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Caroline Koppelman
Official Common App Essay Guide 2025-2026

We’ve spent the past few weeks breaking down each Common App essay prompt one by one, and now it’s time for the grand finale: our ultimate guide to writing the Common App essay. Sure, there are seven different prompts, but at the end of the day, every school is looking for the same thing: a story.

Caroline Koppelman
How to Write Common App Essay Prompt 7: Example ...

We’ve been waiting for this one: it’s finally time to dig into Prompt #7, the crown jewel of the Common App essay prompts.

Caroline Koppelman
Ultimate Guide to Letters of Continued Interest ...

Getting waitlisted or deferred from your dream school is hard. We know it’s hard! You feel rejected, but it’s this weird non-rejection rejection that can leave you feeling lost and confused. And while a lot of things in college admissions are totally out of your control, there is something you can do if you’ve been waitlisted or deferred to give yourself another chance. A letter of continued interest, sometimes known as a waitlist letter or deferral letter, is one of the few, actionable things you can control when admissions decisions seem so out of your control. It’s your only chance to make a good second impression, and we help students write them every single year.

Caroline Koppelman
Ultimate Guide to Getting Waitlisted 2025

Getting waitlisted is the ultimate limbo – it’s not not a rejection, but it’s not a full-on denial, either. And depending on your circumstances, you could be feeling everything from mild disappointment to full-on panic. Don’t get yourself into a tizzy just yet, because there are things you can do to give yourself a shot at getting off the waitlist and make sure that you have a plan in place for the next year.

Caroline Koppelman
Best Early Decision II (ED2) Schools 2024-2025

Hey, look, sometimes ED doesn’t work out the way we want it to, and we have to change strategies. If you just got rejected or deferred from your ED/EA option, we’d like to introduce you to our good friend, Early Decision 2. ED2 is just as binding as ED, and it signals to the school that you are serious about attending that school, and guess what? Schools like when you’re serious about them.

transfer

Freshman Year Transfer to Dartmouth 2026

There’s a strange moment that happens for a lot of freshmen. Sometimes it happens before you even start your freshman year. It usually comes sometime during the first semester – maybe after a conversation with someone at another school, maybe after realizing the classes you were excited about aren’t actually offered until junior year, or maybe you’re just unhappy.

Freshman Year Transfer to Duke 2026

Maybe you haven’t even moved into your dorm yet. Or maybe you’ve been on campus just long enough to start wondering: Did I choose the right place? Every year, thousands of freshmen arrive at college and quickly recognize that the academic environment, opportunities, or overall culture aren’t quite what they imagined. Others leave the admissions cycle feeling like they could have done more the first time around and want another shot.

Freshman Year Transfer to MIT 2026

Some students leave the admissions cycle feeling like their results didn’t match their academic ability. Others get to campus and realize pretty quickly that the intellectual environment isn’t quite what they hoped for. Maybe the coursework isn’t rigorous enough. Maybe the research opportunities are limited. Maybe the culture just doesn’t feel right. That’s where transferring comes in.

Freshman Year Transfer to Penn 2026

You haven’t even set foot on your college campus yet, or maybe you just moved into your dorm, and you’re already thinking about transferring. It happens way more often than people realize. Sometimes your admissions results didn’t go quite how you hoped, sometimes your college choice doesn’t feel like the right fit once the dust settles, and sometimes you just want a change.

How to Transfer to Northwestern 2026

Northwestern is a fabulous and highly-respected research university in the Chicago area and nestled on the banks of Lake Michigan. As a large university with equally large resources, Northwestern has become a sought after destination for transfers who want a combination of community and opportunity. They applications from students coming from 2-year and 4-year colleges, and successful applicants will have typically completed at least one full year of college before arriving at Northwestern. Unsurprisingly, the high demand for transfer also means that it isn’t easy to get in.

How to Transfer to the University of Southern California 2026

USC is a top private research university in Los Angeles, California known for combining top academics and an enviable social experience. Students look to USC as a transfer option, often, because they are seeking out a specific academic opportunity that their current school can’t fulfill — especially around supporting and conducting research. The climate doesn’t hurt, either. In the dead of winter, students in colder climes understandably look to the sunny potential of a California college.

How to Transfer to Cornell 2026

Cornell University is a top research university and a member of the famed Ivy League. The program is unique among the Ivy League for many of their programs, especially those related to agriculture, management, and labor relations. This makes it highly sought after as a transfer option, offering both highly-respected degrees and uniquely focused career trajectories.

How to Transfer to Georgetown 2026

Georgetown is a highly-respected Jesuit university in Washington D.C that is particularly well-known for opportunities in politics, policy, foreign service, and the humanities more broadly. Part of the loosely defined and very unofficial “Ivy Plus” club, Georgetown is difficult to get into as a first-year. Unfortunately for prospective transfers, it isn’t any easier as a transfer applicant.