we love to see a student who interns in the fall or volunteers in a repair cafe all year round, you will especially need out-of-school activities to maximize your summers. A strategic summer should connect to your academic niche: likely, this means an academic summer program, an internship, and/or research. There are many other great out-of-school activities, but the majority of Penn applicants will have at least one of the three of these during their summers (and top candidates will have all three on their resume).

We often work with students as early as freshman year to make sure they are maximizing their summers. Trust us: it is that important. Early on in your high school career, your summers should show that you are exploring academics outside of school. Later summers should showcase how you have become an expert and navigate the field.

Build Something Cool

From soldering to computer programming, engineers need hard skills. You can show off what you know by building something impressive. In the past, we have worked with students who have built drones, computers, solar panels, apps, you name it. Choose something that shows off what you already know. Even better, challenge yourself by choosing something that forces you to learn more skills.

Apply Early

Earlier in this blog, we said Penn had around a 5% acceptance rate last year. That isn’t the whole story. That is Penn’s overall acceptance rate; however, its Early Decision acceptance rate was more than 14%. For qualified applicants, the ED round is your best chance at getting into Penn. If you are serious about Penn, we highly recommend applying early. It is important to make a strategic plan for the application season. It is never too early to start thinking about college, but rising seniors, we are especially looking at you. Start those applications and make sure you have a great plan!

Penn is a great school looking for standout candidates. Whether you are a rising senior or a rising freshman, we can help you with all things college. It takes commitment and planning to get into Penn.

If you are worried about starting, we can help! Reach out today!

It truly does start right now. In order to attend a famed biomedical engineering program at a university like MIT, John Hopkins, Stanford, or Duke, you have to put in work years in advance to prove to a top school that you are someone they want in their community. So, yes, as a driven sophomore you need to be thinking about college and making moves that strengthen your application while also providing you with opportunities to explore the biomedical engineering field.

In this post, we’re going to break down what moves to make outside of the classroom — also known as extracurricular activities — to stand out come senior year. What we propose may feel bold, and even intense. That’s a feature, not a bug. Doing things that are beyond what is typically expected of a sophomore is important. By being even just a little bit beyond the norm as a sophomore, you end up way far ahead by senior fall. So, start now.  

If you want to get into an exceptional college, we can help. Learn more. 

Below, we’ve broken the key activities you need to be doing as a sophomore interested in biomedical engineering down into four ‘buckets.’ While you don’t need to do all of these, you definitely should. Doing the minimum gets the minimum — and you want more than that. You have very strong grades, will get great SAT or ACT scores, and what you do outside of class truly is the strongest differentiating factor between your application and that of another top student on paper. Standing out is key, so let’s make it happen.

ENGINEERING CLUB

This one should be obvious. Yes, you should be part of an engineering club or team at school. More than just being a member of the group, you should be highly engaged and should volunteer yourself for leadership roles whenever possible. If they aren’t being offered, ask how you can best support the group. The goal is to work towards becoming a club head by senior year, or even junior year if possible. If there are opportunities for awards and recognitions through engineering competitions, even better.

This club is unlikely to be focused biomedical engineering, though — and this is okay. As long as it is engineering, and involves working with others to achieve goals, it’s serving the purpose we need for this club.

RESEARCH

We also expect our sophomores interested in biomedical engineering to begin pursuing independent research outside of school. It’s unlikely that you have access to a lab, and you shouldn’t be trying to create something from scratch. Instead, the point of this research is to learn how to do research beyond what is supported in school for sophomores.

We aren’t looking for you to develop a vaccine. But we do want to see you exploring an idea, challenge, or innovation with the goal of creating a research paper for presentation through a science or engineering fair or publication through a journal open to high school students — of which there are many, and we can help!

If pursuing independent research on your own is too intimidating, pursue a project with a friend and challenge each other to challenge yourself. In doing research, you are learning a new skill. There will be a learning curve, and it will take a while to get comfortable with this type of work. A teacher at school can be a valuable resource for bouncing around ideas and working through challenges.

SUMMER PROGRAM

We also encourage our sophomores interested in biomedical engineering to pursue a summer program that exposes them to the subject through learning from college-level instructors, working in a lab, and collaborating with similarly passionate peers.

As you consider summer programs, look for a summer intensive, usually 1-3 weeks, that is focused on biomedical engineering specifically. It should be also run by a university, which can be hard to sleuth out on your own.

Now, a program being at a university does not mean it is run by the university. Many privately-run programs rent space at colleges during the summer so that student learn in the school’s classrooms and live in their dorms, but the school actually has no role, or minimal role, in the program. These programs can be very fun, but they aren’t as interesting to us as a tool for building knowledge while strengthening your applications.  

When picking a program, then, think more lab exposure and less summer camp. It’s very fun to make s’mores, but if that is a major selling point for the program it is not right for you.

VOLUNTEER AT A HOSPITAL

Finally, we want to see you volunteering at a hospital in your local community. Sometimes people travel abroad so that they can get hands-on medical experience as a high school student. We do not endorse this type of activity, and heavily discourage it for our students. International medical volunteering is a major red flag for many universities, as it shows a lack of care for the importance of expertise and professional accreditation in healthcare. 

Your gig at a local hospital should also be long-term, at least 6 months of regular volunteering but up to multiple years. As a volunteer in an American hospital, don’t expect to be around where medicine is being practiced. Instead, as a volunteer you are part of the large support systems that allows doctors and nurses to do what they do. This could include working at the front desk or in a gift shop or café. These roles develop your communication skills and show both care for your community and passion for biomedical studies.

These volunteer roles are common, but they often require a parental signature for high school students, and often have a minimum age of 16 even with a parent’s signature.

As a sophomore, now is the perfect time to be dialing your activities to make sure that how you spend your time has the biggest impact of developing your interests and your college admissions outcomes. We support our students through this process of discovery and differentiation, leading to exceptional results in senior year.

We support strong students in getting into exceptional schools. Learn how.

Believe it or not, we did not choose the topic of today’s post as an excuse to watch more documentaries about the Stanford Prison Experiment (at least, not entirely). For those who aren’t aware, the SPE was a that simulated, you guessed it, prison conditions, using 22 test subjects and assigning them roles as either “prisoner” or “guard.” Though it lasted less than a week, and though participants knew they were taking part in temporary roleplay for the sake of research, the study quickly became psychologically and physically torturous as the subjects almost immediately began identifying with the roles they’d been given: “For six days, half the study's participants endured cruel and dehumanizing abuse at the hands of their peers. At various times, they were taunted, stripped naked, deprived of sleep and forced to use plastic buckets as toilets. Some of them rebelled violently; others became hysterical or withdrew into despair.”

Okayyyyy, but... how does this nightmare fuel factor into our Deep Dive series? Well, it’s a perfect example of Stanford’s prominence in the field of psychology — I mean we’re still talking about it 50 years later for what it revealed about human behavior and the ethics of experimentation. So let’s get into it — the history of Stanford’s school of psychology, its standing today, and its plans for future generations of psychologists.

The History of Psychology at Stanford

The was “among the first departments established at Stanford University” and has been going strong . If we’re thinking of the history of psychological studies in American academia as a day-long timeline, Stanford got there at the crack of dawn.

