Why Safety Schools May Reject You
Hey guys, it's Eric at Solution Prep, and today we're talking about why you might get rejected to your safety schools and what you can do about it. When you apply to colleges you should build a balanced list of…
Why Top Colleges Reject Qualified Students
Hey, guys! It’s Eric at Solution Prep and today I want to tell you a little story about why qualified students might still get rejected from their top choice colleges. I visit a lot of colleges, and one day I…
Making the Most of Summer Programs
Hey, guys! It’s Eric at Solution Prep. Today we’re talking about summer programs at colleges for high school students. These can be a great opportunity for you to learn more about topics you’re passionate about, or to look more into…
Getting to “Yes” from Rejected: Top-Choice College Hacks
Hey guys! It’s Eric at Solution Prep and now that college acceptances are in its time to answer the tough question: what if you were rejected by your top choice college? Well, fear not because there are some steps you…
Navigating Atypical Admission Offers
Today, we're discussing what if you're accepted to your top college but not as expected. Let's explore three ways to navigate this situation. are three ways we're gonna talk about today. One is, but not for your preferred starting term.…
4-Part Letter of Continued Interest
Hi, it's Eric at Solution Prep! Let's discuss letters of continued interest. They're crucial if you've been deferred or waitlisted! from the regular round, you may still be able to get accepted. And one thing that could help is a…
How to Send SAT & ACT Scores to Colleges
Hey, guys! It’s Eric at Solution Prep. Today we’re talking about sending SAT and ACT scores to colleges. If you’ll be submitting your scores — either because the college requires them or because they reflect your best academic abilities —…
Why Go to a College Fair
October is College Fair season! Twice a year — once in the fall, and once in the spring — college reps make the rounds to college fairs for your state, your county, your district, or even your high school. And…
Make the Most of College Reps at School
The college reps are coming! Fall is travel season for college admissions reps; so in addition to attending college fairs in the evening, they might also be visiting high schools during the daytime to meet students, and they might be…
Why Take Major-Specific College Visits
Today we’re talking about major-specific college visits. When you take a general college visit you’re going to learn a lot about amenities like the food, and the dorms, and the sports facilities. Your tour guide might even tell you about…
The Trick to Writing Short College Essays
Today we’re talking about short college application essays. Everyone knows the Common App will allow you to submit an essay of up to 650 words; then each college might have their own school specific supplemental essays that are just for…
Which Do Colleges Want: SAT or ACT?
A question I get a lot is whether it’s better to submit SAT or ACT scores to colleges. Right now, a lot of colleges have "test optional" policies, where if you don’t submit scores, it’s not supposed to hurt your…
The New PSAT Timeline & What it Means for You
Today we’re talking about the changing PSAT and your testing timeline. Historically, high schools have had three dates in October to choose from to administer the PSAT. Either the second Wednesday in October, the most common one. The Saturday after…
Do Colleges Care About a Major?
Hey guys. It’s Eric at Solution Prep. And today we’re talking about applying “undeclared“ for your major. Some colleges consider applicants by major or the school within a school to which they apply. There are only so many seats. But…
Avoid this College Essay BIG MISTAKE
One of the biggest mistakes students fail to avoid when they write their college application essays is writing someone else’s story. If you’re writing an essay about your background — or your gratitude — it’s very common to write about…
Building Your Best College List
Today we’re talking about building your best college list. Getting into top colleges has gotten tougher each year. There are a lot of reasons, but here are two of the biggest culprits: First, students are just applying to so many…
How to Build Your College Hook
Today we’re talking about hooks: a hook is a reason why a college might notice and pick you over other qualified candidates. Now there are some hooks you can control but other hooks you can’t. You can’t control if you’re…
30 Self-Guided College Visit Tips in 90 Seconds
This week we’re talking about how to take self-guided tours of college campuses during your visit. Sometimes your availability doesn’t fit the college’s calendar but you can still go on your own and see a lot of things. Find the…
5 Reasons NOT to Let ChatGPT Write Your College Essays
Today I want to give you five reasons not to use ChatGPT to write your college application essays. AI writing tools are more accessible than ever and the temptation is real to just copy and paste that prompt in, let…
The SCOTUS Call on RACE in Admissions
Today we’re talking about the recent Supreme Court decision that effectively bans colleges from considering race as one factor in a holistic review of students’ college admissions applications. For decades, colleges have endeavored to create diverse student bodies, including “people…
Common College Essay: The Diversity Essay
This month we’re talking through some of the most common prompts colleges assign for those school specific supplemental essays. And one that we’ve seen a lot more lately is the diversity essay where a college asks why is diversity important…
Common College Essays: Meaningful Activities & Service
This month we’re talking through some of the most common prompts colleges assign for those school specific application essays. One that we see a lot is: tell us about an extracurricular activity, or tell us about a community service activity…
3 Parts of the “Why this College” Essay
This month we’re talking about the most common prompts colleges assign for those school-specific supplemental essays, with one of the most common being the “Why this college?” essay. This is your opportunity to demonstrate your interest and show them that…
#1 Most Common College Essay: Why This Major?
