Whether you’re enamored of Columbia University because of its Core Curriculum, its student activism, or its location in New York City, there’s no shortage of opportunities to tell its admissions office how good a fit you feel you are for the school—its application has ample space for intellectually curious students to declare their match. Freshman applicants are expected to answer seven of eight prompts as part of their application. If that seems like a lot, take heart. Columbia’s prompts are much more manageable when categorized into three response types: a set of five 150-word lists, one 300-word “Why Columbia” response, and one 300-word “Why this field of study” response. Let’s break them down for you.

There are over 4,000 colleges and universities in the U.S. And while the media tends to focus on just a handful of schools, we at College Coach encourage students to think outside the box during their college selection process and explore a wide range of colleges. As such, we are highlighting a new college each week in our School Spotlight series. Check out the college below, along with the other posts in our series, and you may just stumble upon your dream school!

School Spotlight: University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA

There is a scholarship (or many scholarships) out there for everyone.  Every student has some skill, interest, experience, or characteristic that may make them an attractive candidate for one scholarship or another.  And while we often refer to scholarships as “free money,” scholarships don’t actually come for free.  It takes work to thoughtfully consider your strengths and research the scholarships that might be most appropriate for you.  While the effort that goes into finding and winning scholarships may be akin to a part-time job, we at College Coach want to make your job a little easier.  This on-going scholarship series highlights a new scholarship each week.  Check out the below, along with the other posts in the series, and you may discover a funding resource that will make covering that college bill a little (or a lot!) easier.

As someone who attended UVA for graduate school, I’m a little biased in favor of the school. However, I do genuinely like all of the supplemental essay prompts for two reasons. The first is that they are short. A 250-word limit forces you to be really clear about what the take-home is for the reader because you don’t have any opportunity to lose focus and meander off topic. The second is the questions reflect UVA’s values, and the essay is an opportunity for students to show how they connect with those values. I will also say that UVA is one of those schools, like the University of California system, to be very open and transparent about what they are looking for in an essay. I’ve included a helpful link from their Associate Dean at the end of the blog. Right here, however, are my own tips for addressing the UVA essay prompts. You’ll be asked to choose just one of these questions:

One of your biggest allies in the college process is your school counselor. Whether writing a letter of recommendation, sending out a transcript or directing you to local scholarship resources, there are many, many ways in which they will support you. We have advice from a former school counselor on how you can be a better partner. We’ll also take a look at the costs associated with applying to college and walk you through some goal setting suggestions for underclassmen.

Many high school seniors wait until they’ve been accepted to a college to worry about how to pay for it. Unfortunately, however, by the time you receive a college acceptance, you have likely already missed the school’s financial aid application deadline, and may have missed out on thousands of dollars of assistance. When, then, should you be applying for financial aid? Find out on the Edmit blog, where former Boston University and Tufts University financial aid officer, Shannon Vasconcelos answers the most common questions about timing that financial aid application.

There is a scholarship (or many scholarships) out there for everyone.  Every student has some skill, interest, experience, or characteristic that may make them an attractive candidate for one scholarship or another.  And while we often refer to scholarships as “free money,” scholarships don’t actually come for free.  It takes work to thoughtfully consider your strengths and research the scholarships that might be most appropriate for you.  While the effort that goes into finding and winning scholarships may be akin to a part-time job, we at College Coach want to make your job a little easier.  This on-going scholarship series highlights a new scholarship each week.  Check out the below, along with the other posts in the series, and you may discover a funding resource that will make covering that college bill a little (or a lot!) easier.

Guest post excerpted from an upcoming book by Sabrina Manville and Nick Ducoff of Edmit

If you’re a high school senior or the parent of a senior, fall is prime time for college applications! You probably have a running list of colleges and perhaps even a spreadsheet that’s tracking your research and keeping tabs on the colleges you like.

At some point soon, you’ll need to stop adding new colleges and start removing the ones you won’t be applying to. So how do you make sure you keep finances in mind when you do that narrowing?

Love watching blooper reels for your favorite TV shows? We’re offering our own blooper reel of mistakes we saw students and parents making when we were admissions officers. Don’t be them! We’re also welcoming the associate director of admissions for Bard College at Simon’s Rock to share more information about early college programs, including what they are and who would most benefit from these opportunities. Finally in Learning to Live Like a Student, we’ll focus on how small and large financial choices that students make while they are in college can and will impact their financial future after graduation.

What about being a student at _____ most excites you?

Why would you like to attend ______?

Or, my personal favorite and most succinct, Why _____?

As admissions officers wade through equally qualified applicants, they work to determine who is going to be the best fit with their institution. Who gets what they are all about? Who has done their research and understands “Why this College?” They ask it in a lot of different ways, with varying requirements when it comes to length, but they’re all trying to get at the same thing: Why do you want to be here, as opposed to one of the other wonderful schools on your list?