We don’t have to get too in the weeds here, but suffice it to say Stanford’s Department of Psychology had an impressive pedigree from the start. Frank Angell became the first department head, recruited from Cornell after receiving his PhD under Wilhelm Wundt at the University of Leipzig (Wundt and Leipzig are known, respectively, as the “Father of Psychology” and the first lab for psychology research). Angell’s successor, Lewis M. Terman, got his doctorate studying under the man who was not only the first PhD in Psychology from Harvard but also the founder of the American Psychological Association (APA). Basically? These nerds brought receipts!

Now, you might be wondering why SPE isn’t considered a stain on Stanford’s legacy. The answer is complex, owing in part to the fact that psychology as a discipline has been riddled with ethically ambiguous (and sometimes unambiguously unethical) practices. To say past research was accomplished by dubious methods, to put it delicately, could be like announcing that you found a fork in the kitchen.

Beyond that, SPE produced a watershed moment — not only were its findings truly astonishing, but they sparked conversations that led to increased protections for human subjects participating in psychological research. The professor who led the SPE, “that these ordinary college students could do such terrible things when caught in that situation” and, reflecting on the fact that Stanford's Human Subjects Research Committee had greenlit the study, said neither the committee members nor the research team “could have imagined” what the participants would do to one another. The APA subsequently changed its standards for human-subject simulations, and, Zambardo assures, "No behavioral research that puts people in that kind of setting can ever be done again in America.” That settles that, I guess!

The State of Psychology at Stanford Today

It probably won’t surprise you to learn that those slackers at Stanford (sarcasm!) are still leading the field in psychology these days. Yes, Stanford is ranked #1 amongst psychology programs by the ; yes, they have more or less held a top spot in such rankings for decades; and yes, the in 2004, when the Smithsonian honored the Stanford Psychology Department for 30 consecutive years of reigning as #1. Since it’s been another 20 years since that evening, you can see that the U.S. News & World Report has been giving Stanford Psychology its flowers for half a century now.

And, from where we stand, it seems fairly well-deserved! There’s no shortage of honors, accolades, and research breakthroughs to be found in recent news — , professor of psychology Ian Gotlib was elected to the the American Academy of Arts & Sciences; , Emily Kubota, psychology graduate student, published research she led on the relationship between innate brain structure and experience-driven development in Nature Human Behaviour; and , brought droves of leading interdisciplinary scholars together for the third convention of the AI+Education Summit facilitated by the Stanford Accelerator for Learning and the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence.

If you’re seeking a world-class psychology degree, it looks like you’ll be in good hands at Stanford. As long as you don’t take advantage of their labs to build a time machine to 1971 so you can experience the Stanford Prison Experiment firsthand, you’ll be just fine.

Need help paving the way to psychology greatness? Reach out to us today.

That is because Duke is always competitive to get into. Last year, their acceptance rate was just %. And engineering majors are among the most popular majors offered by Duke. Honestly, it is not just at Duke; so many people want to study engineering, so if you are serious about studying engineering at an elite university like Duke, you need to be an outstanding candidate. Thankfully, we are here to break down the steps you need to take to be a competitive Pratt candidate.

Get the Grades

You need perfect or near-perfect grades to get into Duke. It isn’t all you need, but it is a necessary first step. It might sound harsh, but if you don’t have nearly a 4.0 unweighted GPA, Pratt might simply not be the school for you. When coming from schools that rank, over 92% of applicants were from the top 10% of their high school graduating class. This means most applicants not only have impressive grades but also stellar transcripts. To keep up, your transcript should be packed with Honors, IB, AP, Accelerated, and/or Dual Enrollment courses. For engineers, the bare minimum is taking the hardest math and science classes available to you. However, we recommend taking as many hard classes as possible while still maintaining a competitive GPA.

While Duke is currently test-optional, they might change that soon. They have only announced that the policy will go through the 2025-2026 cycle and not whether they will extend it. Even if they do, good scores will help your application, especially in STEM fields like engineering. Last year, around 77% of applicants submitted scores. Their 50th percentile was either a 1550 on the SAT or a 35 on the ACT. These are impressive scores, and you should shoot for similar (or ideally better) if you are a serious candidate.

Build a Niche

Pratt offers 6 majors and 4 minors. It should be clear from your resume which you will likely pursue. To do this, you need to build a strong academic niche. An academic niche is really just clear and substantiated academic interests. You need to explore your academic interests and pursue them in strategic ways if you hope to be a strong Pratt applicant.

Courses and Reading

A great first step in building your academic niche is just learning as much as you can about your intended field. We recommend using books and online courses as an initial step. You can supplement your reading list with podcasts, scientific journals, tech blogs, etc., but there needs to be books on it. This will help if you decide to also apply to Columbia and Stanford—they ask about your reading list in their supplement.

Online classes are another great resource to start building a history of academic curiosity. Many universities offer pre-taped (often free) courses through third parties like Coursera. You can also look for university summer programs (either in person or online) or local community college courses. No matter how you do it, signing up for some engineering-related courses outside of your regular class day is an excellent way of showing commitment to your academic interests.

School Extracurriculars

To be a Pratt-level candidate, you need to be active in your school community. You must join (and lead) clubs and activities, but you need do it strategically. Your application needs to tell a story about what you are passionate about, and your clubs should build on/support your academic interests. Popular clubs for hopeful engineers include robotics teams, science Olympiads, mathletes, STEM tutoring clubs, solar car teams, computer science societies, etc., depending on your specific niche. If your school doesn’t offer STEM-based clubs (or the right STEM-based clubs for you), take some initiative and ask about starting your own.

But be warned, just adding your name to a sign-up sheet or coming one hour a week as a member isn’t enough for Pratt. You need to commit time and effort to the activities that matter most to you. Ideally, you also have to take on leadership roles and responsibilities in your clubs. Push yourself in your activities just like you do in your classes. Most importantly, you have to build out the clubs you join so that they are more robust than how they started.

Out of School Extracurriculars

We love students who are involved in out-of-school extracurriculars all year long. However, you need to make sure your summers are especially helpful to build a strong resume. We often work with even freshmen to ensure they have strategic summer plans. While there are a lot of great opportunities for impactful summers, most Prat-level applicants will have a mix of academic programs, internships, and research that all connect to their academic niche on their resume. Making a good summer plan can be tricky. If you need help strategizing your summers, we have you covered! Contact us today!

Build Something Cool

Engineering takes hands-on skills. You can show those off by building something you would be proud to tell Pratt about. The sky is really the limit here. We have worked with students who have built drones, computers, solar power systems, and much more. Again, whatever you build needs to align with your intended major. Show off the skills that you have, or even better, challenge yourself to learn some new ones to pull the project off. We want to see you build something impressive.

Apply Early

While Duke’s overall acceptance rate was around 6.7% last year, their ED rate was significantly higher. Their early decision acceptance rate was 19.7%. This also means that their regular decision rate is lower than 6.7%. The TLDR here is that for qualified candidates, your best chance at getting into Pratt is during the early decision round. If you are a serious applicant, you need to at least consider applying early. Any strategic application plan includes ED/EA schools. Seniors, if you are on the fence, you need to make some decisions now and start working on your apps. Trust us, deadlines will come faster than you think!

It is hard to get into Pratt. Contact us today.

Political science is a humanities major with a clear trajectory — if you want to take it. Students who major in political science go on to careers in politics at every level, from running local races to national lobbying, join major consulting firms, become journalists, and more. How you put your degree into action is up to you, but how you get to your dream school to achieve your degree is a precise puzzle with a personal twist. In this post, we break down a very important piece of this puzzle: the activity section. Namely, what you need to be doing now as a sophomore to set yourself up for presenting a fantastic activities section and resume as a senior.  

