PREFACE

Welcome to the MEC College Admissions Master Class™ in Q&A Format!

In the growth trajectory of a young person, college admissions is a high stakes juncture with lifelong impact.

Admission criteria are highly volatile and in a constant state of flux—often changing on a daily basis. As a result, the internet is saturated with outdated guidance and misinformation, with the bulk of content in books about college admissions obsolete by publication.

For these reasons and more, the MEC College Admissions Master Class™ is:

• continuously updated

• evidence-based

• book-length

• password-protected

MEC is unique in the field for providing instant access to all proprietary information for onboarded clients who:

• engage in regular check-ins

• are a good fit with the Minerva Method™

Rapid, full-immersion learning on the part of families serves to avoid potentially irreversible missteps in today's acutely selective college admissions landscape, where the margin for error is slim to nil for those with an ambitious college list.

Ongoing perusal of the MEC Master Class™ throughout a student’s candidacy planning/building and application period gives Minerva families a decisive competitive edge in the college admissions process.

I. ACRONYM GLOSSARY
II. GENERAL
III. ADMISSION OPTIONS
IV. TIMELINE
V. COLLEGE LIST
VI. STANDARDIZED TESTING
VII. Red Flags
VIII. COMMON APP
IX. MIT APPLICATION
X. UC APPLICATION
XI. ESSAYS
XII. HIGH SCHOOL RECOMMENDERS
XIII. SUPPLEMENTARY LOR
XIV. DUAL ENROLLMENT / COLLEGE COURSES FOR CREDIT
XV. RESEARCH
XVI. COMPETITIONS
XVII. VIDEO INTRODUCTION
XVIII. PASSION PROJECT
XIX. NEWSPAPER / MAGAZINE ARTICLES
XX. CONTACTS
XXI. FINANCIAL AID
XXII. RÉSUMÉ / LINKEDIN / PERSONAL WEBSITE
XXIII. DISCRETION
XXIV. RESPONSIBILITY
XXV. LOCI
XXVI. TRANSFER ADMISSIONS
XXVII. GAP YEAR
XXVIII. REFERRALS
XXIX. FOR BI/MULTI-CULTURAL STUDENTS
XXX. MISCELLANEOUS
XXXI. FOR UNDERGRADUATES
XXXII. INTERNSHIPS DURING COLLEGE
XXXIII. GRADUATE ADMISSIONS
XXXIV. GRADUATE ADMISSIONS - MEDICAL
XXXV. CAREER PLANNING

AICEP: American Institution of Certified Educational Planners
ALDC: Athletes, Legacy, Donors, Children of Faculty
AO: Admission Officer
CAE: Common App (main) Essay
CBE: Committee-Based Evaluation
CDS: Common Data Set
CEP: Certified Educational Planner
COA: Cost of Attendance
CSS: College Scholarship Service
DFN: Demonstrated Financial Need
DRT: Data Retrieval Tool
EA: Early Action
EBRW: Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (of SAT)
EC: Extracurricular
ED: Early Decision
FAFSA: Free Application for Federal Student Aid
FGLI: First-Generation-Low-Income
FM: Federal Methodology
FTIC: First-Time-in-College
HECA: Higher Educational Consultants Association
HYP: Harvard, Yale Princeton (aka “The Big Three”)
IDOC: Institutional Documentation Service
IEC: Independent Education Consultant
IECA: Independent Educational Consultants Association
IM: Institutional Methodology
LAC: Liberal Arts College
LOR: Letter of Recommendation
MEC: Minerva Education Consultancy
NACAC: National Association for College Admission Counseling
NARP: Non-Athletic Regular Person
NPC: Net Price Calculator
OE: Optional Evaluation
PIQ: Personal Insight Question (UC Application)
PJ: Professional Judgement
PS: Personal Statement
RD: Regular Decision
REA: Restricted Early Action
SAI: Student Aid Index
SAR: Student Aid Report
SCEA: Single-Choice Early Action
SLAC: Small Liberal Arts College
SOP: Statement of Purpose
UC: University of California

Educated at Columbia University and Harvard University, MEC Executive Director Anne Mannering is a Certified Educational Planner (CEP). Only 2% of college consultants are board certified, and CEPs number less than three hundred worldwide. The certification process entails a grueling five-hour proctored exam as well as other stringent criteria. Recertification requires a minimum of seventy hours of professional development and seventy campus visits every five years.

A seasoned veteran, Anne is widely known as an innovative thought leader in the field of college admissions consulting. Multilingual and multicultural, Anne has lived abroad in Milan, Paris, Geneva, Madrid and Monte Carlo. She currently resides in New York City and eastern Pennsylvania. Anne is especially adept at guiding TCKs (Third Culture Kids), CCKs (Cross Cultural Kids) and global nomads. Her two daughters attended Columbia University and Stanford University, respectively, for both undergraduate and graduate study. Anne has been an official UNICEF fundraiser and event sponsor for three decades. She also worked as a Faculty Aide in the English Department at Harvard.

In her work with families, Anne is first and foremost a strategist. She is the steady guide tracking the moving target of a candidacy as it organically develops over time. Her work is uniquely nimble, adaptive and fluid. Anne approaches the task at hand with brio and creativity, rendering the candidacies of her students unforgettable. Anne closely collaborates and brainstorms with students and parents alike, crafting and curating compelling candidacy narratives from the ground up. Every element coalesces under her assiduous supervision. Anne’s empathy-based practice is infused with her professional conviction that the admission process excessively burdens young people at a critical stage of development. She demystifies college admissions, exerting herself to render the experience comprehensible and manageable for clients.

Anne accepts a restricted number of students to whom she provides undivided attention and unlimited access. She personally executes all primary tasks including college list formation and essay supervision in order to assure that no detail escapes attention. The impersonal, dispersive and confusion/error-engendering effect which occurs at large consultancies where primary candidacy tasks are divided among multiple IECs with varying levels of expertise does not occur at MEC. Consequently, the quality of service delivered is of a vastly higher caliber, as reflected in the unparalleled results achieved by Minerva students.

Through the MEC subsidiary Mentor Academics, a member of the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR), Anne personally engages in the targeted selection and recruitment of professorial mentors for her students. Anne also identifies competition coaches, website designers, time management coaches, licensed therapists specialized in the college admissions prep period, psychiatrists for test accommodation diagnosis, PR agencies for student passion project media attention, dorm room space organizers et. al. on an as-need basis.

Anne is a Mentor of the University of California Berkeley College Admissions Consulting Professional Program. In this role, she trains early-career consultants as well as Admission Officers (college and prep school) and High School Counselors transitioning to a consultant role. She is a Member of the Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA) where she serves as Chair of the Advocacy Committee and Mentor in the “Members Mentoring Members (MMM)” Program. Anne is a Professional Member—the highest level of qualification—of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA) where she is Founder of an Affinity Group with over 200 members, and serves as Mentor in the “Mentor Match” Program. Anne regularly presents at conferences of these institutions in a leadership and educational role. She upholds the Principles of Good Practice of the esteemed industry-regulating institutions to which she belongs. Anne provides pro bono service to underprivileged students referred by School Counselors.

At an IECA Conference in Boston, Harvard Dean of Admissions Dr. William Fitzsimmons stated: “IECA is the Harvard of the counseling profession.” IECA explains here the significant benefits of engaging a vetted and qualified member. According to th 2025 IECA State of the Profession Report, only 9% of IEC respondents have 20 years or more of experience. Anne has over 30 years of experience!

The reasons are many! Here is a partial list of a dozen:

(1) By the time School Counselors meet with students to discuss college admissions for the first time, it’s late in the game where candidacy formulation is concerned.

At conferences attended by MEC, AOs (Admission Officers) underscore the importance of "triangulation" in a college candidacy whereby the various elements (intended major, research topic, awards, extracurricular activities) harmoniously converge into a quickly-discernible, coherent narrative.

In order to achieve triangulation in a candidacy, careful advance planning is imperative—ideally commencing before the beginning of ninth grade.

AOs sustain that entries on the Activity List should have a duration of a minimum of two years; and the longer the duration of any individual activity, the better.

In order for an activity to meet this time criteria, the student who plans to apply to college in the early cycle with a 1 November deadline in senior year should commence all available Activity List entries by 1 November of 10th grade at the latest.

However, most students are not permitted to meet with the School Counselor responsible for college admissions until 11th grade. This can result in families being blindsided.

Added to this challenge is the fact that due to the increasing selectivity of the most sought-after schools, competitions and publications which are available to high school students are being deluged with entries. As a result, it is becoming commonplace for entities to stop accepting entries far before deadlines with no advance notice. This phenomenon is profoundly frustrating for students, who devote countless hours to preparing entries. Examples:

• The JHU Pre-Collegiate Global Health Review (PGHR) suddenly ceased accepting entries for the 2025-26 admissions season on 15 August 2025!

• The Harvard Undergraduate Economics Association (HUEA) High School International Essay Competition (HIEEC) suddenly ceased accepting entries prior to the submission deadline during the 2024-25 admissions season.

Consequently, students must carefully plan ahead to submit entries immediately when a cycle opens in order to avert the risk that they work hard on an entry and are then blocked from even submitting it.

School Counselors publicly take the position that if a student is “Harvard-worthy,” then that student would spontaneously—without any external prompting, input, guidance or information—satisfy the requisites which Harvard seeks (including 10 Activities, 5 Awards, published research et. al. ).

MEC takes the position that this expectation of a teenager is entirely unreasonable.

NOTE: MEC clients include many children of School Counselors. When it comes to their own children, such a cavalier approach is nowhere to be found….

(2) In response to the current unprecedented mental health crisis of youth, public school districts and private schools across the country are enacting policies whereby critical information is withheld from families.

Many schools no longer:

• encourage students to choose the most rigorous classes

• caution students concerning prerequisites

• share class rank (even though when an AO asks for it, School Counselors provide it)

• post Honor Roll or National Merit recognition recipients

• provide input about viability of college list (proffering instead the blanket statement “college admissions is holistic” )

With attentive advance planning and support provided by MEC, students can hit the ground running in ninth grade such that:

• candidacy strength and triangulation are optimized

• data-informed college list maximizes outcomes

(3) School Counselors are often forbidden from directly answering critical questions.

MEC assists students in formulating questions which the School Counselor can answer in order to obtain desired information.

For example, if a school will not share class rankings, rather than ask:

“Am I in the top decile of my class?”

the student can ask:

“According to the Common Data Set, 99% of students admitted to UChicago who reported rank were in the top decile of their high school class. Am I a viable candidate for UChicago?”

(4) School Counselor turnover is at an all-time high.

In the U.S., nearly 59% of School Counselors leave the profession after 2 years:

hookedoninnovation.com/2022/11/02/how-to-recruit-and-retain-school-counselors-in-your-district/

MEC provides consistent support throughout the high school career (and beyond).

(5) School Counselors are overwhelmed by their workloads.

Private school counselors have dramatically smaller caseloads relative to public school counselors; nonetheless, the amount of time devoted to each student is perforce limited.

At public schools, the situation is dire. According to a U.S. Department of Education national survey, public school students receive an average total of 38 minutes of time focused on college admissions with a School Counselor over a four-year period:

comptroller.nyc.gov/wp-content/uploads/documents/Power_of_Guidance_Oct_PDF.pdf (see pg. 4)

(6) School Counselors are under intense pressure from Principals to meet imposed internal benchmarks of a certain number of applications submitted by a specific date, often far ahead of actual deadlines.

School Counselors can reasonably be expected to prioritize job security over the application outcome of individual students.

Many elements in the college candidacy cannot be controlled.

Those elements which can be controlled should be controlled. For example, applications should not be submitted until they have been assiduously checked for accuracy and until they are in the optimal state.

If a student is behind on essays and has not yet perfected them as per input received by the IEC, the School Counselor may pressure the student to submit the application nonetheless in order to meet the internal numerical requirements of the Principal.

In such a circumstance, the School Counselor may tell the student that the essays are “good enough.” Such an approach is not conducive to success for the student; it may, however, help the School Counselor with job security.

Your Minerva IEC is skilled in helping families “interpret” pronouncements of the School Counselor, who is not always in a position to prioritize the best interest of the student over competing variables.

(7) School Counselors are officially forbidden from condoning strategies which many families are nonetheless intent upon pursuing, such as:

—perceiving the college admissions process as a competition like any other and “training” according—culling data on college preparedness of classmates against whom the student will compete in the first round of elimination at individual schools for the purpose of increasing relative competitiveness

—the pursuit of activities solely for the purpose of enhancing college admissions rather than solely for genuine interest

—consideration of acceptance rate of schools as a criteria for selection rather than focusing exclusively on “fit”

—active, direct participation of parents (e.g. increasing Demonstrated Interest scores by opening emails from colleges on behalf of the student) in the process as a buffer to protect the student from avoidable stress and increase the competitiveness of the student as a candidate

—"bait-and-switch" whereby a student declares an intended major in a less competitive field in order to enhance probability of admission to private colleges which don’t have impacted majors, so as to enjoy a less frenetic high school experience

While strictly abiding by the Principles of Good Practice which regulate the IEC field, your Minerva IEC has expertise in creatively innovating intersections where the goals of all parties can be satisfied. For example, by:

—creating a safe space where families may speak frankly without the need to “edit” what they say, so that the IEC may clarify misperceptions and eliminate the unnecessarily binary “either/or” approach to the process

—assisting families to navigate encounters with the School Counselor so as to elicit desired responses while respecting restrictions of the role

—generating excitement on the part of students for activities which also optimally enhance college admissions

—identifying schools which both optimize fit (which increases probability of admission) and satisfy other criteria of family members

—taking the necessary precautions to mitigate stress for students while also encouraging them to seek out potential confidence-boosting “wins”

IMPORTANT: Never ever ever ask a School Counselor if an activity should be pursued in order to enhance college admissions; or about the impact of a specific activity upon college admissions. The School Counselor—who writes a highly impactful letter of recommendation for the student for college admissions—needs to be able to genuinely assert that the student pursues all activities out of passion, and not to enhance college admissions.

(8) When a well-informed student shows up at the first meeting with the School Counselor responsible for college admissions with an impeccably targeted college list, triangulated Activity / Awards lists and résumé, as well as riveting college essays, the School Counselor Recommendation Letter which ensues will describe a student who is exceptionally well-organized and highly motivated.

These qualities of the student can be expected to be described in the School Counselor Recommendation Letter.

(9) College admissions is extremely complex and much of the process is hidden from plain sight.

Things are often not as they seem in college admissions. In an attempt to avoid lawsuits, individual colleges/unis can be opaque or downright misleading in their statements. The college admissions environment is in a state of constant flux, often flipflopping overnight on policy.

An article in Stanford Magazine sums up this phenomenon:

“The goal of this piece is to demystify college admissions at Stanford, because explaining nuclear physics is just too simple. Clarifying Middle East politics, solving the Riemann hypothesis, defining love—anyone can do that. Let's tackle a subject with some heft to it (…)”

stanfordmag.org/contents/what-it-takes

The following quote by Peter F. Drucker is eminently applicable to the field of college admissions:

"The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn't being said.”

MEC would offer:

“The most important thing in college admissions is to hear what isn’t being said.”

(10) For good reason, The Chronicle of Higher Education has described college admissions in the U.S. as “The Wild West:”

www.chronicle.com/article/welcome-to-the-wild-west-the-competition-for-college-applicants-just-intensified/?cid=gen_sign_in

College admissions criteria and regulations, which impact an individual student’s chances, are highly mutable and can even radically change mid-season. For example, on 31 August 2020 a California Judge abruptly ruled that UC schools could not use SAT/ACT scores in admissions decisions—when the vast majority of high school seniors had already taken the exam. In July 2020 MIT suspended its SAT/ACT test requirement, only to suddenly reinstate it in March 2022.

College applications are often confusing and can contain absurd contradictions. For example, the Common App FAQ states: “If you [have taken the ACT or SAT writing section but] don't want to report your ACT or SAT writing scores when they are optional (…) answer 'No' to the following questions: Have you taken the ACT plus Writing test? Have you taken the SAT essay?”

appsupport.commonapp.org/applicantsupport/s/article/What-if-I-don-t-want-to-report-my-ACT-or-SAT-writing-scores

Directors of Admission Offices are frantically recruiting staff because the turnover of early career AOs (who are overworked and underpaid) is precipitously high, many resigning mid-application season. For this reason, colleges are leaning upon outside readers of essays—making the process increasingly fragmented and unpredictable:

”71% of admissions coordinators and counselors [at colleges/unis] have been in their position for three years or less.”

www.cupahr.org/press-releases/higher-ed-admissions-workforce-04-18-2023/#:~:text=Turnover%20is%20high%20in%20admissions,for%20three%20years%20or%20less.

This 25 April 2024 article in The Stanford Daily titled “‘A great place to leave ‘: Inside Stanford’s admissions and financial aid office” is instructive:

—”The Daily spoke to 10 former Stanford admissions officers and financial aid counselors who worked in various positions from 2009 to 2022. Today, only 13 of the 29 admissions officers who were employed in August 2021 remain at Stanford. Of the 16 employees who left since August 2021, the average tenure was under three years.”

stanforddaily.com/2024/04/25/a-great-place-to-leave-inside-stanfords-admissions-and-financial-aid-office/#:~:text=They%20said%20the%20office's%20culture,positions%20from%202009%20to%202022.

Misinformation is rampant. Third-party online sources of data are often inaccurate or outdated or both. Anecdotal, folkloric evidence from a limited sample pool is inappropriate for making sound, informed decisions. Left to their own devices, students resort to TikTok and similar for college admissions advice. As admit rates continue to plummet and classmates compete against each other in the early cycle first round of elimination, some students and parents intentionally feed blatant misinformation to peers. It’s rough out there!

Your Minerva IEC has three decades of experience to draw upon when navigating this chaos. Presence at six annual conferences attended by AOs and School Counselors provides an insider’s view into the process and up-to-date information from “behind closed doors” about the current state of affairs. At MEC, families receive sound guidance based on accurate assessments.

(11) Economically-privileged students and families (defined in college admissions as having earnings over $65,000/annum) can feel ill at ease in the current environment which vilifies economic privilege.

While equity is unquestionably essential for a healthy society (MEC works with a significant number of pro bono students each year to this end) and economically-privileged students must exhibit acute awareness of their own privilege in their candidacies, economically-privileged family members can rest assured that their own individual human concerns will be heard, respected and addressed by their Minerva IEC.

MEC (Minerva Education Consultancy) engages neither in discrimination nor in reverse discrimination.

(12) School Counselors have significant knowledge gaps.

MEC Executive Director Anne Mannering, as part of her leadership role in professional associations, mentors highly educated AOs (including those who have worked at Ivies) and School Counselors (including those who have worked at elite prep schools) of all ages and career stages who decide to become IECs (relatively, a far more lucrative profession). As a result, she is privy to the significant gaps in their knowledge.

AOs have expertise on the internal admissions process and culture of one or several colleges/unis.

School Counselors are saddled with many other tasks.

(13) Even the most superlatively qualified student needs professional guidance.

The PBS documentary Try Harder is instructive:

www.pbs.org/independentlens/documentaries/try-harder/

The following October 2023 article and two videos contained therein are instructive:

abc7news.com/stanley-zhong-college-rejected-teen-full-time-job-google-admissions/13890332/

Stanley Zhong—a highly articulate Asian male high school senior from Gunn High School in Palo Alto with a 1590 SAT, 4.42 W GPA and 3.97 UW GPA applying as an intended CS major—made the headlines when he did not engage the services of an IEC and was denied by 16 out of 18 schools (but then hired by Google straight out of high school).

For EC he had:

• start-up RabbitSign providing unlimited free e-signing by leveraging modern serverless technology

www.linkedin.com/in/stanley-zhong-277440186

• Co-Founder of non-profit supplying coding lessons to underprivileged students

• Founder of competitive programming club at school

Awards:

• picoCTF 2023 - 3rd Place - Carnegie Mellon University - Mar 2023

“picoCTF is a team cybersecurity competition held by Carnegie Mellon University. Competitors hack challenges to find flags for points. I specialized in cryptography challenges. My team placed 3rd globally, out of 6923 teams. We were also 2nd in the high school division, out of 1498 teams. As one of the top 3 high school teams, we were invited on a paid trip to CMU for an award ceremony.”

• MIT Battlecode 2023 - #1 US High School Team - Jan 2023

“Battlecode is an AI competition where teams write bots to play a head-to-head strategy game. The top two high school teams have a paid trip to MIT for the final match. My team was the top US high school team and the #2 global high school team.”

• Google Code Jam 2021 Semifinalist - Jun 2021

“Qualified for Semifinal Round. There are 500 Code Jam Semifinalists each year, out of over 10k participants.”

• USA Computing Olympiad - Platinum Division - Mar 2021

“Reached Platinum Division of the USA Computing Olympiad by solving all problems in the Gold Division of the 2021 Open Contest.”

Accepted: U Md, U Texas

Denied: UC Davis , UCSD, UCB, UCLA, Cornell, MIT, CMU, Stanford, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, University of Illinois, University of Michigan, Georgia Tech, Caltech, University of Washington, University of Wisconsin

(14) The limited amount of time which families have with the School Counselor must be mined for maximum value.

General education about the college admissions process and all college admissions prep for a specific student which can be done without the input of the School Counselor should be completed PRIOR to any meeting with a School Counselor—without giving the School Counselor the impression that a consultant has been hired.

In this way, families can extract maximum value from the time which the School Counselor makes available to them.

Optimal topics to broach are:

• what are the optimal “good fit” early cycle choice schools for the student vis-à-vis early cycle choices of classmates, given that any specific college/uni is unlikely to accept more than a given number of applicants from one high school? (NOTE: this response can change over time as choices of classmates change over time)

• which teachers of the student have historically written the most effusive and detailed recommendation letters?

• which teachers are alumni of colleges/unis which interest the student?

• what opportunities does the school offer to meet with AOs from colleges/unis? (NOTE: Families should attend ALL of these for any school which could potentially be of interest to the student)

• what are the upcoming dates when the high school is not in session which coincide when colleges/unis are in session, so as to schedule campus visits for maximum impact?

• what opportunities for research does the high school offer of which the family may not be aware?

• what awards does the high school offer of which the family may not be aware?

• if the family is unable to find the School Profile: ask for access to this

• ask to review together both matriculation and acceptance data for the high school for colleges/unis which interest the student

• can the School Counselor find out if students admitted to colleges/unis of interest—with the metrics of our student—were FGLI or ALDC?

Absolutely not!

Essential tasks in the application process can be performed only by the School Counselor.

Students and parents should cultivate a close, solicitous and deferential working relationship with the School Counselor, who writes the Counselor Recommendation for college applications—a critical component of the candidacy.

The School Counselor is also responsible for the submission of other essential school documentation for applications; hence, should be efficiently kept apprised of the college list of the student and corresponding deadlines at all times.

School Counselors have access to information which the IEC does not have, including:

• complete profiles of classmates against whom the student will directly compete in the first round of elimination

• existence of MOU (Memos of Understanding) with individual colleges whereby a specified number of qualified students from a particular high school are potentially accepted per annum

• presence of a School Counselor on the Counselor Advisory Board of a college, which enhances admission chances of students at the high school

• existence of any “bad blood” between a high school and a specific college (causes can range from a past student accepted ED who did not attend; an assurance given by a School Counselor that a student would attend if accepted followed by the student not attending; incompatibility of a School Counselor with an AO at a specific college; etc.).

• for schools which do not share ranking with students (in order to avoid toxic learning environment at school): rank of the student, which will be shared with AOs

• strength of recommendations which School Counselor and Teachers intend to write for student

• practice of a School Counselor with a small caseload at a private school to make a “(…) counselor call. It’s a decades-old tradition, in which school counselors and Admissions Officers review a list of students who have applied to a college, and counselors get a chance to make a case for their students” (NOTE: Swarthmore and USC have “officially” discontinued this practice).

  slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/06/private-schools-competitive-college-advantage-problems.html

Students who intend to apply ED/REA/SCEA should notify the School Counselor of said choice immediately upon identifying it (ideally, by the end of junior year) in order to “reserve a spot.” In the early cycle, School Counselors are tasked with spreading students among competitive colleges in order to avoid a situation where an excessive number of students are applying early to the same college. Such an approach is both in the best interest of the school and in the best interest of all students.

When a School Counselor discourages a student from applying to a specific competitive college or in a specific cycle, motivation/s at play may include:

(a) the School Counselor genuinely believes that the student is not a viable candidate

(b) in the case of private high schools, a hierarchy of financial donations made by families to schools can dictate favoritism

(c) personal preferences for particular students on the part of the School Counselor and/or Principal

Your Minerva IEC (Independent Education Consultant) is experienced in helping families deftly navigate such circumstances.

While the mandate of the School Counselor is to maximize the overall admissions profile of the high school, the mandate of your Minerva IEC is to maximize your individual admission profile. Those two mandates do not always overlap.

Absolutely not!

It is strongly advisable for parents to:

—participate in every single meeting between the student and Minerva IEC

—read attentively all correspondence between the student and Minerva IEC

without exception.

The stakes are too high in college admissions, and the process is far too complex, for high school students to take the reins of control. There will be all the time in the world for students to assert their independence when they get to college!

As reported by the NIH: “The development and maturation of the prefrontal cortex occurs primarily during adolescence and is fully accomplished at the age of 25 years. The development of the prefrontal cortex is very important for complex behavioral performance, as this region of the brain helps accomplish executive brain functions.”

A quote by educator Rita Pierson expresses how MEC envisions the role of the parent in the college admissions prep process:

"Every child deserves a champion—an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection, and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be."

Students may attempt to exclude parents from the process because they are aware of the following:

• School Counselors typically discourage parents from active participation in the process in order to lighten unmanageable workloads.

• Consultants who use packages typically discourage parents from active participation in the process in order to restrict the total number of hours devoted to each family, consistent with corresponding business models. Some stipulate that parents may only view essays post-submission; and/or that once a parent views an essay, the IEC will no longer assist with or be involved with it.

At MEC (Minerva Education Consultancy), all family members have unlimited access to the consultant.

The process is more time (and hence cost) efficient when information is conveyed directly by the consultant to parents and students simultaneously; and not secondhand through teenagers where confusion can easily occur.

Your Minerva consultant provides all resources necessary to streamline the college admissions process, eliminate the “noise” of misinformation, and optimize outcomes including:

• customized Timelines and Prioritized To Do Lists

• ongoing progress monitorization

• enthusiastic cheerleading when successes occur and encouragement / adaptive strategizing when setbacks occur

The responsibility for assuring that students complete the following tasks in a timely fashion lies with parents:

• delivery of requested drafts and other essential materials

• meeting appropriate benchmarks and deadlines so that steady progress occurs

• submitting college admissions applications and supplementary materials

Some students rise beautifully to the responsibilities and workload of the college admissions process, demonstrating readiness to launch a new chapter of independence and self-sufficiency as a prospective college student.

Other students, left to their own devices without the requisite parental supervision, attempt to:

• delegate administrative tasks (implementing resume input, completing brag list for School Counselor, etc.) to the consultant, which unnecessarily increases costs. The appropriate procedure is for students to produce drafts which the IEC edits (parents may also draft preliminary administrative documentation for review)

• stall forward momentum through waffling, procrastination and/or lack of receptivity to input as a means to impede the (daunting!) maturation process

This 7 February 2019 article in The New York Times is instructive:

“Helicopter Parenting: It Works

New research shows that hyper-involved parenting is the route to kids’ success in today’s (…) world.”

"(...) the message of (...) economists Matthias Doepke of Northwestern University and Fabrizio Zilibotti of Yale (...) [is] that high-octane, hardworking child-rearing (...) done right (…) works for kids (...)

(...) when they analyzed the 2012 PISA, an academic test of 15-year-olds around the world, along with reports from the teenagers and their parents about how they interact, they found that an “intensive parenting style” correlated with higher scores on the test

The benefits aren’t just academic (...) kids (...) reported better health and higher self-esteem (...)  were less likely to use drugs, smoke or abuse

alcohol (…)”

www.nytimes.com/2019/02/07/opinion/helicopter-parents-economy.html

This 9 February 2024 article in The New York Times is instructive:

“Two new Pew Research Center surveys show that today’s intensive parenting (…) protect[s] children from unhealthy behaviors (…) young adults who received significant parental support were better able to cope with change (…) When baby boomers were growing up, there was a belief, rooted in the American ideal of self-sufficiency, that children should be independent after age 18, not relying on their parents. But that was in some ways an aberration, social scientists said”

www.nytimes.com/2024/02/09/upshot/parenting-young-adults-relationships.html

Child-parent tensions may surface during the high-stakes college admissions process. Such tensions must not impede the efficiency of the college prep process. The Minerva IEC responds with empathy to both parents and students, as well as with the requisite insistence upon completing tasks in a timely manner in order to reach the finish line.

MEC (Minerva Education Consultancy) makes referrals to clients for ancillary support specialists (with significantly lower hourly rates) in order to prevent potential pitfalls and to contain costs, including:

—Time Management Coach specialized in the college admissions process who identifies potential sources of overwhelm and procrastination, teaching students the requisite skills, breaking down tasks into surmountable parts and formulating optimal routines/schedules

—Therapists licensed in the state of the residence of the family who are specialized in the college admissions process and are available to assist involved family members with the associated emotional stressors and challenges including expectation management, as well as student responses such as:

• indecisiveness

• FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)

• senioritis

At MEC, parents are welcomed with open arms into the process, provided with full access to all resources, and fully immersed in team decision-making. In this way, parents can serve as a uniquely vital buffer to help mitigate stress induced by the process on students—and allow adolescents to be adolescents.

An important benefit of parental participation in the process is the realization which ensues:

• that the process is unrecognizable from when parents applied to college

• of the impact of excessive parental educational expectations on the well-being of adolescents.

NOTE: Requests by parents for the MEC to perform the following tasks will not be accommodated:

• badger / discipline students

• issue threats to students to meet deadlines

This humorous Instagram video with Jimmy Fallon and Ray Romano illustrates the challenges of parenting today:

www.instagram.com/reel/DHjt5eauaHz/?igsh=N3ViZnA3amtyeTU5

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR PARENTS:

As teenagers progress through high school, a natural component of the maturation process connotes refutation of the validity of the parental viewpoint. This phenomenon enables the teenager to envision autonomy as plausible, as the moment of “leaving the nest” approaches. At the same time, the prefrontal cortex of the brain responsible for planning, impulse control and decision making is not complete until the age of twenty-five. Within this context, trust building between MEC and the student constructed over an extended period of time permits the student to comfortably access adult counsel, free of the natural conflict of the parent-child relationship, when the high stakes college admission period arrives. For this reason, it is advisable for the student to engage in monthly Zoom sessions with MEC commencing the summer before ninth grade, and weekly Zoom sessions commencing the summer before twelfth grade. The duration of the session is decided by the student/family. Consistentency is strongly advisable in order to instill the necessary rapport which becomes indispensable during the highly stressful college application period.

At MEC, “angular/spike/niche” candidacies are curated, triangulated and supercharged by pursuing The Minerva Method ™ over the course of the entire academic career consisting of:

THE SEVEN PILLARS OF CANDIDACY BUILDING (to “hit the ground running” in 9th grade):

I. Personal Branding

II. Academic Enrichment (incl. college courses for credit, professorial mentorships et. al)

III. Research Published in Reputable Peer-Reviewed Journals + Conference Presentations

IV. Test Score Maximization

V. Community Service / Advocacy / Leadership (incl. passion project)

VI. Data-Informed College List Development & Multi-Tiered Demonstrated Interest (DI)

VII. National / International Honors and Awards

THE SEVEN PILLARS OF APPLICATION OPTIMIZATION (beginning summer after 11th grade):

I. College List Finalization

II. Campus Re-Visits including Faculty Meet-ups

III. Resumé / Activity List / Personal Website Refinement

IV. Professional Essay Supervision

V. LOR: Teacher / Counselor / Supplementary Professorial

VI. Full Application Support & Review

VII. Interview Prep

By the end of 11th grade, Minerva students are consummately positioned to broach college applications. Where feasible, activities span the breadth of all four high school years—as strongly favored by AOs.

