The University of Wisconsin—Madison is a public research university located in, well, Madison. The oldest and largest public school in the state, Wisconsin is known for its exceptional athletics. A proud member of the Big Ten, the school also offers a plethora of activities and clubs, including a robust Greek Life. Located in a popular college town for those who can handle winter, the school has more than 30,000 undergraduate students and an acceptance rate of 52%.

Cornell is an Ivy League private research university in Ithaca, New York. Cornell is known for its academic programs and it is the only Ivy League school to offer degrees in hospitality and agriculture. Cornell decided not to publicly release their acceptance rate for the class of 2024, but historically their acceptance rate has been around 10%.

Located in New Orleans’ historic Uptown neighborhood, Tulane’s campus is just a short streetcar ride away from some of the nation’s best music and richest culture. Tulane is a private school with just over 6,000 undergrads. Tulane is known for its robust social life and while Greek Life is a popular option, it’s far from the only path students take. One of the first schools in the country to implement a required volunteer program, Tulane is also focused on connecting students with service. The admissions rate is about 13%.

Wellesley is a women’s liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Roughly 2,350 students attend the school, all of whom have the options of cross registering for classes at Babson, Olin, MIT, and Brandeis. The acceptance rate for the class of 2024 was 19%.

Boston University is a private research university in the heart of Boston, Massachusetts. An urban campus nestled along the Charles River, BU has something for just about anyone. While the school boasts a champion hockey team and robust sports program, it’s also a great school for those wishing to explore the history and rich culture of a city like Boston, or really anywhere else in the world. After all, BU is home to one of the oldest study abroad programs in the nation. The acceptance rate is 22 percent and the student body is more than 35,000.

Bowdoin is a very small private liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine. The school is known for its standout academic programs and its tightknit community. People that go to Bowdoin absolutely love Bowdoin. It was the first school to adopt a test-optional policy, but it is incredibly difficult to get into. The acceptance rate for the class of 2024 was 9.2%.

Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. The school is known for stellar academic programs, and over 70% of students combine two or more areas of study. The acceptance rate for the class of 2024 was 8.5%.

Johns Hopkins offers undergraduate students a mid-sized college experience within a major research university. Located in the heart of Baltimore, Maryland, the university is #1 in the United States for research and development spending and has housed 29 Nobel Laureates. It is particularly known for programs in medicine, medical research, and medical engineering, especially public health. The acceptance rate is 9%, and 98% of admitted students are in the top 10% of their class.

The College at Columbia University is one of the best undergraduate liberal arts schools in the world, at one of the worlds’ best universities. To call it exceptional is an understatement. To call it highly sought-after is also an understatement. Columbia is home to some of the best programs and professors in the world for nearly any academic subject, and gaining access through admission is extraordinarily competitive. The College is particularly known for its uniquely rigorous CORE curriculum, a college of literature, arts, and music courses all students are required to take for graduation. The CORE is intense, and many students equate it to completing a second major.

Washington and Lee is a small liberal arts school in Lexington, Virginia. W&L is also home to the Williams School of Commerce, Economics, and Politics for those students who are interested in studying business within the framework of a liberal arts school. The acceptance rate hovers around 19%. Their supplement is broken down below:

The University of Michigan is a public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It’s a big school with strong academic programs and more than 1,600 clubs. The acceptance rate hovers around 23%.

Dartmouth is a private Ivy League liberal arts school in Hanover, New Hampshire. It is the most rural Ivy League and the only one with its own ski mountain. There are approximately 4,400 undergrads, and the acceptance rate is 8.8%. This means it is about twice as easy to get into Dartmouth as it is to get into Harvard, making Dartmouth a “more accessible Ivy” while still being one of the most selective and prestigious schools in the country.

The undergraduate college at Harvard University is a mid-sized liberal arts school within a massive private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard is the oldest university in the United States and is widely recognized as one of the world’s best schools. With an endowment that makes it financially comparable to a small country, Harvard is a mammoth institution that wields enormous power. Last year, Harvard received 43,330 applications for first-year admission. The acceptance rate was 4.6%, and 1650 students enrolled.

Georgia Tech is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s a medium-sized (about 16,000 students) tech-focused school that puts a major emphasis on the importance of research opportunities. The acceptance rate for the class of 2024 was 20%. Georgia Tech changed their supplement this year. We’re breaking it down below:

Boston College is a medium-sized Jesuit research university in Boston, Massachusetts. Religion does not have to be a primary aspect of your education should you attend Boston College, but the Jesuit background informs life on campus in two ways: curiosity and academic learning are seen as crucial elements of understanding the world and practicing faith, and students are expected to address and engage with social issues. The acceptance rate for the class of 2024 was 24%. Let’s break down their supplement:

Swarthmore is a small liberal arts school in Swarthmore, PA—a small town outside of Philadelphia —with about 1,600 undergraduates. It’s a part of the in the area, which consists of Swarthmore, Bryn Mawr, and Haverford. Students are able to take classes relatively easily within the tri-college consortium, as well as cross-register with the University of Pennsylvania.

Duke is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Most Duke students are sports and school spirit fanatics who can also handle a competitive and intense academic environment. Being admitted to Duke is no easy feat, and the acceptance rate for the class of 2024 was 7.7%. Let’s look at their supplemental questions:

Tufts is a small-ish liberal arts university outside of Boston, in Medford, MA. Tufts has ~5,800 undergraduates, and just about as many graduate students on their campus. Its mascot is Jumbo the elephant, which is cute. Fall 2020 is going to be a situation for students, with online and in-person offerings.

The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Just over 17,000 students attend the school and the acceptance rate for the class of 2024 was 20.5%. It’s a big school with a lot of school pride. UVA is comprised of a set of undergraduate colleges, and you’ll answer the prompt that aligns with the specific college you’re applying to. We’re breaking it down below:

The College at the University of Chicago is a liberal arts school within a research university in Chicago, Illinois. The approximately 6,300 undergraduate students at the University of Chicago are known for being passionate, smart, and insatiably curious. The College has rigorous academic distribution requirements, and the Ivy League-tier academics come with an Ivy League-tier admissions process. The acceptance rate is 6%.