All About The Application
What to do when you are met with the scary college application
HELLO!
I am Cindy
Credentials: I’m a normal person who happened to have spent way too much time researching college going through the normal person college application process.
HELLO!
I am Percival
Credentials: I’m also a normal person who happened to have spent way too much time researching college going through the normal person college application process.
Do not share personal information (age, location, any way to contact outside of schoolhouse)
Schoolhouse LAWS
Do not curse
Be comfy and participate!
BE FRIENDLY
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Plan for Today
Common App
The most common way of applying to college.
Meat of the Application
What admissions officers want from you
Test optional… Good? Bad?
How to fill out the Honors section
Starting your essays and what to put in them
Good organizing sheet for applications
Choosing Colleges
How many colleges to choose and which ones
Good websites to use
Think of your priorities and what you want to see at your college. This should be your #1 list of what you want at your college. Choose 12-20 interesting ones, do research then narrow it down to 6-10 colleges (at least 2-3 safeties, 2 targets, 2 reaches). Pick the ones you can genuinely see yourself being at. Read their websites!!
Another good resource: The CDS (common data set) for each college, it tells you data about each college like what % graduates, extra opportunities, required classes Look up school + common data set
�Decide what you want vs. what you need:
Choosing A College
Location
Cost ($21k public -$49k private)
Extracurriculars (clubs, sports, restaurants, shops)
Majors Available/Dual major ability
Campus/Transportation
Resources available and Academic quality
CDS example: https://ucomm.stanford.edu/cds/
NOTICE: Ranking is not on this list although many students use ranking to decide their college list. This is kind of a huge mistake and you should really try to put aside prejudice and look away from the tiny window of Ivy Leagues and into the giant field of 3,000+ colleges waiting for you who give equally as good education, good connections, maybe even more student focused professors (less on research like high ranking colleges) and higher employment rates. These colleges could entirely slip your radar if you focus a lot on ratings. ESPECIALLY FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS!
You want a balanced list- like a stool.
Choosing A College
Example 1:
8 Reaches, 4 Targets, 1 Safety
Based only on ranks and knowing the name
Example 2:
3 Reaches, 4 Targets, 2 Safety
Based on research, college visits, culture, cost. Some schools excel in different areas (ex: better financial aid) than others.
The website that gives every American college rating.
A little bit money gated so not as good as the other ones.
Good way to find basic college stats straight from the company that makes them.
College Factual https://www.collegefactual.com
Extremely detailed and a really great resource.
It has a “College Tinder” option, super quick to sift through some colleges. (Calculate your college match). Can also help decide majors.
Lots and lots of resources and it gives you very good customizability.
Entirely free.
Niche https://www.niche.com
Can search by major, cost, student body size, test scores, selectivity, religion, and many others!
Admissions calculator is fun to play with…
Gives good tuition breakdowns and extremely comprehensive reviews from the STUDENTS
Entirely free.
College Vine https://www.collegevine.com/dashboard
Really detailed college admission chance calculator which is fun to play with. (kinda distracting)
Gives lots of details in an easy to view way
Similar to College Factual
1:1 Consulting but not free
My personal favorite for finding a list of colleges.
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Application Schedule
1. Start Your Application
Start as early as you can. Usually summer before senior year or very very beginning of August.
USE A SAFE EMAIL ADDRESS
There’s a lot to do so procrastination will be your worst enemy!
2. Get the materials you need to apply
Transcript, Letter of Recommendations, Official test scores
�The letter will take the longest time since you should give each mentor at least 3 weeks to write.
3. Write your Essays
This will take the longest on your part. You should spend at least 2 weeks on EACH essay (this can overlap).
There will be the Common App essay (personal statement) and unique supplemental essays which depend on the college you apply to.�
4. Review and Submit!
Always take time to look over your essays. Get people to review your essays. ��Never submit on the day of / hour of the deadline!��Final review to check that your information is correct.�
DEC
NOV
Early
FEB
JAN
Norm
DEC
JUN
Start
6 Weeks
The normal way of applying where the deadline is usually around January 1st - February.
Gives you lots of time to write your essays and decide which colleges to apply to.
Normal
Applying early to college usually around November - December. Often gives you higher chances of getting in but is very stressful to try to get all your applications in on time. �More time to spend on scholarships after acceptance and get an earlier result.
You will get more money from merit aid.
You still choose which college in normal time (May)
Early Action
Just like Early Action but when you apply you are locked in. If you get into the college, you are legally required to GO to the college. They can make you pay as much or as little as they want.
