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by Steven Tagle
The Common App opens on August 1 for the 2025-2026 application cycle, so the summer is the perfect time to start drafting your college essays. Your essays show admission officers the person behind the application. They highlight and elaborate on your personal context, what drives you, the challenges you’ve faced, and how you might contribute …
by Marie Todd
If you are heading into your senior year of high school, you might be worrying about how you can possibly increase your chances of getting accepted to your top college choices. You’ve worked earnestly for the past three years, and that work has all been excellent preparation. Now it’s time for the next stage – the …
by Sundas Ali
What is a diversity essay in a school application? And why does it matter when applying to leading universities? Most importantly, how should you go about writing such an essay? Diversity is of supreme value in higher education, and schools want to know how every student will contribute to the diversity on their campus. Diversity …
by Marie Todd
When you feel you have taken the draft of your college essay as far as you can on your own, share it with a few carefully chosen friends, mentors, and/or family members that you trust. Ask these individuals to keep the following questions in mind as they read your essay and to offer you their …
by Steven Tagle
Stanford University is one of the most prestigious and fiercely selective universities in the United States, with an acceptance rate of under 4%. One former admissions officer revealed that during the initial sorting, with occasional exceptions, applications with “more than two Bs, SAT section scores below 700, a disciplinary infraction, or unremarkable extracurriculars” were relegated …
Starting high school is an exciting milestone. You’re stepping into a world of new opportunities, challenges, and experiences. While college applications might seem light-years away, your freshman year is the perfect time to begin exploring your interests and developing your passions. By starting early, you can build a strong foundation not just for college applications …
by Marie Todd
Whether you are applying to be a first-year student or a transfer student, you will find that many undergraduate universities and colleges across the United States and in countries around the world use the Common App. There are more than 1,000 Common App member schools in the United States, Canada, European Union, United Kingdom, and …
by Sundas Ali
When the adcoms ask you to write about a flaw or weakness in your essays, and you either fail to offer any or the ones you come up with sound like you are just checking a box – mentioning something vague and generic and not of much significance – you will seem like a fake …
by Sundas Ali
A fascinating discussion among Accepted’s admissions consultants revealed that MBA applicants don’t always understand how adcoms define an accomplishment, so we wrote this post to help remove the guesswork for you. Here are the kinds of accomplishments you should strive to include in your essay: Examples of Impact and Initiative In your accomplishment essay, providing examples of …
by Sundas Ali
All original essays have a unique theme, and it can take time and careful thought to identify what yours should be. If you go back to the essays we examined in the previous post in this series, you will see that the public health program applicant opened her essay by cleverly presenting her theme in the form …
by Steven Tagle
You are nearly finished with your application, but when you get to the section that asks you about your extracurricular activities, you freeze up. “I don’t really have any extracurricular activities,” you think. “What should I do now?” I’ve worked with countless applicants who have found themselves in the same nail-biting dilemma. They search frantically …
by Sundas Ali
Teacher recommendations are an essential part of your college application, and most schools require one or two letters supporting your candidacy. These recommendations provide additional insights into your personality, intellectual curiosity, and potential impact on your college community. These letters of recommendation (LORs) are only one element of your application and probably won’t make or …
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