At Columbia, students spend their first years debating ancient philosophy, reading classic literature, and working through a famously rigorous Core Curriculum. Once they’re done with that, they walk out of class into Manhattan, one of the most modern cities on the planet.
An Analysis of How to Get into Amherst 2026-2027
Amherst is a college but enormous in impact. Located in Amherst, Massachusetts, students are immersed in an intellectual environment that prizes making an impact. For most of Amherst’s modern existence, it flew quietly under the radar, attracting mostly east coast students who prized the educational environment and community Amherst offered. Twenty years ago, the acceptance rate was a (then) record low for the college at . A lot has changed in the past two decades, though. Word about a small liberal arts college in Massachusetts spread far and wide, and the acceptance rate plummeted. Most recently, for the Class of 2030, Amherst reported another record low acceptance rate of only .
An Analysis of How to Get into Vanderbilt 2026-2027
Vanderbilt is an impressive and highly-respected university that is at a major inflection point — and has been for a while. Over the past decade, Vanderbilt has become one of the hardest universities to gain admittance to in the country. In that time, the university hasn’t changed massively. It’s been a great school for a long time, and it continues to be a strong bet for setting driven students up for a successful future. As acceptance rates decreased among the top tier of schools, Vanderbilt has experienced one of the wildest drops. Today, the acceptance rate is only .