Early Decision
Types of Applications
Schools have rules for early decision and early action! Ex: Stanford will not let you apply to any private school if you go early action
Be sure to check with all your schools!
The resume cover letter. Very important for people who have every other box checked. A good essay can push your application over the edge. Eye catching
Essay
Letter written by an advisor close to you. Give them as much information as possible, it is still controlled by you.
Letter of Recommendation
Outside of school activities you do and awards. Rated out of impact on world (regional -> state -> national -> international)
Extracurriculars
Categories Most Colleges Score
Grades and Test Scores
Colleges are smart. They watch your school and see how people who came from your high school did at their college. They can use your grades to predict how well you do in class.
Course Rigor
How much do you challenge yourself? Have you used the resources given by your school to the fullest extent?
Grades/classes are actually more important than your test scores.
Factors you Can’t Change
Things you won’t know they’re looking for which change every year.
Alumni family, income, race, hobbies and sports, international, gender.
What’s in the Common App Application
Parts (in order) | What you do | General Tips |
Profile | Fill out your personal information, languages, and fee waiver. | Fill it out correctly and do the fee waiver if you’re eligible |
Family | Information about your parents, their education levels, etc. | Fill it out correctly |
Education | Information about your school(s)�Grades: GPA, class rank, class size Previous College education: College credit, dual enrolment, if you already have a college degree�Current Courses: List the courses you are taking this school year (year of graduation/ aka senior year mostly) Honors: Awards, academic achievements (this does not have to be all academic if you do not have many academic awards: Music awards, eagle scout awards). Community Based Programs: Self explanatory, organizations that have helped you with your application for free Future Plans: Job and highest level of degree you plan to earn | Fill out every single space given for the Honors section (5 spaces) even with simple awards like Honor Roll. |
Tests | Self reporting your test scores (official come later) Always choose to self report your scores because not all colleges require official test scores for the application. | You can save some money. Most require official along with self report so DON’T LIE |
Activities | 10 Extracurriculars you get to fill out: Leadership description, description of activity, time spent, duration of participation, intent to do similarly in college | Fill them all out and use the whole word count! |
Writing | 7 Essay topics. 650 words maximum, personal statement | Not required by all colleges but also not the only essay required by most colleges Lots of tips later :) |
Honors Section - Education Section
Use it as much as possible because it is one of the few ways you can show your talents and differences from other students, everything matters especially for competitive schools.
You want to create the most comprehensive view of yourself. So, fill out all five spaces they give you! 100 charc.
Honors:
They should mostly be academic honors (don’t put sports honors here, those are for your extracurriculars!). List awards in the activities section if they are directly related to an extracurricular. But if you run out of space in Activities/you want to show off a particular activity more, put it in Honors.
Usually: Wordier things will be in activities and less description will be in awards.
Tips:
Tests Optional or Not Optional?
If it’s test optional, trust the college and know that they will not judge you if you do not place any tests but that is one less credential that you can use to differentiate from other students. If you think your test scores will bring you down, then don’t use them! Basically, if you are above the average, submit scores. If not, refrain.
Always be sure to self-report your test scores just in case.
Remember to get your official test scores ahead of time so they do not miss the test score deadline.
Do keep in mind though that for extremely selective colleges, they will nitpick. Some of these schools have almost double the admission rate for people who submit test scores.
When test scores aren’t available, they will look to your courses and grades more (even to past students from your high school).
Activities Section - Your Extracurriculars
One of the most important parts of your application because it shows your passion and complements your personality.
Just like the honors section: explain more for less common awards and try to show off your extracurriculars as much as possible. If needed, use more than one slot to explain a particularly impactful hobby.
Describe as much as you can with the room given (10 spots for ECs, only 150 characters and 50 characters to explain your leadership role)
Explain specifically what you do (ex: Designed infographics, teach students)
Be honest in your whole application (participation in college, time spent per week)
Don’t try to stretch out your answer though, be to the point and specific
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Letter of Recommendation
Who to pick:
Pick someone who can accurately represent your personality from a different view than your own. Sometimes teachers who have seen you struggle can represent you as well. Most schools require one to two letters of recommendation. Each teacher can write one letter. Some (MIT) will even ask for teachers from specific subject areas: example, one teacher from Language/History and one teacher from Math/Science. Make sure they are a good writer… This does not always have to be a teacher! It can be a coach, a supervisor, or a mentor. Pick someone who will write a good story and show a new part of you.
