According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a surge of college applications this year, which led to record low acceptance rates at many colleges, including the majority of Ivy League schools. The eight Ivy League schools, as well as some other highly selective schools, sent out acceptance notifications a…
COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
Encore: Application Trends to Watch in 2021, and a Look Back at 2020 [Episode 411]
Thanks for joining me for the 411th episode of Admissions Straight Talk. I am taking a week off for family time this week. As a result I decided to air an encore of our most popular podcast so far in 2021. It actually is a solo podcast that I did for our 400th episode back…
3 Must-Have Elements of a Good Statement of Purpose
What are the essential, absolutely must-have components of a strong statement of purpose or goals essay? Very simply, you’ll need to include your MAP. At Accepted, MAP has a double meaning for individuals writing statements of purpose and goals essays. It stands for Motivation, Aspiration, and Perspiration, and illustrates the road you will follow when…
Can You Use the Same Personal Statement for Different Schools?
One of the questions we are asked most often by applicants to college and graduate programs is this: “I’m applying to six different schools, and each one requires 2-7 essays/personal statements. That’s so much writing! Can I reuse the same essay for different schools? How can I keep up the quality and not burn out…
4 Ways to Display Teamwork in Application Essays
Teamwork, and its close cousin, leadership, are highly prized by graduate programs and universities. But if you haven’t worked in teams on any regular basis, don’t worry! There are more ways than you may realize to prove your chops in this area through an essay about teamwork. Consider the following 4 options: Remember: No man…
Heads Up: Price Increase Ahead!
We wanted to give you a head’s up that we’ll be increasing our prices when the clock strikes midnight on March 15, which means you have until Sunday, March 14, 2021 at 11:59 pm PT to lock in a service at our current rate. Browse our catalog of services today to both get an early…
How Do You Write an Accomplishment Essay?
Build a better accomplishments essay by following this recipe. Accomplishments are the bread and butter of personal statements and application essays. That may sound straightforward, however, a fascinating brainstorming session of Accepted admissions consultants reveals that applicants don’t always know what an accomplishment is. What goes into this application staple? And how can you analyze…
Got a Criminal Record? Here’s How to Address It in Your Application
If you have ever engaged in disorderly conduct, petty theft, gotten a DUI, been arrested during a political protest, or have any other infractions (minor or major) on your record, we hope that you have learned important lessons from those experiences and won’t repeat them. But if you are applying to a grad program, you…
“I’m Smart, Really I Am!” Proving Character Traits in Your Essays [With Sample Essays]
When you write an application essay or statement of purpose, you’re trying to accomplish two equally vital goals at once. First, you need to prove your worthiness for acceptance at your target school. Second, you also need to show the adcom that you have the desirable character traits that your program values. But how do…
Bring Your Personal Statement to Life With Vivid, Active Verbs
Your personal statement and essays are essential elements of your application and allow the adcom great insights into who you really are aside from your stats. However, no matter how extensive your experience or how accomplished you may be, all that can be lost if presented in plodding prose that no one has the energy…
This Is the 11th Grade College Planning Timeline That You Need to Get Accepted
Winter, spring, summer, and fall – the passing of the seasons of the year sometimes seem to tick by slowly, and other times rush by in the blink of an eye. You’ll find that when it comes to checking off the items on your college prep to-do list, the year will fly by. Now you’re…
Ivy League Schools See Impressive Increase in Early-Admission Applicants
Elite colleges have seen huge spikes in early-admission applicants this year, according to the Wall Street Journal. Columbia has reported 49% more early-round applicants while Harvard reported an increase of 57%. However, Harvard also admitted a smaller percentage of these early-decision applicants. Yale, Emory, Duke, University of Pennsylvania, University of Virginia, and University of Michigan…
‘Twas the Night Before Deadlines: A Cautionary Tale of Cliches
‘Twas the night before deadlines, and all through the world, Our consultants sat cramming, coffee brewing, brows furrowed; Though the essays were written with effort and care, There were still a few things that were cause for despair! The clichés! Oh, forsake! Terrible, were they – That all our consultants could think was “oy vey!”…
College Admissions: Mining Identity for College Essays, Personal Statements
Langston Hughes begins his poem “Theme for English B” this way: The instructor said: Go home and write a page tonight. And let that page come out of you- Then it will be true. I wonder if it’s that simple? “Tell us about yourself” When colleges instruct you to “Tell us about yourself,” it may…
Happy Thanksgiving!
Today is Thanksgiving in the United States, a national holiday during which we give pause – at least for a brief moment – to count our blessings. Wherever you are, that is a good exercise especially in this year, the year of the corona pandemic globally and in the U.S. the year of a tortuous…
Oh No! A Typo!!
Will that lonely typo doom your otherwise perfect application to the great round file in cyberspace, putting the kibosh on years of effort and nixing your attempt to walk through the hallowed halls of your favored institution? No. A single, minor typo will do nothing. So don’t sweat one minor spelling mistake, a missed comma,…
10 Reflections on Teacher Recommendations
Teacher recommendations are an important part of your college application at many colleges, with most colleges requiring one or two letters in support of your application. These recommendations provide additional insight into your personality, intellectual curiosity, and potential impact on your college community. From my time on the admissions side of the desk, I know…
Six Last Minute Common Application Tips
It’s November, and we are starting down the home stretch of the college application season. That’s right, final deadlines are looming. If you didn’t apply Early Action or Early Decision using the Common Application, deadlines vary somewhat over the next few months. Although your first instinct might be to panic, it’s important to keep a…
Tips for Answering the Princeton University Supplemental Essay Prompts [2020 – 2021]
It will come as no surprise that Princeton University is among the top schools in the nation and is recognized globally for academic excellence. This Ivy League school is renowned as a major research university as well as an outstanding liberal arts college. In addition to the Common Application, Universal College Application or Coalition Application…
Tips for Answering the NYU Supplemental Essay Prompt [2020 – 2021]
![Tips for Answering the NYU Supplemental Essay Prompt [2020 – 2021]](https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/client/q_lossy,ret_img,w_700,h_350/https://blog.accepted.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/NYU-supplemental-application-essay-tips.jpg)
Located in the middle of bustling lower Manhattan, New York, NYU’s campus is intertwined with the city. It is not a campus in a traditional sense – its buildings and lifestyle are organized around Washington Square Park, enabling students and faculty alike to take advantage of everything offered by this energetic area. NYU grants degrees…
- 1
- 2
- 3
- …
- 27
- Next Page »
