by Kara Courtois, former admissions officer at Barnard College

It’s common, especially at larger high schools, that school counselors cannot personally know each and every student to whom they are assigned. Given the unreasonable number of students most counselors have in their caseload, this unfortunate situation is not surprising, but this reality has only gotten more challenging because of virtual schooling. Maybe this doesn’t worry you too much as a parent until you realize this same counselor may be required to write a letter of recommendation for your student’s college applications. But don’t panic; it’s not as dire a situation as you might think! Our college admissions experts help students get over this hurdle every year.

by Lauren DiProspero, former admissions officer at Columbia University

In our previous medical school blog post, we talked about the two degree paths to becoming a physician. If you are about to begin your application to medical school, you may have noticed that there are three different common application platforms. The platform you use will be determined by the type of degree you are seeking—MD or DO—and whether or not you are applying to medical school in Texas.

by Elizabeth Heaton, former admissions officer at University of Pennsylvania

The news on college applications can feel a little scary this year—applications are up in huge year-over-year numbers at Brown (26%), Oregon State (40%), UC Berkeley (28%), University of Pennsylvania (34%) and Colgate (100%!). How to account for these increases?

by Elyse Krantz, former admissions officer at Barnard College

When it comes to applying to college, there’s one online application that’s nearly synonymous with “college application.” That is, of course, the Common Application—a digital, one-size-fits-all document that allows high school seniors to submit their application to up to 20 colleges in one fell swoop. But we are delighted to turn our attention to another application that can make the college application process a little bit simpler and a whole lot less expensive: the Common Black College Application (CBCA).

by Emily Toffelmire, former admissions officer at University of Southern California

The Common App, the most widely used centralized college application platform in the U.S., launched a mobile app version just last week. In the press release regarding the mobile app, The Common Application cited a study from the Pew Research Center that found 25% of teens from lower-income homes lack access to a home computer and 35% complete homework on cell phones. Black and Latinx students are even more negatively impacted by this technology gap. The Common App already knew that many students were applying to college using mobile phones; as they state in the press release, “almost 400,000 applications were submitted last year via mobile phone. Over the last five years, Common App has seen a nearly 40% increase in mobile device use of its web-based application.”

Grades, SATs, extracurriculars, essays, recommendations…. When you think about all you have to do in order to get into college, it can start to make your head spin. What, though, is the most important factor in the college application? Find out from former Reed College admissions officer, Ian Fisher, in this installment of the video series, Ask the College Admissions Expert.

by Joy Biscornét, former admissions officer at Boston College

Welcome to college application season, seniors! As you make your college to-do list, be sure to include “Check Application Deadlines” as a task. It’s important to know when applications are due, and it is just as important to understand each type of deadline. Here’s the rundown.

by Abigail Anderson, former admissions officer at Reed College

Students utilizing the Common Application will notice a question regarding their disciplinary history just after they fill out the Essay Section. This question, which is required, states:

“Have you ever been found responsible for a disciplinary violation at any educational institution you have attended from the 9th grade (or the international equivalent) forward, whether related to academic misconduct or behavioral misconduct, that resulted in a disciplinary action? These actions could include, but are not limited to: probation, suspension, removal, dismissal, or expulsion from the institution.”

Online applications have made it really easy to apply to college. Applicants no longer need their best penmanship or—imagine this—to find a typewriter to fill them out. On the Common Application alone, an applicant can access roughly 900 colleges and universities. But how many applications should students submit? And is there such a thing as too many?

by Elyse Krantz, former admissions officer at Barnard College

Mastering the Activities Section of the Common Application

College applicants are infamously known to stress about their essays. And it’s not uncommon for students to spend weeks (if not months) brainstorming their ideal essay topic and then editing it down to perfection. But our college admissions experts would like to point out another section of the Common Application that also requires a great deal of writing yet receives far less attention. Some application readers would argue that it also happens to be the section that applicants most often overlook and under appreciate.

What is it?