From Yale: “Request recommendations from two teachers who have taught you in core academic subjects (e.g. English, Foreign Language, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies) who know you well, and who have seen you at your best. It is preferable, but not required, that recommendations come from teachers who have taught you during your junior or senior year of high school.”
How to ask:
Letter of Recommendation - Email Format
Subject: Letter of recommendation
Hello / Good morning / Good afternoon teacher name ,
I hope you are doing well!
Show of general appreciation (ex: Thank you for supporting me throughout my junior year). Show specific appreciation (ex: I’ve really appreciated your help in Chemistry, one of the courses I thought I would hate. But, because of you I really learned to love it. Or any inside jokes you have together- it’s still a friendly but formal letter!). I have enjoyed getting to know you and I am really thankful to have had you as a teacher.
I am starting my college application and I would really appreciate your help and support! I wanted to ask if you would be willing to write me a letter of recommendation for college. Tell about what you need (due date, one letter, which schools). I will try to give as much detail as needed to make the process as easy as possible.
Let me know if you have any questions!
Thank you for your time,
Name z
Letter of Recommendation - Content and What to Do as a Student
Letters of recommendations are very important parts of your application: they are one of the few categories you can control that colleges will score your application on.
Give your recommender lots of information. This way they can write the best letter they can and even better if you know something that the school is looking for, make sure the writer highlights that part of you!
Great letters of recommendation will talk about the mentor’s relationship with you. How they are associated with you, the personality traits they have seen in action with concrete events/details that back them up. It should compliment your essays. You can hint that this is what you want but don’t force them into anything.
BIG TIP: Waive your right to see the letter. Colleges will think that you have made the recommender write something not of their own will. Also it insults your mentor, sad. Have faith but choose people who can accurately represent you!
Check up on them a week before the recommendation deadline to make sure that they have sent it in.
Don’t forget to thank them with a personal note/gift for writing your letter!
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2022-2023 Common App Prompts
What the incoming seniors this year will really want to look at!
Essay Tips - What are you going to do at this college?
What makes you Unique
Many people will have the same stats as you. The important thing is, you all have different experiences. Express yourself and your passions. Try to show as much of your personality as you can because that is what sets you apart from other people Express that you’ll work hard. Show your character! NO QUOTES.
Authenticity and Genuinity
Be yourself! The best essay prompts are the ones that are obvious. Do not go and write some cliche college application.
Think of what experiences have made you you. Express your passion.
Don’t change yourself to appeal. They want you for you.
Write like you Speak
Don’t try to sound smarter than you are. If you have to use a thesaurus, there’s something wrong. �Your admissions officer is a normal person too. They don’t want to have to pull out a dictionary to understand you. Speaking too smart will only dissuade people from reading your essay. Be business casual.
You want content not description.
NO Cliches
Hardworking, ambitious. Love a challenge. Thirst for knowledge - apparently hate this. Make a difference in the world. Everyone sees me as a leader.
Don’t make a dramatic story!
Don’t be cliche! Redefine a stereotype!
Content
Don’t be surface level. Make statements and explain them (Why did you mention this? How did it develop you as a person?) Show don’t tell, use stories for proof. Don’t talk just your major because it makes you appear one sided.
Who are you as a child, friend, student, leader? NO REPEATS, fluff
Think Like Admissions
Imagine you’re in a dreary room. You’ve got 2 more essays left to read out of the 100 you’ve already read. �You’re going to be skimming the essays, sighing at the cliches and repeats from each student, but shocked when someone brings something new and refreshing to the table. Be to the point and investing
250 word 12 point essay
As COOVID-19 upended the college search for students during the 2020-21 application cycle, I found myself speaking several times a month over Zoom to groups of parents and high school counselors worried about how the selection process might change as a result. The college search was already so different for Generation X parents compared to their own search thirty or forty years ago. Now they feared it was about to change again- just as their children were embarking on the journey.
Rest assured that the book you hold in your hands describes a college admission selection machine that will largely remain in place long after the coronavirus subsides. Admissions deans like certainty even more than applicants do. The rule in the enrollment profession is: however you alter your process of recruiting or admitting students, do it gradually. That way you know- or, at least, can guess- which of the levers you pulled caused a shift.
