Liberal Arts Colleges vs. Research Universities
Elton Lin
For many students, the first decision that they’ll have to make when applying to college is this: do they want to go to a small liberal arts college or a large research university?
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Helpful tips about college admissions, test preparation and just being a better student, leader and person from ILUMIN Education.
Filtering by Category: College Planning
The new, digital SAT
Elton Lin
Over the last several years, the SAT has undergone some phenomenal changes. For parents who took the test themselves to get into college, and are now hoping to help their children do the same… unfortunately, it isn’t that easy. This guide will catch you up to where the SAT is in 2022.
Read MoreWhat does "holistic" really mean for college applications?
Elton Lin
If you’re applying to college this year, or thinking about applying to college, you’ve doubtlessly seen the word “holistic” come up. What does that really mean?
Read MoreWhy is it so hard to get into college now?
Elton Lin
The current admissions statistics can definitely be discouraging. This talk page on College Confidential illustrates the hardship well, with its information on historical college admissions trends; for example, in 1995, the acceptance rate for UChicago was 68%, meaning a student was more likely to get in than not, and in 1970, the University of Pennsylvania—an Ivy League school—nonetheless had a 70% acceptance rate. As of 2021, these schools’ acceptance rates are 6.3% and 5.68%, respectively.
Read MoreWebinar Transcript: College Essay Series - The UC Personal Insight Questions
Elton Lin
This webinar was recorded on September 21, 2021. You can access the recording here. Note that details and exact prompts of the UC PIQs may have changed by the time you are reading this article, so please go to apply.universityofcalifornia.edu to get the most up to date information.
Read MoreA Guide to College Fit, and What It Really Means
Elton Lin
“College fit” is a commonplace term in college application conversations, and especially here at ILUMIN, where we emphasize the importance of finding the right college fit for each of our students. The term seems simple enough at first glance, but then students ask themselves the question, “which colleges fit me well?” and quickly realize the answer is hardly straightforward.
Read MoreWebinar Transcript: Building A Well Balanced College List
Elton Lin
Thank you everyone for joining us today. Saturday morning – great time to be talking about your college list! And a little bit more about admissions as a lot of students are getting started with school and classes. Time starts slipping away a little bit with the admissions process. So I’m glad that we can talk a little bit now.
Read MoreWhat 9th Grade Students Should Do to Start the Year off Strong
Elton Lin
Ninth graders’ first steps in their four-year plan should revolve around exploring their interests. Which class subjects capture their attention? Which club or extracurricular gets them excited? Figuring out these interests will be essential in guiding your ninth grade student through their college-focused high school career.
Read MoreWhat 10th Grade Students Should Do to Start the Year off Strong
Elton Lin
Welcome to the tenth grade! After this past year of largely remote learning, going back to school this fall semester may feel like you’re adjusting to high school again for the first time. Here’s some advice on steps to take as you adjust to your tenth grade experience.
Read MoreWebinar Transcript: College Essay Series: Crafting Your Personal Statement For The Common Application
Elton Lin
Today we’re talking about the personal statement, but you might also be looking at the UC questions, since that's a place where we like to point students to start off first. But today we'll give you a crash course about the personal statement, how you're gonna pick your prompt. You're gonna work out of seven.
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