We work with our students early in high school, laying the groundwork for fabulous college admissions outcomes. Whether you are going it alone or working with us, sophomore year is the perfect time to begin seriously planning for college. You know yourself, and you know what you are most interested in and excited about in school. You almost certainly do not have your life mapped out, but you can have a vision for college. We help students form this vision, and this post will help you align your extracurriculars with your dream outcomes.  

College admissions is complex, but you shouldn’t feel stumped. Learn more.

As a sophomore, you most likely have been following your heart (or your parent’s insistence) when it comes to activities. It’s possible that what you are doing outside of school is already beginning to tell a story, but we want to make sure that the narrative is screaming political science. Below, we’ve broken down the four ‘buckets’ that you need to be filling.   

Online Courses

We want you to get specific about your interest in political science. Maybe you’re interested in how a campaign works, how a bill becomes a law, or the modern history of party polarization. Whatever your niche may be, you’re most likely not going to have access to higher-level or niche classes at school. Take a few online or maybe go in person to a community college. This will help you get specific later on.

SCHOOL CLUB

You absolutely must be part of a politics or government-oriented club or student group at school. This could be a club that runs nonpartisan debates, a group focused on a particular political issue, or a student government organization. Instead of spreading yourself thin and risking not accomplishing much of anything to write about (literally, in your college apps), pick one or two clubs or groups and pursue them with the goal of a leadership position junior or senior year.

To work towards that leadership goal, be an active member who engages at meetings, helps to plan events, and supports club leadership in their vision. Learn from the leaders, as their successes and missteps will help you when it’s your turn to take the helm.

At the same time, you need to avoid participating in anything too polarizing — you’ll notice that this is a theme that runs through the rest of this blog post. Some colleges skew liberal, some skew conservative, and most have a big mix. You should not be rejected by a college due to a non-abhorrent political belief. However, “should not” does not mean “would not.” So, you want to engage in the things you care about, underlining your political science interests, but also be aware of the end goal.

POLITICAL INTERNSHIP

Ideally, we want to see sophomores interested in majoring in political science interning with a sitting politician on a local or regional level. This should be someone who is impacting your local community on a visible and daily level, whether it is through the state legislature, town board, or city council.

But shouldn’t you intern with someone ‘fancy’? No, no you should not. Or, rather, you shouldn’t intern with someone simply because they are a household name or having a hot moment. Well-known politicians often become well-known because they are really good at controlling the message and claiming airtime. This pushes their support team to the background. They also have bigger fish to fry than bringing on young high school interns who can’t even vote yet. By interning with a town, city, or state politician, you will have more opportunities to learn, and to lead. It puts you closer to the center of the narrative.

CAMPAIGN VOLUNTEERING

In addition to interning with a politician, we want to see you volunteering with a campaign or as part of a voting cycle. Of course, how you do this will depend on if elections are happening in your area while you are a sophomore, but you should also define ‘campaign’ broadly to open up opportunities. For example, there may not be a local or national election, but you could volunteer in support of the vote to pass the school budget for your district. So, it’s not an election, but it is a campaign worthy of your time.

There are also sometimes opportunities to be in “the room where it happens.” Some states allow students as young as 16 to work in the polls. If you are too young for poll work in your town, there is no minimum age for volunteering for a campaign. As a young volunteer, you can flyer, door knock (with a parent or other adult), and possibly even do phone banking.

Now, it’s really important to note that you do need to be careful about what the campaign you volunteer for says about you. As we have already said, you don’t need to have any particular politics to get into a dream school. Liberal, conservative, they take them all. However, colleges are acutely attuned to weeding out prejudice, so do not volunteer for a campaign that is connected to beliefs or stances that colleges could see as prejudiced.

SUMMER PROGRAM

We highly recommend that sophomores interested in political science consider participating in a summer program that is focused on policy, political science, or economics. Summer programs are an educational opportunity, not a summer camp. You should be learning from college-level educators and graduate students, not from glorified camp counselors.  

When assessing summer programs for our sophomores, we look for programs that are run by a college or university, not simply hosted at a college or university.

Once you find your ideal program, internship, volunteer role, and club, it is time to make it your own. What makes a strong college application isn’t checking all the boxes, it is fully representing yourself through the most flattering framework. Activities are a powerful tool in this process, so get to work.

We support outstanding students in getting into exceptional colleges. Learn how.

While USC doesn’t release a separate acceptance rate from Viterbi, it is anecdotally lower than their overall rate. This makes sense. Engineering is a popular major and engineering students are among the most competitive applicants generally. On top of this, USC is always competitive to get into. Last year, their acceptance rate was just around 9.8%. No matter what you hope to study, you need to be a competitive candidate to get into USC and if you hope to get into Viterbi you need to be a top applicant. But how? We are glad you asked. Let’s break it down.

Get the Grades

USC is looking for applicants with competitive grades. Last year, over 30% of applicants submitted a 4.0 unweighted GPA and the average submitted GPA was 3.86. You need to shoot for perfect or nearly perfect grades to be a serious Viterbi candidate. However, it goes even further than that. Last year, over 65% of their incoming class came from the top tenth of the high school class. This means not only getting impressive grades, but also building a stand out transcript. Your transcript should be packed with Honors, IB, AP, Accelerated, and/or Dual Enrollment courses. The bare minimum, for engineers, is taking the highest levels of math and science available to you. If you really want to impress USC, you should go beyond and take as many hard classes as you can while still maintaining a competitive GPA.

While USC is currently test-optional, for engineering you will want to send impressive scores if at all possible. Having great standardized test scores will help you stand out. Last year, only 46% of applicants sent scores. Of the students that submitted, the 50th percentile was either a 1490 on the SAT or a 33 on the ACT. Ideally, you want to submit similar or better scores, especially as an engineering candidate.

Build a Niche

Viterbi offers 11 majors. There is a big difference between being an aerospace engineering major and a biomedical engineering major. It needs to be clear from your application which engineering field you are eyeing. The best way to do this is to craft a history of exploration and involvement in your academic interests. We call this building an academic niche; the more defined your niche, the stronger your application. We have a couple of initial steps you need to take to establish a great niche.

Courses and Reading

To start building your niche, the easiest first step is to learn as much as you can about your academic interests. We highly recommend making yourself a reading list. Not to sound like a boomer, but many young people don’t read books outside of class. You can set yourself apart as an engineering student by being well-read. Reading books about your intended field will make you so much better at talking and eventually writing about your interests. You can supplement your reading list with podcasts, scientific journals, tech blogs, etc., but books should 100% be part of your exploration.

We also recommend taking some classes related to your academic niche outside of your normal school day. Many universities offer pre-taped (often free) courses through third parties like Coursera. These are great, but you can also look for university summer programs (in-person or online) or local community college courses. The important thing is to show you are pursuing academic interests.

in-School Extracurriculars

You should strategically get involved with clubs at your school. This means you should seek out clubs that help build on your academic niche. Popular clubs for hopeful engineers include robotics teams, Science Olympiads, mathletes, STEM tutoring clubs, solar car teams, computer science societies, etc. The more connected the clubs are to your academic interests, the better. If your school doesn’t have the right STEM-based clubs for you, ask your administration about starting your own.

Just signing up for clubs is not enough. Viterbi will not be impressed with a one-hour-a-week commitment. You need to take on responsibilities and leadership roles in your clubs. Be ready to commit to the activities you care about!