That said, the pandemic reshaped almost every facet of admissions- and did so all at once. SAT and ACT tests were canceled at hundreds of sites around the world over multiple months, forcing more than six hundred colleges to waive their testing requirements (some permanently). Online learning became the norm in high schools, making pass-fail grades more prevalent and altering the traditional cadence of courses. Sports and extracurricular activities were also wiped out, taking away a critical component of the application. What's more, prospective students were left to "kick the tires" of the colleges on-
650 word 12 point essay
If you first understand the purpose of the college admissions essay, you will not only avoid common mistakes but you will also be able to set yourself apart from other applicants with essays that are truly authentic to YOU.
Back in the "olden days," when I had to walk to school barefoot, ten miles, uphill, in both directions, in five feet of snow, transcripts pretty much did the trick. Strong GPA, solid SAT scores, and a decent well-rounded transcript with positive letters of recommendations were all you needed.
I honestly don't remember if I even had to write an essay for my college application way back when but if I did, I can guarantee you that I wrote it while laying across my bed eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and watching Gilligan's Island on channel 11. (We only had six television channels back in the day. I know! How on earth did we survive?). I'm sure I wrote it in pencil, never showed it to anyone, and mailed it, possibly with jelly stains on the envelope. Somehow, I still managed to get into college. Go figure.
Things have clearly changed dramatically. I thought that the best way to start off is by depressing you. I always wanted to be a motivational speaker.
Let's start with the following chart. Although my examples are comprised of top institutions, these same numbers are reflected in all tiers. ~~~ As you can see, a record number of students apply to college but the acceptance rate is very low.
Now consider the article written by Frank Bruni that appeared in the New York Times, January 20, 2016: "Rethinking College Admissions." When I first saw the title, "Rethinking College Admissions," I was terrified that essays were being eliminated and I would have to start a new career cleaning excrement from Port-A-Potties. Thankfully, the article reiterated everything I have been saying for years saving me the trouble of renting out my children
for medical experiments (again).
"The admissions process warps the values of students drawn into a competitive frenzy... The report recommends less emphasis on standardized test scores... admissions officers won't be impressed by more than a few Advanced Placement courses... colleges discourage manic resume padding."
Now let's do the math. If I knew there was a test, I would have studied. Most students have bought into this competitive frenzy so everyone's transcripts look alike. Just remember, your parents aren't the only ones with a bumper sticker that reads, "My child is an Honor Student." Yes, transcripts illustrate hard work, intelligence, drive, aptitude and all the other qualities that the other 29,999 applicants possess. So unless you flew to Mars in a spacecraft you built in your backyard or you cured cancer in your bedroom lab, you aren't necessarily going to stand out merely from your academic and extra-curricular record. In fact, you will most likely blend in.
If everyone is a scholar, an athlete, a musician, a club president, and a volunteer, what separates one student from another?
It's simple. The personal essay allows you to distinguish yourself from everyone else by showing who you are as a person, what you are truly passionate about, how you will fit into their community and what makes you an individual. In short, what makes you, you. An AP English Coordinator from California emailed me for advice about the essay process and used the term, "spectacular" in terms of what students wanted from their essays. Parents, students and even well intentioned and excellent educators often make the mistake of assuming that "set yourself apart" means the essay must be "spectacular." In fact, when I tell a student, "that is a great idea for an essay," I occasionally hear something like, "But it doesn't sound impressive enough." In the same vein, when the student writes about being on the high school soccer team or on the school newspaper, parents-
Building on the Tips! - Fixing Common Mistakes
Talk About Yourself
1. Don’t use quotes.
2. Talk about what you will do for the college instead of what the college will do for you.
Ex: Using the neuroscience research facility at ____ will allow me to study more about the biology of mental disorders to improve treatments in the future.
3. Use details that express more about your personality. You want to let the college know as much as possible (eloquently) so never repeat. Therefore, do the optional essays. Always support statements of interest you make, show don’t tell.
They want all about you! You, you, you. You are the one they are admitting so you are the one you should be talking about.
Be concise.
Use as little words as needed to get your point across. You don’t need that perfect essay student 80 different sentence lengths.
Ex: I really enjoy studying and researching turtles at Myrtle Beach which was my favorite experience since I was able to work with scientists and researchers.❌
I loved researching turtles because I was able to work with scientists.✔️
Don’t repeat descriptive words!! In one read, they should be able to understand what you are saying. Test this on every sentence you write.
Not required description: I believe/it seemed to me, for as long as I can remember (very bad)
Think of the essay as a speech with a time limit. You want to have as much convincing evidence in there as possible while sounding nice. So get to the point!
