The college process is overwhelming for students and parents, but it is a key part of each student's journey. Your college experience will determine your lifelong friendships, your career opportunities, and will set you on your life path. This RU-vid channel will be with you each step of the way, helping you navigate the college process and reach your goals. Here, you will find insider knowledge, expert advice, and tips just for you as you move through one of the most important journeys in a child's life. The more each family knows about the college process, the more empowered they are to create their own path to success. Subscribe to our channel to learn tips you won't find anywhere else and to get help...start to acceptance.
Thank you so much for watching our channel and for your question! It’s up to each applicant how much effort they prefer to place into their application. Demonstrating interest is usually a positive whether it’s tracked or not.
HS only has 10 APs (and 3 are in the arts) so 7 actually core AP classes. None are available as a freshman. Where or how can I let the colleges know this. The high school report simply says, "10 AP classes are offered at LHS"
Thank you for your comment! Most schools do not offer AP classes to freshman. They will primarily be comparing how your overall course load compares to your high school's overall course load.
How do you get the trends from the previous year if the most recent CDS from schools is the from the HS class of 2023 and the CDS for the hs Class of 2024 doesn't come out until January (after the date most people are applying). I don't see it posted on any school's websites yet, nor is the CDS out yet. Thanks.
Thank you so much for watching our videos and for your comment! You can ask your school counselor or your independent counselor for more information. Each high school is different on when they release their own individual data.
Are they REALLY looking to see if you open the email? They have the bandwidth to determine that. And if they do, what does that look like in the actual admissions committee. Does someone hold up a document and it says, "Suzy visited on 4/15, she did an interview on 4/19, and opened 90% of the emails we sent." They have the bandwidth and the manpower to actually track that for thousands of students?
Hello! Thank you so much for your comment and for watching this video. Yes, they do have the bandwidth for this. The way each college uses the data varies from school to school but your school counselor or independent educational consultant should be able to provide more information on the process. Good luck!
The friend I’ve in mind is going to be starting off her college this year (she and I applied last year, she got in I didn’t so I’m taking another gap year). Is that okay if she writes one peer recommendation letter for me?
Thank you so much for your comment and for watching this video! If you have questions on eligibility requirements for the peer rec or any other parts of the application process, make sure to call Dartmouth admissions directly!
Do colleges really care about what APs you take your senior year? I took 0 APs sophomore year, 5 my junior year, and am taking 5 my senior year including Calc BC, but I'm scared that they will think I'm not challenging myself since my school allows you to take 2 APs your sophomore year. Will this hurt my chances? (Also I had all A's in the APs junior yr)
Thank you so much for watching our channel and for your comment! It sounds like you have a strong academic record - congratulations! There are several factors that go into this question including your increase in rigor over time, your personalized class trajectory, and how you will be evaluated against your overall school profile. Both factors should be considered in a holistic admissions review (your classes and rigor senior year and how much you took advantage of what your school has to offer). Of course, if there are circumstances you need to explain, you can write about them in the additional information section, but make sure to show it to your school counselor and/or a trusted educational professional just as you would the other parts of your application. We hope this helps! Good luck!
8:54 that last part is really true, my AP Gov teacher tracks where students at my school got in each year and i found a lot of trends. Among the top students (roughly top 25ish), getting into UCLA/Berkeley was pretty easy, USC was also relatively attainable, and one interesting thing I saw if almost every other year a kid would get into stanford (granted they usually top 5 or higher)
Thank you so much for commenting! It’s never a good idea to post your essay on any online forum, but we do offer essay revisions if you’d like to work with us through our website. Good luck with the process!
Thank you so much for watching! Great question! It's best for students to begin exploring their passions early in their high school career so that they can authentically pursue their interests over time. We recommend beginning to think about these passions and passion projects freshman and sophomore year.
Thank you so much for watching our videos and for your comment! High AP scores can help round out an application. You should only send the AP scores that you feel most confident in and that you feel best reflect you as an applicant. We hope this helps!
Wow this is a really comprehensive overview of the college admissions process. My son and I have been watching/reading countless sources for insights. This video really gave us some new perspectives on how to approach his college campaign in the Fall.
Thank you so much for your feedback! We are so glad to hear that the video was helpful and we wish you the best of luck in the college admissions process!
Thank you so much! I am currently working on a research paper, and it should be done by September. Is it fine if by the time I send college applications I have submitted my paper to a journal, but not published yet? I am not sure if I would be able to publish in time. Thank you!
Thank you so much for watching our video! When incorporating research papers in your application process, it is always best to have proof of acceptance in a publication. Also, remember that research papers and passion projects are not always the same thing. We hope this helps!
