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by Steven Tagle
Fall is crunch time for college applicants (and their parents). Early deadlines are just weeks away, and choices you make now will shape the rest of the application season. September Priorities October Priorities Start Strong: Accepted’s Free Guides & Tools Related Resources
by Steven Tagle
If you’re a high school senior, the SAT is coming up fast, and there are only a few test dates left that colleges will accept for applications. If you’re applying early decision or early action, the timeline is even tighter. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, just know that you’re not alone. And with the right strategy, …
by Marie Todd
Not surprisingly, Yale University is consistently ranked among the top universities in the world. It accepts the Common Application, Coalition Application, and QuestBridge Application. All three applications require a personal statement essay plus additional Yale-specific short answers and a Yale writing supplement. This prestigious Ivy League school prides itself on providing undergraduates with an exceptional …
by Steven Tagle
With an acceptance rate of under 4%, Stanford University could fill its freshman class with valedictorians and students with perfect 4.00 GPAs and test scores several times over. That’s why, in addition to your Common App personal essay, your responses to Stanford’s short questions and short essays play a significant role in determining whether you …
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 …
Getting into a competitive college is certainly about having strong grades, a history of rigorous courses, high test scores, and a long list of extracurriculars. But with thousands upon thousands of applicants for just a few thousand (and in many cases, hundred) spaces, admissions officers want to see that you’re a strong fit for their …
by Steven Tagle
Undergraduate admissions have become dramatically more competitive, with greater numbers of students applying to more colleges every year. In February 2025, the Common App reported that the number of students applying through its portal in the 2024-2025 cycle increased by 4% from the 2023-2024 cycle, while the total volume of applications rose by 6%. With …
Show Summary In her final episode as host of Admissions Straight Talk, Accepted founder Linda Abraham shares reflections and lessons from over 30 years in the admissions world. As she prepares for retirement, Linda offers a mix of personal insight, practical advice, and hard-earned wisdom on navigating both graduate admissions and life’s challenges. She discusses …
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 Marie Todd
A common writing problem we see in applicants’ early drafts is that the writer will refer to something important but never fully explain what that thing is. For example, an applicant might claim that a particular fight his parents had affected the way he now views education, but he doesn’t offer any details about the …
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