THE SEVEN PILLARS OF CANDIDACY BUILDING (partial explanation; see other FAQ for more information)

I. Personal Branding

"Your college application could be the most important sales pitch of your life." —USA Today

"Those who tell the stories rule the world." —Native American Proverb

Time-pressed, exhausted AOs (Admission Officers) devote a mere 8-10 minutes per candidacy in the first round of elimination. As a result, the core message of a candidacy must be instantly discernible—akin to an elevator pitch, marketing campaign or television commercial. Every word must be indispensable. Visual supplementation is ideal.

Personal Website

It is highly recommended that students have a personal website so that information which does not fit on the application can be made readily available to the AO. A hyperlink to the personal website is placed under the heading of the resume for schools which permit the submission of a resume, and in the Additional Information section of applications for schools which do not permit the submission of a resume. The personal website allows the student to continuously update the candidacy after the application has been submitted. Materials which can be included on a personal website include:

• photos/video of the student

• research papers and abstracts

• certificates of awards

• transcripts of college courses for credit

• maker and design/creative portfolios

• publicity: newspaper/magazine articles

• resume

A signature block can be created which includes a hyperlink to the personal website as well as logos of institutions in which student occupies leadership positions, to use when responding to alumni interviewers via email.

TIP: Knight Lab Projects of Northwestern University provides free-of-charge tools for creating an interactive website.

Resume

Applications provide scant space for explanations of activities and accomplishments. Supplementation of the application with a resume is vital. For schools which do not allow the direct submission of a resume, it is placed on the personal website. A link to the personal website is placed in the Additional Information section of applications. The resume must be impeccable and concise, such that the most impressive entries grab the attention of the AO (who may be skimming).

Video

The option of including a video (typically maximum 2 minutes) with applications (e.g., UChicago, Brown, NYU graduate programs) is a growing trend. Minerva students work with award-winning filmmakers to create exceptional videos, which can also be published on personal websites.

LinkedIn

High school students should have a LinkedIn account so that they can post a photo, list information which cannot fit on the résumé, gather skills endorsements, exhibit networking skills via number of connections and invite internship / job offers.

Publicity

MEC maintains contacts with PR firms specialized in magazine articles focused on accomplished high school students.

II. Academic Enrichment

As early as seventh grade, Minerva students participate in advanced learning and talent development programs offered by elite institutions such as MIT, JHU and UCB. Beginning the summer before ninth grade, Minerva students take graded courses for college credit at elite institutions which they aspire to attend. Upon applying to college, the high school transcripts of Minerva students are accompanied by university transcripts from Harvard, Stanford etc.

Even the most advanced Minerva students secure academic tutors in every high school subject beginning in ninth grade in a preventive context. For the most selective colleges, there is virtually no margin for error. A single misstep can imperil a candidacy at the most selective schools. Economically privileged students with access to tutors are expected to achieve a 4.0 UW GPA—especially due to grade inflation which is rampant in high schools. As a point of reference, in the 2022-2023 season 74.3% of accepted students at Harvard achieved a 4.0 UW GPA. With regard to the remaining 25.7%, families should consider that over 17% of accepted students are FGLI (First Gen Low Income); and 30% of accepted students are athletes, legacy students, and relatives of faculty/staff members and major donors. While W GPA demonstrates rigor more than UW GPA, it is not reported on the CDS (Common Data Set). UW GPA—not W GPA—is a factor in college rankings. Accepting an economically-privileged student with a subpar UW GPA negatively impacts the median UW GPA of a school reported on the CDS, and negatively impacts rankings.

III. Published Research

MEC secures one-on-one professorial research mentorships for students with the objective of publishing scholarly articles in reputable peer-reviewed journals and obtaining supplementary LOR. A 18 May 2023 article of The Chronicle of Higher Education is instructive: "At Harvard, evidence of substantial scholarship can elevate an applicant (...). The University of Pennsyl-vania’s admissions dean (...) boasted last year that nearly one third of accepted students engaged in academic research in high school, including some who co-authored publications included in leading journals Yale, Columbia and Brown (...) encourage applicants to send research (...) MIT invites applicants to submit research and inquires whether and where it was published."

TIP: Tools for creating interactive tables and charts: Datawrapper is a free tool to create embeddable data visualizations, including maps, interactive tables and graphs. 

IV. Test Score Maximization

Rapport is fundamental between tutor and student where test prep is concerned. I cultivate a close working relationship with test prep partner companies in order to advocate for my students—tracking progress achieved with specific tutors over time and insisting on tutor changes when fit is not optimal. The goal of Minerva students: to test out (= 1600/1600 SAT or 36/36 ACT) on the first sitting by October of senior year and to qualify as U.S. Presidential Scholars, which is awarded the following May (very useful if a student is waitlisted at a desired school).

According to the most recent available data, 3,376 out of more than 1.34 million students achieved a 36/36 ACT score (= 0.25%) and approximately 1,000 out of 1.7 million students (= 0.058%) achieved a 1600/1600 SAT score. Among them numbered Minerva students currently attending Ivy and Ivy Plus schools!

AP exams are only given annually in the month of May. We plan carefully in advance for students to bulk up on and test out of AP exams (with score of 5/5), including for subjects not offered by their respective schools.

V. Passion Project

Minerva students launch award-winning, global humanitarian non-profit foundations which target the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and dazzle AOs (Admission Officers). As Founders, Presidents and patent holders, Minerva students secure Corporate Sponsors and Executive Boards. They open chapters in multiple countries, creating quinti-continental teams of Officers and Volunteers. Minerva students create documentaries mentored by award-winning film producers, entering competitions and giving interviews to media. The story behind the creation and life of a foundation becomes a central feature of the narrative of college application essays. Passion projects demonstrate initiative, leadership and service—significantly bolstering undergraduate and graduate candidacies as well as internships and job applications. On the foundation website, students feature upbeat 2-minute (not longer!) intro videos and photos of teams wearing logo-emblazoned T-shirts.

NOTE: Students can apply to register their foundations with the President's Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) Program so that volunteers 16-to-25 years of age can be eligible to qualify for the following official awards bestowed by the U.S. President for the period from 1 September to 31 August each year:

Bronze: 100 hours/annum  |  Silver: 175 hours/annum  |  Gold: 250 hours/annum

presidentialserviceawards.gov/eligibility

VII. National / International Honors and Awards

In today's hypercompetitive college admission environment, awards are critically important and are ideally spread out throughout all four years of high school.

 MEC assists students in mapping out appropriate awards which triangulate with the intended major beginning in eighth grade, securing coaches and experts for needed support.

THE SEVEN PILLARS OF APPLICATION OPTIMIZATION (partial explanation; see other FAQ for more information)

I. Data-Informed College List

I'm a number cruncher. Statistical analyses of admission parameters published by schools which consistently repeat year after year make it possible to identify patterns and assess probability of admission. On the Minerva website, data from reliable primary sources is constantly updated. Additionally, I dedicate a significant amount of time to interacting directly with AOs during conferences and other specific IEC-AO industry events. As such, I am well-versed about the preferences of AO staff at specific schools. The effort required to apply to elite schools is herculean. It is imperative that the college list is astutely formulated. My hard-working, motivated and collaborative students attain the highest chance of acceptance into the schools which are the best fits.

The Common App allows a student to apply to a maximum of twenty schools. In today's acutely competitive admissions environment, Minerva students avail themselves of all twenty if the high school permits the same. A student with an impeccable candidacy is well-advised to include 3 Foundational, 3 Target and 14 Reach schools on the college list. A student with any candidacy deficiency (e.g. inconsistent GPA) is well-advised to increase the proportion of Foundational and Target schools on the college list. A well-balanced college list is structured as follows:

Reach Schools

ACT/SAT score & GPA reach or exceed 25th percentile medians of school in question

Individual student has 3%-20% probability of admission, based on strength of candidacy

NOTE: Any school/program with a single digit admit rate is a reach for ALL candidates

Target Schools

ACT/SAT & GPA reach or exceed 50th percentile medians of school in question

Individual student has 21%-80% probability of admission, based on strength of candidacy

Foundational Schools

ACT/SAT score & GPA reach or exceed 75th percentile medians of school in question

Individual student has 81%-99% probability of admission, based on strength of candidacy

To know: until junior year grades and final test scores are received, the college list remains speculative

IV. Professional Essay Supervision

Each student is a world apart with a unique story, voice and skill set. Students are met where they are. Some are already talented writers and have written reams. In this case, only light proofreading may be necessary. Other students are ill at ease with the written word; their work may need full-scale restructuring. In this case, students are nudged and peppered with questions, while the IEC supervises successive submissions all the while in an iterative process. Other students arrive without yet having identified an essay topic, and we go exploring.

 MEC elicits the optimal essays from students, compatible with what AOs seek. Students who do not possess said attributes will be launched on a whirlwind fast-track tutorial to acquire them. Authenticity is prized but must be channeled so that it bolsters the candidacy and does not weaken it.  

 This NPR article reveals current trends:

 “essays will get a closer read (...) One change many colleges are considering is to put more focus on students' character. The "character movement" has been growing (...)  We're thinking about how we might extract characteristics (...) like citizenship, or social justice, or tenacity (...) trying to suss out students with intellectual curiosity (...) and creativity, generosity and problem-solving skills. (...) students deserve credit for skills such as persistence, willingness to take risks and the ability to overcome adversity.“

 The essay component of the application often functions as a tie-breaker among equally-qualified candidates. Equivalent to a tête-à-tête with the AO, the essay must conjure up an irresistibly likable, insightful and worthy candidate. The secret: find your voice and tell your unique story to establish a connection with the AO who will then advocate for you. The first task is to identify a pivotal, before-and-after turning point in your life: a challenge braved, a defeat reversed, the proverbial "aha moment." Ideally, the shift in perspective is applied to a leadership / volunteer role in the local, national and global community. Next, the story is condensed to its essence: this is who I am.

The essay must instantly hook the reader, given the severe time constraints under which AOs operate. This Wall Street Journal article is instructive:

Some Elite Colleges Review an Application in 8 Minutes (or Less)

[with Admission Officers](...) plowing through 500 files in a day

www.wsj.com/articles/some-elite-colleges-review-an-application-in-8-minutes-or-less-1517400001

In order to avoid redundancy and maximize cut-and-paste potential, the ideal order of progression is as follows:

• Common App Main Essay (650 words)

• Supplementary Questions of Early Admission Choice/s, where applicable (typically 1 Nov deadline)

• Public School EA Essays, where applicable (typically 1 Nov deadline)

• UC PIQ (4 of 8 Personal Insight Questions, 350-words each), where applicable (30 Nov deadline)

• ED II essays, where applicable (options: JHU, UChicago)

• Other supplementary essays following a prioritized college list

TIP: For the Common App main essay, don't start off choosing the question. First finalize your essay, then match it with a question. The questions are so open-ended, there is always a suitable one for every essay,

NOTE: It is recommended to wait until 1 August to begin completing the Common App, if permitted by the high school. Each year on that date, the website is updated. Because of glitches,  students sometimes lose data which has been entered before 1 August.

MEC intentionally and strategically accepts students from all fifty states as well as internationally, rather than cultivating a clientele in any particular locale.

In this manner, MEC avoids "competing against itself" so as to assure an especially standout candidacy for each individual client.

That said, as a long-established and highly successful practice, MEC attracts the vast majority of clients from referrals.

Consequently, MEC inevitably gets drawn into particular "referral loops"—e.g. Asian American intended engineering majors from California, Russian American business school-bound students from NYC, black ballerinas from the D.C. area, etc.

Within this context, MEC takes extra precautions in order to avoid overlap.

In the first round of elimination, students compete against classmates of the same high school class.

MEC is unique in the field by guaranteeing that no other student from the same high school class of the same year will be accepted as an MEC client.

In consecutive rounds of elimination, students compete against classmates of the same state and then region.

By accepting students from a wide geographical range of distribution, MEC is able to avoid a scenario whereby Minerva students are directly competing against each other.

This strategy is part and parcel of The Minerva Method™ which serves as an extra layer of assurance that each Minerva candidacy is exceptionally standout.

Absolutely not!

With regard to the School Counselor and Teachers who will be writing recommendations for you:

It is imperative that the School Counselor and Teachers are convinced without a shadow of a doubt that every single entry on a student’s résumé/Activity List (passion project, volunteer work, research, etc.) springs exclusively from genuine interest—and NOT from any strategy to enhance the college admissions outcome.

Hence, a student’s candidacy is significantly strengthened by NOT sharing that an IEC (Independent Education Consultant)—who is by definition laser-focused on enhancing the college admissions outcome—has been engaged.

Additional reasons for not sharing that an IEC has been engaged:

• School Recommenders (Counselor + Teachers) will be impressed with the organizational skills of the student, which will in turn enhance LOR

• A student’s candidacy should reflect the highest possible degree of autonomy—particularly where essays are concerned

• We want School Recommenders to be as motivated as possible to advocate for the student. If School Recommenders know that a student has engaged an IEC, they may perceive their role to be diminished and be less exuberant and invested as a result

• School Counselors need to be able to take full credit for mentoring the college application success of students in order to advance their careers. Don’t steal the thunder of the School Counselor!

• Because of the untenable high turnover of School Counselors at private schools (attributable to heavy workloads and low salaries) which destabilizes school communities and leaves parents disgruntled vis-à-vis the high tuition they pay, a growing trend at elite international private schools is to completely outsource college counseling to IECs . School Counselors at U.S. private schools are acutely aware of this phenomenon, and are justifiably concerned about job security as a result. Some private School Counselors have even resorted to refusing to make input on college list or essays if they know that an IEC has been hired. This situation must be avoided at all costs, as School Counselors have access to critical information which IECs do not have (see above FAQ - GENERAL - #3: “Does an IEC substitute the School Counselor in the college application process?”).

• Some School Counselors hold the mistaken belief that IECs bolster the candidacies of economically-privileged students to the detriment of economically-underprivileged students. Although some colleges/unis claim to practice need-blind admissions, in reality it does not exist. Colleges/unis must make precise calculations about the number of economically-underprivileged students they can afford to fund. As a result, economically-underprivileged students and economically-privileged students are in different competitive cohorts, and do not compete against each other for prized slots. Economically-privileged students compete against other economically-privileged students, the vast majority of whom have IECs. On this topic, a 28 September 2023 article by The New York Times is instructive:

  “Consultants Boost College Applications. Is It Wrong to Use One for My Child? The New York Times Magazine’s Ethicist columnist on the kinds of extracurricular support parents owe their college-bound children (...) as a parent, you are not only entitled to favor your own children but — within certain bounds — are morally required to do so. As a citizen, meanwhile, you ought to keep the pressure on to make our educational system fairer (...)  A concern for fairness shouldn’t mean leaving your child less prepared; it should mean ensuring that more children are more prepared. Leveling up, not leveling down, is the aim."

  www.nytimes.com/2023/09/28/magazine/college-admissions-consultants-ethics.html

Your IEC is your secret sauce!

With regard to fellow students:

A copycat phenomenon is common.

If you share with other students that you have engaged an IEC, those who have not already done so are likely to quickly do the same—and you will lose part of your competitive advantage.

NOTE: For reasons explained above, do not add your Minerva IEC as Advisor on the Common App.

Teamwork is of paramount importance!

The IEC, parents and student form an alliance consisting of a cohesive, complementary unit—each playing a distinct and indispensable role.

The application process is essentially a competition on three levels.

Students compete against other students, parents compete against other parents, and consultants compete against other consultants.

The role of parents is critical in supporting students during a high stakes juncture of their lives.

The more familiar parents and students become with the terminology and mechanics of the application process as outlined in Minerva’s FAQ, the more:

—time-efficient and productive interaction becomes

—avoidable error and stress are prevented

—successful the outcome

In the words of Benjamin Franklin: “Energy and persistence conquer all things!”

According to the 2025 CollegePlannerPro National IEC Survey, only 8% of IECs (Independent Education Consultants) work exclusively on an hourly basis.

The business model whereby packages are used by an IEC typically perforce connotes:

• accepting a large number of students

• curtailing the amount of time devoted to each family

• imposing rigid cut-off dates for the submission of student drafts after which no response will ensue

• discouraging or outright prohibiting the active participation of parents in the process

• keeping a tight hold on proprietary information, doling it out over time and sharing only end results of analyses

• using standardized software programs which rely on frequently outdated, inaccurate college admissions data supplied by a third party

• utilizing a top down, autocratic management approach to the process

At MEC (Minerva Education Consultancy), exactly the opposite occurs.

It is no coincidence that MEC clients include a preponderance of parents whose oldest child worked with a prominent large consultancy which uses packages.

MEC engages in practices which are expressly formulated to prioritize the comfort, ease and agency of the student and family.

The empathy-based approach of MEC to the college admissions process embraces the firm belief that:

• the ludicrous complexity of the current college application process unduly burdens high school students at a critically formative stage of development

• the constantly fluctuating, high-tension environment in which high school students must compete today for admission to the most competitive schools calls for adaptive, individually-tailored support

• in order to become a standout candidate, the singular qualities of a student must be strategically presented for maximum impact and ease of assimilation under the time-pressed work conditions of AOs (Admission Officers)

• the active participation of parents vastly enhances outcome optimization, particularly given that students today are increasingly subject to:

  —FOMO (“Fear of Missing Out”) which impedes appropriate ED0/EDI/EDII choices that dramatically increase probability of admission

  —executive function deficits such as procrastination

MEC:

• accepts a limited number of students most of whom arrive through referrals, providing undivided attention and unlimited access

• accommodates competing time commitments of the student so as to alleviate stress

• strongly encourages parents to get educated about the intricacies of the ever-changing college admissions process

• sources all data directly from colleges/unis/CDS and through direct interaction with AOs (Admission Officers)

• nimbly accommodates students as they explore, grow and evolve through the application process

• provides unfettered access to complete proprietary information via the website FAQ consisting of the accurate, continuously-updated resources necessary for onboarded families who engage in monthly check-ins to:

  — expeditiously engage in sophisticated, accurately informed discussions from the get-go

  —master the process to the benefit of the student

  NOTE: The Minerva FAQ is password-protected and unavailable to the public at large in order to enhance the competitiveness of Minerva students.

Through eleventh grade, monthly Zoom check-ins are advisable, in order to verify that students are on the right track and to avoid missteps which can be difficult or impossible to reverse.

Commencing the summer before senior year, weekly Zoom check-ins are advisable.

The total number of work hours to be devoted to a candidacy (Zoom meetings with the Minerva IEC + offline work by the Minerva IEC) varies widely from student to student, depending upon:

—grade of student when IEC is hired (MEC begins with students as early as 7th grade)

—deficits in candidacy at time of involvement of IEC

— whether student applies in early cycle

—whether student is accepted in early cycle

—number of schools to which student prepares to apply and corresponding requirements

—whether parents have older children who have been through the process before

—degree of time availability and level of involvement of parents

—time management and organizational skills of student

—writing skills of student

—whether student submits supplementary professorial LOR, research papers, creative portfolios, et. al.

—necessity of LOCI (Letter of Continued Interest), post-application essays if student is deferred / waitlisted

et. al.

To formulate a unique and compelling candidacy narrative, your Minerva IEC (Independent Education Consultant) takes the student by the hand and goes exploring.

A coherent storyline is cumulatively developed over time on multiple levels of the candidacy which reflects the singular characteristics of the student, in a manner similar to the branding process of an advertising campaign.

Because AOs (Admission Officers) are severely time-strapped, sometimes reviewing up to 500 applications per officer in a single day, it is imperative that the candidacy is standout and unforgettable

“The only interesting answers are those that destroy the questions.”‍ ‍Susan Sontag, UChicago/Harvard alum & Nat’l Book Award Winner

In accordance with the rigorous standards of excellence established by professional associations in the field of college admission counseling (AICEP/IECA/HECA/NACAC), MEC eschews the practice of flaunting marketing-driven, in-house statistics for the reason that no external entity exists to regulate or verify such data.

Upon reading the small print of the “Independent Accountant’s Report” of large education consultancies which hire Vault 50 accounting firms to “verify” the acceptance rates of their students, one will invariably find that the data is self-reported.

New York Magazine “Intelligencer” (January 29-11 February 2024 edition) lambasted Christopher Rim (who does not belong to any regulating association) of Command Education on this score:

“Rim says that over the past five years, 94% of clients have been accepted to one of their top-three schools (…) It’s an impressive number, and one that’s impossible to verify (…) Many of Rim’s competitors post similar statistics, despite the IECA’s advice against making such claims.”

nymag.com/intelligencer/article/college-admissions-educational-consultants-command-education.html#/

Such data is not only intentionally misleading (and hence unethical), it is also intrinsically nonsensical for the reason that:

• each student’s candidacy and combination of qualifications are unique such that generalizations across a wide range of candidates are meaningless

• the consultant plays an integral role in choosing the “top three schools” of the college list

• the level of risk tolerance varies widely among families

etc.

The same companies post self-reported reviews on their websites. Conversely, MEC provides to clients access to public reviews.

Here is a more nuanced question to pose…

Are qualified Minerva students regularly admitted to Ivy League and equivalently competitive schools, to the same extent as competitors who advertise the most impressive statistics about the same? Most assuredly. In fact, Minerva students are renowned for achieving dramatically higher admission rates than the industry standard for IEC clients—for the simple reason that Minerva students:

• forge individually-customized strategies to become singularly standout “spike/angular” candidates and maximize probability of admission, ideally before commencing ninth grade

• are deeply and consistently engaged from ninth through twelfth grades with local/state/national/global humanitarian work, university-level research published in reputable peer-reviewed journals, university course work for credit, professorial mentorships with corresponding supplementary LOR, superlative standardized test scores, reams of regional/national/international awards, et. al.

• are the only students to receive:

  —a master class (after engaging three hours of service) with immediate and comprehensive access to all proprietary information (the majority of which is “behind closed doors” and available exclusively to consultants who share committee appointments with AOs), thereby accelerating and supercharging a family’s grasp of the process to eliminate avoidable missteps

combined with

—unlimited access to a highly trained, board-certified CEP (Certified Educational Planner) of which there are only 300 worldwide who accepts a limited number of students in order to provide incomparable personal attention to each and every one

• submit applications months ahead of deadlines in order to appear in the first metric-specific AI Slate feed of AOs

All of that said, Minerva students include those in the very highest percentiles of GPA and standardized test scores, as well as those with relatively modest profiles.

Discrimination on the basis of GPA or SAT is not practiced at MEC!

The approach is holistic.

MEC will work with any student who is highly motivated, who is ready to do the hard work it takes to compete in today's college admission pool, and who shares the Minerva approach to the task at hand. Sometimes this requires compromise, sometimes this requires trade offs. MEC is here to closely guide and support students every step of the way.

MEC provides in-house Case Studies to established clients which demonstrate the caliber of essays which Minerva students produce and the admission results they achieve relative to their qualifications.

A number of variables determine a student’s #1 choice school.

Some families are strategically and exclusively focused on gaining admittance to the school with the most brand recognition, ROI, and/or the most competitive school possible, given the student's profile.

Other families are primarily focused on "fit" and gaining admittance to the school where the student will be most likely to thrive and be happiest.

For still others, all of these criteria coalesce.

A certified IEC (Independent Education Consultant) cannot by definition guarantee admission to any school or program.

What your Minerva IEC does guarantee is to provide the most accurate, frank, laser-focused, evidence-based, innovative guidance available in the field of independent education consulting to clients who share a commitment to hard work and outcome optimization.

A client of a certified IEC can rest assured that all recommendations of schools for the college list—as well as recommendations for programs, tutors, test prep companies, mentorships etc. to boost a student’s candidacy—are completely devoid of any element of self-interest.

Indeed, IECA Principles of Good Practice unequivocally state: “Members neither solicit nor accept compensation from Universities/Schools/Programs for placing or attempting to place students with them.”

Achieving the desired result in college admissions in today’s unprecedented, acutely competitive environment requires dedication on the part of everyone involved.

Data which schools publish constitute hard evidence of admissions criteria which should be heeded when deciding upon when formulating the college list. Beyond that, an unavoidable element of chance and unpredictability is inherent in the process.

AOs (Admission Officers) are human beings with quirks and flaws.

The role of your Minerva IEC is to help you navigate the ever-changing admissions landscape by drawing upon constantly updated, assiduous research in the field—including attendance at numerous annual professional conferences and industry events at which AOs share case studies and discuss preferences.

Additionally, each family possesses a different tolerance for risk which is identified and factored into the college list and the overall strategy.

Cautionary Note:

The field is crawling with operators who accept finder’s fees from entities (programs, tutors, test prep companies, mentorships, uncompetitive colleges etc.) for placing students, without informing parents of the same. Such persons are in a position to “guarantee admission” to uncompetitive schools which need to pay external operators in order to secure a student body.

Unscrupulous “agents,” “brokers” and “proxy companies” exist (primarily abroad) who make bogus promises of admission to elite institutions—as well as plagiarize scholarly research papers, hire stand-ins for interviews and standardized tests, sell results of SAT tests taken on the same day in different time zones, etc. Scandals abound concerning these unsavory matters. These articles are instructive:

www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/03/how-sophisticated-test-scams-from-china-are-making-their-way-into-the-us/474474/

https://www.iecaonline.com/quick-links/parents-students/international-studies/the-difference-between-iecs-recruiters-and-agents/#:~:text=Unlike%20an%20agent%2C%20independent%20educational,or%20paid%20by%20these%20institutions.

GPA

Rankings of colleges/unis are based in part on UW GPA as reported on the CDS (Common Data Set).

W GPA—an important measure of academic rigor— is not reported on the CDS.

As a result, highly selective schools are extremely attentive to UW GPA.

Economically-privileged students seeking a slot at a highly selective college/uni are expected to achieve a 4.0 UW GPA, because they have access to tutors and because of rampant grade inflation in the U.S.

At Harvard, 74.3% of Class of 2026 enrolled students have a high school UW GPA of 4.0:

bpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/sites.harvard.edu/dist/6/210/files/2023/06/harvard_cds_2022-2023.pdf

The remaining 25.7% who don’t have a 4.0 UW GPA is typically reserved for legacy students, athletes, family members of major donors/staff members and FGLI (First Gen Low Income) kids.

The 4.0 UW GPA of economically-privileged kids compensates for the lower UW GPA of the other group in order to keep the median where they want it.

The medians of highly selective schools typically remain steady from year to year.

Highly selective colleges/unis are under extreme pressure from liberal journalists to admit more FGLI students.

Economically-privileged students with a 4.0 UW GPA help highly selective schools maintain the school ranking while increasing admission of FGLI students.

Conversely, admitting an economically-privileged student without an UW GPA of 4.0 poses a problem to a highly selective school by:

—pulling down the UW GPA which contributes to rankings

—taking the slot of an FGLI, legacy, athlete or family member of major donor/staff member for whom places are typically reserved for lower UW GPA

SAT/ACT

SAT/ACT medians as published on the CDS (Common Data Set) also factor into rankings. Hence, the same logic applies.

Coinciding with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, research surfaced which demonstrated that standardized test score results track family income (the higher the family income, the higher the test score, as per access to expensive test prep tutors).

As a result, colleges were pressured to adopt a test-optional model.

It was argued—justifiably so—that published high test score medians discourage underprivileged students from even applying to the most competitive institutions.

However, the result of the well-intentioned test-optional policy has been that only students with the highest test scores submitted scores and dramatically more students applied to the most competitive schools.

So—median test scores increased and admit rates decreased!

This phenomenon induced applicants across the board to sharply increase the overall competitiveness of their candidacies—rendering expectations with regard to accomplishments of high school applicants even more onerous.

Now some schools (like MIT) are re-instating the requirement of standardized test scores. Why? Evidence demonstrates that test scores also track success in college.

Excerpts from this 22 December 2023 article in New York Magazine – Intelligencer – The Schoolyard are instructive:

“How Rich (or Not) Do You Have to Be to Get Into the Ivy League?

“Linda and Roman first discovered their income was a school-admissions albatross when their daughter was 4 years old and they began applying to private kindergartens in Manhattan. The couple interviewed at one particular elite co-ed school, and at the end of the conversation, the admissions officer was blunt. “She said, ‘You seem really lovely, and your daughter seems lovely, but I just want to be straight with you: You’re in a dead zone,’” recalls Roman. She went on to explain that the couple didn’t make enough money to be considered potential donors and Olivia wasn’t a kid the school could lift out of poverty. Roman worked at a corporate-law firm but wasn’t an equity partner (…) which placed them in the top 10 percent nationally but in the bottom 20 percent of tuition-paying private-school parents in Manhattan, he estimates.

(…) “Yale is one of those schools where unless you’re racially diverse or unless you’re Über-wealthy or have a connection, don’t waste an early action on them (…)

The application process ended up being “exhausting and so stressful,” Linda says. Olivia and her parents toured more than 20 colleges, knowing admissions officers might love her, but also, as Linda puts it (…) Everyone understood which kid got bumped off the list to make room would depend in part on their parents’ income.

“Why are children who are wealthy, but not private-jet rich, at a disadvantage for admission to the most elite colleges?

Amanda has two kids in college and two in high school and lives in Westport, Connecticut. (…) Amanda’s ex-husband works in finance, but she says there’s no “grandpa who wants to spend all their money on a building” waiting to contribute to the financial picture. Amanda’s daughter Marie attended private school, speaks Mandarin, had an unweighted GPA of 4.1, and earned a 1560 on the SAT. “ (…) Marie applied to 22 schools. “She’s brilliant, and she got in nowhere,” Amanda says. “She got into no decent school.” (…) she was accepted to four of her safeties. Marie currently attends a university that did not make the U.S. News & World Report list of top-50 public schools.

(…) elite schools are laser focused on their stats (…) [and] (…) try to drive up their “yield rate,” the percentage of accepted students who actually enroll. And that’s why, for kids in the top 5 to 10 percent [of the national income bracket], “if you don’t apply early decision, which is binding, you’re probably not getting in”

(…) at Williams and NYU, those in the top 10 percent [of the national income bracket] do well, with the attendance dip coming instead for the top 15 percent.

At (…) Johns Hopkins (…) kids from the top 5 to 10 percent [of the national income bracket] attend at rates similar to, if not higher than, the wealthiest applicants.

(…) deciding where to apply [can] start [to] feel like game theory. “School-list development is one of the most important elements of this process (…)  building lists of up to 20 schools and resetting expectations. “If I told you there’s a 4 percent chance that you and I will have lunch today, and I said, ‘Do you think it’s pretty likely that you and I will have lunch today?,’ you’d say, ‘No, definitely not.’” But the same parents answering that question rationally are surprised and disappointed when their child isn’t accepted to a college with an overall acceptance rate under 5 percent

Amanda wishes Marie had applied early somewhere. “A lot of kids in her class who weren’t as smart got in because they went early decision (…) She spent four years working unceasingly, passing up sleepovers, to earn a college choice, but Amanda says she didn’t really get one.

(…) more parents [are] signing up for support at the start of ninth grade.

 “upper-middle-class parents (…)  are sacrificing everything to move their child in their junior year to a different state so they can apply to college from, like, Ohio.”

Amanda is more bitter than resigned. Paying over $50,000 a year for a private high school seemed as if it would be enough.”

nymag.com/intelligencer/article/college-acceptance-rates-ivy-league-schools-wealth.html

Managing expectations in the college application process is crucial for a successful outcome.

Some families begin working with an IEC (Independent Education Consultant) as early as 7th grade, meticulously planning ahead.

Other families begin working with an IEC very late in the process.

Even the most elite prep schools often fail to address glaring deficiencies in the candidacy of a student.

When deficiencies are irremediable, it is essential that the IEC is frank about potential outcomes so that the college list can be strategically calibrated accordingly.

For example, if a student begins with the IEC in the summer before senior year and brings to the candidacy very little in the way of awards, volunteer work, leadership, research, etc. in the period from 9th through 11th grades, while:

— the AO (Admission Officer) will certainly recognize and appreciate redoubled efforts beginning in the summer before senior year; and

—new accomplishments which occur after the submission of the application are useful for LOCI (Letters of Continued Interest) in the event that a student is deferred from the early cycle/s and/or waitlisted from the RD cycle;

the candidacy will unavoidably be heavily penalized for elements lacking in 9th through 11th grades.

