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?

psychology

9th Grade College Strategy for Psychology

If you like a lot of different topics – English, science, math, history – you might enjoy psychology! It’s a super interdisciplinary field of study that allows students to blend lots of topics together to better understand ~people~ and ~brains~ which is pretty cool. If you’re here, we’re guessing two things: you’re maybe interested in psychology for college, and you’re probably a freshman.

9th Grade Summer Plans: Psychology Major Edition

Excellent news, aspiring psychologists! If you’re hoping to major in psychology, you don’t have to sit around and wait until college to dive right into dream analysis and criminology. You might feel like senior year is forever and a half away, but college application season comes quicker than you think, and you can spend the summer after freshman year building your resume, getting ahead in your field, and setting yourself apart from your peers.

What Classes Should I Take in High School to Become a Therapist?

There are many types of therapists. Whether you hope to work at a school, in an office with a chaise lounge, or in a social work office, therapists are there for people in need. While there are several steps to becoming a therapist, it’s never too early to start planning. Let’s break down what you can start doing/taking in high school.

Classes to Take in High School for Psychology

So you want to be a Psychology major in college? It’s a great and very popular choice. While there are no formal prerequisite classes you need to take in high school to become a psych major in college, taking certain classes might help you get in. Why is that? Well, colleges are looking for applicants who feel passionately about their academic interests and have already demonstrated interest in the field. There are many ways to do this, but taking certain classes in high school is a great way to show your interest and commitment to psych. Let’s break down some classes you should consider to help you get into the Psych program of your dreams.