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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.

BREAKING DOWN THE 7 COMMON APPLICATION PROMPTS

Elton Lin

With seven prompts to choose from, writing your Common Application personal statement can seem like a daunting task. Where do I start? What do I talk about? How do I make sure I use the right prompt? We’ll address these questions and take a look at the Common Application essay prompts, one by one.

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INTERVIEW WITH TINA BROOKS, POMONA COLLEGE ASSOCIATE DEAN OF ADMISSIONS (PART 1 OF 2)

Elton Lin

We had the privilege of sitting down recently with Tina Brooks, the Associate Dean of Admissions at Pomona College, to talk about current admissions trends and the unique challenges of higher education in the year ahead.

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THE ILUMIN UC ESSAY PROMPT GUIDE: BREAKING DOWN THE 8 UC ESSAY PROMPTS

Elton Lin

With eight prompts to choose from, writing essays for four UC Personal Insight Questions can seem like a daunting task. Where do I start? What do I talk about? Which prompts do I tackle? We’ll address these questions and take a look at the UC essay prompts, one by one.

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HOW COLLEGES ARE REOPENING: THE FOUR MOST COMMON PLANS FOR FALL 2020

Elton Lin

With summer drawing to a close soon, college students and their families are trying to understand how their schools will approach the start of fall semester. Although many schools have still not announced their plans for the semester, it seems that most colleges are considering one of a handful of models. We are going to take a look at how different colleges and universities are approaching reopening.

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INTRODUCING THE ILUMIN ONLINE ESSAY BOOTCAMP

Elton Lin

The most frequently asked question that students have when starting their college application essay is...

“Where do I start?”

Here at ILUMIN Education, we can now proudly point you to the ILUMIN Online Essay Bootcamp!

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HOW SHOULD I CHOOSE MY COLLEGE MAJOR

Elton Lin

As the end of your high school career draws near, your preparations for your next level of education well underway, there looms the ever-present question: what should I major in? Maybe you have no idea what to major in, or maybe you’re torn between multiple interests. Choosing a college major as a high school student can get you stuck in a mess of indecision—so to clear the muck, here are the essentials to consider:

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THE ABSOLUTE DON’TS OF COLLEGE ESSAY TOPICS

Elton Lin

While the personal statement is an invitation to share more about yourself, there are definitely topics that you should avoid. In an effort to save you some time from laboring over a draft only to realize the entire premise of the story is flawed, we’re going to spell out which topics you should avoid, from the “You can do better” category to the “Don’t touch this with a ten-foot pole” topics.

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DO COLLEGES PREFER THE SAT MORE OVER THE ACT?

Elton Lin

Which is the better test, the one that stands victoriously over the other: the SAT or the ACT? This discussion requires a very large asterisk in recent times due to the increasing number of schools going test optional.

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HOW DO I START MY COLLEGE ESSAYS?

Elton Lin

First of all, congratulations on making it to the application season! I’m sure the past few years of high school has been a tremendous period of growth, learning, and experimenting. We hope to help you capture these unique moments of realization you may have had during that time to strengthen your essays.

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JOIN THE 2020 ILUMIN CASE COMPETITION

Tony Flores

Our case competition will take place virtually from July 25, 2020 to August 1, 2020. Any high school student may join. The competition is free, but sign up quickly as there are a limited number of spots. For more information, check out our FAQ.

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