AOs prize consistency and commitment over an extended period of time.

At conferences regularly attended by MEC, AOs have openly stated that they value most the activities which last two years or more. In this case, any activity commenced after November of 10th grade for the early admission cycle and after January of 10th grade for the RD cycle doesn’t make the cut. Note: “commence” can include the planning stages for any self-initiated activity (passion project, research with mentor et. al.)

Parents play an essential role in managing expectations of students.

Everything possible must be done to keep the student as positive and motivated as possible throughout the process, while at the same time grounded in reality about limitations in the candidacy and disappointment which can occur as a result.

At MEC, referrals are provided upon request for a specialized Time Management Coach as well as a Licensed Therapist to assist, support and guide students (and parents!) emotionally throughout the college admissions process in order to maximize outcomes.

Yes!

In a 2024 Amicus Curiae Brief submitted to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (Texas v. USA) by a coalition of 19 universities—including all the Ivy League Schools plus MIT, Caltech, Stanford, Northwestern et. al.—the following text appears: 

 "(...) amici [= the 19 universities] share a common mission to educate the next generation of leaders with the talent, creativity, and drive to solve society’s most pressing problems" (page 1)

"...Amici therefore undertake an intensive application review process to identify those students (...)  with an outstanding public motivation—in other words, applicants with a concern for something larger than themselves.'" (page 14, footnote 8)

Below is the full list of amici curiae (friends of the court):

According to the legal filing, the participating institutions are:

1. Brown University

2. California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

3. Columbia University

4. Cornell University

5. Dartmouth College

6. Duke University

7. Emory University

8. Georgetown University

9. George Washington University

10. Harvard University

11. Johns Hopkins University

12. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

13. New York University (NYU)

14. Northwestern University

15. Princeton University

16. Stanford University

17. University of Pennsylvania

18. Washington University in St. Louis

19. Yale University

Students can think of the college candidacy as a pyramid. The base—the foundation—is grades. Upon that, we build. Students should never sacrifice grades for any other element of the candidacy. Below is a list of candidacy elements in order of priority. With the exception of #12 and #13, all of these elements (though weighted differently) are critical for Ivies and equivalent.

#1: GPA/Rank (ideally UW 4.0/4.0, W 4.4+/5.0, rank in top decile)

#2: ACT/SAT (36 or 1600 on first try is ideal, as is qualifying for U.S. Presidential Scholar)

https://www2.ed.gov/programs/psp/eligibility.html

#3: AP exams (ideally up to 10 with score of 5)

#4: Honors/Awards (5 entries for the Common App section and 10 entries for MIT divided between scholastic and non-scholastic distinctions; ideally, we aggregate multiple awards by type in each of the five entries)

#5: School LOR (bond w/School Counselor & Teachers)

#6: For-credit college course/s with grade of A (incl. supplementary LOR), ideally at top choice school/s)

#7: Professorial mentorship/s in intended major (incl. supplementary LOR)

#8: Published research in peer-reviewed journals / presentations at conference/s

#9: Leadership incl. passion project (possibly with documentary to enter into competitions)

#10: Non-Leadership Volunteer

–Ideally, student achieves PVSA Gold = 250 hrs/annum in calendar year which includes last semester sophomore year + 1st semester junior year (#9 + #10)

https://presidentialserviceawards.gov/

#11: EC

#12: Professorial mentorship/s in non-intended-major (incl. supplementary LOR)

#13: Publicity

Example of newspaper article written about high school student: mynews13.com/fl/orlando/news/2023/02/28/orlando-math-circle-

Example of high school student podcast: mail.google.com/mail/u/3/#search/piotr/QgrcJHsBpVtfPDRZvNZmmzZgLTKxGvgctjB?compose=CllgCKCCSlJGcQksLtgdbkhPQMMTQcrGvWmxZZNDxsngwmNhjRHQTdtNbKwrZKbPnMlXDBRTddq

To formulate a unique and compelling candidacy narrative, I take the student by the hand and we go exploring.

A coherent storyline is cumulatively developed over time on multiple levels of the candidacy which reflects the singular characteristics of the student, in a manner similar to the branding process of an advertising campaign.

Because AOs (Admission Officers) are time-strapped, sometimes reviewing up to 500 applications in a single day, it is imperative that the candidacy is standout and unforgettable.

Never!

MEC follows to the letter the wise words of Harvard Professor Bill George on this matter:

"Real advisory requires the courage to deliver unvarnished truth."

A pact of radical honesty must exist between the Minerva IEC and the family in order to maximize the college admissions outcome.

Far too much is at stake to do otherwise.

We all have hard work ahead.

A family can rest assured that their welfare and best interest fuels every assessment made by MEC.

Where legal documentation reveals discriminatory practices on the part of colleges/unis, MEC will guide families to navigate the same to their benefit.

Yes!

Have a read here:

“Many large public flagships and certainly selective privates were already well down a path that wasn’t being called AI,” says Don Hossler, senior scholar at CERPP. “They were building in algorithms that help them screen students.” The use of AI in the screening process (...) is really the next natural extension.
https://rossier.usc.edu/news-insights/news/balancing-potentials-and-pitfalls-ai-college-admissions

(...) Georgia Tech Is “not yet using AI in admissions, but we are experimenting with it.” One project is to try to replicate admissions decisions using machine learning techniques. “We are using one of our large online master of science programs as a test case, and we are currently at about a 93 percent match with our admissions advisers’ decisions” (…) What is the appeal? “The volume of applicants continues to increase at Georgia Tech, so anything we can do to improve their workflow is helpful."
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/admissions/2023/05/15/admissions-offices-cautiously-start-using-ai

This explanation of IECA (Independent Education Consultants Association) details why members are frequently on the road year-round visiting campuses and attending professional invitation-only conferences, symposia, seminars and workshops (with a plethora of networking events) which allows IECs to "become acquainted with college admission representatives."

Upcoming travel of MEC Executive Director Ann Mannering includes:

2025:

IECA European Symposium, Glasgow, Scotland - 10-14 February

IECA (Independent Educational Consultants Association) Conference, Detroit, Michigan — 5-7 May 2025

NYSACAC (New York State Association for College Admission Counseling) Conference, Hartwick College, Oneonta, NY - 3-6 June 2025

HECA (Higher Education Consultants Association) Conference, San Antonio, Texas - 9-11 June

PACAC (Pennsylvania Association for College Admission Counseling) Conference, Seven Springs, PA - 22-24 June 2025

81st NACAC (National Association for College Admission Counseling) Conference, Columbus, Ohio — 18-20 September 2025

2026:

82nd NACAC Conference, Minneapolis (MN) – October 8-10, 2026

IECA Conference, Baltimore, MD – May 18-20, 2026

2027:

IECA Conference, San Francisco, CA – May 3-5, 2027

Recent travel includes:

80th NACAC Conference, LA, 26-28 September 2024

PACAC Conference, Kalahari Resort, 23-25 June 2024

HECA Atlanta, 8-13 June

IECA Annual Conference, Uncasville, CT, 2-11 May 2024

AO attendees included (partial list): CMU, Connecticut College, GW, Lafayette, Muhlenberg, Northeastern, Occidental, RPI, Skidmore, Trinity College, Wellesley, WPI + Emi Nietfield, Author of Acceptance

Attended the following events (partial list):

(110) “Out of the Mouths of Deans: An Interview with Admissions Leaders from Selective Colleges” with Alison Berryman, Tufts; Rebecca Simons, Wellesley; et. al.

(202) “NACAC’s College Admission Trends You Need to Know”

(401) “Demystifying Yield: Maximizing College Success”

(501) “Expanding Our Reach and Raising Our Voice: IECA’s Government Relations Committee” with Whitney Bruce, Cheryl Chamberlain and Jeana Kawamura

(608) “Leading-Edge Advanced Breakout: Cracking the Code Behind Academic Fit” with Federico Giltman, GW; Jordan Shapiro, Northeastern; et. al.

Prep school campuses visited:

Avon Old Farms, CT - 3 May 2024

Choate Rosemary Hall, CT - 4 May 2024

Concord Academy, Concord, MA - 9 May 2024

Dana Hall, Wellesley, MA - 10 May 2024

Groton School, Groton, MA - 9 May 2024

Lawrence Academy, Groton, MA - 9 May 2024

Loomis Chaffee, CT - 3 May 2024

Middlesex School, Concord, MA - 10 May 2024

Miss Porter’s School, CT - 3 May 2024

Westminster School, CT - 4 May 2024

IECA International Conference, Madrid, Spain, 19-27 February 2024

IECA Fall Conference, Tampa, 13-15 November 2023

Attendees included (partial list):

Jose Ramos / jr059@bucknell.edu, Regional Associate Director of Admissions, Bucknell

Justin J. Mohny, Director of Operations, Office of Admissions, CMU

Laura Davis / davisla@lafayette.edu, Associate Director of Admissions, Lafayette

Tara Nelan / taranelan@muhlenberg.edu, Regional Director of Admissions, Muhlenberg

Randi Moore / moorer7@rpi.edu,Ass’t Director, Rensselaer

Vernon Castillo / castillv@union.edu, Sr. Associate Dean/Director of Transfer Admissions, Union

Rob Alexander / ralexander@rochester.edu, U Rochester

Attended the following events (partial list):

(202) “Case of Ashley O: The Making of a Reasoned College List” with Steve Antonoff

(304) “Executive Function Coaching Secrets for your Practice” with Jenna Berk (Applerouth) and Alexander Morris-Wood (Beacon College)

(408) “Trends in Admission Practices at Selective Colleges” with Robert Alexander (U Rochester) and Justin J. Mohney (CMU)

(511) “Dig Deeper: Empowering Students to Research Colleges” with Rosemary Martin Edwards (U Md)

(603) “Helping Applicants Communicate Character Strengths” with Robert Alexander (U Rochester)

(701) “Motivating Students in a TikTok World”

NACAC Conference, Baltimore, 19-24 September 2023

Attendees included (partial list):

Miguel Cardona, U.S. Secretary of Education

Vice Provost/Dean of Admissions Whitney Soule, UPenn

Tara Howell, Admissions Officer, JHU

Ryan Caroll, Admissions Officer, JHU

Ellen Chow, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions, JHU

Karly Brockett, Sr Associate Director, UCLA

Attended the following events (partial list):

20 September: Full day at JHU

• “Campus Tour: A Day in the Life of a Hopkins Student: On this special campus tour, a student guide will take you through Homewood based on their individual experiences—where they hang out, where they meet for their clubs, etc. You’ll get the most authentic look at what it’s like to live at Hopkins.”

• “Who We Are and How We Make the Match.” Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Ellen Chow emphasized that:

  —JHU offers interdisciplinary, collaborative First-Year Seminars (capped at 20 students each)

  —100% of undergraduate classes are taught by full-time faculty with breakout sessions led by graduate TAs

  —JHU looks for students with a passion for research

• “Workshop: Putting Achievements in Context: The Role of LOR in a Highly Selective Process” with AOs Ryan Carroll and Tara Howell: “In this session, we share how LOR shape discussions in the committee room and help us understand student academic character, impact made in the school community, and how a student might thrive at Hopkins.”

  NOTE: The Homewood campus was lovely and felt safe (although of course other parts of the city are not safe at all). Lunched with students at Nolan’s on 33rd: they were exceedingly courteous. Pizza and cheesecake were excellent!

21 September 2023: Courage to Lead: A Conversation with U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona‍ ‍

22 September 2023:

• Seminar - Student-centered Collaboration with IECs Who Understand the Assignment: “While navigating a post-pandemic admission landscape, collaboration is more important than ever. The mental health crisis being experienced by high school students is resulting in parents seeking increased college counseling and emotional support outside of the school setting. Join us as we discuss identifying independent educational consultants who understand the assignment, and building relationships together to support our students.”

• Seminar - What Should We Know? When Should We Know It? Seeing into the Black Box of College Admissionwith Penn Vice Provost/Dean of Admissions Whitney Soule: “From the College Scorecard and rankings to the Common Data Set and Facebook groups, students have access to more information about college admission and financial aid than ever before. Yet the process still seems mysterious and the data students, families, and counselors often are looking for in the moment is not available until well after the admission season ends. What data and information about admission [do](…) families want and why are colleges often reluctant to provide it in real time (if ever)? {We] will examine where in the admission (…) process transparency is most needed to make educated decisions and how colleges can best present that knowledge to applicants.”

23 September 2023:

• “Transparency in College Admission” with Georgia Tech AVP/Executive Director Rick Clark and Emory University Senior Associate Dean Timothy Fields: ”Students, families, college counselors, the media, legislators, and the general public rarely agree. However, when it comes to the need for more transparency -- how admission decisions are made, why various policies exist, what the numbers really mean, or when changes are coming -- all of these constituencies concur that colleges are unclear, inconsistent, and seemingly unconcerned or unable to provide direct information and answers. The truth is college admission representatives are juggling a variety of pressures from administrations, public relations colleagues, and their own division. How can colleges and universities be more open, honest, and accessible with data, details, and delivery? This session explores the mediums, styles, and approaches three different university admission deans have utilized, lessons learned, advice for colleagues, and examples of how to manage up and out to navigate this constant tension between protecting a brand and serving a community.”

The Director of Admissions of Middlebury College shared that he had to hire 80% of his team in a one-year period, and lost 20/28 of those new AOs in the first six months.

Because of the high turnover, colleges/unis are starting to outsource admissions work with companies such as RHB in Indianapolis.

Baltimore Travel Tips: Four Seasons is lovely (I bumped into actor Edward Norton of Wes Anderson film fame as well as Saturday Night Live superstar Leslie Jones in the elevator). In-room dining is inedible but Foie Gras, Parisian Gnocchi and Creme Brulee at restaurant The Bygone are exquisite (avoid crabcakes, short ribs are mediocre). JHU Carey Business School is across the street, and Blue Jay Shuttles are around and about. Neighborhood feels safe but at 10 PM a terrifying individual was walking down the sidewalk on an adjacent street carrying a hypodermic needle on a dirty rag in plain sight. Sagamore Pendry Hotel is gorgeous but loud.

Campus Visit to CMU: 28 June - 1 July 2023:

The campus is breathtaking as always! Landscaping is gorgeous, flowers abound. Students were having a blast testing out robots on the lawn. AOs emphasized the difficulty of changing school after arrival, which can only occur if a slot becomes available because another student relinquishes one. However, students from any college may pursue an additional major in Human-Computer Interaction […] or Robotics.

Pittsburgh travel tips:Dinner at Monterey Bay Fish Grotto is a must—the calamari, crab cakes and peanut butter mousse are terrific. Lunch at R 40 North is pure delight! The grilled cheese with mushrooms and the smashed potatoes with chimchurri are phenomenal. And the café has a bookstore—replete with signed copies of Liberation Day: Stories by George Saunders. Be sure to go to an early dinner at Altius (food is nothing special but the view makes it worthwhile) and then next door ride down the creaky Duquesne Incline (the lantern inside swings!). The Presidential Suite at The Industrialist Hotel is fantastic, but the hotel is not recommended because the neighborhood is sketchy. Avoid the Grand Concourse restaurant (the carpet smells moldy!).

60th Annual PACAC Conference, Seven Springs, PA - 25-27 June 2023

Attendees (partial list):
Miguel Alvarez, Senior Associate Director of Admission, CMU
Gloria Darko, Assistant Director of Admissions, CMU
Dave DeBor, Admissions CRM Manager, UCSB
Hillen Grason Jr., Dean of Admission, Franklin & Marshall

Workshops attended include:

A1: Together We Can! How to Enhance Partnerships between High School and College Counselors

B6: Slate.org for Both Sides of the Desk

Fireside Chat with Angel Perez, CEO, NACAC

C4: College Counseling through the Lens of a Public School Counselor

D6: Trauma-informed Practices for Both Sides of the Desk

IECA Spring Conference, Seattle, WA - 8-10 May 2023

Attendees (partial list):
Katrina Bruno, Sr. Ass't Dean of Admissions, Pomona
Alison Berryman, Director of Undergraduate Admissions, Tufts
Ashley Pallie, Director of Undergraduate Admissions, Caltech
Jua Howard, Assistant Director of Admissions, UCB
John McEachern, Director of Admissions, BU
Milyon Trulove, VP and Dean of Admission, Reed
Victoria Romero, VP for Enrollment, Scripps
Rob Alexander, Dean of Admissions, U Rochester
Kathleen Harring, President, Muhlenberg
C. Andrew McGadney, President, Knox

MEC belongs to the group of distinguished IECs (Independent Education Consultants) which is highly active in the specialized industry regulating entities (IECA, HECA, NACAC + regional affiliates) requiring:

• rigorous professional qualifications

• continuous professional development including close interaction with AOs (Admission Officers) through shared committee appointments and attendance at five annual conferences with access to “behind closed doors” CBE (Committee Based-Evaluation) admissions proceedings

The client accommodation which MEC offers is utterly unique within this cohort.

THE MINERVA DIFFERENCE

At MEC, clients experience:

• No time limitations

• No date cutoffs

• No external essay input prohibitions

• No parental distancing

• No Ivy phobia

• No delegating

• No derivative data

• No internal competition

• No deposit

• No cancellation fees

• No piecemeal information delivery

Peer IECs commonly:

—impose a maximum time allowance. MEC imposes no time caps.

—cease communication up to 3 weeks before application deadlines. MEC remains available to clients through application deadlines.

—refuse input on college admission essays by parents or School Counselors. MEC welcomes external input.

—prohibit active parental participation after onboarding. MEC encourages parental engagement throughout every phase of the process.

—decline Ivy League-focused clients. MEC has specialized expertise preparing qualified students for Ivy/Ivy Plus applications. Bring it on!

—assign tasks to less-experienced/multiple team members. At MEC, all work is executed by the same laser-focused, professional IEC with thirty years of experience.

—rely on software programs which are notorious for inaccuracies and outdated data. MEC sources all data directly from the U.S. Department of Education and colleges/unis.

—accept more than one student per class from the same school. MEC assures a standout candidacy by never accepting more than one student per class.

—dole out proprietary information gradually over time, typically via a series of standardized PowerPoint presentations. MEC provides immediate and comprehensive access to all proprietary information.

The margin for error in today’s unprecedentedly competitive college admissions environment is slim. One misstep in a student's academic career can critically and irreversibly compromise a candidacy. The more accurately, rapidly and comprehensively families are informed about the intricacies of the college admissions process—the better. The cutting edge, password-protected Minerva website FAQ functions as a “College Admissions Master Class” with insider tips, reliable data and information much of which is accessible only to IECs. Perusal of the MEC FAQ obviates the need for general questions, so as to maximize teamwork and time/cost efficiency.

MEC is a good fit for families who:

• have budgetary constraints and are highly proactive:

—taking full advantage of the MEC FAQ and availing themselves of MEC hourly support in a targeted manner

—submitting work requests sufficiently in advance to avoid rush order requests

• do not have budgetary constraints and desire unlimited access to the IEC as well as highly individualized attention

MEC's hourly rate permits:

• constant updating of the MEC FAQ to the benefit of all clients

• MEC work to focus on rendering each candidacy unique and standout, rather than devoting precious shared time to general education about college admissions which families can easily attain independently through the MEC FAQ

• acceptance of a limited number of students in order to provide unlimited access

• extensive pro bono work

It behooves students to conceive of the college admissions candidacy as a marketing campaign and the AO (Admissions Officer) as the consumer. The following blurb from the UMich Ross School of Business describing the Consumer Behavior course is applicable:

“Consumer Behavior --- Formulation of appropriate and effective marketing strategies must begin with a clean and accurate understanding of consumers. This includes an understanding of consumer needs and wants, the process by which they are satisfied, and the environment in which the behavior occurs.”

AOs are typically underpaid, overworked and burned out. They toil under these adverse conditions because of:

• a zealous commitment to the empowering potential of education

• a reverence for learning for the sake of learning

As a result, it is essential that students:

• are concise in their writing

• use vivid language

• never flaunt economic privilege

• never display hubris, including:

  • honors/awards/high test scores/top grades should be considered “byproducts” of intellectual curiosity and high character, not the end goal

  • students must convey their accomplishments without bragging

  • students should never use the word “elite” to refer to any institution, and certainly not to themselves, unless within a critical context

• do not state the obvious or use vague/generalized language, which will cause the AO to lose interest and start skimming—or worse, stop reading altogether

• do not make the AO have to work to figure out if the student has precisely answered a prompt. The student should answer each aspect of a prompt in the exact order in which it is posed.

This article written by an MIT AO is instructive:

"There are some things about how you complete the application that can adversely impact our review. I have highlighted a handful of my least favorites below.

Failure to follow directions: This one never gets old. I have to commend the ingenuity and innovative spirit that enables applicants to find inventive new ways to complete the application both in ways we did not intend and in ways entirely contrary to our explicit guidance. While the sheer number of ways that applicants find to not follow directions is impressive, we are not actually impressed by the inability to follow directions.”

mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/youre-doing-it-wrong/

This 5 April 2023 article in The Chronicle of Higher Education titled "A Profession on the Edge: Why enrollment leaders are wearing down, burning out, and leaving jobs they once loved" is instructive:

—"numerical measures of their performance are publicly available and widely scrutinized."

—"at a time when enrollment leaders are burning out, many of them worry about who will replace them. After all, younger members of the profession have been bailing out like mad. There’s an old saying entry-level admissions officers often hear when they’re hired: You’ll either be in the field for three years or 30. Now, we get them for three years, if we’re lucky. One ex-admissions director says, “When I would get an admissions officer for 18 months, it felt like a win.”

—"We tell admissions officers how great working for a college is, but then we saddle them with low salaries and long hours.”

—“We pay admissions officers an abysmal salary,” says Pérez, the chief executive of NACAC, “and we ask them to do an incredible amount of work"

https://www.chronicle.com/article/a-profession-on-the-edge

This 25 April 2024 article in The Stanford Daily titled “‘A great place to leave ‘: Inside Stanford’s admissions and financial aid office” is instructive:

—”the harsh reality of the admissions office: low pay, overwork, insufficient growth opportunities and limited pay raises and promotions”

—”In a recent job posting from Stanford’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions, which is no longer available online, the listed estimated pay range for an admissions counselor is roughly $66,560 to $77,000 per year. Santa Clara County defines anyone making less than $96,000 per year as low-income”

—”Because of the admissions office’s low pay and high cost of living in the Bay Area, employees reported that they could not live on their own or start a family.”

—”Multiple former employees mentioned that after going to human resources to discuss their salary, they would be told to find a romantic partner or a roommate or drive for DoorDash or UberEats. Peyton said that despite taking a second job and living with multiple roommates, they still needed to go to human resources to ask for assistance, to no avail.“

—“Morale is down because no one’s staying here for longer than a year and a half. So everyone gets really discouraged because it’s too much”

—“High turnover often left employees in the office overworked.”

—”Last year, roughly 30 officers—according to estimations from those listed on the website—reviewed nearly 54,000 applications.“

—“When you’re getting underpaid for really important work that helps keep the institution running, it’s kind of demoralizing.”

stanforddaily.com/2024/04/25/a-great-place-to-leave-inside-stanfords-admissions-and-financial-aid-office/#:~:text=They%20said%20the%20office's%20culture,positions%20from%202009%20to%202022.

Yes!

Eagle-eyed AOs are on the lookout for any difference in quality of writing among various elements of a candidacy including:

• summer program applications

• thank you notes

• email correspondence (including with alumni interviewer)

• application essays

• writing samples

For this reason, all written material in every form should pass inspection by the student's consultant prior to submission.

When there is a divergence in quality of writing, the AO will always assume that:

• the piece of writing with the lower quality of writing is the authentic representation of the student's writing ability

• the writing with the higher quality of writing was composed by someone else

Regular Decision (RD): The application deadline is typically in January with an answer usually received by 1 April. A choice must be made by 1 May. The Common App allows students to apply to a maximum of (20) schools.

Early Decision I (EDI): The application deadline is typically in the first week of November with an answer usually received mid-December. The student may choose only one ED school and may not apply to any REA/SCEA school. If the student is accepted and wishes to study in the U.S. in the same application cycle, the student must attend the ED school. The student is free to accept an offer from a school in another country. ED schools typically allow students to simultaneously apply to EA public school/s and some allow students to also apply simultaneously EA to private schools, if said schools allow the same—the updated policies of all schools in question must be carefully checked. A student who is not admitted ED may be deferred to RD. Typical advantages of ED include:

• student competes in a vastly smaller pool of candidates

• probability of acceptance is significantly higher, often make-or-break (NOTE: Colleges/unis try to claim that ED/RD chances are the same for the reason that ED attracts economically-privileged applicants who don't need to compare financial aid offers. As a result, there is currently a movement among education equity activists to eliminate ED. Much of what colleges state with regard to admissions is an attempt to avoid getting attacked by the press and/or sued, and must be interpreted accordingly)

  ED advantage for class entering 2024 at selected schools:

  11.2X: Northeastern (4% RD admit rate, 43% ED admit rate)

  5.2X: Dartmouth (4% RD admit rate, 19% ED admit rate)

  4.7X: Columbia (3% RD admit rate, 13% ED admit rate)

  3.9X: Northwestern (6% RD admit rate, 23% ED admit rate)

  3.5X: Brown/Penn (4% RD admit rate, 14% ED admit rate)

  2.1X: JHU (5% RD admit rate, 12% ED admit rate)

  Download doc (bottom of page), then go to Page 7:

  www.joinclassaction.us/post/the-use-and-abuse-of-early-decision-in-college-admissions

• if accepted, the student does not need to complete any more applications

• earlier answer than EA/EDII/RD

• despite the fact that ED is inflated with athletes and legacy, probability of admission is still higher for other well-prepared ED applicants

• schools lock in up to 69% of the class in the ED cycle for the purposes of:

  • yield protection (schools are very competitive about published statistics about how many offers extended are accepted)

  • “If you accept enough people early decision, you’ve created a risk-management tool by locking in a big chunk of revenue.”

    www.nytimes.com/2025/11/29/business/tulane-university-chicago-early-decision.html

  • “lowering [RD and overall] admit rates: Since ED allows a college to admit fewer students during the regular decision round, it helps them lower their overall admit rate. For example, in 2024 Northeastern University admitted more than half its freshman class through ED with a 43% acceptance rate. With so much of the class filled already, the admissions office could reject 96% of the RD applicants”

    www.joinclassaction.us/post/the-use-and-abuse-of-early-decision-in-college-admissions

• AOs (Admission Officers) are less fatigued in the early cycle and can devote more time per applicant

• during the RD cycle, outside readers are brought in which renders the process fragmented

• FGLI (First Gen Low Income, which elite schools are under intense pressure to increase) and all students seeking need-based financial aid typically don't apply ED because they need to be able to compare financial aid offers among schools (some include loans, others don't; negotiation post-offer is possible; etc.). With regard to schools which offer merit aid: students seeking significant merit aid (who are typically extremely aggressive candidates) NEVER apply ED, because schools are not motivated to dangle the carrot of merit aid when an offer is binding. By applying ED, a student can avoid competing against those cohorts

• Athletes are typically locked in before the ED cycle even begins, and they have their own ”quota.” Non-athletes are not competing against athletes for available slots.

• Legacy admissions is becoming less prevalent at elite schools because they are being hammered by liberal journalists and threatened with lawsuits/legislation regarding % legacy applicants admitted (perpetuation of privilege)

• colleges/unis typically have a cap of applicants they will accept from any individual high school, discernible from studying admit rates over a period of years and sometimes manifested in an MOU (Memo of Understanding). If a well-prepared student doesn’t apply in the ED cycle, the cap may have already been reached by the RD cycle

Early Decision II (EDII): Binding just like ED except that the application deadline is typically in January with an answer usually received in February. Students apply to EDII at the same time that they apply to RD. Advantages of applying EDII:

• probability of acceptance increased, though less than EDI (reason: schools want to lock in a secure number of students who must accept offers)

• receive response earlier answer than RD

• excellent strategy for students who were deferred during the EDI/REA/SCEA cycle

Schools which offer EDII include the following:

• American

• Bates

• Bentley

• BU

• CMU

• Claremont McKenna

• Colgate

• Connecticut College

• JHU

• Hamilton

• Harvey Mudd

• Haverford

• Lafayette

• Middlebury

• Northeastern

• NYU

• Pomona

• Reed

• Rensselaer

• Swarthmore

• Trinity College, CT

• Tufts

• Union

• U Chicago

• Wesleyan

Note: At most schools which offer both EA and EDII, a student who is deferred EA may convert the application to EDII.

Restrictive Early Action (REA) or Single-Choice Early Action (SCEA): The application deadline is typically in November with an answer received in December. The student may apply to only one (1) REA or SCEA school. The student may not apply to any ED school. REA/SCEA schools typically allow students to simultaneously apply to EA school/s, if the EA school/s allow the same; the current policies of all schools in question must be carefully checked.* REA is non-binding: if accepted, the student may attend elsewhere. Students who are not admitted REA may be deferred to RD. Advantages of applying REA:

• student competes against smaller pool of candidates than RD

• earlier answer than EDII and RD

• student demonstrates strong preference for a school; while an offer by the school is non-binding, schools factor in higher likelihood of acceptance

Schools which offer REA include Harvard, Stanford and Notre Dame. Schools which offer SCEA include Yale and Princeton.

NOTE: Elite prep schools may require students to enroll at an REA/SCEA choice if accepted. Such a policy provides to the unis in question a 100% REA/SCEA yield rate from the prep school, thereby giving the prep school students a huge leg up in admissions by conferring REA/SCEA applicants the same probability of admission bump of ED. For example, on July 2025 Greenwich Country Day School (GCDS) sent out the following email: "Dear GCDS Seniors and Families, The College Counseling Office would like to clarify its policy on Restrictive Early Action (REA) applications. Students applying REA to Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, and CalTech MUST enroll if admitted and must withdraw all other college applications.”

Early Action (EA): The application deadline is typically in November with an answer usually received in January or February. An offer of attendance is non-binding. The student may apply to multiple EA schools. The student may also apply to one ED/REA/SCEA school, if that school allows the same; the current policies of all schools in question must be carefully checked.* A student not admitted EA may be deferred to RD. Advantages of applying EA:

• student competes against smaller pool of candidates than RD

• earlier answer than EDII and RD

Private colleges/unis which offer EA include:

• MIT

• UChicago

• Northeastern

• Case Western

Note: At most schools which offer both EA and EDII, a student who is deferred EA may convert the application to EDII.

Rolling Admission: The deadline is typically in June with attendance commencing in August/September. Schools which offer rolling admission are limited.

APPLYING TO EDI/EA/REA/SCEA + EA/ED ELSEWHERE SIMULTANEOUSLY

According to the NACAC (National Association for College Admission Counseling) Statement of Principles of Good Practice guidelines, "while pursuing admission under an Early Decision plan, students may apply to other institutions, but may have only one Early Decision application pending at any time (…) Institutions with Early Decision plans may restrict students from applying to other early plans. Institutions will clearly articulate their specific policies in their Early Decision agreement."

A student who wishes to apply simultaneously to one ED/REA/SCEA school + non-binding EA school/s should carefully check the recently posted policies of all the schools in question, as they vary and mutate over time.

