Caroline Koppelman
Why This College Essay Question Guide and ...

Why do you want to go to school here? If there’s one prompt you are certain to write more than once, it’s this one. This prompt comes in a few different flavors, but at the end of the day, they all want to know why their school is the perfect school for you and why you’re the perfect student for them. No pressure or anything.

Caroline Koppelman
Official Common App Essay Guide 2024-2025

We’ve spent the last few weeks breaking down the Common App essay prompt by prompt, and today we’re going to give you our ultimate guide to writing the Common App essay. There might be seven different prompts, but ultimately, all schools want the same thing from their applicants’ Common App essays: a story.

Caroline Koppelman
Rejected Early Decision from Columbia 2023

Getting a rejection in the Early Decision round is definitely not easy. But the good news is, it’s really just the start, and that one rejection has no bearing on how you’re going to do with other, similarly competitive schools. The thing about Early Decision is it comes alone and it comes first. It’s sometimes easier to tolerate a rejection when it’s preceded by several acceptance letters. College admissions are extraordinarily competitive these days and the Ivies are just more competitive than any other time or place in history. That’s it. It doesn’t get harder. And Columbia in particular has just a 4% acceptance rate! So, if you’ve been rejected in the Early Decision round, don’t despair. We have some advice about how you might go forward. (And don’t worry, it’s really not that much more work!)

Caroline Koppelman
Deferred by Harvard — Now What? (2023-24)

If you’ve been deferred by Harvard, you are not alone. Harvard is notorious at this point for deferring an enormous percentage of early admission applicants. While most elite colleges with early admissions programs, like early decision and early action, only defer students they are seriously considering for the next freshman class, the statistics Harvard has released on early admission suggest that they take a very different approach.

Caroline Koppelman
Writing the “Why This College” Essay

Even though every college has slightly different supplementary application materials, you’ll likely run into a variation of one question more than any other: “Why do you want to attend this school in particular?” It’s every institution’s way of saying, Let’s cut to the chase. Why us?

economics

9th Grade College Strategy for Economics

Do you dream of navigating the complex world of economics? Maybe you have visions of becoming the next big financial guru, crunching numbers like a pro. Or perhaps you're fascinated by the intricate dance of supply and demand, seeing economic principles play out in everyday life. Whether you're drawn to the allure of Wall Street or just really, really love watching "The Big Short," we've got you covered! If you're here, chances are you're a freshman in high school and intrigued by the idea of studying economics in college. Fear not, because we're here.

10th Grade College Strategy for Economics

Macro. Micro. Marginal utility. The invisible hand. You love ‘em all. Or maybe you don’t just yet, but you think you might want to study economics in college. You’re not alone, it’s one of the most popular majors in the Ivy League and beyond, and probably the most popular social science major alongside political science. Maybe you’re interested in Econ because you want to go into business or finance, or maybe you’re not even sure why you’re drawn to it. But now you’re here, and we can help.

9th Grade Summer Plans: Econ Major Edition

While a bunch of students freshman year are interested in the world of money, not everyone who wants to go into business has a passion for economics. Rather than learning about human resources or corporate administration, economists study the creation, consumption, and exchange of wealth in the form of currency, goods, and services. As a soft science, it combines an understanding of human behavior and history with mathematics, statistics, and accounting. In other words, an economist is more likely to make financial models that project the impact of a national recession on global markets than to make millions running a lemonade stand.

Best Economics Extracurriculars for High School Students

If you’d rather talk about "fiscal policy," "market forces," and the mysteries of supply and demand than catch up on the latest hot goss, you’re in the right place. We’re guessing you want to study econ in college, but you might not know exactly how to kick off your journey. Not to worry, we've got your back, and we're here to lay out the game plan.

The Best Extracurriculars for Economics Majors

Economics is a social science that brings together political science, statistics, sociology, mathematics, engineering, psychology, history, and more — basically everything — within the overarching umbrella of money markets and value creation (or destruction, depending on the circumstance). While it is a social science, economics has some major quantitative components that mean it’s nearly as much a STEM field as a humanities field.  

Best Behavioral Economics Summer Programs

Taking a summer session is a great way to explore an academic topic you feel passionate about. Summer Pre-College programs also allow students to learn more about a topic that they may not have access to at their normal high school. If you are hoping to study Behavioral Economics and want to take a summer program in it, you have a couple of options. Two caveats: these programs can be expensive so make sure you check their price tags and many are not behavioral economics specific. While many of these cover topics in and related to behavioral economics, they often cover other economic topics as well.