Everything Should Be Relevant
Everything you say in the essay should apply to you in some way. It should be needed to be said. You will have a very small word limit so you want to cram as much content in as possible. When you add content, don’t leave it hanging though! If it’s there, the reader should be able to explain why it’s relevant. If they can’t, either add an explanation or remove it.
Keep everything well meshed together. Organization is very important so it’s easy to read and things seem connected. Admissions will look at the essay as a whole so it should all make sense as a whole.
Big mistake: switching to a very different topic/adding big topic without without clarifying (espec at conclusion).
�
Cliche Essays
Do not worry if you are writing a cliche essay! Cliche means that they have worked well and they are easy to write about which is why they show up so often. Just make sure it is personal to you and you talk about yourself as much as you can. If everyone tries to not be cliche, other cliches will show up so don’t worry!
Rebelling Against Parents
Writing about your parents not supporting you and then your point of view and finally the consensus.
Write more about yourself than other people. You are trying to sell your personality, not someone else’s.
Also try not to insult people in your essays.
Basic Personality Traits
Hard working, love challenge, thirst for knowledge: none of this actually says anything about you as a person. Your extracurriculars and your coursework will show that you want knowledge, you work hard, you want a challenge. Do NOT repeat yourself. Write about something uniquely you that you haven’t said before!
Narrative Sports Essay
Describing a really important sports event. Do not use lots of description!
Talk about yourself, not the color of your sweatpants.
Try to show yourself, not anything else like scenery, other people, or an event. These things should be used to build your character.
Multicultural
Writing about how you moved a lot and how you developed a wide cultural view or you learned to enjoy being different. Don’t be cliche (like a movie plot, I was an outcast but I used my magical multicultural powers to win people over), try to be unique and express more of your own personality traits.
Leadership Essay
Talking about a leadership position where you created an organisation (started something, struggled, ended well). Mix up the structure if it’s cliche. Talk more about relationships in the activity than the activity itself.
❌I made fliers.✔️Memorable event (ate ramen at 3am)
Working in a Group
Struggled in a group and learned to work together and won a competition! Try not to be egocentric because most of the time it’s from the view of the leader. Show team skills and appreciation of other members.
Always get someone to review, helps you find the poorly worded “ego” parts
Essay Tips - Explaining Why this College
Be Detailed and Specific
Read the college’s website!! Write specific to you, not specific for everyone.�- Ex: ❌ It has 600+ clubs! ✔️It has a really famous book club and I love to read!
❌It’s in a big city ✔️ I chose _____ because New York is a cultural hodge podge, more than any other city.
NO Cliches
Don’t write MORE cliches: Prestigious, distinguished professors, good resources, amazing campus.
Show that you did your research by being so specific so that someone can tell which college you’re writing about.
Examples of Specifics to Write:
This is very important for colleges. You can almost increase your admission chances by 30% just by showing how interested you are in a college. (Especially not selective schools)
“The best essays are the ones where Readers feel like they’ve met you.”
“Some of the best essays come from students who felt authentically them”
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Create a Spreadsheet/Docs
Keeping Track of Deadlines and Not Procrastinating
Plan Times to Write
Always take notes so you can keep your thoughts collected but do your best to make them organized.
When you think of a good idea, immediately open up notes and jot it down (you never know if you’ll forget). These are great ideas to work on when you’ve got a first draft to write.
Use a spreadsheet to keep track of deadlines
Set out times where you will lock yourself in your room with a computer and docs to just write a first draft of an essay. Just GO FOR IT. Maybe even time yourself if you need extra motivation.
The essay part should take ~3 weeks.
Give yourself 1-2 weeks to revise (other people reading, misspell, topic change)
It shows a lot of dedication when you go and ask the college directly for application advice. If you are struggling with a question/ something the college wants, just go ask their admissions team! Chances are they’ll give you really great advice for your application!
Don’t be afraid to talk to their admissions team! They’re humans too.
Project Access
Getting Application Help
Asking the College
Free college application advising from students in Ivy Leagues. (not an ad, there is an application and it is for students who really need the help)
Get 1:1 advice from people who are currently going to your dream college, even taking the same major! They will tell you how they got in, their recommendations, etc. I think one of the coolest parts is when you get to learn about the experience from the major and the school which you can’t really find online. Offer international support to apply (from Europe to US schools).
Super cool and reminds me a lot of Schoolhouse, we even use the same survey app.