Schools which explicitly state that students MAY apply ED to their schools while simultaneously applying non-binding EA to BOTH PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SCHOOLS include:

• Barnard (as of 30 September 2022)

  “If another [public or private] institution allows for a student to submit an ED application [to us] while also applying EA [elsewhere], then this is not a problem for us” (communicated directly to Minerva via email on 30 September 2022)

• Brown (as of 7 May 2025)

  “Applicants who choose to apply to Brown under Early Decision may not submit an application to another institution under another early decision plan or a single-choice or restrictive early action plan. Students admitted under our Early Decision plan are expected to enroll at Brown and withdraw all pending applications—including those already submitted to regular, rolling, or (open) early action programs.”

  admission.brown.edu/ask/early-decision

• Columbia (as of 7 May 2025)

“While Columbia does not necessarily encourage the filing of both ED and EA applications, we do not prohibit candidates from doing so.“

undergrad.admissions.columbia.edu/apply/first-year/early-decision

• Cornell (as of 7 May 2025)

  “Early Decision is a binding commitment for students who have selected Cornell as their first choice. Students may initiate applications to other colleges under nonbinding plans but must withdraw those applications if admitted to Cornell.”

admissions.cornell.edu/how-to-apply/first-year-applicants

• Northeastern

  ED applicants to Northeastern may simultaneously apply non-binding EA to both public and private schools (communicated to Minerva by email on 14 September 2021 by Nancy Baker, Northeastern Admissions Assistant)

• NYU

  “[For ED applicants}, NYU does not have any restrictions on applying to other schools through EA deadlines, public or private.” (communicated directly to Minerva via email on 18 October 2021).

• UPenn (as of 7 May 2025)

“[ED] applicants may apply to [non-restrictive] non-binding admissions processes, including rolling admissions processes, at other institutions (…) Students that apply Early Decision cannot apply to another Binding [ED} or [REA} program at another private institution. Students can simultaneously apply to foreign universities, public universities, and military universities.”

ask.admissions.upenn.edu/support/solutions/articles/157000361167-can-i-apply-early-decision-to-penn-and-apply-to-other-schools-

Schools which explicitly prohibit students from applying EDI anywhere, or EAI at any private school, if applying REA/SCEA at their school include:

• Princeton (as of April 2023)

  “If you apply SCEA on Nov. 1, you may not apply to an early program at any other private college or university. However, please note the following: You may apply early to any public institution or service academy, as long as the decision is nonbinding. You may apply early to any international institution, as long as the decision is nonbinding. You may apply early to any college or university with a nonbinding rolling admission process” [so, EA to USC is not possible].

  admission.princeton.edu/how-apply/application-dates-deadlines/single-choice-early-action

Schools which impose restrictions upon students when applying REA/SCEA include:

• Yale (as of October 2025)

  “Single-Choice Early Action applicants may also apply through other early admissions programs if the other program fits any of the descriptions below:

  The early admissions program is a non-binding rolling admission program.

  The early admissions program is a non-binding early program at a public institution.

  The early admissions program is an Early Decision or Early Action program that notifies applicants after January 1” [e.g. Northeastern, USC, American].

  The early admissions program is at an institution outside the United States.”

  admissions.yale.edu/single-choice-early-action

  USC link with EA notification date (as of October 2025):

  “Q: When will I receive a decision?  A: Early Action applicants will be notified of their admission or a deferral to Regular Decision in mid- to late January 2025.” www.admissionblog.usc.edu/p/early-action-application-deadline-e48

  Northeastern link with EA notification date (as of October 2025):

  “Decision Notification: By February 15”

  admissions.northeastern.edu/application-information/admissions-deadlines-decisions/

• Stanford (as of September 2024)

  “It is Stanford policy that if you apply [REA to] Stanford (…):

  —you may not apply to any other private college/university under their [EA, REA, ED] or Early Notification plan

  —you may not apply to any public university under an early binding plan, such as [ED]

  It is Stanford policy that you may simultaneously apply [REA] to Stanford (…) and to the following:

  —any public college/university with a non-binding early application plan or early application deadline.

  —any college/university with an early deadline for a scholarship or special academic program, as long as:

  the decision is non-binding; and

  applying early is required in order to be considered for the scholarship or program”

  admission.stanford.edu/apply/first-year/decision_process.html

• Harvard (as of 7 May 2025)

  “If you are applying to Harvard under Restrictive Early Action, you may not apply to any other private institution under an Early Decision, Early Action, or Restrictive Early Action plan, or to a binding early program at a public university. You are welcome to apply early to any public university, military academy, or university outside of the United States under a non-binding program. Additionally, you are able to apply to other universities under their Regular Decision or Early Decision II programs. If your application is deferred in the early action round, you may apply to a binding early decision program at another college (i.e. Early Decision II). You may apply for scholarships or special academic programs with an early deadline at another institution, public or private, if the timing is proven to be a necessary aspect for consideration, and the outcome is non-binding“ [e.g. USC].

  college.harvard.edu/admissions/apply/first-year-applicants

Not all schools offer ED.

For example:

MIT and USC do not offer ED; they offer EA.

Stanford, Harvard and Caltech do not offer ED; they offer REA.

Yale and Princeton do not offer ED; they offer SCEA.

Assuming a student is a viable applicant at colleges/unis being considered for the early admission cycle, factors to consider when making a choice include (partial list):

(1) Competitiveness of college/uni

The more selective the school, the more competitive the candidates it attracts in the early cycle.

Hence, the more selective the school, the higher the risk.

(2) Percentage of college/uni class accepted in early admission cycle

Some schools are accepting up to a whopping 75% (e.g. UChicago) of the class in the early round/s, causing RD acceptance rates to plummet.

Find below percentage of students accepted ED entering in 2024 at selected schools:

68%: Middlebury, Emory

67%: Bucknell, Claremont McKenna

66%: Lehigh, WUSTL

65%: Bates, Grinnell

61%: BU, Barnard, Wesleyan

60%: Colby, JHU

58%: Dartmouth, Colgate

57%: Haverford

56%: Northwestern, Trinity

55%: Columbia, Upenn, Hamilton

54%: Northeastern

53%: Bowdoin

52%: Brown, Swarthmore

51%: Pomona

46%: Harvey Mudd

45%: Amherst

www.joinclassaction.us/post/the-use-and-abuse-of-early-decision-in-college-admissions

(3) Gap between early cycle admit rate and RD admit rate

(4) Popularity of intended major to be indicated on application at college/uni

(5) Rapport between applicant's high school and college/uni

Recognizable patterns can be identified by examining admission results over the past five years.

(6) Competitiveness and early cycle choices of applicant's peers

Families are well-advised to gather as much intel as possible concerning class peers—particularly those of the same sex/ethnicity/intended major—who are direct competitors in the early round of elimination.

Families are equally well-advised NOT to share any candidacy information with peers, including early cycle choice, test scores, GPA, intended major, use pf private consultant, etc.

(7) Deferral rate of college/uni relative to resilience of student

The deferral rate of college/unis in the early cycle varies widely.

(8) Risk tolerance of family

(9) Legacy

Legacy has the most impact in the early cycles.

(10) Other forms of DI (Demonstrated Interest) of applicant at college/uni

No!

Students should identify a Reach group—as large as possible, up to 14—of viable schools which the student would be proud to attend.

Strategy—not personal preference—should then determine the selection of EDI/EDII/REA/SCEA + EDII choice/s.

Flexibility is key.

In the first round of elimination, students compete against classmates.

The acceptance history between each school on the college list and the high school of the student should be researched for the past five years.

Typically, a pattern is discernible with regard to the maximum number of students which a college/uni tends to accept over time from a specific high school.

Case Study #1 - ED/REA/SCEA cycle:

• A student is eminently qualified for both Stanford and Yale.

• Over the past five years, Stanford has never accepted more than four applicants in a single season from the student’s high school.

  Four classmates who intend to apply REA to Stanford have equivalent activities but higher GPA/test scores.

• Over the past five years, Yale has never accepted more than three applicants in a single season from the student’s high school.

  Two classmates who intend to apply SCEA to Yale have equivalent activities but higher GPA/test scores.

• In this scenario, Yale is a more strategically sound choice for the early cycle.

Case Study #2: - EDII cycle:

• A student is eminently qualified for both JHU and UChicago.

• Over the past five years, JHU has never accepted more than four applicants in a single season from the student’s high school.

  In the EDI cycle, four classmates are accepted.

• Over the past five years, UChicago has never accepted more than three applicants in a single season from the student’s high school.

  In the EDI cycle, two classmates are accepted.

• In this scenario, UChicago is a more strategically sound choice for the EDII cycle.

College admissions is essentially a competition.

A student's candidacy should be qualitatively compared to competitors in the student's class when making early cycle choice/s.

School Counselors attempt to spread students out evenly among highly selective early cycle school selections.

However, sometimes classmates implement last minute "switcheroos"—so keep abreast of developments!

Your Minerva consultant has decades of experience guiding students in the critical selection of EDI/REA/SCEA/EDII school/s in order to maximize probability of admission.

Also to consider: the identification of a single "dream school" creates an unnecessary situation where a dream can be dashed. Given the current mental health crisis of youth, such a scenario is best avoided.

For students who participate in the RD cycle, after the student receives all admission results, that is when the focus should be on the question: “Which one school do I prefer"?

The following guidance from College Board is spot-on:

“Applying to an [EDI] or EA plan is most appropriate for a student who:

• Meets or exceeds the admission profile for the college for [test] scores, GPA and class rank.

• Has an academic record that has been consistently solid over time.”

professionals.collegeboard.org/guidance/applications/early

Otherwise, the AO (Application Officer) is likely to take a “wait and see” approach with a candidate, deferring until first semester senior grades are issued.

In the case of MIT’s Class of 2028, while the early admit rate is over double the RD admit rate, the RD admit rate is analogous to the deferred admit rate:

EA admit rate: 5.26% (661/12.563)

RD (MIT calls it “Regular Action”) admit rate (including deferred students): 2.58%

• 614 RD admits (including deferred students) / 23,720 applicants considered during the RD cycle (including deferred students)

RD admit rate (excluding deferred students): 2.6%

• 408 (614 minus 206) / 15,669 RD applicants (excluding deferred students)

Deferred admit rate: 2.56%

• 206 deferred students accepted during RD cycle / 8051 students deferred during EA cycle

mitadmissions.org/apply/process/stats/

Families should also consider:

• the percentage of students rejected in the early round at a potential early choice school

  For example, MIT deferred 64.09% (8051/12,563) of EA applicants for the Class of 2028.

  Stanford, on the other hand, tends to reject outright in the first round, deferring 8.5% of students.

• how many equally or more qualified students from a student’s school are applying early to the student’s first choice school

Elite schools will only accept so many students from the same high school.

If:

• a student’s GPA is expected to improve after the first semester of senior year

but:

• equally qualified candidates from the high school class are applying early to the student’s first choice school

• the first choice school typically accepts a high percentage of students from the student’s high school in the early selection pool

the student may be well-advised to apply early, contrary to College Board’s generally-true parameters.

ED

Benefits to schools which offer binding ED include:

—increase of yield rate (= number of students offered a place who accept it)

—decrease in admit rate (by securing a significant portion of the class in the ED cycle, the school can extend fewer offers in the RD cycle)

both of which increase rankings.

If

• the dream school on a student’s college list offers ED or the student wants to maximize chances of admission to the preferred ED school on the college list

And

• the student’s candidacy is unlikely to significantly improve in the period between the ED application deadline and the RD application deadline

• the student is not pursuing significant merit aid

• comparing need-based financial aid offers among a group of schools is not an imperative

then the student may choose to apply ED. 

Columbia, U Chicago, Penn, Cornell, Dartmouth, Brown and JHU offer ED, among other highly competitive schools.

LEGACY

Legacy enhances probability of admission for early applicants more than it does for RD applicants at schools which favor legacy candidates.

FAMILY INCOME

Economically-privileged students have a marked advantage in the binding ED cycle because they can avoid competing against LI (low-income) candidates (which schools are under intense pressure to accept) who need to be able to compare financial aid packages among schools.

“Applicants from the wealthiest ZIP codes [are] twice as likely to apply ED (…)”

edreformnow.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/The-Future-of-Fair-Admissions-10.24-FINAL.pdf (see page 8)

EARLY ACCEPTANCE RATES

For a student whose priority is merit aid, applying ED is not advisable. When applying ED, the student must accept an offer of admission. As a result, the school is not motivated to offer or maximize merit aid; as it is when competing with other schools for a candidate through merit aid.

Secondary data source for quick reference: www.joinclassaction.us/post/the-early-decision-advantage

Find below selected early admission acceptance rates sourced directly from schools:

ED % Class Admitted ED RD   EA Overall Class

Northwestern 50% 2026

admissions.northwestern.edu/docs/class-of-2026-facts-and-figures.pdf

ED % Class Admitted ED RD   EA Overall Class

Barnard College 29% (EDI: 435/1510) 62% N/A 8% 2026

• connect.barnard.edu/www/documents/ED%20Profile%20for%20Counselors.pdf

ED % Class Admitted ED RD   EA Overall Class

Johns Hopkins 28%   11% 2024

10.6% (304/2874) <5% 7.4% 2025

• Overall Class of 2025: hub.jhu.edu/2021/03/19/class-of-2025-regular-decision/

• EDII Class of 2025: www.jhunewsletter.com/article/2021/02/hopkins-admits-304-ed-ii-applicants

• JHU officially disregards legacy:

  hub.jhu.edu/magazine/2020/spring/ending-legacy-admissions/#:~:text=The%20Hopkins%20admissions%20office%20considers,arrived%20at%20Hopkins%20in%202009.

ED % Class Admitted ED RD   Overall Class

Cornell 17.55% 31.16% 5.7% 7.89% 2027

(1670/9515) (1670/5358) (3326/58,331) (5358/67,846)

irp.dpb.cornell.edu/university-factbook/freshman-profile-archives/profile-of-the-class-of-2026

Dartmouth 17% (606/3550) 35.46% (606/1709) 3.9% (1103/28,106) 5.4% (1709/31,656) 2028

• www.thedartmouth.com/article/2023/12/dartmouth-offers-early-decision-admission-to-606-students-at-record-low-17-acceptance-rate

• home.dartmouth.edu/news/2024/09/class-2028

Brown 15.9% 34.9% (885/2537) 3.5% 5.4% 2025 www.browndailyherald.com/2021/04/06/brown-admits-record-low-5-4-percent-applicants-class-2025/

www.brown.edu/news/2021-04-06/admits

SCEA Admit Rate % Class Admitted SCEA RD Admit Rate Overall Admit Rate Class

Princeton 13.93% (743/5335) 2023

• Princeton Legacy SCEA Admit Rate: typically 4x Overall Admit Rate

  www.wsj.com/articles/legacy-preferences-complicate-colleges-diversity-push-1531128601

  www.dailyprincetonian.com/article/2020/06/princeton-admissions-legacy-athletics-recruitment-testing-waitlist

Yale 9% (709/7866) 33% (709/2146) 2.89% (1437/49,599) 3.9% (2146/57,465) 2028

Legacy Affiliation: 11%

• yaledailynews.com/blog/2023/11/14/with-7866-applicants-yale-college-receives-second-largest-ever-early-application-pool/

• news.yale.edu/2024/03/28/yale-college-admits-2146-applicants-record-applicant-pool

• admissions.yale.edu/sites/default/files/classprofile2028web.pdf

REA Admission Rate % of Class Admitted REA RD Admission Rate Overall Admission Rate

Class 2020 data Class 2020 data Class 2020 data

Stanford 9.5% (745/7822) 35.2% (745/2118) Estimated at 3.3-3.7% 4.8%: (2118/43,997)

• www.stanforddaily.com/2015/12/11/9-5-percent-of-early-applicants-admitted-to-stanfords-class-of-2020/#:~:text=9.5%20percent%20of%20early%20applicants%20admitted%20to%20Stanford's%20Class%20of%202020,-By%20Sarah%20Wishingrad&text=On%20Friday%2C%20Dec.,acceptance%20rate%20of%209.5%20percent.

ucomm.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2018/06/stanford-cds-2016.pdf

REA Admit Rate % of Class Admitted REA RD Admit Rate Overall Admit Rate Class

Harvard 7.9% (740/9406) 37.87% (740/1954) 2.34% (1214/51,794) 3.19% (1954/61,220) 2026

• Harvard Legacy REA Admit Rate: 14-15.95% (typically 5x Overall Admit Rate)

  www.nytimes.com/2022/07/13/us/legacy-admissions-colleges-universities.html

  www.wsj.com/articles/legacy-preferences-complicate-colleges-diversity-push-1531128601

• Harvard Legacy Affiliation: 15.5% (Class 2025)

  features.thecrimson.com/2021/freshman-survey/

EA Admit Rate % Class Admitted EA RD Admit Rate Overall Admit Rate Class
MIT 5.26% (661/12,563) 51.48% (661/1284) 2.589% (614/23,720) 4.55% (1284/28,232) 2028

mitadmissions.org/apply/process/stats/

Typical Application Deadline Typical Response Date Response Options

EDI/REA/SCEA 1 Nov 15 Dec Accepted / Deferred to RD / Denied

EDII 1st wk Jan Mid-Feb Accepted / Deferred to RD / Denied

RD 1st wk Jan Mid-March/early April Accepted / Waitlisted / Denied

In the RD cycle, students apply to a multitude of schools and receive a flurry of replies in roughly the same time period.

When a well-qualified, well-advised student has a well-balanced RD college list with appropriate reach, target and foundational schools, multiple excellent offers can be expected to simultaneously ensue.

A far different dynamic occurs when a student applies to a single high reach private school in the EDI/REA/SCEA cycle which:

• prohibits concurrent applications to other private schools

• has a low deferral rate

and where only one reply follows in mid-December.

When a student is deferred in the EDI/REA/SCEA cycle, that student is bumped into the RD cycle.

When a student is rejected in the EDI cycle, that decision is final; the student may not apply to the same school again in the RD cycle.

While Minerva students are renowned for achieving EDI/REA/SCEA success at a significantly higher rate than the industry average, it cannot be guaranteed. No matter how superlative a candidacy, luck of the draw as well as numerous external factors play a role here.

Factors in admission decision-making include:

• quirks, biases and preferences of individual AOs

• relationship between staff members of a high school and college/uni AOs

• yield history between a high school and a college/uni (i.e. how many students at the high school who were offered slots enrolled)

• benchmarks which college/uni Presidents saddle AOs to maintain including (but not limited to) the following:

  • GPA and standardized test score medians

  • race breakdowns (despite Supreme Court rulings)

  • legacy percentages where permitted

It is not a coincidence that these numbers tend to remain steady over time.

There are candidacy elements which the student can astutely navigate, and there are candidacy elements over which the student has no control whatsoever. It is essential to remain firmly focused on the former.

Expectation management is keenly important. If a denial ensues, the student must possess the wherewithal to take it in stride and forge ahead over the next several weeks to give 100% to other schools—firing on all cylinders—in the EDII/RD application cycle, cognizant of the time lag that will ensue before additional responses arrive.

Only students who possess exceptional resilience and grit should apply in the EDI/REA/SCEA cycle to a single high reach private school with a low deferral rate. This application option is not for the faint of heart.

To know: schools have varying approaches to deferring or rejecting candidates who are not accepted in the EDI/REA/SCEA cycle.

For example, students who apply REA to Stanford are prohibited from simultaneously applying to any other private school under any early formula. Stanford also tends to have a very low deferral rate of 8.5%. So, students who apply early to Stanford need to be hardy!

Harvard, on the other hand, had a very high deferral rate of 83.06% for the Class of 2028:

www.thecrimson.com/article/2023/12/14/early-action-2028/

Any student who wishes to apply in the EDI/REA/SCEA cycle to a single private high reach school with a low deferral rate must be certain to possess the fortitude to weather denial, viewing it as a temporary setback to be overcome gloriously in the EDII/RD cycles.

At Stanford Technology Ventures, former NASA engineer Sylvia Acevedo uses the following acronym:

“F A I L = "FIRST ATTEMPT IN LEARNING.”

stvp.stanford.edu/clips/f-a-i-l-first-attempt-in-learning/

An adolescent psychologist uses the following acronym when explaining the process of reframing:

“N O = NEXT OPPORTUNITY. “

The top athletes in the world never win every single match. The most successful pioneers regularly cite early obstacles as the experiences which galvanized them to achieve brilliant later results. This is the appropriate mindset with which to approach an early application to a single private high reach school with a low deferral rate.

A quote by Paralympic skier Bonnie St. John is instructive: "I was ahead in the slalom. But in the second run, everyone fell on a dangerous spot. I was beaten by a woman that got up faster than I did. I learned that people fall down, winners get up, and gold medal winners just get up faster."

NOTE: One way to safeguard against the potential impact of disappointment is for the student to apply EA to public schools at the same time that the student applies early to the one private school—whether or not the student has any intention of actually attending a public school. This strategy is NOT appropriate for bait-and-switch candidates.

Additional data:

Accepted Deferred Denied Withdrawn/Incomplete Class

Yale SCEA 9% (709/7856) 20% 70% 1% 2028

news.yale.edu/2023/12/14/yale-admits-709-early-action-applicants-matches-72-questbridge-finalists

Brown ED 14.38% (897/6244) 16.8% 67.6% 2028

www.browndailyherald.com/article/2023/12/brown-admits-144-of-early-decision-applicants-to-class-of-2028

Relevant Timeline:

2 Aug: EDI/REA/SCEA/EA apps may be submitted. EDII may be submitted at this time ONLY if EDI cycle is not being used, compatible with relevant school policies of other schools to which student is also simultaneously applying.

10-20 Dec: EDI/REA/SCEA/EA decisions of highly selective schools are typically released

18 Dec: Scores released for SAT taken in month of December

1-15 Jan: Typical deadlines for EDII applications

Mid/late Jan to early Feb: First semester grades of high school seniors usually come out

Mid-February: EDII results typically released

Mid-March: RD decisions typically released

Reasons to pursue (a):

• the earlier a student applies starting 2 August, the more likely the student appears in the Slate feed of the AO, before slots for students with the same attributes are filled (see FAQ about Slate)

• in the situation that:

  • the college/uni is close to the maximum number of students it will accept from the student's high school

  • the RD candidate has an application far superior to a binding EDI candidate from the same school who is in consideration

the AO may be induced to "hold out" for the superior non-binding RD candidate by deferring the binding EDI candidate.

Reasons to pursue (b):

• If the student submits as early as possible starting 2 August and then converts to EDII, the AO:

  • may or may not revisit the application, if it has already been assessed; hence the student may forfeit the significant increase in admit rate probability of EDII

  • knows that the student was either "on the fence" about committing to the school or it was the student's #2 choice school

• An AO wondering if a student may have been "on the fence" about committing to the school is not ideal, given the exasperation of AOs concerning the upward trend of students accepting an ED offer and then trying to wiggle out of it. Read about the phenomenon here:

  https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/26/business/tulane-early-decision-colorado-academy.html

• Waiting to apply EDII in mid-December does not categorically signal to the AO that the EDII school is not the student's first choice.

  —It can occur that a student applies EDII to the first-choice school because the student is awaiting a significant honor and wants to be 100% sure the application is reviewed with said honor in place.

  • If the student applies EDII in mid-December (rather than as early as 2 August when the Common App opens, or as late as the first two weeks of January when EDII deadlines fall), the AO will NOT think the student was waiting for first semester grades of senior year. First semester senior year grades are typically released mid-late January or early February (while EDII results are typically released mid-February).

  • If the student applies on/after December 18th, the AO COULD think the student was waiting for the December SAT score which is released on December 18th.

The decision of whether to pursue (a) or (b) depends upon the specific candidacy attributes and priorities of the individual student.

Find below a sampling of release dates.

Results can be released earlier for the most highly qualified candidates, as schools compete to secure them (some students feel an allegiance to schools which admit them earlier).

MID-DECEMBER: EDI/REA/SCEA

• WUSTL EDI: By 16 Dec

• JHU EDI:

2023: 16 December

STARTING MID-DECEMBER: EA

BY MID-FEBRUARY

• UVA EA

MID-FEBRUARY: EDII

• NYU EDII:

2023 15 February

• JHU EDII:

2023: 17 February

• WUSTL EDII: By 17 Dec

1-31 MARCH: UC

MID-MARCH:

• MIT RD

  2023: 14 March at 6:28 EST

• UChicago RD

  2023: 11 March

• JHU RD

  2023: 17 March

LATE MARCH: Northwestern RD

30 MARCH AT 7 PM: Harvard RD

BY 1 APRIL:

• Yale RD

• Penn RD

• WUSTL RD

• UVA RD

1 APRIL:

• Princeton RD

• NYU RD

BY EARLY APRIL:

• Dartmouth RD

• Stanford RD

• Brown RD

EARLY APRIL:

• Cornell RD

ON OR BEFORE 15 APRIL: Columbia RD

BY 9 MAY:

• CMU Priority Waiting List (requires $800 enrollment deposit within 72 hours of admission notification)

MID-MAY: Transfer

• JHU Transfer

2023: 12 May

MAY - JULY: Waiting List

• CMU Regular Waiting List: By 1 June

Yes!

This is because the School Counselor is privy to:

• the profiles of individual high schools seniors

• the EDI choices of individual high school seniors which can fluctuate over the course of first semester

• the strength of an individual high school senior's candidacy relative to those of classmates applying EDI to the same school

• the history of success of students from the high school in qusetion applying EDI to particular colleges

The following sequence of events can occur:

Student A chooses Brown for EDI.

The School Counselor approves.

Student B—who has a stronger profile than Student A—decides to apply EDI to Brown.

The School Counselor knows that Brown has never accepted more than one student per year from the high school in question.

The School Counselor encourages Student A to make a different EDI choice.

Families should keep in mind that School Counselors are often forbidden from explicitly revealing the reasoning behind their suggestions.

Your Minerva IEC has decades of experience in assisting families to interpret the telltale signs of School Counselor decision-making.

Yes!

Wake Forest University (WFU), with a 20% admit rate for the Class of 2026, evaluates complete applications (including all teacher and counselor recommendations) for binding ED 1 on a "rolling" basis.

A complete application received for ED 1 by 31 August will receive a response by late September; a complete application received for ED 1 by 30 September will receive a response by late October.

While a student can't apply ED 1 to two colleges via the Common App, if a student applies to WFU using SCOIR (or WFU's paper-only application) for the August or September tranche—the student should receive a response in time to apply ED 1 to a second school using the Common App IF the student is denied or deferred from WFU ED 1.

No!

In this way, if students are denied, they will not be embarrassed.

When students are accepted, the students can say that they changed their minds at the last minute.

Emphatically, yes!

Students must scrupulously respect the admission policies of all colleges/unis.

The following articles are instructive:

"(...) Amherst’s dean of admissions told U.S. News that the college and about 30 others shared lists of students admitted through early decision, and that she would also be open to sharing the names of students who chose not to attend and for what reasons. (...) depending on the institutions, the repercussions [of not respecting a college's admission policies] could range from schools canceling a student’s applications to rescinding admissions offers. A university could also retaliate against the student’s high school by limiting the number of students they admit.
www.nytimes.com/2018/04/10/us/politics/justice-department-probe-college-early-decision.html

"An Early-Decision Student Backed Out of Tulane. Tulane Punished the High School.
In an unusual move, the university imposed a one-year ban on Colorado Academy for early-decision applications, which carry a commitment to attend.
(...) The message from Tulane, which also paused early decisions at three other high schools it did not identify, was clear: Break the rules and your schoolmates pay the price."
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/26/business/tulane-early-decision-colorado-academy.html

To know:
AOs pick up the phone and call high schools all the time. They ask questions, including about other schools on the student's college list. Depending on who answers the phone, and what they see when they look in a student's portal, compromising information could be exchanged if a student does not respect policies.

In order to optimally compete, families should carefully plan ahead so that students hit the ground running in ninth grade.

Ideally, students tick all four boxes of ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth grades where possible for Common App Activity List entries—demonstrating exceptional focus, consistency and commitment.

Résumé entries for the purpose of college admissions begin in ninth grade.

However, any relevant activity which continues through ninth grade, but began prior to ninth grade, can include the earlier start date. This type of follow-through is highly impressive to AOs (Admission Officers). Additionally, significant achievements which pre-date ninth grade can appear on the candidate’s personal website.

The timeline below indicates appropriate college prep activities for each stage of the academic career. In order to create an action plan, students may copy and paste the entire list beginning with the seventh grade entries (many entries remain available for older students) and then delete those which are not applicable. The information which remains is the foundation of an action plan, upon which your Minerva IEC (Independent Education Consultant) will help you craft and elaborate a completely unique candidacy.

Keep in mind that standardization is the death knell in college admissions. Hence, while your candidacy should include impressive entries which AOs recognize, know and love; it should also contain surprising and striking entries which render the candidate stand-out. Your IEC has expertise in assisting you to devise and innovate the latter over time, as your candidacy evolves.

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR PARENTS: As teenagers progress through high school, a natural component of the maturation process connotes refutation of the validity of the parental viewpoint. This phenomenon enables the teenager to envision autonomy as plausible, as the moment of “leaving the nest” approaches. At the same time, the prefrontal cortex of the brain responsible for planning, impulse control and decision making is not complete until the age of twenty-five. Within this context, trust building between MEC and the student constructed over an extended period of time permits the student to comfortably access adult counsel, free of the natural conflict of the parent-child relationship, when the high stakes college admission period arrives. For this reason, it is advisable for the student to engage in monthly Zoom sessions with MEC commencing the summer before ninth grade, and weekly Zoom sessions commencing the summer before twelfth grade. The duration of the session is decided by the student/family. Consistentency is strongly advisable in order to instill the necessary rapport which becomes indispensable during the highly stressful college application period.

Consultation Year 1 = Grade 7

• 14 October

  —Conrad Challenge (ages 13-18; team 2-5 students) Registration deadline

  Note: Minerva student admitted December 2022 to Stanford won Conrad Challenge in May of junior year and was Finalist in sophomore year.

  www.conradchallenge.org/conrad-challenge#activation-stage

  static1.squarespace.com/static/53cd080fe4b006756b7288ea/t/631bc049e262f068e08ba9bf/1662763088666/22-23_GLOBALConradChallenge_StudentGuide.pdf

• 1 December

  —Action for Nature International Youth Eco-Hero Award (ages 8-16) application opens

  actionfornature.org/eco-hero-awards/application-form

• 15 December

  —Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) World Series of Innovation Challenges (ages-13-24)

  Paraphrased excerpt of Minerva communication with NFTE about this particular initiative, which differently from other NFTE initiatives is open to students of all economic levels:

---------- Forwarded message ---------

From: WSI <wsi@nfte.com>

Date: Sat, Sep 18, 2021 at 1:35 PM

Subject: Re: Inquiry

To: Minerva Education Consultancy <info@minervaedu.com>

Some of the young competitors come from privileged backgrounds if not substantial wealth. It's okay for parents, teachers, or experts in the field to help students understand the challenges and coach or mentor them during the brainstorming process.

NOTE: It is the practice of Minerva students of privilege to donate winnings back to awarding institutions.

innovation.nfte.com/

• January:

  —New York Times Annual STEM Writing Contest (grades 6-12; 500 words)

  Contest Dates: Late January to early March

  www.nytimes.com/2020/12/23/learning/our-2nd-annual-stem-writing-contest.html

  —C-SPAN Student Cam National Documentary Contest (grades 6-12; 5-6 minutes)

  2022 Theme: "How does the federal government impact your life?"

  20 January deadline; Grand Prize $5,000

  www.studentcam.org/

• February:

  —MIT SPARK (for middle schoolers)

  Register to attend in March

esp.mit.edu/learn/Spark/index.html

—New York Times Annual Student Editorial Contest (middle & high school students in U.S./U.K. ages 11-19; 450 words)

Typical Dates: 2 March - 13 April

www.nytimes.com/2021/11/24/learning/our-ninth-annual-student-editorial-contest.html

• March:

  —Doodle for Google (K-12; $30K college scholarship)

• 1 April

  —Breakthrough Junior Challenge (ages 13-18)

  Opens 1 April, closes 25 June, winner announced 21 September

  $250K post-secondary scholarship, $50K for teacher

  Create a 3-minute video to explain a big idea in physics / math / life sciences

  breakthroughjuniorchallenge.org/enter

• June:

  Eon Essay Contest (ages 13-24; $15K prize; submission deadline 15 June)

• Research opportunity:

  Association for Young Scientists and Innovators (AYSI; grades 6-12)

  Summer Coding Institute | Science Fair Academy

  www.aysi.org

• Placement in summer program at college student hopes to attend, to include: identification of appropriate programs by November of year before summer of attendance and essay coaching for applications

• Service / leadership / extracurricular activity planning:

  —Devise an independent service “passion project” in conjunction with a charitable institution and the student’s school, to include creation of foundation and website, appointment of classmates to positions and crowdfunding.

