Best Books for Choosing a College
Quick answer: The best books for choosing a college include The Hidden Ivies, Colleges That Change Lives, the Fiske Guide to Colleges, Who Gets In and Why, and Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be. Together, they help families look past prestige and choose colleges based on fit, teaching, and the kind of growth […]
H-1B, Trump’s $100,000 Fee, and What International Students Should Do Next
Quick answer: A September 2025 presidential proclamation imposed a $100,000 H-1B fee on certain new petitions, mainly for workers outside the United States. The fee has faced conflicting court rulings and appeals. International students can still plan ahead using F-1 Optional Practical Training, the STEM OPT extension, and alternatives such as O-1 and L-1 visas. […]
A Guide to the UChicago Supplemental Essays
Quick answer: The UChicago supplemental essays pair a “Why UChicago” response with a longer extended essay chosen from a list of deliberately unusual prompts. [1] The university sets no strict word limit on either. [2] The extended essay options are rewritten every year, so confirm the current list on UChicago’s admissions site before you begin. […]
How to Make Your High School Extracurriculars Memorable
Quick answer: To make your high school extracurriculars memorable, commit to a few activities over several years, take on leadership roles with measurable results, start projects that solve real problems, and connect activities to your academic interests. Admissions officers value depth, initiative, and impact over a long list of memberships. How to Make Your High […]
What Living Abroad Really Teaches Students
Quick answer: The benefits of living abroad for students include resilience, adaptability, patience, and cross-cultural communication, skills that rarely appear on a transcript but that admissions officers value. To make them visible, name specific moments of growth, such as learning a language or adjusting to a new school, in your essays, activities, and interviews. By […]
What Do Colleges Look For?: How to Align Your Application With Institutional Priorities
Quick answer: What do colleges look for beyond grades and essays? They look for applicants who fit their institutional priorities: the strategic goals behind admissions decisions, such as growing certain academic programs, recruiting athletes, and building geographic diversity. Research each college’s strategic plan and new initiatives, then show genuine connections between your interests and those […]
The Value of a Private College Counselor: Results That Rival Elite Prep Schools
Quick answer: A private college counselor gives students the individual strategy, essay feedback, and long-term planning that elite prep schools are known for. That matters because the average public school counselor works with about 372 students. InGenius Prep pairs each student 2-on-1 with a Former Admissions Officer and a Graduate Coach, starting as early as […]
Your Brain on ChatGPT: What MIT’s Research Means for College Essays (and How to Use AI Without Losing Yourself)
Quick answer: MIT research suggests that using ChatGPT for college essays too early reduces the thinking and memory work that writing builds. Brainstorm, draft, and revise in your own words first. Then, if a college’s policy allows it, use AI only for limited support, such as flagging awkward sentences, and never to write the essay […]
When Colleges Shrink: What Students Should Know About Enrollment Decline and Campus Stability
Quick answer: College enrollment decline is hitting small private colleges and regional public universities hardest. Undergraduate enrollment fell 15% between 2010 and 2021, and the number of high school graduates is projected to shrink after 2025. When building your college list, check each school’s enrollment trends, finances, and program stability alongside fit. If you’re building […]
How to Write the Notre Dame Supplemental Essays
Quick answer: The Notre Dame supplemental essays include one required short essay of up to 150 words and two short answers of 50 to 100 words, chosen from four options. They make up Notre Dame’s own Writing Supplement, which you submit alongside your main application essay. Each response should show what you would add to […]