Out of School Extracurriculars

You have to be involved in out-of-school extracurriculars year-round (we actually prefer you do); however, your summers are specifically important when it comes to getting involved in impressive activities. We routinely help even freshmen strategize for impactful summers. Summers can take many shapes, but most USC-level candidates will have a mix of academic programs, internships, and research on their resume.

Your summers should build on and solidify your academic niche. Finding the right opportunities can be tricky. If you need help planning your summers, we have you covered! Contact us today!

Build Something Cool

From soldering to computer programming, you can show off your engineering skills by building something impressive. Engineering takes real-world skills, and USC wants to see you use them. Even better, push yourself to learn some new skills to pull off your project. You can really build anything that speaks to you and connects to your niche. It’s hard to give specific advice about capstone projects, so you’ll have to contact us if you want help solidifying your niche, but we have helped students who have built drones, computers, solar power systems, and much more. We also routinely secure research positions for kids that lead to them getting published in prestigious papers or journals.

Apply Early

USC doesn’t have traditional Early Decision for Viterbi, but they allow students to apply Early Action. While they don’t release their EA acceptance rate, applying early will not only let you know their decisions months earlier, but it also shows that you are serious about the school. There really isn’t a downside (as long as the rest of your plans allow for it.) Every strategic application plan includes ED and/or EA schools. Trust us!

It is hard to get into Viterbi. But if you follow these steps, you can set yourself up for your best chance at success.

If you are unsure where to start, we can help with all things college. Contact us today!

Of course, there are the grades and scores. To get into a top-tier school, you need to have exceptional grades, and you need to have stellar test scores. Then there are the extracurriculars. You need to be taking whatever history electives you have access to, especially in your area of deepest interest if available. Do not drop a subject to make room for these electives, though. Many of the best colleges in the country, including the Ivy League, expect you to be taking four years of language, math, science, English, and, yes, history. If you drop one of these during junior or senior year to make room for another history course, you may feel like you are strengthening your position for your prospective major, but you are actually seriously harming your chances of getting into a dream school.  

But back to the extracurriculars. Technically, you can do anything outside of the classroom — but you can’t ‘do just anything’ if you actually want to get into a dream school. Very few colleges have extracurricular requirements that they mandate students fulfill before matriculating. Ultimately, you are on your own to decide what is best. This is awesome, but also overwhelming. Since you can do anything, what do you pick? That’s the point of this post.

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Below we’ve broken the key activities for prospective history majors down into four ‘buckets.’ You must be doing something for each of these. Doubling down in one will not make up for missing or skipping another. The great thing is that you still have time to get things done. You are a junior, so the clock is ticking. But there are still months before you press submit on your applications to make things happen.

HUMANITIES CLUB

As a junior, you need to be an active member of a club that intersects with history — and you need to be on a leadership track. You are probably already a member of a club that fits the bill, but let’s break it down just in case. Ideally, you are a member of a history-centric club. If there is not a history club at your school, it could be an English club, a literature club, or a broader humanities club.

Crucially, you need to be on a leadership track. Meet with the club faculty advisor, and ask what you can do to put yourself on a trajectory towards leadership. It can also be useful to meet with the current leaders. Ask them how you can support them in accomplishing their goals for the group, then follow-through.

And if no club like this exists at your school, start one. Recruit some likeminded peers, convince a teacher to become a faculty advisor, and get to it.   

SCHOOL PAPER

In addition to being a member of a history or humanities club, we encourage our juniors interested in history to write for the school paper. This isn’t because you will be writing about history. Instead, it is all about the writing part. As a history major, you will be expected to be an extremely strong writer. Working with the school paper will develop these skills, and offers opportunities for leadership, recognition, and — importantly — a title. Being able to list a title, be it Editor, Contributing Writer, Columnist, or anything else that sounds official, is important. It stands out to colleges, and shows commitment and emphasizes your ability to thrive within an organization of driven individuals.

In addition to reporting on whatever you are most interested in, propose that you write a column related to current events that are relevant to history…which is basically everything that happens ever. For example, you could be writing each issue about how a current happening is tied to a specific past event. This could be local, national, or international.

RESEARCH

One of the most powerful ways for potential history majors to stand out when applying to highly-selective schools is to pursue independent research. There are a number of places for high school students to publish their work, the most famous being . If you are early in your junior year, you have time to research, write, and submit to The Concord Review, but you also need to have a back-up plan. The Concord Review accepts a tiny fraction of applicants, and it is equivalent to getting into Harvard. So, like when applying to an Ivy, you need to have a strong alternative that you would also be excited about. This could be another national publication, a website that publishes teen research, or the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards through the Critical Essay or Journalism categories.  

If you have a connection to a college professor or graduate student in history, that can be another amazing avenue towards research experience. Pursue it respectfully, and understand that working as a research assistant may mostly consist of menial work like scanning source documents. That’s okay, and is also sort of the point. You get to learn what goes into doing great work, and that’s a privilege. 

SUMMER COURSE

All high school juniors interested in history should consider taking a summer course of some kind — online or in-person — that is through a respected university and that comes with credit if you excel (which you should). This isn’t because colleges are necessarily super impressed by you completing a course, and it isn’t because the credit will necessarily transfer. Rather, we encourage students to do a summer course because it shows genuine commitment to your passion for history, and a go-get-it attitude that communicates confidence, enthusiasm, and strength. By choosing to do coursework outside of simply what is offered in school, you are putting a stake in the ground in a powerful way.

Getting into an exceptional college as a prospective history major isn’t harder than any other major, and it may even be easier statistically as top colleges are hungry for students looking to pursue humanities majors. But that doesn’t make it easy. You are among a massive pool of qualified applicants, and standing out requires strategy, commitment, and follow-through. You can do this; you just need to get going.

Getting into a dream school requires a superior strategy. Get yours.

While they don’t release specific admissions data about the College of Engineering, last year their overall acceptance rate was around 8.4%. We would bet that for engineering, it is even lower, which means if you are serious about Cornell, you need to be a top candidate. But how do you become an elite applicant? We have a couple of steps that you will need to take.

Get the Grades

Every successful Cornell application starts with an amazing transcript. You need a competitive GPA, which for Cornell is as close to 4.0 (unweighted) as possible. We know it's a lot to ask for, but it's necessary. You also need to make sure you take the right classes. This means challenging yourself (especially in your STEM classes). You should be taking as many honors, IB, AP, and/or dual enrollment classes as you can while still maintaining a high GPA. The bare minimum is completing the highest math and physics classes offered by your school, but you should go above and beyond that if you want a competitive transcript.

You will also need great test scores. Cornell is no longer test-optional for the 2026 application cycle. Last year, the 50th percentile was 1540 on the SAT or 34 on the SAT. While you should take these numbers with a slight grain of salt (Cornell was test-optional last year and only about 61% of applicants actually submitted scores), you should be shooting for similar scores, if not better.

Build a Niche

While all accepted applicants enter the Cornell University College of Engineering as “undeclared,” having a defined academic area of interest and a specific history of academic involvement in that niche is important. Ideally, it should be clear from your resume exactly what you hope to study. You will need to follow a couple of steps to craft an academic niche.