This month we’re talking through some of the most common college essay prompts colleges assign for those school-specific supplemental application essays. And probably number one on the list is the “why this major?” essay; they want to know about your…
Navigating College Ranking Lists
Today we’re talking about college ranking lists. August 1st is coming, and that’s when most college applications open. So ideally, you want to finish your college search and bring down your list to about five to ten colleges by then.…
New Digital SAT’s Biggest Change
Today we’re talking about one of the biggest changes coming to the new Digital SAT. Back in 2022, the College Board — that’s the folks that make the SAT, along with a number other products like the APs, GRE, and…
Important 2023 Dates for the Class of ’24
It’s a new year and it’s important to talk to our juniors about important upcoming 2023 dates. First, the last SAT and ACT of the school year are the June 3 SAT and June 10 ACT. Junior year is testing…
Why Go to College in High School?
There are college opportunities for high school students that can increase their chances of getting into your top choice college. And, it’s possible you’d graduate earlier and save some money. One option is a summer program, which most colleges do.…
Do You “Qualify” for the FAFSA?
One question I get from parents is asking if they qualify for the FAFSA, and the answer is yes! Every American citizen and green card holder meets the FAFSA qualifications and can fill out the free application at FAFSA.gov. The…
When to Commit to College vs When to Wait
The exciting of process college acceptance letters has begun! With them comes the pressure from each college to get you to commit and send in that deposit. If you apply for Early Decision, you will likely have to pay that…
PSAT Scores Are In! Now What?
The October PSAT scores are finally in! You can check your results on CollegeBoard.org. You’re going to see three scores: Evidence-based Reading and Writing, Math, and the sum of those two for your overall score. These subjects are scored from…
The SAT Testing Timeline
Today we are discussing how the SAT coming in March 2024 will change the testing timeline for today’s sophomores. Generally speaking, junior year is testing year. You have all school year to take the SAT two to three times to…
4 Numbers to Ignore When Looking at Colleges
Last week we discussed the four numbers to consider when looking at colleges, and today we are talking about the four numbers to ignore when looking at colleges. The first number is their SAT and ACT score ranges. Colleges show…
4 Numbers to Consider When Looking at Colleges
Today, we are talking about the four numbers to consider when looking at colleges. The first is acceptance rate. If that number happens to be high it’s not a very selective college, and if that number is very low it’s…
Visiting Colleges Like a Pro
Today, we are discussing college visits. Fortunately, most colleges are back to giving in-person tours and you definitely want to jump at the chance to go. But keep in mind when visiting colleges, they’re going to show you the best…
Need Blind vs Need Aware
Today I am going to tell you how Financial Aid may impact admissions at some colleges and dive into Need Blind vs Need Aware. Some schools are what’s called “Need Blind”, which means the Admissions and the Financial Aid offices…
Show Colleges Your Creativity
Today, we are discussing creativity. Some college applications specifically ask if you have an art portfolio or any curating experience you can link or upload. Sadly most students ignore this because they think it has nothing to do with their…
Early Decision vs. Early Action
Today we’re talking about Early Decision vs Early Action college admission options, which are typically due November 1 or 15, and occasionally a little earlier or later. Applying early gives you a number of advantages in terms of getting accepted…
Honors Colleges: Should You Apply?
Today, we are discussing Honors Colleges. Most four-year colleges have something called: Honors College. Some colleges call it a Fellows Program, Scholar School, but most call it Honors. In most college applications they ask if you’d like to be considered…
Community Service Colleges Love
Today, we are discussing Community Service. That’s one of the many qualities colleges like to see in their prospective students because you’re going to be a part of campus life and that greater area. They want to know if you’re…
Why You Should Make an Admissions Résumé
Today, we are going to discuss the three reasons to make a college admissions resume. An admissions resume is different from a job resume. A job resume is typically black-printed on one white sheet of paper listing your employment and…
Common App is Open! Now What?
August 1st means the Common App is open! This is a great time to get to work on specific parts of your school's applications for the colleges on your list. Some schools will be late, but most are right on…
Should You Apply “Test Optional”?