  —Youth Service America (YSA) Everyday Young Heroes (ages 5-25)

  Youth who improve their communities through service to others and are making significant progress in achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can ask a mentor to nominate them for this recognition

  ysa.org/awards/eyh/

• Identification of and participation in relevant competitions including math, public speaking, etc.

• Advanced learning academic curriculum and enrichment planning:

  —Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (grades 2-12; recommended by MIT)

  cty.jhu.edu/online/index.html

  —Robotics Education & Competition (REC) Foundation (grade 4-university)

  www.roboticseducation.org

  mitadmissions.org/apply/prepare/enrichment

• Motivational resources:

  angeladuckworth.com

  characterlab.org/playbooks/grit

  mindsetworks.com/science

• AI apps to help students relieve stress:

  Woebot

  Moodfit

• Tutoring of composition skills to increase GPA (may include participation in writing contests) and monitoring of academic progress

• Organize for student to take standardized test/s for practice purposes

• Virtual volunteer opportunities

  —Amnesty Decoders

  decoders.amnesty.org

  —American Red Cross Digital Advocate

  www.redcross.org/volunteer/volunteer-opportunities/be-a-digital-advocate.html

  —American Cancer Society

  www.cancer.org/involved/volunteer/virtual.html

  —Smithsonian Digital Volunteers

  transcription.si.edu

  —Be My Eyes

  www.bemyeyes.com

  —Translators Without Borders

  translatorswithoutborders.org/volunteer/

• Summer opportunities:

• Recommended Affiliations:

  —Center for Biological Diversity

  Petitions can be signed here:

  www.biologicaldiversity.org/action/

  Participate in the Global Amphibian BioBlitz in conjunction with UCB:

• www.biologicaldiversity.org/action/events/

Consultation Year 2 = Grade 8

Same as previous year +

Competitions:

Sept:

—Prudential Emerging Visionaries (ages 14-18; maximum award $15,000)

Participants must begin project on or before 1 June; Early Entry Deadline 29 Sept; winners attend in-person summit in April of following year

Categories:

(a) “Financial Solutions for a Changing World – Your work or innovation helps your community overcome barriers to financial inclusion and wellbeing. This could include creating job opportunities in your community, helping people in your community spend, save, borrow, and plan their financial lives, starting an accelerator or other initiative to finance youth-led ventures, and more.“

(b) “Societal Solutions for a Changing World – Your work or innovation is creating an equitable and sustainable community that works for the good of all. This could include working on environmental, racial justice, education issues, and more.“

www.prudential.com/links/about/emergingvisionaries

Recognized by MIT: mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/application_question_scholasti/

Spring:

—NCAA Eligibility Center (formerly known as the NCAA Clearinghouse): for any student who may potentially be interested in qualifying for NCAA sports in college:

The website of the NCAA Eligibility Center states: "If you want to compete in NCAA sports, you need to register with the NCAA Eligibility Center. Plan to register before starting your freshman year of high school."

NOTE: NCAA imposes extremely detailed course selection requirements which must be completed by the end of junior year.

—Course selection for 9th grade: Exercise caution when choosing courses for 9th grade, especially if changing school. A 4.0 UW GPA is the baseline these days for Ivy/Ivy Plus schools. There is time to add rigor to a candidacy down the road. Allow a student breathing room to get adjusted to high school.

Summer before 9th grade:

—Secure local tutors for every subject, in case of need. Local tutors are best, as they may have intel about specific teachers (quirks, curricula, etc.).

Due to national grade inflation, these days, one B+ on a transcript can be the death knell for Ivy/Ivy Plus schools. The margin for error is slim to nil. Even the most brilliant students can be prone to missteps. Take every possible precaution!

CONSULTATION YEAR 3 = GRADE 9 / HIGH SCHOOL FIRST YEAR

Same as previous year +

September:

Inquire with teachers throughout high school about the possibility of conducting extra credit to raise GPA

CANDIDACY ENRICHMENT OPPORTUNITIES:

Launch an official chapter of a major charitable organization at your school (get there first!)

—Amnesty International

www.amnestyusa.org/student-group-registration-form/

—United Way

www.unitedway.org/get-involved/groups/student/get-involved#

—Profile in Courage Essay Contest (grades 9-12; $10K prize; application period 1 Sept-13 Jan)

—Tufts Pre-College Programs - Undergraduate Lectures (college credit; available summer after 9th grade)

Most courses that are open to high school students are $990 per credit and are 3 credits each, for a total tuition cost of $2,970

universitycollege.tufts.edu/high-school/programs/courses-high-schoolers

• October:

—Register mid-October for MIT SPLASH! (grades 9-12) which takes place on a late November weekend 9AM-9PM

esp.mit.edu/learn/Splash/index.html

esp.mit.edu/learn/Splash/moreinfo.html

• November:

  —GENIUS Olympiad (for high school students) registration begins

  geniusolympiad.org/index.html#application

• January:

  —Diamond Challenge entrepreneurial competition submission deadline

  diamondchallenge.org/competition/

  —American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) Annual DNA Day Essay Contest submission site opens (grades 9-12)

  Submission site closes 2 March; winners announced 25 April

  www.ashg.org/dna-day/

  —The Global Health and Leadership Conference hosted by Harvard College VISION: Global Health Society

  Conference Application Deadlines: Early Bird 15 February, Regular 20 March, Late 8 April (required: 500-word PS + 150-word & 200-word essays)

  Case Study Competition: Released in March

  Community Pitch Competition: 20 March

  Conference Date: April 23-24, 2022

  Video Pitches and Written Grant Proposals: 16 May

  harvardghlc.weebly.com/

• May:

  —For any students taking AP exams already:

  Be sure to take timed practice AP tests prior to sitting for the test. Time management for this type of test is an acquired skill.

  BE SURE to bring an old-fashioned watch (not a Smartwatch) in case the clock in the room cannot be viewed.

  Read carefully the latest AP list of what and what not to bring to the testing site (below is the full list as of May 2024):

  apcentral.collegeboard.org/exam-administration-ordering-scores/administering-exams/on-exam-day/what-students-can-cannot-bring

  —Any student who might apply to Columbia University should map out NOW with the CEP the 100 word LIST of the following supplementary question to tackle during the summers after 9th, 10th and 11th grades:

  “List a selection of texts, resources and outlets that have contributed to your intellectual development outside of academic courses, including but not limited to books, journals, websites, podcasts, essays, plays, presentations, videos, museums and other content that you enjoy. (100 words or fewer)”

• July:

  —Make submission to MIT Undergraduate Research Technology Conference (MIT URTC) - Open to high school students who are working “on a research project affiliated with a University program.”

  urtc.mit.edu/assets/documents/Paper%20Guideline%202021.pdf

  Students being mentored one-on-one by a university professor may also apply (communicated directly to Minerva via email on 14 April 2022).

  Conference dates: 30 Sept - 2 Oct

  urtc.mit.edu/

• Dual Enrollment

  Princeton has this to say on the matter:

  “Whenever you can, challenge yourself with the most rigorous courses possible, such as honors, Advanced Placement (AP) and dual-enrollment courses.” admission.princeton.edu/how-apply/academic-preparation

• Recommended affiliations:

  Sierra Club

  Student Coalition (minimum age: 14 years) / Climate Justice Academy (application deadline: late February) / Summer Program (SPROG; application deadline: mid-March)

  www.sierraclub.org/youth/

• United Nations Young Leader for the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals)

  Students can apply to become a U.N. Young Leader. Every two years, 17 youth are appointed. Age range for application: 15-29 years old

  www.un.org/youthenvoy/about-the-young-leaders-for-the-sdgs/

  17 Sustainable Development Goals: sdgs.un.org/goals

  Upon request, UN Young Leaders are typically available to serve as Guest Speakers at high school clubs

• Recommended competitions:

  —Genius Olympiad

  geniusolympiad.org

  —USA Biolympiad (grades 9-12)

  Registration: 10 September

  www.cee.org/programs/usa-biolympiad

  —United States of America Computing Olympiad (USACO)

  www.usaco.org/index.php

• Engage in STEM activities for high school students

  —Inspirit Artificial Intelligence High School Intensive (school year + summer)

  Taught by Stanford and MIT alumni and graduate students; 4:1 student-teacher ratio; 10 sessions, 25 hours; $900

  www.inspiritai.com

• mitadmissions.org/apply/prepare/highschool/

• For students interested in neuroscience:

  youthneuro.org

  thebrainbee.org

• For students interested in health sciences:

  —Pre-Collegiate Global Health Review (grades 9-12; Johns Hopkins University student and faculty-led, no fees)

  Submit one or more articles about global health-related research conducted to be considered for publication in this international, peer-reviewed journal

  200 word abstract + 450-700 word article

  www.pghr.org

  Participants can purchase a T-shirt and photograph themselves in it for their personal website:

  glohea-inc.creator-spring.com/?

  —The Global Health Leaders Conference, Johns Hopkins University (grades 9-12)

  Early deadline 10 Jan; Regular Notification deadline 28 Feb. Conference held mid-May to mid-June

  As of April 2021: Regular Notification Acceptance Rate 14.4%, Overall Acceptance Rate 31.2%, average U/W GPA 3.97/4.0, average ACT 34/36, average SAT 1520/1600

  glohea.org | ghlcjhu@glohea.org | Founder and Chair: Siam Rezwan

  TIP: If accepted, be sure to get a GHLC sweatshirt and photograph yourself in it for your personal website!

  —International Society for Computational Biology Student Council

  Holds symposia where students can publish abstracts and apply for fellowships

  www.iscbsc.org

  www.scs2020.iscbsc.org

  —Virtual shadowing:

  www.virtualshadowing.com

  www.prehealthshadowing.com

  www.clinicalshadowing.com

  —UPenn Summer Biomedical Research Academy (non-credit)

  summer.sas.upenn.edu/programs/high-school/academies/biomedical

• Summer programs open to 9th graders (for attendance the summer after 9th grade has been completed) include:

  —Johns Hopkins Pre-College Program (for credit; for summer after 9th grade)

  (3) 2-wk sessions; on campus/online; usually 26 June-4 Aug.

  summer.jhu.edu/programs-courses/pre-college-programs/

  summer.jhu.edu/admissions/pre-college/

CONSULTATION YEAR 4 = GRADE 10 / HIGH SCHOOL SOPHOMORE

Same as previous year +

• Princeton application essay

  Students should begin planning for the following, securing the necessary writing support such that the chosen paper is superlative when the time comes:

  Princeton requires the submission of a graded 1-2 page (preferably not longer) paper/research paper/essay/essay exam of expository writing from a 10th-11th-12th grade high school teacher (preferably not from a professor of a for-credit course taken at a college) in an English or history (no creative writing) course which is listed on the high school academic transcript. Further details about submission procedures are available on Princeton FAQ:

  “A graded written paper is required, preferably in the subjects of English or history.”

  admission.princeton.edu/apply/application-checklist

• 15 December:

  Applications open for Summer Science Program (SSP), co-sponsored by MIT: Astrophysics or Biochemistry (for 15-18-year old juniors and “truly exceptional” sophomores)

• “While the Summer Science Program (SSP) is not on campus, MIT co-sponsors this residential program, and many MIT students are among the program’s alumni. The curriculum is organized around a central research project in either Astrophysics or Biochemistry. In the Astrophysics program, each team of three students determines the orbit of a near-earth asteroid (minor planet) from direct astronomical observations. In the Biochemistry program, each team designs a small molecule to inhibit an enzyme from a fungal crop pathogen. The programs are six weeks long and offered at locations in Colorado, New Mexico, and Indiana.”

  mitadmissions.org/apply/prepare/summer/

  summerscience.org/

• Dual Enrollment:

  —Late August: Apply to Cornell’s Precollege Studies Program in order to attend one or more online fall semester classes at Cornell taught by faculty for college credit, for which students receive a Cornell transcript; available starting in sophomore year of high school. Courses are also offered in summer.

  A three-credit course at $1,575 per credit = $4,725

sce.cornell.edu/precollege/program/online

sce.cornell.edu/precollege/admission/online/fall-winter-spring

Courses which are particularly helpful for the purposes of college admission essays include:

AEM 3380 Social Entrepreneurs, Innovators, and Problem Solvers (enroll early, this fills up quickly)

HIST 2526 Words as Weapons: Political Vocabulary, Mass Media and the Evolution of Political Consciousness

AEM 2350 Introduction To The Economics Of Development (has prerequisite)

• Itinerary planning for college campus tours including information sessions, student-led tours and interviews where available

• Summer programs open to 10th graders (for attendance the summer after 10th grade has been completed) include:

  Coursework:

  —Stanford High School Summer College (college credit; 8-week program usually from 19 June - 15 August; for student who upon applying have sophomore through gap year status)

  Students receive an official transcript from Stanford

  Applicant must be 16 years old by start of program, usually 19 June

  Applications open 19 November, close 1 June

  summer.stanford.edu/program/high-school-high-school-summer-college

  —Harvard Secondary School Program (college credit, 7-week session)

  Applicant must be 15 years old by 1 December

  To attend summer 2023, must graduate from high school and enter college in 2023, 2024 or 2025

  Cost: $3400-$6800 + $75 application fee

  Program Dates: approx. 20 June-6 August

  Deadlines are usually the following: EA 26 Jan, RD 4 March, Rolling Admissions 20 May

  —Johns Hopkins Summer Term Program

  summer.jhu.edu/programs-courses/undergraduate-courses/

  —Carnegie Mellon Pre-College Program, Summer Session (college credit)

  Students receive an official Carnegie Mellon transcript

  Applicant must be 16 years old by start of program, usually late June

  www.cmu.edu/pre-college/

CONSULTATION YEAR 5 = GRADE 11/ HIGH SCHOOL JUNIOR

Same as previous year +

Monthly Zoom check-ins through the end of junior year are advisable.

Weekly Zoom check-ins beginning the summer before senior year are advisable.

Through check-ins and email correspondence (including continuously updated, personalized To Do List and Timeline), your Minerva IEC will closely monitor and supervise your student action plan for success consisting of

The Seven Pillars of The Minerva Method™:

I. Academic Enrichment

—Continue to maximize W/UW GPA through optimal class participation, close interaction with teachers, securing tutors where needed and careful course selection for senior year. MEC provides referrals for vetted, time-trusted academic tutors in all subjects. Remember that:

—W GPA demonstrates rigor

—CDS (Common Data Set) includes UW GPA medians for colleges/unis which tend to remain stable over time. This is not a coincidence.

Keep in mind that Princeton requires a two-page, school-graded essay (see specific MEC FAQ for details).

—Carefully plan summer after junior year. To consider: college course for credit at top choice school in order to demonstrate college readiness, college/uni research lab placement, one-on-one professorial mentorship, internship. Through subsidiary Mentor Academics, college professors at top choice schools are recruited for mentorships.

—Secure commitments for supplementary LOR from professorial mentors and professors of college courses taken for credit. Keep in mind that Harvard, Princeton, Brown and Dartmouth allow unlimited supplementary LOR (ideally capped at 4)

II. Published Research / Conference Presentations

—Continue to pursue published research in reputable peer-reviewed journals and presentations at scholarly conferences. Keep in mind that Columbia College invites students to upload published research on the Common App.

III. Test Score Maximization

—We are in the midst of a swing back to emphasis on test scores, due in part to rampant grade inflation. See specific MEC FAQ for details. Harvard, Yale, Brown, Dartmouth, MIT & Caltech have recently returned to a policy of requiring standardized test scores. MEC provides vetted, time-trusted test prep tutors where needed.

—National Merit:

• The competition spans 18 months and recognizes three levels of accomplishment: Commended, Semifinalist, Finalist.

• Each year, approx. 3.5 million students take the PSAT of which approx. 1.3 million qualify to enter the National Merit program.

• In junior year, the top 50,000 highest PSAT/NMSQT (National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Testscorers) students in the country will be notified of their status as “National Merit Commended Scholars” and their eligibility to continue in the program.

• In September of senior year, students will be notified if they have qualified as one of 16,000 National Merit Semifinalists.

• In order to compete to become one of 15,000 National Merit Finalists, Semifinalists must submit SAT or ACT score, report card, school LOR and an application detailing volunteer experience/ECs including a self-descriptive essay.

IV. Data-informed College List

Continue to strategize and refine college list as candidacy evolves including:

—the college list remains speculative until the report card arrives at the end of 11th grade. If the list was too ambitious vis-à-vis the updated GPA, a course correction will be in order.

—confirm appropriate ED/EA/REA/SCEA choice/s where applicable, evaluating candidacy strength vis-à-vis classmates with same choices. Create and maintain a spreadsheet of students in the high school class in the same league competitively, where they have legacy, their GPA, their ethnicity, their test scores, their early choices, their financial status, etc. This will help in making the most strategic school for the early cycle. Keep in mind that college list choices remain speculative until junior year grades are locked in and test scores are locked in. Also, students are going to need the green light from the school counselor. So, a lot can change through the end of junior year.

—consult most recent high school profile to measure candidacy strength relative to school standards and offerings

—consult data where available to measure candidacy viability vis-à-vis specific schools. Example (see pages 27-33): students.hw.com/Portals/44/completehandbook2023.pdf

—evaluate student’s achievements relative to most recent standardized test score/GPA medians of desired colleges/unis

—identify optimal 11th grade Teacher Recommenders and reserve slots . Keep in mind that MIT recommends one math/science teacher and one humanities/social science/language teacher.

—cultivate close, deferential working relationship with School Counselor, keeping firmly in mind that this person possesses uniquely privileged information including:

• potential existence of MOU (Memos of Understanding) between high school and individual colleges/unis (see specific MEC FAQ for details)

• expected strength of Teacher Recommendations

—plan/schedule/conduct additional campus visits including interviews/faculty & student meetups where available

—ramp up DI (Demonstrated Interest) campaign (see specific MEC FAQ for details) including:

• answer emails/text messages of desired schools as quickly as possible

• mail handwritten thank you notes to college/uni reps with whom student has interacted

V. Passion Project

—Continue to develop passion project. Ramp up volunteering, community impact and partnerships with established non-profit foundations (MEC can assist through close working relationships cultivated with entities such as Unicef, Amnesty International, The Borgen Project et. al.). Involve high school community as much as possible in passion project. Ideally, teachers who will write application recommendation letters have mentorship roles in the passion project. Pursue publicity which allows AOs to corroborate work completed. Consider creating a documentary about the passion project, including interviews with scholars and elected officials on issues of social justice and human rights, to submit to competitions. MEC provides vetted, time-trusted professionals to assist with documentaries.

VI. Résumé / Personal Website / Essays / Application Review / Interview Prep

—Résumé: Continue to hone. Consult specific MEC FAQ with detailed instructions on résumé policies of individual colleges/unis. A well-honed résumé greatly facilitates the preparation of a Brag Sheet for the School Counselor and the Activity List on the Common App.

—Personal Website: continue to develop, keeping it spare and visual given that AOs are extremely time-pressed. This 1 October 2024 article in The Atlantic illustrates the value of an impressive “Favorite Reads” section on the personal website:

www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2024/11/the-elite-college-students-who-cant-read-books/679945/

—Common App main essay: develop and perfect. This is an iterative process. Tap family members for anecdotal flourishes about student as child.

—Common App Activity List: Rank by importance. Similar activities may be aggregated in the same entry for maximum effect.

Keep in mind that:

• the most valuable activities are those which have persisted over time (ideally from 9th grade through 12th grade)

• in addition to the 10 entries on the Common App Activity List, Harvard invites students to submit a 150-word list of “additional intellectual activities” (see MEC website FAQ for details)

VII. National / International Honors and Awards

—Continue to pursue recognized local/national/international honors and awards.

Important Dates:

• 31 July: Résumé, college list and Common Application main essay should be completed. Students who have not completed these tasks by this date will be required to engage a TMC (Time Management Coach) in order to continue working with MEC. MEC provides referrals for vetted, time-trusted TMCs. Students may also privately engage a TMC who will participate in all future meetings.

• 2 August: Open Common Application account and complete forms (on 1 August a reset of the Common App occurs and input can be lost). Request transcripts from all colleges/unis where courses for credit were taken to be sent to schools on college list.

• Before senior year begins: the majority of supplementary application essays should be completed so that the student may concentrate fully on maximizing GPA in the first semester of senior year

Junior Year Candidacy Enrichment Opportunities:

• October

  Request nomination to MIT BWSI (Beaver Works Summer Institute) | Lincoln Laboratory | School of Engineering for attendance in July

  Application deadline: 31 March

  Attendance is free-of-charge

  beaverworks.ll.mit.edu/CMS/bw/sites/default/files/What%20is%20MIT%20BWSI%202021_0.pdf

  beaverworks.ll.mit.edu/CMS/bw/bwsiapply

• November:

  —Applications open on 15 November for MIT RSI (Research Science Institute)

  MEC student accepted to summer 2025 cohort.

  “Students with one year remaining before graduation from high school may apply to RSI. Students planning to apply for RSI are strongly encouraged to take the PSAT. It is recommended that PSAT Math Scores be at least 740 or higher and the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing Score be 700 or higher. ACT math scores should be at least 33 and verbal scores at least 34.”

  Six-week cost-free session is usually held from 26 June to 6 August

  Application deadline for domestic students: 14 January

  Application deadline for international students: 11 February

  www.cee.org/apply-rsi

  —Applications open for Bank of America Student Leaders Program (for high school juniors and seniors only). App deadline: around 28 Jan. Results announced around 31 March

  MEC student accepted to summer 2025 cohort. Acceptance rate under 2.6% (315/12,000+ for summer 2025).

  8‐week paid internship at a local nonprofit/charitable organization working 35 hours/week

  Requires participation in expense-paid, week‐long Student Leadership Summit in Washington, DC (around July 26-30). Baggage fees, travel to and from Washington DC, hotel accommodations and all meals are covered.

  about.bankofamerica.com/en/making-an-impact/student-leaders

  NOTE: Upon acceptance, put acceptance letter on resume and cite admission stats.

• December:

  —Applications open for the Summer Science Program (SSP), affiliated with MIT, Caltech & Harvey Mudd (5-1/2 weeks from mid-June to late July)

  Cohorts in Astrophysics or Biochemistry, 36 participants each

  For attendance in summer before senior year; participants must be at least 15 years old, but not yet 19, during the program

  Participants must understand trigonometry, matrices, logarithms & complex numbers upon arrival

  Admit rate: 10%

  summerscience.org/

  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_Science_Program

• February:

  —Applications open for full-tuition, merit-based Cameron Impact Scholarship for students with strong leadership, service and EC profiles who intend to pursue a career in education, nonprofit or government and have a stated goal of public service.

  Early Deadline (advisable): 21 May

  www.bryancameroneducationfoundation.org/scholarship

• March:

  —Try to obtain a n Unpaid Lab Placement at Stanford for the summer

  oso.stanford.edu/sites/g/files/sbiybj18016/files/media/file/Tips%20for%20Finding%20a%20Volunteer%20Lab%20Placement%20at%20Stanford.pdf

• Summer opportunities:

  —Yale Summer Session: Pre-College Students (college credit, taught by Yale faculty; for summer after junior year; must be 16 years old by program start date)

  Session A (7 June - 9 July): Application opens 15 February , closes 14 May

  Session B (12 July - 13 Aug): Application opens 15 February, closes 18 June

  summer.yale.edu/apply/pre-college-students

Consultation Year 6 = Grade 12 / High School Senior
Any items not yet completed in previous year +

• National Merit:

  • The competition spans 18 months and reecognizes three levels of accomplishment: Commended, Semifinalist, Finalist.

  • Each year, approx. 3.5 million students take the PSAT of which approx. 1.3 million qualify to enter the National Merit program.

  • In junior year, the top 50,000 highest PSAT/NMSQT (National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Testscorers) students in the country will be notified of their status as “National Merit Commended Scholars” and their eligibility to continue in the program.

  • In September of senior year, students will be notified if they have qualified as one of 16,000 National Merit Semifinalists.

  • In order to compete to become one of 15,000 National Merit Finalists, Semifinalists must submit SAT score, report card, school LOR and an application detailing volunteer experience/ECs including a self-descriptive essay.

• 31 October:

  Application deadline for $20,000 Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation Scholarship

  www.coca-colascholarsfoundation.org/

• November:

  —Taco Bell Live Más Scholarship ($25K; 16-26 yrs)

  Submit 2 minute video about passion project

  Not need or achievement-based

  Application period: 1 Nov - 11 Jan

• Recommended competitions:

  —Society for Science - Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS - open only to high school seniors)

  First place wins $250,000, second place wins $175,000, third place wins $150,000

  Application season opens on 1 June before senior year and closes on 10 November

  Open only to students attending school in U.S. & territories + U.S. students living abroad

  www.societyforscience.org/isef/

  — John Quincy Adams Student Foreign Policy Essay Contest (open to high school seniors as well as undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students)

  Deadline 28 February; 1,100 words; First Prize $2,000

  jqas.org/2023-student-foreign-policy-essay-contest/

• Oversight of teacher / counselor recommendation letters which must corroborate information in the application which is not otherwise verifiable

• Supervise application to colleges on Common Application: up to 20 schools

• Alumni Interview Coaching

• Assistance with deferred/waitlisted student essays & LOCI (Letter of Continued Interest)

  —Typical required essays may include:

  Carnegie Mellon: “What additional information or updates would you like Carnegie Mellon to consider? (300 words maximum)”

  Berkeley: “Wait List Opt-in Personal Essay: You may utilize this Personal Essay as an opportunity to share more about yourself with the selection committee. Your essay will be considered along with your original application. 500 words max”

  —Service activities which are useful for this purpose:

  Amnesty International National Week of Student Action (early April)

  www.amnestyusa.org/nwsa/

• Assistance deciding among schools to which a student has been accepted.

Consultation Year 7 = First year of undergraduate college study

• Remember to take a screenshot of the date and time of every single assignment submitted online, in case of need. Glitches occur and professors can be testy. Go to office hours as often as possible of both professors and TAs (TAs are often doing the grading, so cozy up to them). Flatter your professors! Read their published articles, check for any youtube videos of them, bring these subjects up during office hours conversation. Ask professors about research lab and summer internship opportunities. Professors have phenomenal connections which they will use for students they like. Competitions for internships is fierce! Recommended reading: 15 May 2025 article in the NY Times: “(…) students (…) felt they had to fill out 150 to 250 internship applications each year to be confident there would be a few that wouldn’t reject them.”

• September: Identification of internship/fellowship/competition opportunities (some applications will be due as early as October):

  —Parker-Dewey Micro-Internships

  www.parkerdewey.com/career-launchers

  —John Quincy Adams Society Marcellus Policy Fellows (U.S. foreign policy)

  jqas.org/the-marcellus-policy-fellowship/

  —Council on Foreign Relations

  www.cfr.org/career-opportunities/internships

  —Brookings Institution

  interns-brookings.icims.com/jobs/intro?hashed=-435682078&mobile=false&width=890&height=500&bga=true&needsRedirect=false&jan1offset=-300&jun1offset=-240

  —World Resources Institute

  www.wri.org/internships-wri

  —For students majoring in Chem ENG:

  AIChE (American Institute of Chemical Engineers)

  • keep close tabs on the student internship board:  https://internships.aiche.org/jobseeker/search/results/ 

  • check out the Institute for Learning & Innovation: https://www.aiche.org/ili

  —Global Case Competition at Harvard (GCCH)

  Showcase financial skill & network with industry professionals

  www.thecasecompetition.org/

  Prize: $10,000

  Teams: 2-5 persons

  14 November: Registration opens

  31 December: Early Bird Registration Deadline

  19 February: Regular Registration Deadline

  20 February: Case Release

  12 March: Late Registration / Case Submission Deadline

  21-22 April: Competition Grand e-Finals

  28-30 April: In-person Event

  —Goldman Sachs Internship: 2024 hire rate: 0.9% (2600/315,126)

  www.goldmansachs.com/careers/students/programs/americas/undergrad-virtual-insight-series.html

  —Girls Who Invest (GWI) Online Intensive Program (takes place from February to August)

  www.girlswhoinvest.org

• September: Launch chapters of institutions if not already present on campus:

  —Amnesty International

  www.amnestyusa.org/student-group-registration-form/

  —Habitat for Humanity

  www.habitat.org/volunteer/near-you/youth-programs/campus-chapters

  —Volunteers Around the World (VAW) Global Health Alliances (offers internships)

  www.vawglobal.org

  —European Horizons

  www.europeanhorizons.org

  —Friends of Doctors Without Borders

  www.doctorswithoutborders.org/start-fomsf-chapter

  —John Quincy Adams Society (U.S. foreign policy)

  jqas.org | jqas.org/apply-to-join/

• October:

  Initiate requests to professors for internship recommendation letters and submission of internship applications, as per deadlines

  —Berkeley Economic Review Fall Undergraduate Essay Contest (750 words)

  Submission deadline: usually 16 November

• March:

  —Berkeley Economic Review Spring Undergraduate Essay Contest (750 words)

  Submission deadline: usually 14 March

• Summer activities:

  —John Quincy Adams Society Foreign Policy Leadership Development Program (takes place in June; 23 May registration deadline) events.jqas.org/2021/1128823

Consultation Year 8 = 2nd (sophomore) year of undergraduate college study

• September: Identification of internship/fellowship/competition opportunities (some applications will be due as early as October):

  —Girls Who Invest (GWI) Summer Intensive Program (includes paid internship; occurs May through mid-August)

  —Blackstone Future Women Leaders Program

  Targets highly talented female college sophomores interested in careers in Finance. 2-day educational event which provides Blackstone with the opportunity to meet talented women at an earlier stage in the recruitment process and develop a pipeline of candidates for internship and full-time programs. Application deadline: usually 2 October

  www.blackstone.com/our-impact/diversity-equity-inclusion/

  —The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

  Virtual paid 12-wk internship; applicants must have completed 3 college semesters

  civilrights.org/about/careers/internships/

Consultation Year 9 = 3rd (junior) year of undergraduate college study

• For students seeking career in government/public/not-for-profit sector: Seek nomination to represent college/uni for $30K Truman Scholarship

• Summer Internships (for summer after junior year of college has been completed):

  —American Bar Association

  20 hrs/wk, unpaid

  www.americanbar.org/groups/crsj/about-us/internships/

  —Deloitte Policy & Government Relations Intern

  Application deadline: 13 October

  8 weeks starting in June

  apply.deloitte.com/careers/JobDetail/Policy-Government-Relations-Intern-Summer-2025/192409

  —The Atlantic Council Young Global Professionals Internship Program (int’l affairs; 26 March deadline)

  For undergraduate juniors and seniors, as well as graduate students

  Summer: 30 hrs/week for 10 weeks

  Spring/Fall: 30 hrs/week for 16 weeks

  www.atlanticcouncil.org/careers/internships/

  —J.P. Morgan Global Finance & Business Management (GFBM) Internship Program (10-wk summer program; application deadline 2 Dec)

  careers.jpmorgan.com/global/en/students/programs/finance-summer-analyst?search=&tags=location__Americas__UnitedStatesofAmerica

  Job simulation:

  www.theforage.com/virtual-internships/prototype/dJgTXj3M5zcSY79Hn/jp-morgan-chase-Global-Finance-and-Business-Management-(GF-&-BM)-Virtual-Experience-Program

  —Ernst & Young

  www.ey.com/en_us/careers/student-programs

—Carter Center

www.cartercenter.org/involved/educational-programs/internships-offered/index.html

—Alpine Investors (10 weeks in San Francisco)

boards.greenhouse.io/alpineinternships

—Amazon Internships for Students

amazon.jobs/content/en/career-programs/student-programs/internships-for-students

July:

• Rhodes Scholarship applications are available in early July (deadline: 1 October; check your college for institutional deadline) Upon entry to Oxford, candidate must be at least 19 years of age and not yet reached 24th birthday; or not yet reached 27th birthday and will complete first degree by 1 October). Candidates may begin preparing their applications in the summer before the senior year of college.

  www.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk/office-of-the-american-secretary/application-overview/application-overview/

Consultation Year 10 = 4th (senior) year of undergraduate college study

Research positions:

—National Bureau of Economic Research

www.nber.org/career-resources/research-assistant-positions-not-nber

Volunteer/Intern positions:

—Earth Refuge (excellent for pre-law and other students interested in climate change)

Minimum age to apply: 20 years (communicated directly to Minerva from Stephanie Hader, Executive Director, via email on 28 February 2022)

Two rounds of interviews required

earthrefuge.org/get-involved/

—United Nations Climate Change Internship

September:

—Apply to Gates Cambridge Scholarship (applications open 2 September, close 13 October)

www.gatescambridge.org/

Students who wish to continue on to business graduate programs right away without first engaging in significant work experience may consider:

—Yale School of Management Silver Scholars Program

“Unique opportunity for ambitious college seniors to pursue a Yale MBA degree immediately after graduation and begin an accelerated career path in any industry.”

som.yale.edu/programs/mba/admissions/silver-scholars-program

—USC M.S. Program in Entrepreneurship and Innovation

“The MSEI program is open to students from all academic backgrounds and disciplines, enabling them to jumpstart their futures without acquiring the full work experience required for admission to an MBA program.”

www.marshall.usc.edu/programs/specialized-masters-programs/master-science-entrepreneurship-and-innovation/overview

—Princeton M.Fin.

