The Insider: College Admissions Advice from the Experts

College Coach Survey Discovers Key Commonalities in Ivy League Admissions Success

April 1, 2016—College Coach’s annual survey of high school students turned up some surprising common themes in students accepted to Ivy League institutions. Perhaps the most surprising was that students living next door to Harvard and Princeton graduates were the most likely to have success at all eight of the Ivy institutions, with their applications accepted at more than six times the average rate.

I have heard that applying Early Decision at Georgetown and Harvard doesn’t offer an advantage. How can that be? Doesn’t ED send a strong message of interest to your schools of choice?

College Coach Survey Reveals That 75 Percent of Students Accepted To Ivy League Colleges Responded to the Same Common App Prompt

April 1, 2015—In a startling discovery, College Coach’s nationwide survey of high school students who were accepted to Ivy League colleges almost overwhelmingly wrote their essays in response to prompt number 4, “Describe a place or environment where you are perfectly content. What do you do or experience there, and why is it meaningful to you?”

Wondering which courses will look better on your child’s application? Have questions about filing the FAFSA? Curious to know what admissions officers are looking for in the college essay? Elizabeth Heaton, College Coach admissions expert and former admissions officer at University of Pennsylvania, is hosting a new radio program where she will discuss these topics and so much more with college admissions and finance experts as well as top industry professionals.

One of the most popular blog posts we’ve published over the years answers one of the most frequently asked questions our team of college admissions consultants receives: “When do I send SAT and ACT Scores to Colleges?” But when it comes to standardized tests, there are many more common questions that students and parents ponder. In an effort to ease some of the stress that families are feeling this application season, here are the answers to the top five frequently asked questions about submitting standardized test scores.

Have you ever wondered why students shouldn’t apply to too many colleges? Or how many is too many? College Coach admissions expert Elizabeth Heaton recently spoke with Peter Howe of NECN’s Money Saving Mondays to answer these questions.

In part one of this blog series, I outlined the reality of the waitlist at Ivy League schools. Today I want to share some quick thoughts on acts that can help or hurt your odds of going from waitlist to admit.

It’s that time of year again: waitlist season. If you’re currently waitlisted by an Ivy League school (i.e., a member of the most famous sports conference in the world), here are a few things to keep in mind:

Do you have recommendations on how many AP courses a student should have at the time of applying to college?

The expectations at the most selective colleges in the country are that the student will go to the highest level available in all five major subjects (math, science, history/social science, English and foreign language). This can and often does mean going to the Advanced Placement level in all five subjects by the time the student is a senior, though not all high schools will offer AP level courses in all subject areas. If they are not offered, the student will not be penalized during the college admissions process for not taking them (you can’t take what isn’t available!). Those colleges also expect to see excellent performance in those courses, ideally As in everything taken in high school.

Concerned that your child is heading off to college in the fall with no idea what he wants to study? Worried that your daughter has her sights set on a career that isn’t a good fit for her abilities? Are you struggling to select a primary focus from your three main areas of interest and anxious about wasting your parents’ and your own money on tuition as a result? You’re not alone! College Coach’s senior director of educational consulting Elizabeth Heaton spoke to US News and World Report about this widespread issue, offering some tips for working through this particular challenge.