Today we’re talking about if you should apply to colleges “test optional,” which is an option some colleges offer but other colleges don’t—so make sure to read their requirements carefully. On most colleges’ websites, you can find their interquartile range,…
You Can USUALLY Change Your Major
One question I get asked a lot is, “What if I’m not sure about my intended major?” It’s okay if—at 16, 17, or 18 years old—you’re not sure what you want to do for the rest of your life. In…
Building a Great College Résumé
Today I want to talk to 10th graders about what they can be doing right now to build a great application resume for when college admissions time comes. One of the biggest myths is that colleges are looking for the…
College Essays DO’s and DON’Ts
Today I want to give you some do’s and don'ts about writing your college application essays. DO write on a topic you care about: your passions and your intellectual curiosity. DON’T write an essay on the topic you think colleges…
Bad Topics for College Essays
Today we’re talking about bad topics for college admission essays. Last week we did a video on what makes good essay topics, so if you haven’t watched that yet, do watch it next. The worst essay topic that’s gonna wind…
Good Topics for College Essays
This week we’re doing a two-parter: this week and next week. This week we're talking about good topics for college essays. We’ve talked before about how grades and scores are what qualify for college, but at the end of the…
Two Essays NOT to Send Colleges
Today I want to tell you about two essays not to submit as your Common App essay. The Common App is going to give you seven prompts from which you can choose to write about one for your essay. But…
5 Things to Know Before Starting College
Today I want to give you 5 things every rising college freshman should know before starting college. Number 1: Every college has a math lab, a writing lab, all kinds of labs where tutors are literally standing by waiting to…
10th, 11th, & 12th Grade Summer Plan
Today I want to tell you how rising 12th, 11th, and 10th graders can make the most of their summer break. Yes, you need to relax. You need a vacation. But you also need to make the most of your…
Why You Don’t Need the Ivy League
Today I want to tell you why you don't need to go to an Ivy League college. Eight colleges make up the athletic conference called The Ivy League: Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Cornell, Brown, Dartmouth and UPenn. This year, 2022,…
The College Admissions Timeline
Today I want to talk to juniors about the college admissions timeline ahead. Summer is the best time to work on college applications and essays, which is a much bigger project than most people think, especially because more competitive colleges…
What if You Got Waitlisted?
With this week's Ivy Decision Day, that means that every college you’ve applied to has given you an answer. That means we're getting a lot of questions this week about, “What do I do if I'm waitlisted?” Here are some…
AP, IB & Dual Enrollment: 3 Benefits & 3 Cautions
Today I want to tell you 3 benefits and 3 cautions about taking AP, IB, and dual enrollment classes in high school. AP and IB—Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate—are put out by competing companies that provide college level courses to…
Think You Have the Grades & Scores for Top Colleges?
Grades and scores are the two biggest criteria top colleges use to determine which students are eligible for their college. A recent study by the CollegeBoard says that in 1998, 39% of high school students graduated with an A-average, but…
New Year, New College Admissions Timeline
Today I want to give you a longer explanation where I’m going to talk to every junior about the year ahead for college admissions. Right now it's January, and this junior year is going to be your year for college…
Should You Apply “Undecided”?
One question I get asked a lot is, “What if I don’t know what I want to major in?” Applying for college when you are undecided is okay. It is totally okay to not know what you want to do…
Nailing College Admissions Interviews
Today I want to talk to you about college admissions interviews. Some colleges require applicants to do an interview. Some colleges offer interviews to applicants who want one. Some colleges say, "If we want to interview you, we’ll reach out…
Why You Don’t Need Perfect Scores
Today I want to tell you why you do not need perfect SAT scores or ACT scores to get into your top-choice college. The fact is that top colleges in America turn away students with perfect scores all the time.…
How Many Colleges to Apply To
Today I wanted to talk with you about how many colleges you should apply to. Ideally, when thinking about how many to apply to, you want to apply to somewhere between five and ten colleges, maybe fifteen at the absolute…
Sorting Through College Mail
Today I wanted to talk to juniors about what to do with all the college mail you’re getting. For email, first, you want to set up a separate account just for this. That way, when you’re done with the whole…
Test Optional vs Test Blind
I wanted to talk to you today a little bit about what test optional means vs what test blind means. There are a lot of schools that, either prior to the pandemic or because of the pandemic, have gone “test…
The Best Letters of Recommendation
Today I want to talk to juniors about college recommendation letters. Most colleges ask for three letters: one is going to come from your guidance counselor, and the other two can come technically from whomever you want, but at least…
Why Top Colleges Pick Students
Today I want to talk to juniors and seniors about why and how top colleges pick these students and not those students. A lot of students get great grades and great scores, but then don’t wind up getting into their…
Visiting Colleges During COVID
We are nearing the decision day for most colleges, and some students are still struggling with, "What if I haven’t had a chance to visit some of the colleges I’m still weighing?" Although visiting colleges during Covid may seem impossible,…