Tufts is a private research university in the suburbs of Boston, and it wants to be your quirky aunt. By that we mean it has academics on par with top-tier schools and flaunts an intentionally eccentric school spirit. Case in point: Tuftonians also go by the nickname “Jumbos,” a reference to the school’s mascot (P. T. Barnum’s famous circus elephant). With a class size typical of a New England liberal arts school, Tufts has gotten increasingly selective. The incoming class of 2026 includes 1,695 enrolled students and has an admission rate of 9.7%. 

So, kid, you wanna apply to the University of Texas at Austin? Alright, alright, alright. (Note: although this blog is not a car commercial, we’d still like you to imagine the iconic rumble of a Matthew McConaughey voiceover here). As the #1 public university in the lone-star state, and among the top ten U.S. public universities overall, UT-Austin has academic rigor and top-tier undergraduate research opportunities while offering all the excitement of Division 1 athletics, state school spirit, and a booming student population. UT-Austin may have over 40k undergraduates, but they’re still selective, especially when it comes to out-of-state applicants. The overall admit rate is 32%, which means the percentage of students living outside of Texas who get in is even lower. 

Lafayette College is a small liberal arts college in the city of Easton, Pennsylvania along the Delaware River just about between Philadelphia and New York City. They say they are small enough to offer personal attention, while large enough to offer the resources and opportunities of a larger institution — and we have to agree. The tight-knit student body of 2729 represents 44 states and territories, and 60 countries, and have access to a vast array of academic programs, extracurriculars, and student events. The overall is 33.6%, and the Early Decision acceptance rate is 43.4%.

Colgate University is a small private liberal arts college nestled in Hamilton, New York. It's often referred to as a "Hidden Ivy" and a "Little Ivy" because of their size, academic programs, and campus culture. In 2020, their acceptance rate was 27%. In 2023, it was 12%. Colgate is both test and supplement optional, which is probably why they had a huge increase in the number of applicants over the last three years. Before you start thinking, “Gee, time to send off my app with little to no work!” let us burst your bubble. There's no such thing as "optional" when it comes to admissions. With a 12% acceptance rate, you’re gonna have to write an essay or three.

Boston College, or BC as they’re commonly known, is a private Jesuit research university in Boston (read: Chestnut Hill). It’s a midsized school with just under 10,000 undergrads, and as you may have guessed – yes, many students who attend are indeed Catholic. Jesuits are all about “educating a personal as a whole,” and this extends outside the classroom as well. BC has gotten increasingly popular over the last few years, dropping to an all-time low 14% acceptance rate for the class of 2027. That’s right parents, BC isn’t a safety school anymore. Reasons for increased popularity might include their highly ranked business school, high levels of school spirit, or their continued test-optional policy.

Colorado College is a small liberal arts college in the city of Colorado Springs in — you guessed it — Colorado. It is, perhaps, the most Colorado of Colorado schools. At the foot of the Rocky Mountains, the school is known for attracting quirky, curious, and passionate students who love the outdoors almost as much as they love fully immersing themselves in their academic and artistic passions. The acceptance rate is 11.6%.

Haverford is a small liberal arts school eight miles from downtown Philadelphia. The school is known for creating intimate academic environments for students who are driven and inherently intellectual. One-third of the classes have less than 10 students, and include political science, economics, psychology, and the hard sciences. It is a highly-residential campus, but isn’t insular. While 98% of the 1,472 students live on campus, nearly half do at least one study abroad program. The Haverford acceptance rate is about 18%, and it is .

Macalester College is a private university located in St. Paul, Minnesota (more on that later). It’s small, with an undergrad population of 2,220 (and a freshman class size of about 500). The acceptance rate is 25%. Most students hail from Minnesota. Here’s how we recommend you tackle the supplement:

Washington and Lee is a liberal arts university in Lexington, Virginia. The campus sits near some gorgeous nature, namely the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Allegheny Mountains. This school is old and historic. Their name comes from their first major benefactor, George Washington, and former college president Robert E. Lee (ok yikes, but…). It’s also a small school with only around 2k students. Their acceptance rate was 17% for the . Their supplement has only 2 essays and they are both optional, so let’s break them down.

Lehigh is a private research university in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The rural campus is home to 7,000 students. The acceptance rate is about 49%. Here is our advice for tackling the Lehigh supplement:

Located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Colorado College is a tiny lil’ liberal arts college with a unique scheduling system. They’re on the , and they’re super proud of it. You take one class at a time. Yep, just one. They say this helps you manage your schedule better, stay flexible, and still have lots of time left over for activities outside of school. CC had an 11.6% acceptance rate last cycle, but note that in regular decision, we see an acceptance rate in the 2-3% range. Basically, people who know they want to go to Colorado College typically apply early.

Johns Hopkins is a private school in Baltimore, Maryland. The acceptance rate is about 10% and the university has about 6,100 undergrads. JHU is known for its renowned Bloomberg School of Public Health and the research it put out amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. This is our recommendation for tackling the supplement:

Wesleyan University is a small liberal arts college in Middletown, CT. Famous alumni include both Lin-Manuel Miranda and Michael Bay–what an assortment. It’s considered a “Little Ivy” and uniquely, does not have a set of core classes for all undergrads to take. They seem to pride themselves on flexibility, going so far as to say “deadlines are important to us, however we will accept applications submitted up to one week after the deadline,” on their Common App information page.

Southern Methodist University, often called SMU, is a private research university in the University Park neighborhood of Dallas, Texas. SMU has a robust Greek system, campus-wide traditions, and a popular undergraduate business school. While methodist is right in its name, it is nonsectarian in its teaching ie you don’t need to be a methodist to go there. Their acceptance rate is about 47%. Their supplement only has two questions so let’s break them down.

Washington University in St. Louis also often called WashU is a private, research university in Clayton, Missouri. Which yes, is a suburb of St. Louis. The school hosts over 100 academic programs and is known for its medicine, engineering, nursing, law, business, and social work programs especially. Their acceptance rate is a competitive however their early decisions acceptance rate is 27%. Their writing supplement is really only one question, however, there are additional essays if you are applying to one of their scholars' programs.

Lafayette College is a liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania which is a small town outside of Allentown. While it is a liberal arts college, they also have a great engineering program. They also host a wide range of research opportunities for their about 2,500 undergrads. They have an acceptance rate of about 41% during regular decision and 53% for early decision. Their supplement only has one question and it's a fairly standard one.

Texas Christian University or TCU for short is located outside of Fort Worth Texas. The school is Christian (like it’s right in the name.) While you don’t have to be Christian to go to TCU, it may feel slightly more religious than some similar, let’s say, Jesuit schools. The school hosts about 10k undergrads and has an acceptance rate of about 40% Their supplement only has 2 questions (kind of 3 more on that later) so let’s break them down.

The University of Rochester is a private research university. It’s a picturesque campus off of lake Ontario in the town of Rochester in Upstate New York. Rochester mid-sized school with about 7k students. They house some unique programs including a music school. They have an acceptance rate is about . Their supplement is a little confusing. There are multiple parts and ways to answer prompts, so let’s break down how to approach their supplement.

The University of Miami is a private research university in the Coral Gables neighborhood of Miami, Florida. The school has 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 majors. This includes some pretty unique majors such as Real Estate, Printmaking, Music Therapy, and more. They have about a 19% acceptance rate. Their supplement only has one question, so let’s break it down.