Courses and Reading

The first thing you need to do to build an academic niche is simply to figure out what you like. Ideally, this is more than just “engineering.” You should have a more defined interest. Engineering is a big field. Maybe you are super interested in mechanical engineering. Maybe electrical engineering is more your thing. The more specific you can get, the more of an expert in that study you can be. But how do you figure out what excites you in the field of engineering? You should start by learning as much as you can, and we recommend doing that (partially) by reading books. We know what you are thinking, “books? I am not an English major!” However, books are an excellent resource for learning more about your academic interests, and reading them will allow you to better discuss and write about those interests. A lot of young people don’t read books outside of school, but reading can set you apart. Outside of books, you can also check out podcasts, journal articles, and even tech blogs.

Once you have an idea of your niche, sign up for a related online class. Many colleges offer online classes (often through third-party resources like Coursera). Many of these courses are even free! They are a great resource for those looking to learn more outside of school classes. You can also look for related courses at a local community college or through high school summer programs at universities (which often offer online and in-person options). However you do it, try to explore your academic interests as much as you can!

In-School Extracurriculars

Getting involved in clubs at school is a perfect first step in building a competitive resume. However, don’t just choose any club. You should specifically look for clubs that relate to your academic interests. Great clubs for engineers often include robotics teams, computer science clubs, mathletes, science Olympiads, solar car teams, and coding teams. If your school doesn’t offer any (or many) STEM-focused clubs, ask the administration about starting one.

Once you have chosen your clubs, you need to take on leadership roles and/or responsibilities in them. Just signing up isn’t enough. You will need to commit and give some time and effort to clubs that matter to you.

Out of School Extracurriculars

In-school activities are a good jumping-off point, but you need more to impress Cornell. Great applicants engage in impressive out-of-school activities throughout the year, but summers are especially important. You need to make sure you are strategizing your summers to make sure they work for you. There are many great out-of-school extracurricular activities, but popular options for engineers include participating in an academic program at a university, undertaking an internship, and conducting research.

Just like your in-school activities, these extracurriculars should support your academic interests and niche. For example, great internships for engineers include those at engineering companies, STEM-related NGOs, and science museums. If you love to volunteer, consider joining a repair cafe or tutoring STEM subjects. The more aligned your resume is, the stronger a package you have.

Build Something Cool

Cornell is looking for students who are already working on building hard skills. Engineering requires skills ranging from soldering to computer programming. You can show your skills by challenging yourself to build something impressive. We have worked with applicants who have built computers, solar panels, drones, and much more. The sky is the limit. Make something you would be proud to tell Cornell about.

Apply Early

Last year, Cornell’s overall acceptance rate was just over 8%. However, their Early Decisions acceptance rate was slightly higher at 9.3%. It is not radically higher, but it is still the best chance of getting in for qualified candidates. If Cornell is your top choice and you are a competitive candidate, we highly recommend applying early. Don’t wait, start making a strategy to apply early. If you don’t know where to start, we can help!

 Cornell is looking for motivated and experienced engineers. These steps are essential for top candidates, but they are also a lot of work. If you are feeling overwhelmed, we can help set you up for success at top engineering schools like Cornell.

Contact us today!

The school has been more popular than ever, which means that whether you are hoping for Tisch, Tandon, or anywhere in between, you need to be a competitive candidate to get into NYU. But how? Good news, we are here to explain what you need to do to be a great Tandon candidate.

Get the Grades

NYU is looking for candidates with impressive grades. Last year, the average submitted GPA was 3.81 unweighted, and 72% of the incoming class had above 3.75. The better your grades, the stronger a candidate you will be. However, those grades have to be in challenging classes. A strong transcript includes Honors, IB, AP, Accelerated, and/or Dual Enrollment courses. You want to take the hardest classes you can while still maintaining a competitive GPA. For hopeful engineers, you should especially take the highest level of math and science that your school offers (this is really the bare minimum).

NYU is still but good standardized test scores can set you apart and especially help STEM majors. Last year, only around 38% of applicants submitted scores. This is a very low number. The scores submitted were impressive: the 50th percentile was 1520 on the SAT or a 34 on the ACT. If you can achieve similar scores, they will absolutely help your overall application.

Build a Niche

Tandon is an interesting engineering school. It offers several majors that are outside the usual undergraduate engineering school options, such as Integrated Design & Media and Business and Technology Management. Therefore, it is imperative for applicants to have an established academic focus before applying. A history of involvement and pursuit of your specific academic interests is what we call an academic niche. The more defined your niche, the better your application will be. There are a couple of ways to start building one.

Courses and Reading

The first step in building a strong niche is learning as much as possible about your intended field. We highly recommend that you include a reading list in your early exploration. Before you say anything, you don’t have to be an English major to read books; there are many excellent books about STEM subjects. Find some that interest you and start reading outside of class. You can supplement your reading list with podcasts, scientific journals, tech blogs, etc., but books should 100% be a part of your academic exploration.

Another great resource is online classes. Many universities offer pre-taped and, often, free courses through third parties like Coursera. You can also look for academic summer programs at universities or community colleges. However you do it, taking courses related to your intended major outside of school is a great way to build a strong niche.

in-School Extracurriculars

Great candidates participate in activities at school. However, this doesn’t mean you should just sign up for any club. School clubs can also help build your niche if you choose them strategically. Depending on your specific academic niche, you should look for robotics teams, science Olympiads, mathletes, STEM tutoring clubs, solar car teams, computer science societies, etc. Find clubs that help you explore your academic interests outside of class. If your school doesn’t offer STEM-based clubs (or even just the one you are looking for), ask the administration about starting your own.

Signing up for the right clubs is just the first step. After you do, you must be ready to commit time and effort to your extracurriculars. NYU wants to see students who have taken on leadership roles and pushed themselves in their activities.

Out of School Extracurriculars

Just like your in-school activities, your out-of-school activities should strategically help your application. You can (and should) do out-of-school activities all year; however, summers are especially important for building a great resume. We love to see students who have a mix of academic programs, internships, and research during their summers. While there are a lot of great opportunities out there that can build a great summer resume, whatever you do, it needs to be impressive and connect to your academic interests. Making a strategic summer plan can be tricky. If you need help, contact us today! We can help build a summer plan that will impress Tandon.

Build Something Cool

From chemical engineering to AI, engineering takes hands-on skills. And engineers who love what they do usually have something tangible to show for it. You have to tell Tandon which skills you’ve mastered by building something you would be proud of. Capstone projects look different for everyone. We’ll have 10 compsci kids whose projects are all completely different. But the most important thing is that each student builds something impressive by the beginning of Senior year. We have worked with students who have made drones, computers, solar power systems, apps, and so much more. We love it when students show off their skills in tangible ways, and schools love it, too. Even better, challenge yourself with a project that forces you to learn new skills.

Apply Early

If NYU is your top choice, it's a good idea to still consider applying early. It shows the university you are serious about going there, and it will likely give qualified candidates a slight bump. Any strategic application plan includes ED/EA schools. If NYU is at the top of your list, you need to at least consider an ED option.

NYU isn’t necessarily synonymous with engineering (the same way it is with the arts or business), but Tandon is still a fabulous choice for hopeful engineers. The school is competitive, and you need to stand out to get in.

If you are nervous about getting in or need help. We have you covered. Contact us today!

Get the Grades

Last year, 73.3% of accepted (and enrolled) students had a 4.0 unweighted GPA. You need a 4.0 or extremely close to it to even be considered for Stanford. We know perfection is a lot to ask for, but you really need it when it comes to grades. However, a 4.0 is only the start; your transcript should also be filled with challenging courses. You need to take as many Honors, IB, AP, Accelerated, and/or Dual Enrollment classes as possible while still maintaining a high GPA. For engineers, taking the most challenging math and science classes available to you is the bare minimum.