"The program does not require prior work experience. At a minimum, we expect applicants to have completed one or more internships (for instance over the summer while in college). "

gradschool.princeton.edu/academics/degrees-requirements/fields-study/finance

Consultation Year 11 = 1st year of graduate study

Internship for law students:

—Just Atonement Inc. (fall, spring, summer; New York, Geneva, online; human rights law)

justatonement.org/internships

Consultation Year 12 = 2nd year of graduate study

Summer opportunities:

—Rand Corporation Graduate Student Summer Associate Program (12 weeks)

For doctoral students within 1-2 years of completion OR law/medicine/engineering/computer/information science/operations research graduate students for summer after 2nd year of graduate study)

Deadline: 4 December

www.rand.org/about/edu_op/fellowships/gsap.html

Consultation Year 13 = For students with Master’s degree

Fellowship:

—Refugees International

www.refugeesinternational.org/fellowships

“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”

Benjamin Franklin

Families should carefully consider the enormous impact of intended major on probability of admission.

Intended major thrusts the student into a competitive cohort with the expectation of a corresponding level of preparedness.

AOs (Admission Officers) are tasked with creating a balanced class of students with varying intended majors across disciplines in order to formulate budgets and distribute resources across departments accordingly in an effective, cost-efficient manner.

This mandate is especially pressing at unis which have capped/impacted majors.

Unis with capped/impacted majors include all U.S. public institutions as well as some private ones.

A capped/impacted/limited enrollment major is one where demand exceeds supply: if a student doesn’t secure a slot in the desired intended major at the time of admission, a slot may never become available.

For example, JHU is laudably transparent about the BME major:

“Our BME major is the only limited enrollment major at Hopkins with a goal of enrolling 100-120 new first-year students each year. If spaces open in the BME major at the end of [a student’s] first year, the Whiting School of Engineering will contact all first-year students about program availability and the process to apply for internal transfer. Because of limited space, transfer students are unable to apply to the BME program.”

apply.jhu.edu/academics/majors-minors-programs/biomedical-engineering/

Some applications of highly competitive institutions which do not have capped/impacted majors nonetheless ask students to rate the probability of divergence from the intended major indicated on the application. For example, on the Common App (under “Questions - Academic”), Harvard asks: “On a scale of 1 (absolutely certain) to 5 (very likely to change), how definite do you consider your academic plans to be?*

For these reasons, dabblers and undecided candidates do not typically achieve the most favorable outcomes in college admissions.

Upon completing eighth grade, the student arrives at a momentous fork in the road and needs to make a clear determination about the direction of the college admission candidacy:

• hardcore STEM (e.g. Engineering, CS, Business/Econ, pre-med/science)

  OR

• a relatively “soft” intended major (e.g. sociology, international relations, political science, humanities)

By choosing to pursue a hardcore STEM college admissions candidacy, a high school student is voluntarily choosing to enter the most aggressive college admissions cohort.

Pursuing a relatively “soft” intended major college admissions candidacy:

• dramatically increases probability of admission at private colleges/unis which don’t have capped/impacted majors

• does NOT impede the student from majoring in hardcore STEM at private colleges/unis which don’t have capped/impacted majors

• allows the student a relatively more relaxed high school experience

It is HIGHLY INADVISABLE to change direction of a candidacy during high school:

• from hardcore STEM to “soft” (a red flag which causes AOs to suspect “bait-and-switch”)

• from “soft” to hardcore STEM (given the herculean task of catching up with competitive peers)

The ideal course of action is to decide upon one of the following two strategies—(a) or (b) below—regarding intended major for the purposes of the college admission candidacy before commencing ninth grade.

(a) HARDCORE STEM CANDIDACY

If a student aspires to:

• attend any institute of technology/equivalent (e.g., MIT, Caltech, Harvey Mudd)

• attend B-school (e.g. Wharton, Stern)

• attend direct admittance ENG program (e.g. at Columbia/Penn/Cornell; BME at JHU)

• pursue a hardcore STEM major at CMU/USC/Bucknell

• attend public schools all of which have impacted/capped hardcore STEM majors (including those which claim otherwise)

in this case, the student should begin mapping out the foundations of a hardcore STEM candidacy as early as possible.

At highly selective institutions/programs:

• the student will compete in the most aggressive college admissions cohort.

• the student should plan to garner significant wins in relevant hardcore STEM Olympiads, national science fairs and analogous competitions—this list on the MIT website is indicative of expectations.

NOTE:

Admit rates for an intended major in CS at public schools can be as low as the Ivies:

• Cal Poly SLO for CS: :<3% (this is overall; out-of-state is lower)

  mustangnews.net/cal-poly-computer-science-department-faces-faculty-shortage-with-growing-student-demand/

• UWash Seattle for CS, out-of-state: 2%

  admit.washington.edu/apply/freshman/by-the-numbers/

• UIUC for CS: 7.2% (this is overall, out-of-state is lower)

  www.admissions.illinois.edu/apply/freshman/admit-rate

Elementary Science Olympiad (ESO) begins in third grade (this is not a typo….).

Mathematical Olympiads for Elementary and Middle School (MOEMS) begins in fourth grade.

Even the most brilliant students may find it difficult to compete successfully in high school Olympiads without having begun intense training at an earlier age.

Have a read here:

thetech.com/2016/06/02/olympians-of-mit-feature

mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/mit_olympians_part_2/

OR

(b) CANDIDACY WITH RELATIVELY “SOFT” INTENDED MAJOR

If a student aspires to attend:

• an Ivy (exceptions: B-school / direct admittance ENG program)

• Stanford

• other traditional private school which does not have impacted majors

in this case, the student may apply with an intended relatively "soft" major (e.g. sociology, poli sci, human rights, American studies, humanities) which is dramatically less competitive and apply exclusively to traditional private schools which do not have impacted majors.

Shaping a candidacy around a “soft” intended major results in a more relaxed high school experience for the student, while increasing probability of admission to this type of school. Such an approach to college admissions embraces the laudatory stance that college—not high school—is the appropriate time for students to explore disciplines and identify a major. Adopting such an approach to college admissions does not constitute an attempt to “game the system” for the following reasons:

• Studies show that the vast majority of students change intended major multiple times before declaring it (typically at the end of the second year of college). Indeed, the first two years at a traditional private college are expressly intended to constitute an exploratory period for this very purpose.

• The current admissions climate which obliges intended hardcore STEM major applicants to perform herculean feats which are unsuitable for their stage of development in order to gain entry to the most selective schools is actively contributing to a national mental health epidemic among youth.

Students interested in a career in business may apply to CAS (College of Arts and Sciences)/equivalent with a “soft” intended major and upon arrival pursue an economics major in CAS. At most schools (exception: Bucknell), students may apply to transfer internally to a business school after arrival if desired. To know: an econ major in CAS which focuses on econometrics is considered by employers to be more rigorous than an undergraduate business school focus such as management.

Ancillary advantages of pursuing a “soft” intended major when applying to college from high school include:

• college courses for credit in the soft major are sometimes accepted by the college/uni the student attends and can translate into a minor. These days, in order to enhance competitiveness in the job market, many students pursue triple majors and triple minors where permitted. Knocking part of a minor out while in high school gives students an edge.

• In a recent interview with ABC, the CEO of Anthropic emphasized the importance of soft / people skills in the future tech market:

  "uniquely human qualities will actually be more critical in the age of AI, not less (…) when we look to hire people at Anthropic today, we look for people who are great communicators, who have excellent EQ and people skills, who are kind and compassionate and curious and want to help other people (…) That echoes what JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon has said about the growing importance of “soft skills,” such as having a high emotional quotient. While AI will still eliminate some jobs, young people should lean into critical thinking and communication skills, including how to write well and how to perform well in a meeting. If they can get those right, “You’ll have plenty of jobs,” he said in December (…) “I actually think studying the humanities is going to be more important than ever,” [the Anthropic CEO] explained. “(…) things that make us uniquely human—understanding ourselves, understanding history, understanding what makes us tick—I think that will always be really, really important. And I think the ability to have critical thinking skills and learn how to interact with other people will be more important in the future, rather than less” (…) IBM CEO Ginni Rometty told Fortune in 2023 that when generative AI fully integrates into the workforce, it will put a premium on abilities like collaboration, judgment, and critical thinking. And Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said in November that as AI takes over more analytical and technical tasks, emotional intelligence and empathy are becoming increasingly important.”

  fortune.com/2026/02/07/anthropic-cofounder-daniela-amodei-humanities-majors-soft-skills-hiring-ai-stem/

Important Cautionary Notes:

—Activities/awards throughout high school must be coherent with the declared intended major.

—If a student upon entering ninth grade shapes a candidacy around a “soft” intended major but also dabbles in hardcore STEM intended major activities, the AO is likely to suspect a "bait-and-switch." In this case, the AO may deny the student or place the student in the hardcore STEM intended major cohort. With regard to the latter: a student who has shaped a candidacy around a soft intended major is not competitive with purely hardcore STEM intended major candidates.

—Students with a soft intended major and their parents should NEVER view anything STEM-related on college websites using their own computers or cell phones, as colleges assiduously track such activity using AI programs such as Slate.

—A student who forms a candidacy around a soft intended major and plans to immediately pursue a hardcore major upon arriving at college may typically take summer courses for credit as a Visiting Student the summer before college begins, in order to get up to speed.

—A student who forms a candidacy around a soft intended major and upon entering college immediately pursues a hardcore major will temporarily be at a competitive disadvantage, relative to students already in possession of a strong resume in the hardcore major, when applying to internships, fellowships and summer jobs during the first year of college (some applications open as early as November of the first year of college). During the second year of college, high school accomplishments are expected to drop off the résumé.

—Students who plan to apply to any public schools (where hardcore STEM majors are impacted/capped) are well-advised to shape their high school candidacies around a hardcore STEM major, if there is any chance whatsoever that they may wish to pursue the same in college.

—Students who plan to apply to private schools where hardcore STEM majors are impacted (e.g. CS at CMU/USC/Bucknell)—which is a rarity among private schools—are well-advised to shape their high school candidacies around a hardcore STEM major, if there is any chance whatsoever that they may wish to pursue the same in college.

—Students who intend to apply to an institute of technology should demonstrate acute technological proficiency (e.g. advanced coding skills et. al.) in activities and awards, regardless of the intended major chosen for the purposes of the application. At institutes of technology, every discipline is approached from a technological perspective.

CAVEAT

A student who pursues bait-and-switch should NOT share intended major with classmates. Otherwise, a copycat phenomenon can be expected to ensue which will work against the student’s best interest.

BIFURCATED CANDIDACY

It is NOT ADVISABLE to split the college list by:

• applying as a hardcore STEM intended major at schools with capped/impacted majors

• applying as a relatively “soft” intended major at schools which do not have capped/impacted majors

Such an approach is a recipe for disaster because it:

• stretches even the most capable teenager perilously thin by:

—doubling the work load by requiring the student to develop, track and document two candidacies simultaneously with two versions of essays, résumé, Activity List, etc. (thereby also doubling consulting hours and the corresponding economic cost to parents)

—dramatically increasing the probability of student error on the application (ticking the wrong box, asking for the wrong letter, sending the wrong version of documentation, etc.)

• risks engendering suspicion in, confusing and provoking error on the part of high school staff members who write recommendation letters and who are not permitted to endorse bait-and-switch. AOs sometimes call a School Counselor to discuss a student. School Counselors and Teachers discuss students together. Candidacy coherence is of paramount importance.

With regard to:

• colleges/unis which require School Counselor Letters

• Recommendation Letter from the same Teacher/s for a list of colleges/unis at which the student is applying both as a hardcore STEM intended major and “soft” intended major

at best, bland and ineffective letters result given that:

• the student must claim to be undeclared (which will not mesh with the rest of the student’s application—RED FLAG FOR AO)

OR

• the student must claim to be undecided between two majors or intending to pursue a double major (in which case the student will be promptly placed by the AO into the most competitive of the two cohorts—defeating the whole purpose of bait-and-switch)

When AOs sniff bait-and-switch, they can swiftly REJECT.

MEC (Minerva Education Consultancy) does NOT endorse the practice of applying as a hardcore STEM intended major at some schools and applying as a relatively “soft” intended major at other schools, because doing so is not conducive to a successful outcome. MEC will discontinue service to a family which decides at any stage in the process to pursue such an ill-advised strategy.

The following excerpts from the 27 February 2023 article of the Annals of Higher Education in The New Yorker underscore the dearth of non-STEM majors at this time, resulting in a higher probability of admission for convincing non-STEM intended major applicants:

"(...) from 2012 to 2020 (...) Tufts lost nearly fifty per cent of its humanities majors (...) Bates (...) saw (...) humanities majors fall by nearly half.

At Columbia University (...) English majors fell from ten per cent to five per cent of graduates between 2002 and 2020, while the ranks of computer-science majors strengthened.

In 2022 (…) a survey found that only seven per cent of Harvard freshmen planned to major in the humanities (...) foreign literatures also sustained losses (...) “We feel we’re on the Titanic,” [said] a senior professor in the English department

According to the Harvard Crimson, which conducts an annual survey, more than sixty per cent of the members of the class of 2020 planning to enter the workforce were going into tech, finance, or consulting.

(...) the humanities’ desperate efforts to compete (…)

Harvard’s history-of-science department has seen a fifty-per-cent increase in its majors in the past five years (...) There’s a lot of ethics in bioethics, after all."

Tips for students applying with an intended hardcore STEM major:

—Be sure to take AP Bio, AP Chem and AP Physics. Do not substitute AP Environmental Science, AP Psych or a high school engineering course for any of these.

—Be sure to take AP Calc AB before taking AP Calc BC, if your school offers AB.

—Don’t take AP Statistics instead of AP Calc BC.

—If you take physics in 9th grade, be sure to have taken or to be enrolled in a more advanced physics course by the time you apply to college. If it is not offered by your school, take it for credit at a college.

No!

For example, strong candidates with humanities intended majors have published research, awards, and leadership in humanities.

An applicant without humanities-relevant research, awards and leadership will not compete favorably within the humanities cohort.

The rigor of a student’s course choices will be assessed vis-à-vis:

• courses offered at student’s high school as explicated on the profile of the high school (typically findable online)

• courses taken by peers in the same high school class applying to the same colleges/unis

• for hardcore STEM intended majors: advanced sequential coursework readily available online

  • Stanford ULO (Pre-Collegiate University-Level Online Math & Physics)

    Spring term application deadline is 6 Jan; classes take place from 27 Jan to 16 May

    Summer term application opens 3 March and closes 12 May; classes take place from 17 June to 8 August

    Fall term application deadline is 29 July; classes take place from 26 Aug to 13 Dec

Students should take the most demanding courses offered in which they are confident they can get a full A as grade. While W GPA reflects rigor, only UW GPA of accepted applicants is reported to CDS/IPEDS and hence only UW GPA factors into the rankings of colleges/unis—which in turn contributes to how high tuition can climb. As a result, UW GPA is of extreme importance to colleges/unis for reasons of their own marketing and financial health. Economically-privileged students who have unimpeded access to tutors are expected to reach the 75th percentile median of GPA of any specific college/uni in order to be a viable candidate. This reality is reflected in the following stat which is typical of the most highly selective colleges/unis:

Harvard - Percent of enrolled students with 4.0 UW GPA: 74.02% (see page 13)

bpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/sites.harvard.edu/dist/6/210/files/2024/05/CDS_2023-2024-Final-4755619e875b1241.pdf

Students should carefully consult and heed the requirements / recommendations of specific schools to which they intend to apply.

If there is any chance that any student might want to apply to all the Ivies / Ivy Plus, the following should be pursued:

• 4 years of English/literature with extensive practice in writing

• AP bio, AP chem, AP physics + an advanced course in one of these

• 4 years of the same foreign language (not native tongue of parents)

• 4 years of math including Calculus

• 4 years of history (including American + European history) / social studies (can include government, economics and politics)

• some study in visual / performing arts

Tips for students applying with an intended hardcore STEM major:

DO NOT:

• substitute AP Environmental Science, AP Psych or a high school engineering course for AP Bio/Chem/Physics

• take AP Statistics instead of AP Calc BC

DO:

• take AP Calc AB before taking AP Calc BC, if your school offers AB

• if you take physics in 9th grade, be sure to have taken or to be enrolled in a more advanced physics course by the time you apply to college. If it is not offered by your school, take it for credit at a college.

Specifics for selected schools are below.

BROWN (as of 13 Feb 2025)
"(…) specific course recommendations are provided below:
English - 4 years, particularly focused on literature and academic writing
Math - 4 years, continuing through calculus when possible, particularly for students interested in STEM
Science - 3-4 years, including 2 years of lab science and particularly biology, physics, and chemistry when possible
History and Social Studies - 3-4 years, including courses such as history, government, economics and politics
Foreign Language - 3-4 years, preferably continuing with the same language when possible
Brown also encourages the study of music, art, and other electives in addition to the coursework recommended above."

admission.brown.edu/ask/preparing-brown

CALTECH (as of 13 February 2025)

“Academic Requirements for First-Year Applicants
Four years of math, including one year of calculus
One year of physics
One year of chemistry
One year of biology (recommended)
Four years of English
Two years of history and/or social sciences courses (3+ years recommended)”

www.admissions.caltech.edu/apply/first-year-applicants/academic-requirements-for-first-year-applicants

CMU (as of 13 Feb 2025)
www.cmu.edu/admission/admission/academic-requirements-college-level-work

COLUMBIA (as of 13 Feb 2025)
"Columbia College strongly recommends the following secondary school preparation:
Four years of English literature and composition
Four years of mathematics — unless you have already completed what is available at your school
Three to four years of history and/or social studies
Three to four years of laboratory science
Three to four years of one foreign language (ancient or modern) taken during high school
Students who plan to become scientists, engineers, physicians or dentists should be as solidly grounded in mathematics and the sciences as their high school schedules and curricula have permitted. The study of mathematics, at least through pre-calculus, is strongly advised wherever possible.
"Columbia Engineering strongly advises these courses within the following recommended academic preparation:
Four years of mathematics through calculus — unless you have already completed what is available at your school
Four years of laboratory science, including one year of chemistry and one year of physics — preferably in the last two years of secondary school
Four years of English literature and composition
Three to four years of history and/or social studies
Two to three years of a foreign language (ancient or modern) taken during high school"

undergrad.admissions.columbia.edu/faq

CORNELL (as of 13 Feb 2025)
"A basic preparation for college work typically includes the following high school courses:
4 years of English
3 years of mathematics
3 years of science (at least 2 lab sciences)
3 years of a foreign language
3 years of social science (history, social studies)"

faq.enrollment.cornell.edu/kb/article/194-what-high-school-courses-are-required/

DARTMOUTH (as of 13 Feb 2025)

"We recommend a course of study that includes a minimum of:

• English: 4 years with a preference for writing-intensive literature courses

• Mathematics: 4 years, through calculus for students interested in engineering and the STEM disciplines

• History and social science: 3 years

• Science: 3 years of laboratory science with 4 years including physics for students considering engineering

• Foreign language: 3 years of a single language (ancient or modern) with 4 preferred"

admissions.dartmouth.edu/glossary-question/does-dartmouth-require-specific-high-school-courses

HARVARD (as of 12 February 2025)
"(...) the strongest applicants take the most rigorous secondary school curricula available to them. An ideal four-year preparatory program includes:

• four years of English, with extensive practice in writing

• four years of math (examples include rigorous and relevant courses in computer science, statistics and its subfields, mathematical modeling, calculus, and other advanced math subjects)

• four years of [lab] science: biology, chemistry, physics, and an advanced course in one of these subjects

• three years of history, including American and European history

• four years of one foreign language

college.harvard.edu/resources/faq/are-there-secondary-school-course-requirements-admission

MIT (as per MEC interaction with MIT AOs):
Students who are well matched with MIT take the following classes in high school:

• Math: Four years. Advance as far as possible. Online courses are available at Stanford ULO which explains appropriate sequence: ulo.stanford.edu/mathematics

• Physics: One year or more (NOT taken only in 1st/2nd yr of high school). Advance as far as possible. Online courses are available at Stanford ULO which explains appropriate sequence: ulo.stanford.edu/physics

• Chemistry: one year or more

• Bio: one year or more

• English: four years

• Foreign language: two years

• History and/or social sciences: two years

Also recommended: economics, music

PENN (as of 13 Feb 2025)
"we encourage you to consistently take classes in core academic areas (English, social studies, math, science, and foreign language) throughout your four years of high school."
admissions.upenn.edu/how-to-apply/what-penn-looks-for/high-school-preparation#:~:text=Therefore%2C%20we%20encourage%20you%20to,four%20years%20of%20high%20school.

PRINCETON (as of 13 Feb 2025)
"If possible, we expect students will complete the following courses before beginning study at Princeton:
Four years of English (including continued practice in writing).
Four years of mathematics (including calculus for students interested in engineering).
Four years of one language.
At least two years of laboratory science (including physics and chemistry for students interested in engineering).
At least two years of history.
In addition, most candidates have had some study in the visual or performing arts."

admission.princeton.edu/apply/before-you-apply

STANFORD (as of 13 Feb 2025)
"Recommended High School Curriculum
(…) a curriculum like the one below is the best preparation for the academic rigors at Stanford.
English: four years, with significant emphasis on writing and literature.
Mathematics: four years of rigorous mathematics incorporating a solid grounding in fundamental skills (algebra, geometry, trigonometry). We also welcome additional mathematical preparation, including calculus and statistics.
History/Social Studies: three or more years, with courses that include the writing of essays.
Science: three or more years of science (some examples include biology, chemistry, physics, computer science, human anatomy, and environmental science).
World Language: three or more years of the same world language."

admission.stanford.edu/apply/first-year/prepare.html

WESLEYAN (as of 26 June 2025)

“84% of the [Class of 2029] admitted students have completed math through calculus

80% have taken biology, chemistry, and physics

75% have a four-year proficiency in a single foreign language”

wesleyanargus.com/2025/04/15/class-of-2029-admission-data-the-largest-applicant-pool-to-date/

YALE (as of 11 April 2024)

"you should try to take courses each year in English, science, math, the social sciences, and foreign language."

admissions.yale.edu/advice-selecting-high-school-courses#:~:text=Generally%20speaking%2C%20you%20should%20try,or%20your%20preparedness%20for%20college.

Yes!

As a result, it is imperative that the quality of writing in these essays is consistent with the quality of writing to be submitted in the college admissions application

Harvard recommends "Four years of a single foreign language:"

college.harvard.edu/guides/preparing-college

Princeton recommends “Four years of one [foreign] language:”

admission.princeton.edu/how-apply/academic-preparation

Wesleyan vaunts that “77% [of accepted Class of 2028 applicants] have a fourth year (or equivalent) of one foreign language:”

www.wesleyan.edu/admission/class-profile.html

NOTE: It is preferable that the foreign language in question is NOT the mother tongue of the student’s parents. Spanish is strongly recommended for non-Latinx students.

Identify days when high school is closed for the student between September and May—when classes are in session at colleges of interest. These are the ideal dates to register for college visits when campuses are bustling.

Before 9th grade begins:

During spring of eighth grade, attend Info Sessions and Campus Tours at Harvard / Princeton / Stanford (among the most attractive campuses) et. al. and simultaneously present salient stats to the student.

In this way, students are motivated to hit the ground running and do the hard work that it takes to get a 4.0/4.0 UW GPA starting in the first year of high school—which is becoming increasingly imperative due to rampant documented national grade inflation.

Example:

For the Class of 2027, Harvard received 56,937 applications of which only 1,942 were accepted.

www.thecrimson.com/article/2023/3/31/admissions-decisions-2027/

92.2% of students admitted to Harvard are in the top decile of their high school class

74.3% of students admitted to Harvard have a 4.0/4.0 UW GPA

At least 25% of students admitted to Harvard scored 36/36 on the ACT, and Harvard does not superscore:

bpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/sites.harvard.edu/dist/6/210/files/2023/06/harvard_cds_2022-2023.pdf

Note:

Economically privileged students with resources available for tutors, time management coaches, etc. are expected to hit published benchmarks.

It can be extremely arduous to bump up UW GPA once a misstep occurs. Taking preventive measures, including securing tutors in every subject even for top performing students, is the recommended approach.

10th grade:

Due to the current acutely competitive college admissions environment, most students are applying to the maximum permissible allotment of 20 schools (3 safety, 3 target, 14 reach) on the Common App when the high school allows it.

Post-tour, students typically eliminate 7-8 target/safety schools from the initial list as per personal preferences; so the initial list should ideally comprise 27-28 Common App schools.

While visiting campuses, students should continuously prioritize schools in real time in terms of preference, annotating reasons. In this way, students will be well-prepared to:

• select top-choice schools (among Stanford, Harvard, Columbia, Penn and CMU) to apply to in December for attendance at in-person courses for credit during the summer following 10th grade

• identify top-choice school/s in order to secure professorial mentors at the same, thereby enhancing DI (Demonstrated Interest)

11th grade:

This year the college list should be finalized and locked down; and where appropriate, choice of early admission cycle school/s should be confirmed.

12th grade:

The summer before 12th grade, students may attend in-person college courses for credit at Yale.

Ideally, faculty members in the intended major of the student are contacted to try to arrange in-person meetings during tours.

Detailed, handwritten thank you notes are mailed to tour guides, AOs and faculty members with whom students come into contact.

Students take extensively detailed notes during tours to use when answering "Why this school?" supplementary essays and when conducting AO/alumni/undergrad interviews.

Ideally, no college visits take place during the first semester of senior year when students focus 100% on GPA. It is common practice for AOs to request mid-semester grade reports for students who apply in the early cycle.

NOTE:

While research schools and during all tours, students should:

• maintain in real time a chart of pros and cons for each school with as many details as possible—continuously ranking the schools in order of preference

• record comments while filming campuses, sending the recording with text comments to MEC in real time. Analysis of this information will allow MEC to discern patterns which are useful for refining the college list, and to help students when they confuse one school with another (this happens with some frequency!)

• maintain a spreadsheet with details about schools to draw upon later when replying to the “Why this school"?” essay on applications

During Info Sessions and college tours, only students should pose questions. When parents have questions, they should coordinate with students accordingly.

IMPORTANT: Students, please refrain from judging a school on the basis of the personality of a single tour guide or the weather on the day of the tour! Misconceptions abound from such data points.

Immediately upon receiving the report card for junior year, any schools on the college list for which the student does not meet requisite GPA medians should be expeditiously removed. 

The college list should be finalized as soon as possible thereafter, so that the summer before senior year can be devoted to application completion and multi-tiered DI (Demonstrated Interest).

In this way, during the first semester of senior year, the student can focus on grades.

A college list should NEVER be based upon a projected improvement in GPA during the first semester of senior year.

Any improvement in GPA during the first semester of senior year serves to solidify/enhance the candidacy for viable schools already on the college list—NOT to suddenly "upgrade" the RD/EDII cycle college list. 

Not all AOs (Admission Officers) include senior first semester academic importance in decision-making. Offers of admission are contingent upon maintenance of GPA through senior year, however. Improved senior year GPA can also be critical in waitlist decisions. 

Strategic timing of college list determination is critical to college admissions outcome success. 

Yes, assuming that the student does not need the interim between when college apps open (typically 2 August) and submission deadlines occur in order to remedy candidacy flaws/weaknesses/gaps.

At the HECA Conference in June 2025, Slate (the AI program used by AOs) released data demonstrating a correlation between students who submit apps from 2 August through 15 October and retention/strong academic performance once in college. AOs shared with MEC at the conference that as a result, henceforth submission of apps during the aforementioned period will increase probability of admission; although colleges/unis will not publicly share this information given that economically privileged students (who benefit from professional support) are more likely to submit during this period. Journalists denounce any scenario which enhances the acceptance probability of economically privileged students.

Typical approximate application deadlines include:

1 Nov: EA/ED/REA/SCEA
30 Nov: UC schools
First week of January: RD/EDII

Ideal application submission dates for non-UC schools, where permitted*:

EA/EDI/REA/SCEA/RD: 2 August

EDII for students who DID NOT apply EDI: 2 August
EDII for students who DID apply EDI: 16 December

IMPORTANT: Students who plan to apply on 2 August must secure all necessary uploads to the Common App from Counselors and Teachers before the junior school year ends. This brings the risk that documentation can be lost when the Common App refreshes each year on 1 August. The Counselor and Teachers should be alerted concerning your intention to submit on 2 August, with a request for availability in the event that uploads are lost on 1 August. A student should never share with a Counselor or Teachers the reason for submitting early (to enhance probability of admission), which is a sure giveaway that the student has hired a private consultant (which some Counselors find objectionable as they lose full control over the process). Students should just say that they will have everything ready by 1 August and will feel more relaxed on your summer vacation to have already completed applications, so that they can fully focus on school when the new academic year begins.

Ideal application submission date for UC schools: 1 October (and at the latest, 2 weeks before the Thanksgiving holiday closure of high school)

*Applicants applying EDI/REA/SCEA must heed restrictions imposed by individual schools concerning simultaneous application to schools which offer non-binding EA. Policies are in a constant state of flux and should be assiduously checked school-by-school in real time. For example, as of July 2025, Harvard does not permit REA students to simultaneously apply to private schools which offer non-binding EA (e.g. MIT, UChicago, Northeastern); whereas UPenn does allow ED students to simultaneously apply to private schools which offer non-binding EA.

Submitting applications early increases probability of admission for the following additional reasons:

(1) Impressive time management skills of student are showcased
(2) Demonstrated Interest: application was clearly not an afterthought
(3) Recommenders are less harried
(4) Chance of receiving alumni interview may be increased
(5) Ample buffer time is available in case of need to address website glitches / application inconsistencies
(6) High schools/universities are closed during holidays and unreachable if needed when overlap with deadline occurs
(7) Insurance against unforeseen events in life of student/Recommenders
(8) AO can view application sooner while in a less harried state

and most importantly of all….

(9) AOs must lock in students with specific attributes in order to meet established metrics. The earlier a student submits, the less likely that competitors with the same attributes have already been accepted and the relevant metric satisfied.

IMPORTANT: Take a screenshot which records accurate date and time of application for each school. Glitches are commonplace. Sometimes the Common App will record 2 November as the submission date for an application submitted on 1 November.

No!

While a student may submit an EDII application as early as 2 August, this typically does not occur before 16 December for the reason that REA/SCEA/EDI decisions are released on 15 December.

And while it is true that as a general rule, submitting applications as early as possible increases probability of admission for students who do not have candidacy flaws/weaknesses/gaps which need to be remedied, when a school offers both EA and EDII, the EDII admit rate can be expected to be higher than the EA admit rate for the reason that EDII is binding.

