College Admissions Advice and Information

Most people take college tuition cost into consideration before applying. While this alone is not a bad thing, it is unfortunate when a university's sticker price stops someone from even applying. It is important to know the facts before making such a serious decision.

Increases in financial aid over the last few decades have been gigantic, and you will likely find that the cost of a first-tier college is much lower than you would expect. All Ivy-League schools as well as many other top universities now meet 100% of a student's financial need. This means that the colleges determine how much you can reasonably afford, and they cover the rest of the costs with financial aid. For low- and middle-income students, this makes even the most expensive universities well within the affordable range.
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Your performance on the SAT will likely help to determine where you are able to attend college. While most people attempt to discount the test, claiming that it is simply one of many factors, or that it is not very important, the reality is that-unless you are an extraordinary candidate-the SAT will likely play a major role in your college admissions. For this reason it only makes sense to attempt to score as well as you possibly can. That said, you don't need to spend $1000 dollars on a prep course in order to perform well on the SAT. If you follow this advice, you will see a drastic improvement in your scores, all for very little money invested. I improved my SAT scores by nearly 500 points using these methods. That improvement is far greater than anything promised by a test prep course. So if you are serious about performing well on this test, then follow the advice here to prepare for the SAT.
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Your choice of college admission essay topic is an extremely important one, as the college essay is one of the few ways to show the admissions committee your personality. Choosing a boring or overdone essay topic is a sure way to get your application placed into the reject pile. The most important thing is that your college admission essay topic be unique. You can write about an interesting experience or simply write with a unique perspective about a common experience.
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SAT subject tests are a little-mentioned but extremely important component of your college application. Many students have never heard of SAT subject tests. Often, even if a student has heard of the tests, they dismiss them as unimportant. After all, with so much focus on the SAT and--to a lesser extent--the ACT, it seems that if these tests were important, they would be more commonly discussed. That said, the SAT subject tests are actually critically important, and to simply ignore them is a huge mistake. Taking-or not taking-these tests will determine to which colleges you are even able to apply, let alone gain admittance. It's time for you to start devoting some attention to these often-ignored tests.
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AP exams are offered yearly by the College Board, the same company that makes the SAT test. If you perform well on your AP exams you will be able to opt out of certain college courses, and you may even receive college credit. Demonstrating proficiency on AP exams will also let colleges know you are a serious student with strong academic potential. They may not be the most important component of your college application, but they certainly add to it. If your school offers AP classes, you should absolutely be taking them. Even if your school does not offer AP classes, you can study for these exams on your own and maybe even get college credit for your hard work.
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The Ivy League is an athletic conference in the Northeastern United States that is home to some of the best universities in the country. It has been in existence since 1954, although most of the Ivy League schools were founded before 1800. There are eight Ivy League schools, and they are all ranked among the top twenty universities in the United States. All of the Ivy League schools have undergraduate enrollments below fifteen-thousand students, and they are among the most selective universities in the country. Three of the four oldest colleges in the United States--Harvard, Yale, and the University of Pennsylvania--are Ivy League schools.

In order to be accepted by the Ivy League schools, you will need to have performed very well in difficult high-school courses. You will also need to have performed well on the SAT and other standardized tests. In addition, these schools will look at your extracurricular activities and recommendations to determine whether or not you would be a good fit.
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