Explore our collection of admissions FAQs. Each answer is expert-approved by our team to help you reach your goals.
Okay, so I get that GPA is important, but what do colleges see as your cumulative GPA? Is it just the average of all your yearly GPAs or do they take into account improvement over time? Feeling a bit …
Hey peeps, I'm beat from writing all these apps. For the Harvard optional essay, is it genuinely 'optional'? Does not submitting one look bad? How did y'all decide whether to submit an optional essay …
I've been invited to the Congress for Future Medical Leaders. How would this affect my med school application, and is it worth the time and money?
Feeling determined but slightly overwhelmed. I'm passionate about going into medicine and I've heard getting an internship can be a good step. Any advice on landing a medical internship as a high scho …
Hey friends, I’ve faced quite a bit of anxiety throughout high school, and I'm wondering if that's something worth mentioning in my college essay. Could this make for a powerful topic, or might it be …
So I’m trying to finalize my extracurricular list and I'm not sure whether to focus on having a ton of activities or just a few that I'm super involved in. What do colleges prefer, a wide range or dee …
Hey y'all, I'm starting to look into colleges and it's all a bit overwhelming. Could someone break down the college admissions process for me? Like, what are the steps from the beginning to the end, a …
I'm aware that Ivy Leagues typically don't offer merit scholarships, but I've heard some snippets about merit aid at Dartmouth. Anyone out there who's received merit scholarships from Dartmouth or kno …
I've been hearing a lot about internships for high school students, but I'm not sure how they work. Could someone explain how to find these opportunities and what the expectations usually are? Are the …
Hey everyone, with everything moving online these days, I was wondering how to find community service opportunities that I can do from home? I need to rack up some more service hours for my applicatio …
I've seen HOBY mentioned a couple of times on college apps threads. Could someone fill me in on what it is and what it stands for? Is it something I should look into participating in before senior yea …
I can't decide between Dartmouth and Cornell for my ED application. I'd love to hear from any current students or alumni—how did you pick, and what are the standout differences between the campuses, s …
Hey friends, I'm interested in possibly double majoring at UCLA. But I'm not really sure how that works. Does anyone have any experience with that, or know how flexible they are with letting students …
Hey guys, I just got an interview invite from Harvard and I'm kinda freaking out (in a good way tho)! Does anyone know what the acceptance rate is post-interview? Just trying to manage expectations an …
Has anyone tackled Common App Essay Prompt 6 before? It seems a little daunting because it's so open-ended. For those who used this prompt, what topics did you write about, and how did you make sure i …
Hi guys! I'm heavily involved in clubs at my school and was thinking, do colleges value club participation as legit extracurricular activities? How should I best present this on my applications?
Is it cool if I submit my college apps before all of my letters of recommendation come in, or should I wait for everything to be ready? I don’t want to mess up my application by being too early or too …
I’ve seen some conflicting opinions online and I'm just curious, what's the deal with WGU? I heard someone label it as a 'diploma mill', but is that true? Can anyone explain?
Kinda stressed here, folks. My school does weighted GPAs and a lot of colleges ask for unweighted. How do you guys convert your weighted GPA to an unweighted one? Is there a formula that most people u …
I'm applying to Hofstra and there's a supplemental essay. Is there anyone who's gone through this process who could give me some advice or tips on what they're looking for? I want to make sure my appl …