Choosing which college to attend is a massive decision for students. It makes sense, then, that after matriculating, so many students rethink that decision.
For any student looking to transfer schools, one of the first steps is building that transfer college list. Beyond all the factors high school students consider when researching colleges (e.g., location, student life, academics, size, affordability), transfer students should additionally consider whether or not their colleges of interest are “transfer-friendly” institutions.
Hey, tonight's topic is building a college list that works for you, and invariably, as I was preparing the content for tonight, the reality is that this is a conversation that probably deserves an 8-hour ultimate guide that we can talk about in 6 parts—and perhaps we can pitch as a 6-episode series, whatever the case may be. There are so many little nuances, and I think once we get into some of what we're gonna talk about, I think, it will invariably lead to more questions.
I'm going to share some things that we're learning as it relates to college admissions, trends, and what's happening in a landscape; and we'll do some deep dives into some different trends, and share a little bit more about how you might respond to some of those trends.
Many of you have probably heard of the Common App—really big platform, supports over a thousand colleges in their college application process—and kind of at the forefront of that is the Common App Personal Statement, or the Common App essay, which gets sent to every college that you apply to through the Common App.
We’re going to take a look at some of the PIQs. For a lot of our seniors—definitely if there are any younger students, you are more than welcome to join to get a bit of preview of what’s in store—but this is mostly going to be geared for a lot of our incoming 12th graders who are going to be doing the college essays and applications coming on.
This past summer, The University of Chicago announced their binding Summer Student Early Notification (SSEN) application option: high school seniors students who have previously completed one of UChicago’s summer programs can now apply to the university between September and mid-October—earlier than the ED1 timeline. This development adds to UChicago’s wide range of early application options; the institution already offers ED1, EA, and ED2.
I'm excited to share more about what we're learning about the college admissions landscape, including trends that we're seeing from this past cycle. Actually, I think the greater bracket of time is really from 2020 to now, so I think there's a lot of interesting things to share! Excited to do so.
For many students, college is simply one step in their academic journey towards medical school and a career in healthcare. This is by no means an easy step, of course. The standard route for a doctor-to-be takes approximately eleven years: four years to get a bachelor’s degree, four years in medical school, and at least three years in residency.
Early Decision 2, or ED2, is a second round of Early Decision that comes with the same binding agreement as ED1—that is, if a college accepts an ED applicant, that applicant is automatically committed to attend—but the same timing as Regular Decision (RD), with a later application deadline of early January.
For juniors, aiming for a top university is no small feat, and preparation for such an ambitious goal begins well before senior year. Now is the time for students to strategize and position themselves well. We’ll dive into the essential aspects that 11th graders should be focusing on this monumental academic year to make their college applications stand out!