The Hidden Curriculum of Mentorship: Why Guidance Now Separates Outcomes
Quick answer: Mentorship in college admissions is the hidden curriculum: sustained relationships with adults who shape what a student works on, how they think, and how they describe their work. Test prep still matters, but at the most selective schools, mentors produce the detailed letters, specific essays, and real projects that scores alone cannot. By […]
Demographic Cliff by State: Which Public Universities Might Welcome You
Quick answer: The demographic cliff by state is not making flagship public universities easier to get into. Flagships like UIUC and Michigan are replacing lost in-state students with out-of-state and international applicants. The real openings are at regional public universities in shrinking states, which often offer generous merit scholarships to out-of-state students. By Lindsey Kundel, […]
Choosing a College Counseling Partner That Puts Students First
Quick answer: Choose a college counseling partner that is transparent about its model and results, keeps a consistent counselor with your student, employs Former Admissions Officers, and publishes both raw results and success rates. Be cautious of any firm that guarantees admission or will not explain how it measures outcomes. For fifteen years, I’ve worked […]
Books About Paying for College: What Families Should Read Before Regular Decision
Quick answer: The most useful books about paying for college are The Price You Pay for College by Ron Lieber, Paying for College Without Going Broke by Kalman Chany, and Debt-Free U by Zac Bissonnette. Together they explain how colleges set prices, how financial aid formulas work, and how to weigh value against debt. By […]
Optimizing Your School Activities List for Ivy League and Top 30 Universities
Quick answer: The Common App activities list gives you up to 10 entries, each with a 50-character position title and a 150-character description. For Ivy League and top 30 applications, list your most meaningful activities first, lead each description with specific impact and numbers, and show how your involvement grew over time. By Lindsey Kundel, […]
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 […]
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 […]
How to Write the Best Supplemental Essays for Boston College Admissions
Quick answer: For the Boston College supplemental essays, you write one response of up to 400 words, choosing from four prompts: a family or community tradition, a meaningful conversation partner, being defined by a single story, or a fourth Jesuit “Be.” Human-Centered Engineering applicants answer a separate fifth prompt instead. [1] The prompts below match […]
The New Ivies and the Truth About Test-Optional
Quick answer: The New Ivies are selective universities, such as Vanderbilt, MIT, Duke, and UCLA, that now rival the Ivy League in selectivity and outcomes. At the same time, colleges including MIT, Dartmouth, Brown, Yale, and Harvard have reinstated testing requirements after finding that scores helped identify talented students, so solid test scores matter again. […]