The College Admissions Cheating Scandal: What the Latest Revelations Tell Us about the Scheme

As we learn more about Operation Varsity Blues and the wide-reaching schemes executed in the college admissions scandal, the FBI has revealed that it “is largest [crime] of its kind ever prosecuted and features 50 defendants across six states, millions of dollars in illegally funneled funds and a handful of the country's most selective universities.”

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Here's What Everyone on Twitter is Saying about the Latest College Admissions Scam

Today, the FBI revealed they’ve been investigating one of the largest college admissions cheating schemes in the history of the United States through which $25 million changed hands and multiple CEOs and celebrities have been charged. Here’s what folks across Twitter are saying about the cheating scandal

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Everything You Need to Know about Legacy Admissions

Like many pieces of the admissions puzzle, legacy admissions and the weight that they carry in an application will vary by school. Ivy leagues in particular are known for including college legacy as a part of the admissions process. Curious about legacy admissions? Read on for more information.

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5 Big Cities Where Residents Can Go to College for Free

While most student’s pay less than the full price for tuition, fees, and room and board, some U.S. city officials and school leaders are going a step further to increase access to college by offering programs that guarantee free money for college to residents that meet certain requirements.

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College Essays 101: How to Answer the 2019-20 Common App Essay Prompts

Between all the other choices you have to make (what should I study? Where should I apply?), there’s no need to add “What essay should I choose?” to your list of stressors.  The beauty of having seven prompt options is that there is no wrong essay question. In the common app essays, what matters is that admissions counselors want to see your unique story and your own voice.

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4 Things All College Transfer Students Should Know

Students transfer for a number of reasons. Perhaps you’re going from a two year college to a four year. Or your current college doesn’t offer the major you’ve decided to pursue. Maybe something in your gut is telling you this school isn’t the right fit, and you have to make a decision. No matter what your motivation might be, it is essential you do your research beforehand.


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Summer Internships: How to Write a Winning Cover Letter

Summer internships and jobs are important parts of your high school and college experience. Whether directly related to your desired field of study or not, every internship and job will help you narrow down what you want to do with your career while building up your transferable skills.

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College 101: Requesting Letters of Recommendation

When applying for college, you’ll most likely need to include one to two letters of recommendation from a high school teacher with your application. Colleges use these letters of recommendation to understand the whole student as a part of the holistic review process. Letters of recommendation allow admissions officers to learn more about your personal background, values, and interests by getting a unique perspective from someone who knows you well.

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5 Tips for Writing a Stellar Transfer Personal Statement

Whether you’re transferring from a community college or a four-year university, your transfer personal statement should be quite different than one written by a high school senior as a prospective freshman.

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International Graduate School Applications Drop for 2nd Year in a Row

A recent report based on a survey, conducted by the Council of Graduate Schools, found that the number of international graduate application received by institutions participating in the survey declined by 4% between Fall 2017 and Fall 2018. During the same time period, first-time graduate enrollment decreased by 1%.  

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Should I Go to Grad School? Here’s a List of Reasons the Answer Might Be Yes

Going to graduate school is an important decision that takes a lot of consideration and thought. It’s essential that you have a compelling reason before you ultimately make the decision to go back to school to get an advanced degree.

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How to Apply for College Scholarships and Earn Free Money

Scholarships are a great source of free funding for college to help pay for tuition, room and board, and other enrollment fees. There are thousands of scholarships, from all kinds of organizations, and you can find details for each online relatively easily and you should start applying for them as soon as you’re done with college applications.

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Decline in MBA Applications Continues for 2018

A new study by Kaplan Test Prep which surveyed admissions officers at more than 150 business schools across the United States noted that applications at the nation’s top business significantly declined in 2018.

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10 Tips to Help You Nail Your College Admissions Interview

For many folks, the college admissions interview is the first big interview you go through on your way to adulthood and the idea of selling yourself to the interviewer can be nervewracking. Still, for some top colleges, the admissions interview is an important part of the application process and you can’t avoid it if you’re hoping to land a spot in the incoming class.

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Done With Your College Applications? Here are 6 Things to Do After You Hit Submit

Well, you’ve submitted your college applications and now you’re sitting around wondering what to do while waiting for decisions to come out. Truth to be told, there’s a lot you can do after submitting your applications ranging from starting a financial aid application to sending thank you notes to your letters of recommendation writers.

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2019-2020 Common App Essay Prompts

CommonApp has announced that the essay prompts for 2019-20 will remain the same as last year’s.

Common App cites feedback from counselors determined that “the existing essay prompts provide great flexibility for applicants to tell their unique stories in their own voice.”

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You Too Can Write a Good Diversity Statement for Your College Applications. Here's How.

As an admissions professional, I sometimes get asked the question, “For someone who is white and middle class, how can I write about how I will bring diversity to my school?” Well, let me tell you. It’s possible to do and it’s possible to do it without treating the diversity statement as a throwaway part of your application.

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What are Colleges Looking For? 6 Tips to Perfect Your College Application

As a professional admissions coach and on-again, off-again application reader for a large university, I often get asked the question:  what are colleges looking for? Meaning, what kind of traits do colleges look for in the students they admit? Well, the answer is long, but not really that complicated.


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Coalition Application Essay Prompts for 2017-19

While the most popular college admissions application is the Common Application, over a 100 colleges are now using the Coalition Application, a competitor to the Common App first announced back in 2015.

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