Stanford was test optional for the last few application cycles; however, starting in the fall of 2025, you won’t only need great grades, you will also need to submit outstanding scores. Last year, only around 69% of applicants submitted scores, so take these with a grain of salt. However, the 50th percentile was 1,540 on the SAT or 35 on the ACT. You should be submitting similar or, really ideally, better scores.

Build a Niche

Stanford is looking for students who are already seriously invested in their academic interests. Having a history of involvement and exploration in a specific academic area is what we like to call an academic niche. The more specific, the better. Engineering is a big field, and a hopeful biomedical engineer is far different from a computer scientist. Your resume needs to be clear and tailored to your specific academic pursuit. Being an expert in your niche will impress Stanford; however, you will need to take a couple of steps to establish yourself.

Courses and Reading

The first step you need to take is simply learning as much as you can about what you hope to study. Exploring your academic interests outside of class is essential; we suggest starting by reading books. We know it sounds simple, but you would be surprised how many students don’t read books outside of class. You don’t need to be an English major to read, and there are a lot of great books about STEM subjects. Make yourself a reading list. Trust us, it will make you so much better at talking and writing about your interests. You can also supplement your lists with podcasts, scientific journals, or anything else that helps you explore your field, but it should 100% also have books on it.

Another great resource is online classes. Many universities offer pre-taped (often free) courses through third parties like Coursera. These can be a great way to learn more about your interests and explore topics you hope to pursue further in college. Push yourself further by looking for University summer programs or community college courses. Building a history of taking classes outside of school is an excellent start for Stanford.

School Extracurriculars

You need to be involved in your school community. However, this should be strategic. Your application should tell a story, and joining random clubs muddles this. When looking for in-school clubs, you should prioritize ones that help build your niche. Depending on precisely what you want to study in the field of engineering, popular clubs include robotics teams, science Olympiads, mathletes, STEM tutoring clubs, solar car teams, computer science societies, etc.. If your school doesn’t offer STEM-based clubs, consider starting your own.

However, just signing up isn’t enough. You need to commit to your extracurriculars. Be ready to spend time and effort on them. Ideally, you should also take on leadership roles in these extracurriculars. Trust us, Stanford won’t be impressed with a one-hour commitment to the robotics club as a member. A 6-hour a week commitment as a Co-Captain looks a lot better. Ask yourself, “Is there a way I can do even more?”

Out of School Extracurriculars

While school clubs are great, you will need more to be competitive at Stanford. We love it if students tutor STEM subjects or volunteer at a repair cafe all year round, but your summers need to especially be impressive. Having a strategic summer is essential. We routinely work with even freshmen to make sure their summers are helping build a dynamic resume. There are many excellent opportunities out there for hopeful engineers; however, Stanford-level applicants will likely have research, internships, and academic summer programs as part of their summers.

Just like your in-school activities, your summer extracurriculars should connect to your niche. Summer classes should expand your engineering knowledge. Internships should be at tech-related companies, science museums, manufacturing shops, etc. Summer jobs can be at science camps or tech-related roles. Research can be with local professors or personal projects, but it should connect to your interests. Remember, your activities tell a story; your summers should build on that story directly. Making a truly strategic summer plan isn’t easy. If you need help, reach out. We have you covered.

Build Something Cool

Engineering requires hands-on skills from computer programming to soldering. You can show that you have these skills by building something cool. We have worked with students who have built computers, drones, apps, solar energy systems, and much more. Challenge yourself to use your skills or even better, take on a project that requires you to learn some more. The sky is the limit here. Building something you would be proud to tell Stanford about.

Apply Early

While Stanford has a application option, annoyingly, they do not release an early action acceptance rate. However, we still recommend applying early if Stanford is your top choice and you are a qualified candidate. It shows the school that you are serious, and with a school as competitive as Stanford, you need to set yourself apart anyway you can. You need a plan when it comes to applying to college, and a strategic early action plan is part of that.

Stanford is an incredibly competitive school. You need to make sure you are crafting an application that meets their high standards. This can’t happen overnight. You need to be working towards this goal for all four years of high school. Whether you are a rising freshman or a rising senior, we can help you with all things college (Stanford and beyond!) 

Reach out today!

For the , BU received 6,729 applications for transfer admission. They accepted 2,328 students, or just over one-third (34%) of applicants. That is an extreme difference from the first-year acceptance rate that same year, of only 11%, and illustrates how transferring can be a back-door into some top-tier schools. At BU, this is definitely the case. You may not have been a competitive BU applicant as a high school senior, but with a year of exceptional grades under your belt and further development of your extracurriculars, BU truly can be an option. The average GPA of an accepted transfer student is .

The application is also test-optional, but any student who wants to be a truly compelling applicant should plan to submit scores. If your scores from high school weren’t scene stealing, it’s worth trying again only if you commit to investing time and effort into proper preparation.

Most importantly, though, you need to make a compelling narrative pitch that augments your impressive grades and scores. That’s what we’re going to break down below.

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When you apply to Boston University as a transfer, they ask you if you plan to live on campus or off-campus. Please keep in mind that requesting to live in campus housing as a transfer may reduce your chances of acceptance. If you are able to live with family or independently, that will make it easier for them to say yes to you, as they won’t need to find a bed in addition to a desk. However, don’t say that you can live independently without actually verifying that before pressing submit. Boston is expensive, so verify what your options are first.

When you apply, you are also required to select a college and a major within the college you select. You cannot apply to transfer to BU as “undecided.” You must have a clear path that you can effectively communicate.  

Most prospective transfers apply to the College of Arts & Sciences. Regardless of what college you select, the questions are the same.

THE TRANSFER ESSAYS 

Boston University welcomes hundreds of transfer students to campus each year. We want to learn more about you and your reasons for transferring, in particular what you hope to accomplish at Boston University. (600 word maximum)

BU wants to know why you want to transfer, but even more than that they want to know what you hope to accomplish by transferring. In this essay, you have room to do both through a narrative storytelling format. First, you’ll tackle the why. Not why you want to transfer, but a deeper why: the what drives you why.

Start your response to this prompt, then, with what you want to do beyond BU. Where do you see yourself in the future? What drives you to reach for more?

Then, you need to tell the story of why where you are right now won’t work to get you to your dream. This should be super specific, and academically oriented. They do not want nor do they need to hear about culture-fit drama or personal complaints. Instead, take a purely academic approach. Your current school doesn’t offer something that you absolutely need in order to get where you want to go — and BU does. If you don’t know what this thing is yet, find it before you start drafting.

Don’t spend a lot of time pinpointing problems. Instead, pivot quickly to why BU is a solution. What major do you plan to pursue if accepted? What courses and professors are you most excited about? With the professors, share what it is about them that is most interesting to you, and how it aligns perfectly with your prospective path.

Finally, once you’ve set up all of the academic reasons for why BU is the best option for you, you can talk culture and community. Include two clubs, student groups, or organizations that you would both benefit from and contribute to as part of the BU community.

Additional Information (optional): Please use this space if you have additional information, materials, or writing samples you would like us to consider. (up to 5,000 characters)

The additional information section is a bit tricky. You don’t have to put anything here, but you should put something. However, they give you a lot of space — way too much, actually. There is no world where you should be using all 5,000 characters, as they don’t even have time when reviewing your application to thoroughly read such a length additional information response. Instead, aim for under 300 words. What should be in those 300 words depends on who you are and what you want to study. Perhaps it’s a research abstract, an excerpt from an article you’ve published with a link to the full piece, or a performance resume. 