College Essay Advisors
Great resources for writing your essay and supplemental essays. They give you really great starting ideas on what to write for each type of essay. Highly recommend for prestigious school applicants. https://www.collegeessayadvisors.com
✧･ﾟ: *✧Be genuinely quirky yourself!✧*:･ﾟ✧
Pour your heart and soul into your essays and it will be fine!
Express that passion
Create and keep to your schedule
“College admissions is not about you, it’s about the college. It’s not about being “worthy,” it’s more about fitting into a college’s agenda.”
Please feel free to DM me your questions
Best of luck guys!
Any questions?
THANKS for Coming!
USNews: Explains everything about how they rank their colleges (could be interesting, don’t fall into the Ivy League Mindset! They definitely aren’t the key to being successful: https://youtu.be/kJGupYFaCGs- a video on it all)
https://www.usnews.com/education?top_nav_Education
College Factual: Great detailed college tinder. Search bar not as great, use advanced (right side of the search bar). Also offers a decision table which easily lets you choose which college is the best out of all your offers!
https://www.collegefactual.com
College Vine: Gives you lots of detail and a really fun college chances calculator (don’t get too carried away like me :(). Has a lot of articles just going through the college application process if you want to learn more about that- this presentation should be enough. Also offers free essay feedback and so much in depth detail on how to write.
https://www.collegevine.com/dashboard
Niche: College finder, work finder, scholarship finder, and living place finder. It’s got a search option just like the USNews but more detailed and all free!
QuestBridge: College application website for low income high need students. Offer a wide selection of private schools and the opportunity to get a full ride at schools like Yale and Vanderbilt.
Useful Links
Using a CDS: Find the Common Data Set for each college you seriously think about applying to. They can give you data on test scores, GPA, and class rank of students usually admitted. Look up school name + common data set
Ex: https://ucomm.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/04/stanford_cds_2021_2022.pdf
Project Access: Great application help especially for international students. They offer free application help for schools from the US to Europe. This means that wherever you are, you can get application help if you want to study in US/EU.
College Essay Advisors: Free and payment resources. The free resources are really great and they go over all the different types of essays (supplemental essays, essay prompts, common app essays, etc.). I highly suggest going through their supplemental essay section and even if the schools you’re applying to aren’t on there they have great kind of icebreaker questions for each prompt. Your college might have a supplemental essay that is similar to one that they talk about (ex: the why this college essay). Personally, I find it very useful for starting an essay. It gets the ideas going.
https://www.collegeessayadvisors.com
Seycara and MonkeyBGM: My favorite studying music (stuff that keeps me motivated but not too motivated or I’ll start dancing)
https://www.youtube.com/c/Seycara/featured and https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBnMxlW70f0SB4ZTJx 124lw/featured
Useful Links
My studying music playlist: Lots of jazz. Hope you enjoy :)
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGDbbXdx1x0UAuUlEOw2aCYsohjQ_Tbwh
My application schedule spreadsheet: I think it’s very useful and it always keeps me on track. The worst feeling is when you miss a deadline!
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1mnkj1s4VcY6nXj9UvE9dwcI9zf0XyAE6IKHmXtlpSEs/edit?usp=sharing
International Student Resources: This is for those of you from so many countries that want to study in the US! It is compact, contains information on finance, application, essay tips, college finding resources, visas, language learning, and tips specifically geared toward international students interested in the US. Best of luck!
https://www.internationalstudent.com/resources/
Schools that offer virtual tours: Especially for international students, this is a great cheap way to discover a school. Lots of people say they view schools in an entirely new light after a tour.
https://www.princetonreview.com/college-advice/virtual-tours
Useful Links
Giant list of application dates: Gives you the list for dates of many colleges and their early decision (ED), early action (EA), and regular. I like to click the decision date category and get it to sort earliest->latest. Then I do Ctrl+F to search for my college list (there’s multiple pages, bottom left). This is also a really easy way to check if you college has ED/EA! But always do your research.
https://applyingto.college/calendar
Useful Links
Finding the average salary after graduation by school and major: This is very important and often the most important factor of being successful, not whether your school is prestigious. Go to search, choose search by school, and insert a major (leave the school section empty if you want to see all the schools). This will give you a giant catalog of schools that offer the major you want. Then you can click on the schools you’re interested in and find out how much graduates with your major earn after they graduate. Pretty good way to find a major if you want something you enjoy that’s also lucrative. Use for earnings, debt gained, and graduation rate.
BUT, do be wary. These only come from students who took federal loans.
Insert here