Applying with a binding formula is the strongest form of DI (Demonstrated Interest) which exists.

It allows the school to count on incoming tuition earlier in the game and boosts the yield rate.

EA students have until 1 May to respond to the school.

One exception to this general rule of EDII probability of admission being higher than EA probability of admission would be if a college/uni is extremely popular among students at a particular high school as an EDI choice, and a student is concerned that the quota for the high school will be exhausted before the EDII cycle plays out. This concern can be allayed by analyzing admission outcomes of the high school for the past five years.

Case Study: UChicago

EA

App deadline: 3 November

Reply Date: 1 May

EDII: App deadline: 5 January

Reply date: Mid-March

Even though the EA app deadline is two months earlier than the EDII app deadline, locking in tuition dollars early and boosting the yield rate is more critical to colleges/unis.

Because EDII is binding, AOs (Admission Officers) can count on those tuition dollars the moment they make a decision to admit an EDII applicant. The EDII "reply date" of mid-March is a mere formality, except in the rare case of financial aid applicants who could potentially attempt to be released from an EDII decision (a rarity) due to insufficient financial aid offered.

Students should plan ahead to allocate 2-3 hours each day all summer long to college admissions!

This is in addition to competing summer activities such as professorial mentorships, research projects and volunteer work.

The order of magnitude of the college admissions task should not be underestimated.

It can be useful to think of the college application process like running a marathon.

Pacing is of paramount importance, so that students don't run out of steam and/or time before completing the Common App applications for schools (typically consisting of 3 safety, 3 target, up to 14 reach) + ancillary applications.

A typical overall time allocation is as follows:

Common App (20 schools): 160 hours

UC: 19 hours

MIT: 19 hours

Summer before senior year (hours of student time):

15 hours: Main Common App essay (the most important for Common App schools), 650 words. Essay must be impeccable, and is typically batted back and forth multiple times between the student and MEC.

100 hours: Supplementary essays for 20 Common App schools (up to 5 per school), including extensive research of courses/professors/programs of each school in order to answer the "Why this school" question.

—Note: Students submitting creative portfolios may incur additional essays.

5 hours: Completing Activity List and Honors/Awards on Common App

5 hours: Filling out data on forms of Common App + individual schools

1 hour: Brag sheet for school counselors / teachers for them to prepare LOR

5 hours: Update resume (ongoing)

5 hours: Update passion project website and personal website (ongoing)

12 hours: Weekly Zoom meetings with MEC

12 hours: Weekly Zoom meetings with Time Management Coach (optional but recommended)

If applying to UC, add 19 hours of student time: 15 hours for UC essays (4 x 350 words) + 3 hours for Activity List + 1 hour for forms)

If applying to MIT (doesn't use Common App), add 19 hours of student time

First semester of senior year:

5 hours: Meetings with school counselor & teachers who write LOR, to maximize result

5 hours: Alumni interview prep including mock interviews

10 hours: Alumni interviews

Second semester of senior year:

20 hours: In case of need, plan to tackle additional accomplishments to occur after submitting applications—which are critical in the event that a student is deferred (in the early admission cycle) or waitlisted (in the RD cycle)

2 hours per LOCI, in case of need. Note: Some schools require essays for students to be placed on a priority waiting list (e.g., CMU).

During the summers before freshman, sophomore and junior high school years:

• Attend summer programs for high school students sponsored by colleges you hope to attend

• Visit college campuses, attending information sessions and student-led tours.

Study for the PSAT (Practice SAT), using study guides available on Amazon and online resources

October of freshman year of high school: Take the PSAT 8/9. Select summer programs at American universities; begin to prepare applications.

November of freshman year of high school: Submit applications for summer programs at American universities

October of sophomore year of high school: Take the PSAT 10. Select summer programs at American universities; begin to prepare applications.

November of sophomore year of high school: Submit applications for summer programs at American universities

Engage in community service in the locale where you live on an ongoing basis, preferably crowdfunding and executing your own project in conjunction with a charitable institution and your school.

October of junior year: Take SAT Subject Test #1 (typically a language, if offered). Select summer programs at American universities; begin to prepare applications.

November of junior year: Submit applications for summer programs at American universities, preferably which take place in June / July.

December of junior year: Take SAT Subject Test #2.

March of junior year: Take SAT Subject Test #3 (typically Math 2). Compile preliminary college list for the purpose of summer campus visit tour.

May of junior year: Take SAT Test.

June / July before senior year:

• Attend a summer program for high school students at college you hope to attend.

• Visit college campuses, attending information sessions and student-led tours.

• Common App main essay is completed.

August before senior year:

• 1 August: Sign up for new edition of the Common App on www.commonapp.org which opens today

• Résumé and Common App activities section are fully completed.

September:

• Final ED/EA/REA decisions are made.

• School-specific essay questions are researched.

October:

• School-specific essay questions are completed.

• Students may retake one of the above SAT tests, if warranted. However, ED/EA/REA choices are not based on results and not all ED/EA/REA schools will consider results.

• Students who want to apply for financial aid complete the CSS Profile.

November: Applications are submitted.

October of junior year: Select summer programs at American universities; begin to prepare applications.

November of junior year: Submit applications for summer programs at American universities.

December of junior year: Take SAT Subject Test #1 (typically a language, if offered).

March of junior year: Take SAT Subject Test #2. Compile preliminary college list for the purpose of summer campus visit tour.

May of junior year: Take SAT Test.

June / July before senior year:

• Attend a summer program for high school students at college you hope to attend.

• Visit college campuses, attending information sessions and student-led tours.

August before senior year:

• 1 August: Sign up for new edition of the Common App which opens today

• Take SAT Subject Test #3 (typically Math 2).

  Résumé, Common App activities section and essay are fully completed.

October:

• Retake SAT or SAT Subject Test.

• Students who want to apply for financial aid complete the CSS Profile.

November:

• College list is finalized.

• School-specific essay questions are researched.

December: 

• EDII students finalize school choice.

• School-specific essay questions are finalized

• Student may retake one of the above SAT tests, if warranted.

January: Applications are submitted

Extremely important!

Failure to meet yield targets (= number of students secured for an upcoming class) places:

• colleges/unis in a precarious economic state

• AOs in a precarious job security state

Such risk is especially perilous in the midst of President Trump’s threats to cancel federal funding to colleges/unis which resist his intrusions.

Students and families should completely disregard declarations of colleges/unis which officially claim not to use DI in admissions decisions.

ALL schools without exception perforce calculate Enrollment Probability (simply another name for DI) when making admissions decisions for the purpose of yield protection, whether or not “DI” is publicly acknowledged.

Highly selective/rejective schools which publicly disavow or underplay DI do so because economically privileged students have the resources to produce the highest DI scores, including traveling around the country for campus visits, taking summer courses for college credit at desired schools, etc.. Hence, liberal journalists understandably attack such schools for including DI as a factor in admissions decisions.

The DI phenomenon has become preposterous for all parties involved, with students and parents deluged with emails, AI programs tracking student/parental interest, etc. Nonetheless, DI must be deftly navigated to advantage by students and parents.

AOs have confided to MEC at conferences that they reject “stealth” candidates as a form of yield protection.

A stealth candidate is an economically-privileged student who has produced little or no DI—or produced it too late in the game. Foundational (“safety”) schools are especially averse to stealth candidates—including overqualified candidates who they reject because it is eminently clear that the college/uni in question was an afterthought. An increasing number of AOs have openly stated to MEC that they will not consider an economically privileged candidate who never physically visits campus.

Context for schools that went test optional for the first time during COVID: The number of applications which highly selective colleges/unis received skyrocketed as a result of going test optional, causing admit rates to plummet. In response, students began applying to the full allotment of 20 schools on the Common App (typically 3 foundational, 3 target, 14 reach for a highly competitive student). Consequently, when a superlative student is accepted by MIT and Harvard, Harvard gets a no! AOs are under intense pressure from college presidents to produce favorable yield rates (= % students who accept offers of admission) which is a publicly-published statistic and a factor in rankings/marketing. Students grapple with the problem of eliciting offers of admission from colleges. Colleges/unis grapple with the problem of puzzling out the likelihood that an offer extended to a student will be accepted.

For this reason, colleges are increasingly investing in predictive modeling tools which produce an enrollment probability /DI score for each student (and also for parents) to use when making admissions decisions, particularly in borderline cases.

These factors illustrate why college admissions pre-COVID and post-COVID are entirely different phenomena.

This Wall Street Journal article underscores how AI software used by schools tracks the following:

• when students sign up to the mailing list on a school's website

• how fast students open emails and text messages from schools

• pages of school website viewed and amount of time devoted to each page

• geographical location of student and browser used during each visit

• registration for and attendance at on-campus and online events

Families are strongly advised to ascertain whether the student will be required to use the school-assigned email address for:

• signing up on College Board when taking the PSAT in middle school

• signing up for SAT/ACT in high school

• signing up on the Common App in high school for the purpose of college applications

—If not, the student should open a simple, conventional, easily recognizable gmail address (preferably consisting of student’s legal first and last name) to be used for all of these items, which AI programs track.

After determining which email address will be used for college admissions by the student, the student / family should do the following as soon as possible starting the summer before ninth grade:

( ) set aside a cell phone and PC to be used only for college admissions for the student, to be shared by the student and parents (as well as potentially a third party in the physical home who can assist with DI in the intense college application period near deadlines)

( ) sign up on the mailing list on the website of every school which may conceivably be on the future college list + any corresponding Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter/X accounts

( ) from the physical location of the student during after-school hours, immediately open each email and text message which arrives from schools on the college list; register for relevant virtual activities (including Q&A with AOs, chats with college students, etc.); click on a link in the email to be taken to the school's website; and spend at least 30 minutes looking at appropriate webpages

—DO NOT click on webpages pertaining to hardcore STEM majors unless there is 100% certainty that the student will indicate the same as intended major/s on the college application and will produce the requisite benchmarks necessary to compete for admission (i.e. at the most selective schools: significant awards such as Olympiads and Regeneron, national science fairs, highly competitive research programs such as MIT RSI, published research in reputable peer-reviewed journals and conference presentations, 1580+ SAT/35+ ACT, 4.0 UW GPA, 4.4+ UW GPA, 5+ of the most rigorous AP STEM exams with score of 5, etc. ). Reason: schools track webpages that students view in order to verify authenticity of intended major indicated on application.

—DO click on webpages pertaining to school mission, human rights, community service, social justice, intended major to be indicated on application, professor profiles/labs/research papers of intended major to be indicated on application

( ) don't open webpages of a college/uni while visiting the campus of another college/uni

( ) attend all relevant in-person and online events for every school on the college list (including all visits of corresponding AOs to student’s high school). In-person events include Campus Tours, Info Sessions and Open Houses. Always privilege Open Houses when possible. To find these events, simply Google the name of the school and the aforementioned terms. A calendar should come up. Try to choose dates when all three events are offered on the same day.

( ) identify three professors whose specific research and teaching interests overlap with those of the student. Email all of the following:

• the Admissions Officer which handles the student’s geographical location

• the Visitor’s Center

• the professors

asking to attend a class / visit a lab (or that of other professors if selected ones are unavailable). It is highly recommended that MEC reviews drafts of correspondence prior to sending, as they will become part of the student file. If a high school student has a friend who is a college student currently attending the institution, the friend can ask the professor if the high school student may attend a class.

( ) identify college/uni-affiliated students/alumni/professors/donors/board members among family/friends/teachers/high school staff/acquaintances. Keep a spreadsheet of these contacts to submit to MEC. Some applications ask for this information. When appropriate, it can also be strategically sprinkled throughout essays.

( ) arrive on campus at least twenty minutes before scheduled event/s (e.g. Info Session, Campus Tour) in order to absolutely register physical presence. Detailed instructions should be in confirmation emails received. Often the registation location is far from the location of the first event. If a student does not register upon arrival, a "No Show" will result and DI (Demonstrated Interest) points will not be garnered.

( ) purchase a T-shirt or sweatshirt, according to season, with the name and colors of the college/uni. Take a Polaroid +normal photo of the student wearing it, smiling in front of an identifiable landmark on campus. If a parent/student interacts with any AO, take a photo of this occurrence.

( ) for rising seniors who are gregarious, affable, articulate and relaxed in high-stakes social settings:

—Students (with or without parent/s) can spontaneously walk into an admissions office without an appointment when on campus and ask if someone is available to answer questions. Frequently, a regional or other AO will be available to meet with the student/family. Be sure to prepare questions for which answers are not available on the website of the school/uni and that were not just explicitly addressed during the Info Session. Ideally, students clear these questions with MEC in advance. Examples of appropriate questions (which reflect well on the candidate):

• Is it feasible/commonplace for a first-year student to snag a research assistant position in a lab first semester?

• What new projects are in the planning stages that will commence in the next four years?

• For non-STEM intended majors: are most of the resources allocated to STEM?

• For a BIPOC or Jewish/Muslim student or 2SLGBTQ+: what efforts are made to make sure that campus is a safe and welcoming place specifically for the group with which the student identifies?

( ) mail a memorable and thoughtful handwritten thank you note to every college rep (tour guide, AO, professor, etc.) with whom the student has interacted in person (thank you notes addressed to non-AOs are forwarded to AOs), ideally posted locally when on the college tour so that it arrives swiftly when the college rep is likely to still remember the student (so, come equipped with stationary, envelopes and stamps on the college tour!). Some students have cool stationary made in advance with name/address/personal website at the top + logos of passion project & two other pre-approved entities where student has a leadership position on the bottom (e.g., The Borgen Project, Amnesty International, et. al.). Use cheap, recycled paper (nothing lavish, no gold embossing). Write in cursive with a pen (no pencil). Make sure penmanship is neat and legible, with letters all the same size and indented paragraphs. If penmanship is not optimal, have a family member with superior penmanship write the note. Include the aforementioned Polaroid photo/s of the student (and parent, if participative) wearing the logo of the college/uni. An effective thank you note will:

• when an individual meeting has taken place: include something which will jog the memory of the AO to help identify the conversation with the student

• demonstrate that the student did a deep dive into learning about the school and was extremely attentive during the campus visit

• scrupulously avoid generalizations and vague language (AOs loathe text which could be easily used in a thank you note to another school)

• evince wit and charm

• identify what is unique about the school and double down on that. Detail is key.

• include name and address of high school

AOs have raved at conferences about students who submit handwritten notes. It is highly advisable that MEC approves every draft prior to handwriting

it out.

( ) maintain a detailed spreadsheet of every form of DI interaction for every school on the college list including dates

( ) during each campus visit, take assiduous notes of details that resonated with the student which don’t appear on the college/uni website or in college review books (e.g. Fiske, Princeton Review). AOs really pay attention when this occurs. These notes can be drawn upon for the “Why this school?” essays of applications. Ahead of time, students should devise an extremely efficient organizational system with which they are comfortable for inputting (preferably in real time) and accessing said information. Accompanying well-labeled photos/video/taped comments can also be helpful. Particularly when visiting more than one school in the same time period, students are prone to confusing them. The time it takes to input this information this will absolutely pay off down the line. Highly proactive parents can execute these tasks for students to save them time and energy. Younger siblings who are willing can participate, which is terrific to immerse them into the process. IMPORTANT: Please rank the college list as the tour progresses in real time.

This YouTube video starting at 22:59 shows an example of an elaborately detailed Slate Activity History DI page of an applicant used by a college, consisting of color-coded graphs and timelines:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiOgl6QNcgk&t=1960s

For parents who are alums at school/s to which a student will apply: The Development Office of colleges/unis informs AOs about the donation history of alum parents of applicants. It is a factor in the DI score.

—NEW DEVELOPMENT: In June 2025, MEC learned at a conference that Slate is now also tracking DI of parents. As a result, parents are also well-advised to open a simple, conventional, easily recognizable gmail address for themselves to use only for college admissions. In this manner, emails are unlikely to get lost in the shuffle and Spam can be more easily checked. Parents should use their own computers when garnering parental DI points, with the email opened without restriction in terms of time/place.

NOTE:

—When students/parents receive emails from colleges which are not of interest, they are well-advised to unsubscribe so that they are not deluged or distracted from opening immediately emails from desired schools.

NOTE TO PARENTS OF RISING SENIORS:

Grades during the first semester of senior year are exceedingly important when applying to private schools, for both the early and RD admissions cycles (many AOs request a mid-semester report).

Students can expect to be bombarded by an exorbitant number of emails from schools on the college list during this same time period, said emails which must be immediately opened from the IP address and geographical location of the student. All relevant virtual events should be assiduously tracked and scheduled, in order to garner DI points.

Some families find the following strategy helpful in order to ease the undue burden on students so that they do not become weary and/or distracted from homework:

• A parent or family secretary in the home can perform the following tasks every day on the cell phone and computer designated for college admissions during after-school hours to:

—open all emails / text messages from schools on college list

—assiduously track / schedule / attend relevant virtual events

Thirty minutes each week of screen time per school during first semester senior year is advisable (= total 10 hours per week of screen time for all schools in the case of the typical college list of 20 schools).

CMU:

—Carefully craft a “Custom Viewbook:"

customviewbook.cmu.edu/wizard/?src=17

Describing these experiences is optimal when answering application questions about why you have chosen a specific school, and bolsters Demonstrated Interest. Attending these programs will also help you decide your personal preferences among schools.

STANFORD

Students interested in Stanford should participate in as many as possible of the following programs:

For middle school students: oso.stanford.edu/programs/middle-school-students

For high school students: oso.stanford.edu/programs/high-school-students

Yes!

Selected examples are below:

Private

Fairleigh Dickinson
"Fairleigh Dickinson University operates on a rolling admission basis; applications can be submitted to FDU at any time."
https://www.fdu.edu/admissions/apply-now/#:~:text=Fairleigh%20Dickinson%20University%20operates%20on,to%20FDU%20at%20any%20time.

Public

ASU
"Once we have received a complete application, including paid application fee and official transcripts, undergraduate students should receive an admission decision in about four weeks (...) In some instances, admission decisions can be made in as little as five business days."
https://admission.asu.edu/contact/faqs#:~:text=ASU%20uses%20a%20rolling%20admission,all%20requested%20materials%20are%20received.

UPitt
"The University Of Pittsburgh operates on a rolling admission policy, which means that for our first-year students and undergraduate programs, there’s no set deadline for applying to Pitt. We review all university applications and make admissions decisions throughout the year, so it’s to your advantage to apply for college early"
https://admissions.pitt.edu/first-year-student/

University of Florida
"Final decisions are rendered on a rolling basis."
https://ufonline.ufl.edu/includes/application-deadlines/

University of Central Florida
"UCF operates on a rolling admission basis."
https://www.ucf.edu/apply-to-ucf/#:~:text=UCF%20operates%20on%20a%20rolling,transfer%20credit%20summary%20once%20admitted.

W GPA is indicative of rigor; hence, from purely an academic standpoint, it is far more important than UW GPA.

However, other issues come into play in admissions.

Colleges/unis voluntarily report UW GPA (not W GPA) of enrolled first year students on the CDS (College Data Set) and use this data point in marketing.

For example, the average UW GPA for the enrolled Princeton Class of 2026 was 3.95/4.0; and 74.02% of students enrolled in the Harvard Class of 2027 had a 4.0/4.0 UW GPA.

Examination of CDS data over multiple years typically reveals that UW GPA of enrolled first year students at a college/uni is consistent over time.

Indeed, Presidents of colleges/unis instruct Directors of Admissions to maintain it thus.

When an AO identifies a worthy candidate with a relatively low UW GPA, an offer of admission for the sophomore year may ensue (e.g. Cornell sometimes invites the student to attend Ithaca College for the first year). In this way, the UW GPA of the student in question does not negatively impact data reported on the CDS.

Immediately upon opening the application account, months before deadlines, preferably during break periods when the Student is not in class.

Filling out biographical information including course lists is an extremely time-consuming task for the Student/Family.

Students tend to monumentally underestimate the time requirement for this task, despite any nudges/reminders on the part of the Consultant.

Parents are advised to closely monitor students accordingly.

In some cases:

• the Student cannot access the entire application—including some essay prompts—until biographical information and major/program selections have been filled in

• duplication of information input is required by the host portal (for example, Common App or Coalition) and the individual school section

The Student//Family should be aware that essay prompts are sometimes dispersed throughout applications, and not always restricted to the "Writing" section of applications.

Applications and portals change configuration from season to season, and sometimes even mid-season; so the Student/Family should remain highly vigilant concerning the same.

With regard to Activity/Experience and Honors/Awards lists to be completed on applications:

—This information can by highly mutable in some candidacies; in this case, the Student may need to wait until closer to deadlines to input it. Caution should be exercised as this, also, is an extremely time-consuming task.
—Some portals automatically order entries chronologically. Other portals request students to input entries in order of importance.
—Most (but not all) portals do not permit students to change the order of entries after inputting.
In this case, students should first determine the order, then begin inputting information.
—When inputting information, most portals will present information from top to bottom upon inputting; however, others do the reverse.
—Many portals are extremely glitchy. Also, information should be saved frequently or it may disappear.

The responsibility for delivering essay prompts and drafts to the Consultant in a timely fashion, as well as signaling to the Consultant readiness for application form review in a timely fashion, lies exclusively with the Student/Family.

Upon request, MEC can make a referral for a Time Management Coach (TMC) who can closely monitor the progress of the Student in completing tasks in a timely fashion.

Absolutely!

Personal websites (the link is placed in the Additional Information section of the Common App) allow students to continuously enrich their candidacies in real time after submitting applications. 

Additionally, if a student:

• applies EDI/EDII/EAI/EAII and gets deferred to the RD pool 

• applies EDI/EDII/EAI/EAII, gets deferred to the RD pool, and then gets waitlisted

• applies RD and gets waitlisted

many schools allow the student to send an update in the form of an LOCI (Letter of Continued Interest) with new accomplishments. 

Some School Counselors are also willing to send an update letter—which is ideal—even to schools which do not officially accept them (if/when the Counselor has a good working relationship with the AO in question). 

The text below on the JHU website is instructive: 

“I applied Early Decision I and my application was deferred to Regular Decision. Should I send any additional information to improve my chances? You’ll be required to send mid-year reports when they are available. Additional materials are not required. However, you can update your application with additional letters of recommendation, an updated resume, standardized test scores (...) or a written statement of interest in Hopkins for review during the Regular Decision selection process. Send any additional materials to applyhelp@jhu.edu.”
https://apply.jhu.edu/how-to-apply/application-deadlines-requirements/early-decision/

Extremely important!

Private schools typically require mid-semester reports for the first semester of senior year on the Common App.

When AOs are on the fence about a candidate, they can also pick up the phone and make a call to the School Counselor to ask about grades et. al.

This is especially true in the case of:

( ) GPA inconsistency: AOs often want to "wait and see" what happens the first semester of senior year.

( ) a student deferred in the early cycle and/or waitlisted in the RD cycle

Students should also keep foremost in mind that if the unpredictable circumstance occurs that that they do not like the college/uni they attend, they may wish to transfer after the first year. In this case, senior year grades are of paramount importance.

Every school has a different policy about senior year grades. Examples:

UMich

“in your senior year (…) three (…) C's (…) may be cause for revoking admission.”

teamdynamix.umich.edu/TDClient/154/Portal/KB/ArticleDet?ID=7468#:~:text=Admitted%20first%2Dyear%20students%3A&text=Any%20significant%20decline%20in%20your,be%20cause%20for%20revoking%20admission.

UC

Only uses grades from 10th and 11th grades.

U Md

"We do not factor first semester senior grades into our admission decision, as not every school has them available before the deadline. We do, however, take the rigor of a student's senior year schedule into account. We like to see students continue to challenge themselves through rigorous coursework their senior year" (communicated directly to Minerva via email on 4 Aug 2023)

Yes!

Starting on 2 May each year, the NACAC (National Association of College Admissions Counseling) College Openings Update lists schools which are still accepting applications from high school seniors and transfer applicants in the period from 2 May through the end of July for the upcoming fall term.

The list is updated daily.

https://www.nacacnet.org/college-openings-update/

1. AUGUST APPLICATION SUBMISSION

2. TEENAGE PUSHBACK

3. TEENAGE PROCRASTINATION

4. REGULAR STRUCTURED MEETINGS

5. TURNAROUND TIME

6. TIME BANK DELAYS

7. BLACKOUT PERIODS

8. SURGE PRICING

9. FAMILIES WITH BUDGETARY RESTRAINTS

 1. AUGUST APPLICATION SUBMISSION

MEC achieves an unusually high rate of success in college admissions due in part to the assiduous time management exerted over the process which optimizes outcomes.

In order to:

• avoid stressing students who are statistically already experiencing an unprecedented mental health crisis

• avoid stressing School Counselors who are already experiencing an unprecedented position turnover

all colleges/unis/AOs publicly state that no advantage whatsoever is conferred by submitting applications prior to deadlines.

This is absolutely not the case.

MEC students who:

• begin planning the summer before ninth grade

• engage in monthly check-ins through 11th grade

• engage in weekly check-ins starting the summer after 11th grade

typically submit first early cycle (ED/REA/SCEA/EA) + RD applications on 2 August of senior year, immediately after the Common App reboots.

Doing so significantly boosts probability of admission.

AOs use the AI program Slate to input desired class metrics, for example (partial list):

• % Asian/Black/White etc.

• % FGLI (First Gen Low Income)

• % full-pay

• UW GPA median

• ACT/SAT median

• # students to be accepted from specific high school / state / region

Slate then feeds the AO student profiles for review which satisfy these requisites. Hence, the earlier a student applies, the more likely the student is to appear in that feed. Once a specific mix of metrics has been satisfied, students with that mix of characteristics will no longer appear in the feed.

With all applications (with the exception of EDII) submitted before senior year begins, students may fully focus on maximizing first semester grades.

2. TEENAGE PUSHBACK

Submitting applications months prior to deadlines requires exceptional advance planning, organization and coordination among MEC, the student, and parents.

Parents play a critical role in the process.

When parents encounter unresponsive and/or oppositional behavior in a teenager where college admissions prep is concerned, it often disguises a cry for help in navigating an intimidating future for which the student understandably feels unprepared.

Students may attempt to invalidate parental input as a coping mechanism with regard to the impending date for flying the nest for college.

The internal narrative of the student is the following: if the parent’s input is invalid, then the student is better off making decisions autonomously. Said rationalization renders leaving home for college less daunting. It may also impede parents from making valuable input in the college admissions prep process.

This type of complex, avoidable friction can be frustrating for parents and students alike.

Parent-student tension can be exacerbated by the profusion of misinformation which is rampant on the internet and shared among students via anecdotal/outdated evidence.

MEC invests considerable resources in order to provide irrefutable hard evidence for positions regarding strategy for the reason that trust in the MEC process on the part of the student is critical.

MEC consolidates that trust through regular structured meetings over an extended period of time.

Such a structured approach frees the parent to provide a critically supportive—rather than antagonistic—role with the student during the college prep period, helping to usher the student smoothly to the finish line.

3. TEENAGE PROCRASTINATION

A student who does not have an older sibling who has recently tackled the college admissions process can be expected to monumentally underestimate the time commitment required.

Parents attended high school in a different era, when they were obliged to forge time management skills on their own.

Studies show that a preponderance of students today do not sufficiently learn how to autonomously manage their time for the reason that high school online portals organize everything for them.

Additionally, studies continue to be released about the negative impact of excessive, addictive screen time (Instagram, TikTok, etc.) on young minds (lack of focus, brain fog, et. al.). 

When building a college admission candidacy, students must simultaneously integrate numerous candidacy-building activities with school and other responsibilities.

College admission applications:

• are intricate and time-consuming

• frequently contain glitches and inconsistencies which must be clarified, sometimes directly by MEC with Common App / Admission Offices

• are perused by AOs in a fresh state when submitted early

Procrastination on the part of the student represents a major impediment to the optimization of the college admissions outcome.

Procrastination is a common teenage response to overwhelm.

Without close supervision, teenagers under duress have an uncanny ability to energetically channel attention to less arduous/critical tasks to the great detriment of making progress on arduous/critical ones.

Overwhelm is mitigated by breaking down complex tasks into manageable, bite-size pieces which are accomplished in a timely, systematic manner under the supervision of MEC which functions as an accountability partner.

4. REGULAR STRUCTURED MEETINGS

The time management skills which are indispensable to successfully navigating the college admissions process for highly selective schools necessitate trial-and-error practice on the part of the student over time.

Attempting to suddenly improvise such skills during the summer before senior year is highly inadvisable.

Regular, structured meetings of the student with MEC, preferably starting the summer before ninth grade:

• render the student at ease discussing feelings about college and the associated separation anxiety/fear of independence, as well as the student’s perception of readiness for college-level academic challenges

• allows for college prep skills to build gradually over time, leading to a more efficient process. A time management deficit on the part of a student can easily double or triple the time required for any college admission task, risking to compromise the college admissions outcome.

• ideally results in all essays and application work completed and MEC-approved before senior year begins

The vast majority of students—including the superbly organized and the most high-performing—benefit from regular, ongoing MEC support in order to prepare for the unprecedented rigors which lie ahead.

MEC provides to the student updated, prioritized TO DO lists and timelines with deadlines/benchmarks in an ongoing manner. MEC also accepts a limited number of students expressly in order to provide exceptionally ample access during the critical college application period.

Students tempted to wait until EDI/SCEA/REA decisions are released on 15 December before tackling the bulk of RD/EDII applications due the first week of January should consider the following:

• The results of such a shortsighted, high-risk approach are predictably subpar and strongly inadvisable for such a high stakes life event.

• Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year holidays compromise availability of key players (School Counselor, Admission Offices).

 An unaddressed time management deficit on the part of a student is likely to unnecessarily increase the cost of MEC support.

 5. TURNAROUND TIME

MEC makes every effort to respond to normal offline work order requests as expeditiously as possible.

Response time for normal offline work requests is inherently unpredictable given that:

• it depends on the number of normal offline work requests received in any given time period

• work is executed on a first-come, first-serve basis

• the flow of work is seasonal with shared deadlines

• the receipt of Rush Order Requests immediately bumps specific clients to the head of the line

Expeditious responses to normal offline work requests, when feasible, does not:

• create any binding precedent for, or guarantee, equally expeditious responses to normal offline work requests in the future

• has no bearing whatsoever on the billing procedure for Rush Order Requests

Every effort should be made to avoid submitting Rush Order Requests for the reasons that:

• last-minute availability cannot be guaranteed to all students sharing the same deadlines

• Rush Order Requests are subject to surge pricing

Regularly scheduled check-ins keep a student on schedule in order to avoid the need for Rush Order Requests.

 At MEC:

—During the period from 1 October through the first week of January, the needs of high school seniors are prioritized.
—Work for students with shared deadlines is performed on a first-come, first-serve basis. Hence, students must be prepared to patiently wait respective turns in line. The exceptional detail, thoroughness and high caliber of work delivered requires the requisite attention. As deadlines draw near, work requests increase and response time perforce slows in a corresponding manner.
—The standard turnaround time in the industry for written work is 2 weeks. Because MEC accepts a limited number of students, turnaround time is typically (depending on workflow which varies unpredictably):

• 5 days from mid-January through September

• 7 days from October to mid-January 

With regard to the first-come, first-serve work method: when MEC receives and accommodates a Rush Order Request bumping a client to the head of the line, perforce the wait time of other students increases correspondingly.

6. TIME BANK DELAYS

Families with students who tend to procrastinate or work right up to deadlines should plan to keep the necessary prepaid time bank in place.

Once a time bank has been consumed, if a delay occurs until it is replenished, the student will lose the spot in the first-come, first-serve lineup.