What matters most in all of this is that BU gets a full picture of you as a student with a clear vision for your future, and how BU will play a crucial role in getting you there. Do not include an additional info that muddies the messaging of your application, even if you think what you want to include is interesting or cool. As we’ve learned helped students transfer to their dream schools for over a decade, more is not more.  

If you are hoping to apply to the Questrom School of Business, please remember that applicants must have completed a college-level calculus course or an AP/IB calculus course in high school. Questrom also requires a minimum 3.5 GPA and only accepts transfers to enroll in the fall semester. And, if you were previously rejected from BU, you need to have a full year of college coursework under your belt before applying.

Transferring into a dream school is possible, Contact us to learn how.

Exposure to chemistry tends to be pretty limited in high school beyond the mandatory introductory class and, maybe, an AP or advanced chemistry course. The built-in extracurricular options at school are also more limited when compared to fields like computer science, robotics, or engineering. This can make it harder for a chemistry-focused student to stand out on their college applications when compared to students interested in other areas of STEM. In this post, we are going to address that head on by giving you the four things you need to be doing now as a junior to strengthen your applications and improve your chances of getting into a dream school.

Remember, you’ll be submitting your applications in just a few months. It may still seem far away, but it is coming up super quickly. The window of opportunity for making big moves is closing. So, you need to act.

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Chemistry may have been your passion since grade school, or maybe you just realized last week that you want to make chemistry your focus. Either way, there are things you need to be doing outside of the classroom to show colleges that you are committed to this path — and can perform at a high level at it. Some of these you may have already started, but simply doing it isn’t enough. You need to lean in, so let’s break it down.

STEM CLUB

First, you need to be a member of a STEM-focused club. If it is chemistry-specific, awesome, but don’t limit yourself to clubs that are focused on chemistry. Joining isn’t enough, either. If you are already a member of a STEM club, you aren’t done. What we want to see is leadership. Ideally, it’s becoming the head of the club for senior year. If that isn’t possible, or is unlikely, though, you need to get creative. Schedule a meeting with current club leadership and the faculty advisor to discuss ways that you can support them in their goals, while also getting a title for your efforts. For example, you could lead an initiative, plan an event, or head a committee. These types of roles are things that you can emphasize in your applications and illustrate your leadership and teamwork capabilities.  

SCIENCE OLYMPIAD OR QUIZ BOWL

In addition to being part of a STEM club, you need to join (or further commit to) a Science Olympiad or Quiz Bowl team. These give you the opportunity to dig deeper into chemistry than is taught in school, and earn recognition for your work. Showing that you are good under pressure and a team player will strengthen your character alongside your applications, and you may even get some ideas here for something to explore on your own.

But what if your school has neither a STEM club nor a Science Olympiad or Quiz Bowl team? If you are in the first half of your junior year, you should start one today. Recruit a faculty advisor, pull some friends together, and talk to your school administration about how to make it official. If you are in the second half of your junior year, though, the timeline is tough. Instead of starting a club, and possibly having trouble accomplishing much of anything before you press submit on your college applications, we advise that you look out into your community for opportunities you can plug into. Honestly, this is a good thing to do regardless, so let’s make it a section.

STEM-ORIENTED SERVICE

If your town or city has a library, which it almost certainly does, it likely has afterschool or weekend programming themed around STEM subjects. The elementary school, too, likely has something like a robotics club or science club. Tap into these as a volunteer, and embrace the opportunity to mentor younger students in the subjects that you love. Colleges want to see continuity, so aim to spend at least two afternoons a month at the program and to continue this from today through till graduation.

RESEARCH

Participating in independent research as a high school student is a great way to stand out for colleges, but it has to be legit. Simply messing around after school and not taking your work anywhere does not mean much. The goal, ultimately, needs to be publication in a reputable journal open to high schoolers, or presentation at a science fair or competition.

If you are already doing research, keep pushing. Instead of starting a whole new project, dive more deeply into the niche you’re already inhabiting. There isn’t a ton of space on applications for research, and it’s easier to tell one super compelling research than to try to cram two into the mix. If you haven’t done any research, though, you’ll need to get creative. Again, we are in crunch time. However, there are a few options. For one, you could join someone else in supporting a project they have already going on. Maybe your specific chemistry interests could augment what they are doing? Another option is to switch up when the final product might be. For example, maybe instead of conducting original research you report on research for your school paper, writing articles that inform your community about game changing scientific developments. While it isn’t your own research, it does show curiosity, independent exploration, and written communication skills, all of which are good things to emphasize on an application.

But if you really want to get a research project of your own in under the wire, let us know. We can help you pull it off, even on a tight timeline.

INTERNSHIPS

Possibly the most important thing for you to do as a junior interested in chemistry is to get some sort of related internship before the beginning of your senior year. This can be related to the research you are pursuing, be with a local scientific or tech company, be found through a friend or family member, or all of the above.  

When we work with students to secure internships, we prioritize time and match. The company you are interning with has to match with what you are into. If there is no match, there isn’t really much of a point spending your precious time as a junior on it. You also need to dedicate a significant amount of time to the internship, definitely more than a week. This will allow you to develop experiences that are truly meaningful, and that lead to stories that make an impact on your application.  

It's important, though, to remember that having an internship experience is more important than waiting for the perfect internship. Even if it isn’t ideal, it can build towards another opportunity. So, seize what you can find that is a fit.

As a junior, every moment you have left before submitting your college applications is precious. Using your time outside of class to amplify your extracurriculars and create stories is crucial. We support students through this process of discovery, expression, and experience, guiding them towards their dream schools.

Let’s make junior year a gamechanger for your college application experience. Work with us.

Notably, does not have a direct admissions process, meaning that hopeful Thayer students apply to Dartmouth more generally and they declare their major once there. This is a powerful tool for STEM kids who might be on the fence between, say, Physics and Engineering Physics. Thayer is a little more flexible than other Ivy League Engineering programs. All you have to do is get in… which is, make no mistake, hard. Dartmouth is a highly competitive school. Last year, Dartmouth’s acceptance rate was only around 5.4%. Whether you are coming in as an Engineer or an English major, you need to be an outstanding candidate. But how does one become a top candidate? You need to follow a couple of essential steps. Let’s break it down.

Get the Grades

This is obvious, but you need to have excellent grades to get into Dartmouth. If you don’t have a 4.0 unweighted or very close to it, Dartmouth is probably not the school for you. You also need to be taking challenging classes. Think honors, IB, accelerated, AP, or dual enrollment classes. For future engineers, you want to especially take advanced STEM classes, but make no mistake, APUSH or IB Spanish HL will also help you. Generally, you should take as many advanced courses as you can while still maintaining a competitive GPA.

Starting for the Fall 2025 application cycle, Dartmouth is no longer test-optional, meaning you will need to submit SAT or ACT scores. Because they have been test-optional in the past few years, they have not published their average accepted test scores, but make no mistake, you need the strongest scores possible (especially in the math section for incoming engineers).

Build a Niche

It should be clear from your application what you hope to study. The more specific, the better. We call this your “academic niche,” which really just means your defined education interest or field. While Dartmouth doesn’t have you apply directly to the engineering school, your academic interests are still what will set you apart as an applicant. You need to mindfully and strategically build your niche. This takes a few steps; let’s break them down.

