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ILUMIN Blog

Helpful tips about college admissions, test preparation and just being a better student, leader and person from ILUMIN Education.

Filtering by Category: College Planning

"Demonstrated Interest" — Who Wants It and Why Does It Matter?

Elton Lin

If you’re looking at applying to college, you’ve probably heard the term “demonstrated interest” come up. But what does this really mean? Does it mean that a college wants you to attend every event that they hold and establish a conversation with your local admissions representative at the rate of three emails per day? The answer to this question is a resounding no! But we’ll discuss, a little bit later, how to show demonstrated interest in a positive and helpful way.

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Schools that Meet 100% of Demonstrated Need

Elton Lin

When you’re a high school senior looking at college, it seems like there are a thousand factors to consider. Well, okay, a thousand and one. And the one that is the most critical for a lot of people is whether or not your family can actually afford to pay for your dream school.

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What You Should Know About College Rankings

Elton Lin

We’ve compiled some truths about college rankings that you should know before taking them at face value.

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Does Applying to a Different Major Help

Elton Lin

Majors are not equal—or at least, their numbers aren’t. Most colleges see a greatly uneven size distribution between the numbers of students per major, and so these colleges are forced to reject more applicants who declare majors that are particularly competitive at their respective institutions, on account of limited major department resources and space. This trend has bred the common idea that students can more easily get into colleges if they declare less competitive majors, those with lower demand—but the truth is not quite that simple.

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What 9th Grade Students Should Do to Get Off to a Good Start

Elton Lin

Many ninth grade students are already a few months into their high school career. Now that students have had time to feel out the differences that a high school environment brings—maybe they’re probing different social spheres, or navigating the larger class sizes and workload—it’s time to look forward and consider the first steps in your student’s college-focused four year plan.

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5 Stem Competitions High Schoolers Should Consider

Elton Lin

Students with a passion in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) work tirelessly in classes, but it can be difficult for STEM students to take their knowledge beyond the classroom to show colleges their proficiency in ways other than a letter grade.

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Interview with Jessica Schulman, Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at Brandeis University

Elton Lin

We recently had the chance to sit down with Jessica to learn more about the admissions process and how Brandeis has been adapting to the challenges of having students on campus socially distanced.

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Interview with Guillermo Vasquez, Freshmen Admissions Counselor at Uc Santa Barbara

Tony Flores

We sat down with Guillermo Vasquez, Freshmen Admissions Counselor at UC Santa Barbara to learn more about the admission process and how colleges are adapting to the challenges of COVID-19. Note that this interview took place in June of 2020 and some items have changed, including the UC system deciding to go test blind.

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7 Myths About Choosing College Majors

Elton Lin

There’s something anxiety-producing and distressing about being asked about your grades, your dream college, your college application list—but what’s often equally dreaded at family gatherings is being asked about your intended major.

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Interview with Kelli Gerrans, Admissions Counselor at Pepperdine University

Elton Lin

We’re excited to introduce Kelli Gerrans, an admissions counselor at Pepperdine University and the school’s Northern California representative, so those of you who are interested in Pepperdine University will definitely want to connect with Kelli.

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