Hey, I'm also applying this fall, I completed my paper this august I know that it takes like 5 to 10 months to get it published so I showed it to a phd prof and got approval from him. and I will get him to write a rec letter from him about my paper I recommend you do the same Hope this helps
Because of this, what should I do? Should I email Admissions office and ask about the Cape Town study abroad program there or that’s unnecessary? Since everybody is showing demonstrating interest apparently
Thank you so much for watching and for your excellent questions! We agree that UM is a fantastic choice 😊 if a school does not have a “why” supplemental but you’ve done a lot of research, you can incorporate that research in the demonstrated interest you show to schools. We have some upcoming resources that may help with this situation and we will link them when they’re ready!
@@LotusPremierEducation Sorry! I am now seeing your responses. First, the campus is exquisite !!! I felt like I was in a fever dream. lol. I enjoy the weather, people, and summer program professors. The school has a diverse student body (even at the program), and I got a feel of the work hard and play hard culture (which I love! lol). Then, I got the feeling that UM is the school for me, so I hope I get in !! 🧡🙌🏽💚.
ugh😭. This video is helpful, but I’m deciding to go test optional since I didn’t prep well for the tests and all the seats are full for the incoming tests…
Thanks so much for watching! Unfortunately several students are in the same position. While nothing really takes the place of a strong standardized test scores, other ways to stand out include creating a strong and authentic narrative, writing unique and interesting essays, demonstrating interest, and finding activities or achievements that diversify you from “the norm.” We hope this helps!
Thank you so much for watching and for your comment! Try going back through the essay and revising it for cliche or frequently used phrases or sentences that read more vaguely. The more detail you include and the more you diversify your vocabulary and sentence structure, the more unique to you the essay will read. We hope this helps!
Thank you so much for your comment and for watching! Great question - demonstrated interest is SUCH an important part of the process. We linked the two videos we have on demonstrated interest below. We hope they are helpful! Let us know if you have more questions 😀
Thank you for your question! You need to analyze the different learning options available at your school, but historically, the IB program has been well received internationally.
Thank you so much for watching our channel and for your question! There is a section on the common application called the “additional information” section where you can explain situations just like these. Make sure to take advantage of that section when you fill out your application. Some schools will take these circumstances into account.
This is good advice about what question to ask because the quality of advising is important, and at many schools, including some prestigious ones, it's probably not all that it should be.
What if you had dire circumstances like not having a reliable place to stay (bouncing place to place) and not having resources to do school work that led to a lower gpa. Could a higher sat / act score help?
Hello! Thanks so much for your comment. Higher SAT/ACT scores will certainly help because they will show your academic capability and provide a more holistic understanding of your GPA, but you should also write about your circumstances in the other pieces of the application itself.
Thank you for your comment! We hope this video was helpful. International applicants are considered in comparison with their school profile and regional profile. Even if there is no GPA, there will still be some form of tangible grade markers for success.
How can you get an idea of GPA academic cut off? I know in the CDS you can look at 25% and understand that is the bottom acceptable score to submit. Is there a place we can find similar info on GPA? I know I can see what % were top 10% of their class, but that’s arbitrary
Thank you for your question! This does vary by region and by school, so the best place to begin looking for this information is by speaking to your school college counselor and trying to gather an understanding of your high school’s admissions history to the colleges you are applying to. We hope this was helpful!
Thank you so much for your comment, Michael. A few schools are starting to update their policies so we expect that more will join in...it's pretty normal that they make decisions as a group. We will keep you updated as we hear more!
I was accepted into Yale class of 2028 through a likely letter and everything you said here was 100% true!! Separating the academics from social is a great idea for the first two essays and it’s how I crafted my own essays :)
Wow!! CONGRATULATIONS!!! What a tremendous accomplishment-we are so proud of you!! Thank you so much for sharing this excellent news with us 🙏🏻 it’s comments like these that keep us going ⭐️
I completely agree with you! Her videos are very helpful 😊 She's a great educator and simplifies complicated information very well! I love this channel!
Hello, thanks for your video. If my kid targets colleges that state 2 yrs of world language requirement would suffice (like UT Austin, Georgia Tech, Carnegie Mellon, Urbana Champaign, MIT etc.,) then is it necessary for 4 yrs of doing language? Despite what they state, would they consider 4yrs of language to be plus? My kid is a Freshman in 3rd year of Spanish and is debating whether to go for 4th yr or not. Thanks in advance.
The general answer is they would consider more years a plus, but it does depend school to school. He should absolutely take at least one more year if he is still a freshman, even if he is in his third year. It's best to get as close as possible to "maxing out" the language levels at your school. And if you do replace a language, make sure it is with a class that fits your child's narrative.
Is there a benefit to taking Honors foreign language if both Honors and CP carry the same weight? If my child opts for Honors in freshman year and then feels the need to go down to CP in subsequent years will that be viewed negatively?
Thank you for your question! There is definitely a benefit to starting on the Honors track early. It will not be negative if he needs to drop down, but it may warrant a quick explanation in the additional information section. We always recommend starting higher and moving down if you need to, rather than holding yourself back. You never know what you are capable of until you try! 😊