Courses and Reading

The first step in building a niche is figuring out what interests you. You should start by learning as much as you can about your academic interests. A lot of students say they “like engineering” but can’t really define the difference between electrical and mechanical engineering. To be a great candidate, you must be an expert in your intended field. We recommend starting by simply reading some books. Yes, books. A lot of young people don’t read outside of school, but they should. Books will make you better at speaking and writing about your academic interests. On top of that, the mere act of reading books can make you stand out. You can supplement your reading list with podcasts, scientific journals, etc., but books need to be on that list.

We also love online classes. Many colleges offer pre-tapped, often free courses through third-party resources, such as Coursera. Sign up for a class or two. It is incredible what you can learn just through free online courses. You can also look for classes through high school summer programs at universities or community colleges. Taking courses outside of school shows you are serious about your interests and demonstrates academic curiosity, which is essential for a good application.

School Extracurriculars

You should be involved at your school and especially join clubs related to your academic niche. Depending on your precise interests, look for robotics teams, science olympiads, mathletes, STEM tutoring clubs, solar car teams, computer science societies, etc. If your school doesn’t offer STEM-based clubs or one that fits with your interests, talk to the administration about starting one. 

Also, note that just signing up for clubs won’t work for Dartmouth. This is where you are starting! You should take on leadership roles and responsibilities in the club and commit time to it. Your effort is what makes school extracurriculars impressive. A couple of high-time-commitment clubs always look better than a bunch of one-hour commitment clubs spread here and there.

Out of School Extracurriculars

While you can do out-of-school extracurriculars all year long, they are essential for building impactful summers. You want to strategize your summer to help build an impressive resume. While many different extracurriculars can work, an academic program at a university, an internship, and research are always strong choices. You just want to make sure they are related to your academic niche. For example, an internship at a science-related NGO will look better than one at a law office for a hopeful engineering candidate. Whether doing research with a local professor or volunteering at a repair cafe, you want your summer activities to help you build a straightforward narrative.

Build Something Cool

Engineering requires hard skills. By building something, you can show Dartmouth that you have skills in programming languages, manufacturing, and design. We have worked with students who have built computers, drones, solar panels, apps, and more. Challenge yourself and see what you can create on your own. This is an even better idea if you need to teach yourself or learn some skills. Learning new skills is part of what makes this type of personal project impressive.

Apply Early

If Dartmouth is a top choice, you need to seriously consider applying during the early decision round. We said above that Dartmouth’s acceptance rate was around 5% last year, but that isn’t the whole picture. Dartmouth’s ED rate was more like 19.2% (meaning their RD acceptance rate is actually lower than 5%). This is a pretty big difference. If you are a qualified candidate, applying early is easily your best chance of getting into Dartmouth. It is never too late to craft a great application plan, but if you are a rising senior, it is incredibly important to strategize an application plan and that includes applying ED. So get on those applications!

It is hard to get into Dartmouth, but you can do this. You just need to put in the work, make a good strategy, and likely get some expert help. We work with Ivy League-bound students, whether they are rising freshmen or rising seniors.

If you need help getting into Thayer or anything else college application-related, we can help! Reach out today!

Get the Grades

You need excellent grades. Full stop. Asking for perfection feels a bit unfair, but it is kind of a necessity here. If you don’t have a 4.0 or are incredibly close to it, Columbia Engineering might not be the right place for you. They are looking for students at the top of their class who can handle a demanding course load. We are talking about taking honors, IB, or AP courses and doing exceptionally well in them. For engineering applicants, you should also specifically be challenging yourself and doing well in STEM classes.

You also need to get excellent standardized test scores. While Columbia is currently test-optional, strong scores will help your competitive edge, especially for STEM-based majors. Last year, only 61% of applicants submitted test scores, but that isn’t an excuse to get lazy around scores. Last year, for those submitting scores, the 50th percentile was 1540 on the SAT or 35 on the ACT. You should be gunning for similar or even better scores. For engineering majors, you should also pay specific attention to the math sections (the 50th percentile for just the math sections was 790 or 35).

Build a Niche

The Fu School offers 22 undergraduate programs; you need to know which one you are applying to, and your resume needs to back that decision up. Just saying you want to do “engineering” isn’t enough. There is a big difference between computer engineering and biomedical engineering. You want to establish an academic niche. It should be clear just by looking at your application that you are a hopeful chemical engineer and not a mechanical engineer. But how do you do this? There are a couple of steps you will need to take to build a successful niche.

Courses and Reading

Your school classes aren’t enough! To establish an academic niche, you need to explore your academic interests as much as you can. One great way to learn more about your academic interest is simply by reading books. We know it sounds simple, but many students don’t read outside of class. Reading books will give you so much more knowledge about your intended field and strengthen your writing skills (and trust us, you will need to be able to write about your academic interests during the application process.) Outside of books, you can also check out scientific journals, tech news sites and even podcasts. The more you can read, the better set up you will be.

Another great way to explore your academic interests outside of school is to take an online class. Many universities offer online courses through resources like Coursera. You can also look for classes at community college or through high school summer programs at universities (which often offer online and in-person options). No matter how you choose to take courses, they can help establish a history of academic curiosity and solidify your niche.

In-School Extracurriculars

Check out which clubs your school has to offer and pay special attention to the clubs that connect to your academic niche. Engineers should look for science Olympiads, solar car teams, robotics teams, and computer science clubs, among others. If your school doesn’t offer any engineering-related clubs, ask the administration about starting one.

Once you have settled on a club or two, you need to take on responsibilities in those orgs. Just signing up for a club isn’t going to impress Columbia. You need to demonstrate leadership and commitment in your extracurricular activities. This doesn’t just mean being the president, but also dedicating time and effort to your clubs.

Out of School Extracurriculars

In-school clubs are not enough for Columbia. You need some spectacular out-of-school activities as well. While you can do these activities during the school year, summer should be a big part of your plan. You want to optimize your summer plans to help your extracurricular resume. A successful summer can take many forms, but doing an academic program at a university, an internship, and research are always great choices.

The biggest tip is to ensure that your out-of-school extracurricular activities align with your academic interests. Ideally, you shouldn’t just take any internship. For example, interning at an accounting firm is okay, but we would rather see you at an engineering/science company, an NGO that does something with STEM, a science museum or even a STEM camp for children. If you are all about volunteering, choosing a repair cafe or tutoring STEM topics are great choices. You want your resume to clearly showcase your academic interests, and the more closely related your extracurricular activities are to your educational goals, the better.

Build Something Cool

Engineering requires skills. You can show Columbia that you have some of the required skills by building something. We have worked with engineering students who have made their own  computers, drones, solar panels, and so much more. A building project can show your passion for engineering and that you have learned valuable skills. You may even need to teach yourself some new skills. For the record, that is a good thing!

Apply Early

Remember when we said that Columbia’s acceptance rate was 4.3% last year? Well, that is only part of the whole picture. The overall acceptance rate is 4.3%; however, the early decision acceptance rate is higher. Last year it was 13.4%. This is still a competitive rate, but for qualified candidates, applying early is the best chance at acceptance.

We highly recommend applying early if you are a competitive candidate and Columbia is your top choice of school. If you are applying this year, it is essential to create a plan for your application as soon as possible, if you haven’t already done so. It is never too early to start strategizing college admissions.

Getting into Columbia is hard, but there are steps you can take to set yourself up for success. If you don’t know where to start, we can help! Whether you are a rising senior or a rising freshman, we do it all. Let us give you the competitive edge that Columbia Engineering is looking for.

Contact us today!