7. BLACKOUT PERIODS

—Conferences: Each year, MEC attends professional conferences with workshops and meetings from early morning to evening, including close one-on-one contact with AOs (Admission Officers). Clients are well-advised to plan around these periods, as availability is perforce limited. Approximate dates are indicated below (partial list): 

• IECA European Symposium: mid-February (approx. 1 wk)

• IECA National Conference: early May (approx. 1 wk)

• HECA National Conference: mid-June (approx. 1 wk)

8. SURGE PRICING

a. Rush Order Request

A Rush Order Request, when feasible to accommodate, is subject to surge pricing as follows:

48-hr guaranteed turnaround: 25% premium (for 60 minutes of work, 75 minutes are charged)
24-hr guaranteed turnaround: 50% premium 
12-hr guaranteed turnaround: 75% premium 
6-hr guaranteed turnaround:   100% premium 
3-hr guaranteed turnaround:  125% premium

2-hr guaranteed turnaround: 150% premium

1-hr guaranteed turnaround: 175% premium 

Any new work request received with any of the following characteristics:

• marked "asap" or "urgent"

• includes a hard deadline falling within Rush Order Request turnaround periods

is considered a Rush Order Request subject to surge pricing.

The clock begins ticking when any of the following has been stipulated:

• rush/holiday order request

• asap/urgent

• hard deadline falling within Rush Order Request turnaround periods

not when a work request has been sent previously without said stipulation. 

b. Holiday Rush Order Request

Every effort should be made to avoid requesting a holiday rush order, as availability cannot be guaranteed. 
A Holiday Rush Order Request, when feasible to accommodate, is subject to a 175% premium:

• submitted in the 7-day period from the Monday before Thanksgiving through the Sunday after Thanksgiving for which a response is requested prior to the Monday after Thanksgiving

• submitted in the 14-day period from 21 December to 4 January for which a response is requested prior to 5 January

In order to be sure to quickly attract the attention of MEC, students should write RUSH ORDER REQUEST in the subject line of the email, respectively; and also send a text alert.

c. Non-Waiver Policy

MEC does not:

• lose precious time, when time is at a premium, requesting explicit authorization for the application of surge pricing in any circumstance where it applies as clearly indicated above

• waive surge pricing before or after the fact

Students should copy all correspondence to parents without exception.

Parents are fully responsible for surge pricing billing for any offline work request submitted by a student which falls within surge pricing criteria.

d. Late Evening Hours

Any request for assistance to be conducted after 10 PM EST is subject to a 175% premium.

e. Non-Accrual

Surcharges do not stack when categories (Rush Order Request, Holiday Rush Order Request, Late Evening Hour Request) overlap.

Examples:

A student requests a 1-hr guaranteed turnaround after 10 PM on a holiday. The surcharge is 175%.

A student requests assistance at 10 PM EST with a midnight EST deadline. A 1-hr guaranteed turnaround surcharge applies.

A student requests assistance at 10 PM EST on 1 November with a midnight PST (= 3 AM EST) Common App early cycle deadline. A 3-hr guaranteed turnaround surcharge applies.

9. FAMILIES WITH BUDGETARY CONSTRAINTS

Families with budgetary constraints should:

• keep firmly in mind that all students share the same application deadlines

• implement close supervision and careful time management, submitting work requests well in advance in order to avoid the need for rush/holiday/late evening order requests

About two weeks before submitting an application for a research program or college/uni which offers interviews, the student should request the following from MEC:

• updated list of typical interview questions

• appointment for mock interview prep

Interview requests may arrive within hours of submitting the application. The student should respond as quickly as possible to the interview request. The slot offered may be as soon as 24 hours from the issuance of the invitation, or as long as a week later. When a student is offered both an in-person and virtual interview, the in-person should be chosen when viable.

The full name of the interviewer should be used when responding, unless designated pronouns have been indicated. For example:

Dear John Doe,

Thank you for the interview invitation.

I am available on Thursday 11 November at 6 PM.

Please find attached my résumé .

I'm excited to meet you and talk about (name of school/program)!

Sincerely,

(first name + last name)

Ideally, the student will have a signature block ready ahead of time which contains a hyperlink to the personal website as well as logos of the passion project and the humanitarian entities represented.

If the interviewer explicitly indicates not to send a resume, the student should not attach a resume.

The interview is a personality contest.

The most important aspect of the interview is for the student to be relaxed and likable.

The interview is intended to give the student an opportunity to demonstrate affability, interpersonal skills, and the ability to verbally articulate ideas—as well as to ask intelligent questions.

Before the mock interview, so that the student is not caught off guard, it is advisable to write out and/or tape record the answers to the questions below and send to MEC for review. After receiving written feedback, a mock interview can be scheduled.

Practice the following when responding verbally:
( ) Avoid saying “um” and “like” to fill up empty spaces in conversation. Empty spaces are ok, get comfortable with them.
( ) Break into a warm, toothy grin before and after each question; laugh when appropriate. You need to bond with the interviewer!
( ) Don’t touch your face or hair.
( ) Keep your hands out of sight.
( ) For the “why this school” question, don’t mention “prestige” or “rankings.”
( ) Don't mention competitions or awards; emphasize collaboration and teamwork.
( ) Don’t mention fashion as an interest (unless applying to a fashion technology program)
( ) Avoid negative language.
( ) Be humble.

It is highly unlikely that the alumni interviewer will have access to the student's application materials. Nonetheless, students should be well-versed in the material submitted.

The alumni interviewer is free to conduct the interview in any manner desired, apart from certain basic guidelines which are given about what is appropriate.

For example, interviewers are not supposed to grill students about their knowledge on specific topics, but sometimes it happens anyway—particularly with older interviewers.

Assigned interviewers can continue for successive years, or change year-to-year accordingly to availability.

Interviews may last anywhere from 30 minutes to 90 minutes.

For each individual question, students should try to identify a concrete example from their lived life.

For virtual interviews, it is recommended to keep posted on the wall above the camera of the computer a list of buzz words and condensed list of examples / stories, which the student can adapt to questions which are asked.
Always be as specific and detailed in every answer as possible.
Avoid vagueness and generalization.
Keep answers positive.
Demonstrate a mission to be a changemaker who will solve the pressing challenges of our times.
Don’t read during the interview.
Be natural and spontaneous.
For in-person interviews: don't bring any notes! This is a casual conversation.

Students can wear the official colors of the school for which they are interviewing. If they have a T-short or sweatshirt with the logo of the school, even better.

xxxx

The data below underscores the resources available to SLAC students compared to students at public unis:

Endowment per student

Amherst $1,685,364

Swarthmore $1,650,659

Williams $1,607,993

Pomona $1,563,312

Grinnell $1,437,742

Bowdoin $1,269,647

Wellesley $1,196,695

By comparison:

UVA $ 410,871

UMich $ 294,469

UNC Chapel Hill $ 180,498

Georgia Tech $ 98,654

UWisconsin $ 79,117

UCLA $ 77,406

UCB $ 64,345

Purdue $ 62,268

www.insidehighered.com/opinion/blogs/learning-innovation/2023/09/08/endowments-full-time-equivalent-student

The student most suitable for a large flagship public university typically:

• attended a large public high school and is therefore accustomed to

  • navigating acute competition to access resources

  • systemic rigidity

  • curtailed staff attention

• is certain of the major to be pursued with zero intention of switching, and has pursued this course of study and concomitant EC during the high school years (reason: popular majors at public unis are typically impacted/capped)

• has functioned independently of parental support in high school

• possesses excellent executive function skills

• is at ease with a highly diverse set of peers

• has experience "roughing it" in a no-frills environment

A student attending a private high school should keep in mind the following:

• out-of-state COA (cost of attendance) at a public flagship university is typically comparable to COA at a private college/uni, without the perks

• while large public flagship universities offer excellent opportunities, there is a long line to stand in to access them

This 2 September 2025 LA Times article is instructive:

“Students [at public universities] can’t get into basic college courses, dragging out their time in school. Many college students are unable to graduate on time because required courses are not offered when they need them. Mounting budget cuts and campus layoffs could make the problem worse. As colleges reopen for the fall, new research has pinpointed a problem keeping students from graduating on time: Classes required for their majors aren’t taught during the semesters they need them, or fill up so quickly that no seats are left.”

Case Study: UVA

An out-of-state student attending a private high school is interested in UVA.

UVA pledges to maintain 2/3 of its class in-state.
The in-state admit rate is 25.5%.
The out-of-state admit rate is 13%.

As of February 2025, COA at UVA:
In-state: approx. $40K
Out-of-state: approx. $80K

In terms of ROI (40-yr NPV), salaries of graduating students at the following private schools (partial list) are higher than those at UVA:
#25: Lehigh
#49: Washington and Lee
#52: Lafayette

UVA is ranked 80th nationally in ROI for 40-yr NPV.

Hence, the student would pay similar COA as at a private institution, and get in return:

• popular majors are competitive

• limited personal attention

Objectively speaking, UVA is not a “smart shopper” choice for this student. That said, other factors can come into play—and a student who is happy performs well.

One advantage of including public schools on the college list is that the student can apply EA on 1 Nov at the same time the student applies ED elsewhere (for most ED schools).
—In the worst case scenario that the student is outright rejected by the ED choice, acceptances from public schools arrive shortly thereafter as a balm. Otherwise, the student must wait longer to get answers from the EDII and RD cycles.

Endowment Per Student

Data from the 2022 NACUBO-TIAA Study of Endowments (NTSE) reflects the comparatively limited resources per student afforded attendees of public unis. Parents of students with accommodations should be especially mindful of this difference.

Endowment per student

Private SLAC (small liberal arts colleges):

Amherst $1,685,364

Swarthmore $1,650,659

Williams $1,607,993

Pomona $1,563,312

Grinnell $1,437,742

Bowdoin $1,269,647

Wellesley $1,196,695

By comparison, public unis:

UVA $ 410,871

UMich $ 294,469

UNC Chapel Hill $ 180,498

Georgia Tech $ 98,654

UWisconsin $ 79,117

UCLA $ 77,406

UCB $ 64,345

Purdue $ 62,268

UIUC $ 37,476

UCSD $ 29,261

www.insidehighered.com/opinion/blogs/learning-innovation/2023/09/08/endowments-full-time-equivalent-student

This 18 February 2018 article from Inside Higher Ed about the increasingly commonplace designation of Economics at colleges/unis as STEM is instructive:

"Some economics departments are changing the formal classification of their programs so that international students have more opportunities to work in the U.S. after they graduate.

(...) changing the formal classification -- what’s known as the federal CIP code -- for an economics program from the one for “economics, general” to the one for “econometrics and quantitative economics” means that international graduates of those programs can work in the U.S. for two extra years after they graduate while staying on their student visas.

That’s because the Department of Homeland Security considers econometrics and quantitative economics -- but not general economics -- to be a STEM field. International graduates of designated STEM programs are eligible for what’s known as the STEM OPT extension, which enables them to work in their field for a total of three years in the U.S. while staying on their universities’ sponsorship. By contrast, students with degrees in non-STEM fields are only eligible for one year of OPT, which stands for optional practical training."

www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2018/02/19/economics-departments-reclassify-their-programs-stem-attract-and-help#

At private unis which have b-school, typically a major in Econ is offered both in CAS and in b-school. 
—A b-school major in Econ is pre-professional and practical. A CAS major in Econ is focused on theory. Many employers maintain that a CAS major in Econ is more intellectually rigorous. 
B-schools are much more aggressive and proactive with networking and job placement, though salaries between econ majors in both schools are comparable. Sometimes it can be easier to double major (e.g. in math or CS) with an Econ major in CAS. 
—Explanation of difference between Penn CAS Econ major and Wharton Econ major: 
https://www.thedp.com/article/2016/09/difference-ba-and-bs-economics#:~:text=to%20its%20website.-,A%20B.S.,College%20of%20Arts%20and%20Sciences.
—Explanation of difference between NYU CAS Econ major and Stern Econ major:
https://meet.nyu.edu/academics/this-or-that-economics-stern-or-cas/

Students typically apply from high school directly to the private b-school.

Selection in order of competitiveness (acceptance rate):

Penn Wharton: 4.5%

Cornell Dyson: 4.79%

NYU Stern: 5.2%

Northeastern D'Amore-Kim: 6.1%

USC Marshall: 7.2%

BU Questrom: 8%

CMU Tepper: 9.4%

https://poetsandquantsforundergrads.com/news/2024-ranking-acceptance-rates-at-the-best-undergraduate-business-schools/

NOTE REGARDING MIT:

—Students applying to MIT are free to pursue any field of study they wish upon arrival, independently of the course of interest which they expressed in the application:

"When you apply to MIT, you apply to the entire university, not to a specific major or school, so all first-year students begin MIT undeclared."
https://mitadmissions.org/discover/the-mit-education/majors-minors/#:~:text=When%20you%20apply%20to%20MIT,year%20students%20begin%20MIT%20undeclared.

—As a result, no separate acceptance rate is produced by MIT for students intending to pursue Course 15.
—Prospective applicants should carefully consider that Course 15 is described by MIT as follows, with business taking a back seat to technical and quantitative expertise:

"Bring a business perspective to your technical and quantitative expertise (...)"
https://mitsloan.mit.edu/about/why-mit-sloan

—Prior to 2016, Course 15 offered only one undergraduate major.
—In 2016, MIT restructured Course 15 offering a choice of 3 majors (Management, Business Analytics, Finance) and 3 corresponding minors:
https://news.mit.edu/2016/mit-sloan-launches-three-new-undergraduate-majors-and-minors-0121
—Consider by comparison that Wharton offers 19 concentrations, Stern offers 13 concentrations and Cornell Dyson offers 11 concentrations.
—MIT shows up in rankings of "undergrad business programs" (e.g. U.S. News & World Report) but not always in rankings of "undergrad business schools" (e.g. Poets & Quants):
https://poetsandquantsforundergrads.com/admissions/pqs-2024-undergrad-ranking-the-data-dump/
—Course 15 is appropriate for applicants whose main focus is gaining technical and quantitative expertise.

At private colleges/unis, students enrolled in CAS (College of Arts & Sciences) may always pursue a major in econ which is perfectly adequate preparation for a career in business and specialized graduate study (incl. MBA / Master's in Finance). 
—Students who wish to internally transfer to b-school typically must meet specified requirements. 

ONE CHANCE TO APPLY INTERNALLY

WHARTON
—Students may only apply internally after the first year or year-and-a-half of college at Penn.
Requirements:
https://undergrad-inside.wharton.upenn.edu/internal-transfer/

TWO CHANCES TO APPLY INTERNALLY

CORNELL
—Students may apply to transfer internally to Dyson after the first year and after the second year at Cornell.
—Requirements:
https://dyson.cornell.edu/programs/undergraduate/how-to-apply/application-requirements/internal-transfer/

NYU
—Students may apply to transfer internally to Stern after the first year and after the second year at NYU.
—Requirements:
https://www.nyu.edu/admissions/undergraduate-admissions/how-to-apply/internal-transfers/internal-transfers-stern.html 
—Prior to internal transfer, Gallatin students:

• may not take more than 31/128 credits in business: 
  https://gallatin.nyu.edu/academics/undergraduate/requirements.html

• may declare a minor in Stern: 

  • Social Entrepreneurship

  • Business of Entertainment, Media and Technology (in collaboration with Steinhardt and Tisch)
    

CANNOT APPLY TO TRANSFER INTERNALLY

BUCKNELL - FREEMAN COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT
—"Internal Transfer into the BSBA Degree Program
Enrollment in the BSBA degree program is limited to students who were admitted directly into the Freeman College of Management at the time of their initial application to Bucknell."
https://coursecatalog.bucknell.edu/collegeofmanagementcurricula/curriculaoverview/majors/
—"The Freeman College of Management does not offer an internal transfer process, so students admitted in either the College of Arts & Sciences or the College of Engineering may not transfer into the Freeman College of Management."
https://coursecatalog.bucknell.edu/collegeofmanagementcurricula/curriculaoverview/fiveyearprogram/#:~:text=The%20Freeman%20College%20of%20Management,the%20Freeman%20College%20of%20Management.

Colleges/unis:

• which offer Engineering

• where there are no impacted/capped majors

• where there are no barriers to pursuing Engineering immediately upon arrival regardless of intended major stated on application

are typically those which on the Common App DO NOT ask students to choose a particular school/college.

How to verify this on the Common App:

• Add a college/uni which offers undergrad Engineering to “Dashboard.”

• Click on name of college/uni. Click on “Questions.”

• Under “General,” complete (when asked): “Student Status” (Full Time), “Preferred Start Term” (Fall), “Preferred Admission Plan” and “Preferred Residence (On-Campus). Click “Continue.”

• Under “Academics,” the institution will either ask you to choose a school/college (one of which is Engineering) OR will ask you directly about intended major. Typically only the latter allow students to immediately pursue Engineering directly upon arrival, regardless of intended major stated on the application.

Colleges/unis which offer undergrad Engineering and which allow students to immediately pursue Engineering upon arrival regardless of intended major stated on the application include:

Harvard

Yale

Stanford

UChicago

Brown

Dartmouth

JHU (with the exception of Biomedical Engineering which is DMP—Direct Matriculation Program)

Swarthmore

Lafayette

Trinity

Union

URochester

Smith

Students may also consider colleges/unis which do not offer an Engineering major, but where courses may be taken at a nearby institution which offers Engineering:

—Occidental (students may take Engineering classes at Caltech)

—Wellesley (students may take Engineering classes at MIT)

—Haverford (students make take Engineering classes at Penn or Swarthmore)

Students may also consider colleges which have partnerships with:

Dartmouth Engineering:

https://engineering.dartmouth.edu/undergraduate/dual

Columbia Engineering:

https://undergrad.admissions.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/2022-05/Combined%20Plan%20Affiliates%202021-22.pdf

Also to consider: a Physics major is superlative preparation to apply to any graduate program in Engineering.

Private colleges/unis:

• where there are no impacted/capped majors

• where there are no barriers to pursuing CS immediately upon arrival regardless of intended major stated on application

are typically those which on the Common App DO NOT ask students to choose a particular school/college.

How to verify this on the Common App:

• Add a college/uni which offers undergrad Engineering to “Dashboard.”

• Click on name of college/uni. Click on “Questions.”

• Under “General,” complete "Student Status" (Full Time), “Preferred Start Term” (Fall), “Preferred Admission Plan” and "Preferred Residence" (On-Campus). Click “Continue.”

• Under “Academics,” the institution will either ask you to choose a school/college OR will ask you directly about intended major. Typically only the latter allow students to immediately pursue all CS degrees offered upon arrival without constraint, regardless of intended major stated on the application.

Private colleges/unis which allow students to immediately pursue all CS degrees offered without constraint immediately upon arrival regardless of intended major stated on the application include:

Harvard (only offers AB as of 28 Oct 2024)

Yale (offers BA & BS as of 28 Oct 2024)

Stanford (only offers BS as of 28 Oct 2024)

Princeton (offers AB & BSE as of 28 Oct 2024)

UChicago (offers BA & BS as of 28 Oct 2024)

Brown (offers AB & ScB. as of 28 Oct 2024)

Dartmouth (offers AB & BE as of 28 Oct 2024)

Swarthmore (offers BA & BS as of 28 Oct 2024)

Lafayette (offers BA & BS as of 28 Oct 2024)

Trinity (offers BA & BS as of 28 Oct 2024)

Union (only offers BS as of 28 Oct 2024)

URochester (offers BA & BS as of 28 Oct 2024)

Ithaca College (offers BA & BS as of 28 Oct 2024)

When considering

• rigor of CS program

• bait-and-switch to CS

students should pay close attention to the differences between:

• BA/AB in CS (less rigorous and less quantitative; typically offered in CAS/equivalent with no barriers to entry)

• BS in CS (more rigorous and more quantitative, often has barriers to entry for internal transfer even at private colleges/unis with no impacted/capped majors)

Many colleges/unis offer both (for BE in Computer Engineering—more rigorous and quantitative still—see FAQ above).

Students should be aware that there is a distinct "pecking order" of prestige/employability in terms of rigor:

• among CS students at colleges/unis where more than one CS degree is offered

• among prospective employers recruiting at colleges/unis where more than one CS degree is offered

listed here in descending order:

• BE in Computer Engineering (most rigorous / prestigious / employable)

• BS/ScB in CS

• BA/AB in CS

IMPORTANT: CS programs typically impose sequential prerequisites such that graduating in four years can become challenging if the student does not begin pursuit early. The more rigorous the program, the more sequential prerequisites there tend to be.

At schools where the

• BS/ScB and/or BE in CS/Computer Engineering

+

• BA/AB in CS are offered

the BA/AB in CS is most appropriate for students:

• whose primary field of interest/vocation is not CS

• who are pursuing a double major with a BA in CS in order to have quantitative skills in the primary field of interest/vocation

BARRIERS TO ENTRY FOR INTERNAL TRANSFER TO BS/ScB IN CS

There are two modes of barrier to entry for internal transfer to a BS in CS major:

• impacted/capped major (exists at all public schools + at some private schools such as CMU)

• time delay, prerequisites and/or interview required

SELECTION OF PRIVATE SCHOOLS WHICH

• OFFER BA IN CS THROUGH CAS/EQUIVALENT

• IMPOSE BARRIERS TO ENTRY FOR INTERNAL TRANSFER TO BS/ScB IN CS

BU (as of 28 Oct 2024)

—Upon arrival, students may pursue a BA in CS:
https://www.bu.edu/cs/undergraduate/academic-programs/
—If desired, once there, students must complete 12 credits, take specific classes, then may apply to transfer internally to the BS in Computer Engineering program:
https://www.bu.edu/eng/academics/resources/undergraduate-student-resources/intra-university-transfer-in-and-out-of-engineering/

Columbia (as of 28 Oct 2024)
—Upon arrival, students may pursue at CC (Columbia College):
BA in Computer Science
BA in Computer Science and Mathematics
BA in Computational Biology
BA in Data Science
BA in Information Science
—If desired, in order to transfer internally to SEAS (School of Engineering and Applied Science) in order to pursue:
BS in Computer Science (SEAS)
BS in Computer Engineering (SEAS)
students must apply.

Cornell (as of 28 Oct 2024)
—Upon arrival, students may pursue CS at CAS:
https://as.cornell.edu/major_minor_gradfield/computer-science
—Internal transfer into Cornell engineering:
https://www.engineering.cornell.edu/students/undergraduate-students/advising/internal-transfer-engineering

Lehigh (as of 28 Oct 2024)
—Upon arrival, students may pursue CS in CAS.
—If desired, students must wait until sophomore year to apply to transfer internally to ENG:
https://catalog.lehigh.edu/undergraduatestudies/curricularflexibility/
Students must carefully plan prerequisites and sequences requirements.

Northeastern (as of 28 Oct 2024)
—CSSH (College of Social Sciences and Humanities) does NOT offer a purely CS major; but it does offer Combined Majors which include CS.
—If desired, students must take 2 classes in CS as electives, and then apply to transfer internally to Khoury.
https://www.khoury.northeastern.edu/information-for-overview/current-undergrad/undergraduate-advising-academic-support/academic-procedures/
Students must carefully plan prerequisites and sequences requirements.

Northwestern (as of 28 Oct 2024)
—Upon arrival, students may immediately pursue CS in CAS.
— To transfer internally into McCormick, they will have to jump through hoops:
https://www.registrar.northwestern.edu/registration-graduation/transfer-and-test-credit/interschool-transfer.html

Tufts (as of 28 Oct 2024)
—Upon arrival, students may pursue CS or Applied Computational Science in the School of Arts & Sciences.
—If desired, once there, students may apply during the first semester for internal transfer to engineering for CS or Computer Engineering:
https://students.tufts.edu/academic-advising-and-undergraduate-studies/resources/first-year-and-transfer-students/transferring-within-tufts-liberal-arts-tofrom-engineering

UPenn
Students may not apply to transfer into Engineering (which has CS) until completing 2 semesters:
https://www.college.upenn.edu/transfer-within-university
In CAS, students may have CS as a second major.

High schools (particularly those with high tuition and attendant expectations on the part of parents) have their own set of problems they need to solve, including guarding against situations which can result in:

• extreme reactions on the part of students (and their families) who receive ED/REA/SCEA rejection letters in mid-December with a long wait ahead to receive EDII/RD responses

Some high schools are attempting to solve this problem by pushing students to apply EA to a bunch of public unis at the same time that they apply ED/REA/SCEA to a super selective college/uni.

In this way, if a rejection occurs from the ED/REA/SCEA college/uni, it will be accompanied by EA acceptances from public unis which serve as a "consolation prize."

There are important drawbacks and considerations to take under advisement when applying EA to public schools.

• The Common App allows a maximum of 20 colleges/unis. In today's hyper competitive landscape, every slot matters and throwing away slots on schools which the student has no intention of attending comes at a cost.

• Any student who is planning a bait-and-switch at private colleges/unis cannot apply to public schools. For a detailed explanation of the reasons for this, see the following FAQ:

IV. TIMELINE

B. How early should a student identify an intended major for the purposes of the college admissions candidacy?

Your MEC consultant is trained to devise alternative "consolation prize" strategies which do not involve applying to public schools which a student has no intention of attending.

For example (partial list):

• qualified students may apply to the prestigious University of St Andrews in Scotland (which has a large American population and is extremely accommodating regarding radical change of major) on 2 August with the response ensuing around the third week of October, in order to lock in a strong "yes" before receiving the 15 December ED/SCEA/REA response.

• as of October 2025, Yale SCEA applicants may simultaneously apply EA to American, USC, Case Western and Northeastern as per Yale’s SCEA policy allowing EA applications to private schools which deliver results after 1 January

Reliably-sourced ROI rankings (such as those produced by Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce) are valid and useful for families focused on the same.

When formulating the college list, anyone tempted to give weight to general qualitative institutional rankings—such as those of U.S. News & World Report— should become well-informed about the manner in which they have been utterly discredited.

The Malcolm Gladwell "Lord of the Rankings" podcast is highly recommended:

https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/revisionist-history/lord-of-the-rankings

These articles can also prove useful:

www.nytimes.com/2022/11/22/opinion/us-news-world-report-rankings.html

slate.com/human-interest/2022/11/yale-law-school-harvard-law-berkeley-georgetown-us-news-rankings.html

www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-03312-2

www.reed.edu/reed-magazine/articles/2021/rankings-gladwell-usnews.html

www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-03312-2

rankingwatch.blogspot.com/

The New York Times “Build Your Own College Rankings” can be useful:

www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/opinion/build-your-own-college-rankings.html

Subject rankings can be useful in gauging resources proportionally allocated by schools to specific disciplines.

Students who intend to pursue graduate study should consider that graduate AOs (Admission Officers), who are extremely well-versed in the quality of undergraduate programs, completely ignore general institutional rankings where admissions is concerned—for the reason that they are overly simplistic and the data used in formulations is self-reported and devoid of external verification.

Selectivity (= admit rate), as published on a school’s CDS (Common Data Set) and school-specific publications, is a reliable, concrete, consistent index to use when assessing schools. The best and the brightest (both students and faculty) tend to gravitate toward institutions—and programs within institutions—with the lowest admit rates. Graduate AOs are acutely aware of the selectivity of undergraduate institutions.

Universities publish admission stats. Predictive data analytics and algorithms available in the industry are taken into account. Some variables change from season to season. Certain top-rate schools have become increasingly partial to first-generation college students. Others are favoring students with rural zip codes. Minerva consultants closely track fluctuating trends relevant to our students. For example, we receive daily briefings from the Chronicle of Higher Education, the Independent Educational Consultants Association, et. al.

An excellent resource for analyzing the most recent data of schools is the Common Data Set. Just google the name of a school which interests you followed by “Common Data Set,” and you should be taken to the requisite web page.

Correct!

"Children from families in the top 1% [= earnings of $650K/annum or higher in 2023] are twice as likely to attend (...) Ivy League, Stanford, MIT (...) [and] Chicago as those from middle-class families with comparable SAT/ACT scores....

(...) children from high-income families have no admissions advantage at flagship public colleges"

https://opportunityinsights.org/paper/collegeadmissions/

Yes!

Out-of-state public uni tuition is analogous to private uni tuition, without the perks such as (partial list): 

• allows up to two years of exploration before declaring major

• no impacted/capped majors or few impacted/capped majors

• flexibility re: change of major

• much shorter waiting lists for desired classes (e.g., waiting lists at UCB can be up to 500 students)

• ample access to faculty / research

• ease of procuring professor referrals/LOR for internships / jobs / grad school

• less administrative hassle / fewer administrative barriers

• ample support systems (e.g. for students with accommodations; therapy included in tuition offered at a number of private schools; et. al.)

Et. al.

 Example of difference between in-state and out-of-state public uni costs as of October 2024: 

                                                TUITION                    COA (Cost of Attendance)

UMich in-state:                       $17,736                       $36,932

UMich out-of-state                $60,946                       $80,142

https://admissions.umich.edu/costs-aid/costs

Grading on a bell curve results in a cut-throat "I do better when you do worse" mentality.

The following number among colleges/unis which grade on a curve:

Penn
NOTE: MEC revisited Penn on 7 March 2025. A sophomore CAS econ major shared that it is still commonplace at Penn for wrong answers to be intentionally given when students ask non-friends for help, especially at Wharton / CAS econ where students compete for the same internships/jobs. This phenomenon is less prevalent among pre-med students.

Cornell
"Modules are graded on a bell curve. Students must be prepared to study independently."

Yes!

In the beginning the competitive pool is narrow (classmates grouped by intended major / ethnicity / sex), and continues to expand.

This 9 October 2023 Inside Higher Ed article explains how colleges/unis are “culling the stacks of applications down to a more manageable number” by using AI to eliminate candidates who don’t meet GPA and test score threshholds:

"According to the Intelligent survey, admissions counselors most often use AI for reviewing transcripts and recommendation letters; more than 70 percent of respondents listed both. Typically, that means running transcripts through a keyword search in order to sort for minimum thresholds on GPA and test scores"

www.insidehighered.com/news/admissions/traditional-age/2023/10/09/admissions-offices-turn-ai-application-reviews

This 18 May 2023 article in The Chronicle of Higher Education is also instructive:

"The first reader of each application typically takes 10 minutes or less to go through it (...) The first reader is "very young and in almost all cases majored in humanities or social sciences," said Jon Reider, a former admissions officer at Stanford."

Some high schools choose not to rank and/or share with students whether or not they are in the top decile/quarter/half of their classes in terms of GPA.

Such schools typically hold the belief that sharing such information with students can create a toxic environment at school where they are not collaborative with each other and don't help each other learn.

When a School Counselor is not / cannot be forthcoming about whether or not a student is in the top decile/quarter/half of the high school class, the following can be helpful:

( ) school profiles sometimes indicate average / median GPA by class which can be indicative

( ) questions to the the School Counselor can be couched in the following terms:

"The CDS (Common Data Set) indicates that for the past five years, Caltech has accepted 100% of students from the first decile of the high school graduating class. With my GPA, am I a viable candidate for Caltech?"

This phenomenon is called "Duck Syndrome!"

Casual bravado is prevalent at elite schools.

When you encounter it, smile knowingly and discount it entirely.

Most certainly do not make school selections based upon such misinformation!

Stanford:

"The Stanford Duck Syndrome is the idea that students are struggling to survive the pressures of a competitive environment while presenting the image of a relaxed student, like a calm duck gliding across a fountain."

https://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/the-flourish/flourish-october-2022/focus-dont-be-duck-how-resist-stanford-duck-syndrome#:~:text=The%20Stanford%20Duck%20Syndrome%20is,together%20all%20of%20the%20time.

Dartmouth

"Duck Syndrome refers to that image of a duck we see effortlessly gliding across the water. However, what we can’t see is that, under the water, that same duck is ferociously paddling to maintain its graceful appearance (...) According to Student Wellness Center director Caitlin Barthelmes, Duck Syndrome is a concept that affects many Dartmouth students. “I wondered if the admissions committee had made a mistake and part of trying to show to everyone that I really belonged was working very, very hard and pretending that I wasn’t working hard at all,” [student] Moorthy said.

https://www.thedartmouth.com/article/2020/01/duck-syndrome

Harvard

"Harvard is full of ducks. Not the long-billed, webbed-footed birds, but the students who maintain a superficial aura of tranquility. Coined at Stanford University—but still very much applicable to Harvard—the term “Stanford Duck Syndrome” posits that while students appear to be as calm as a duck floating across a pond, under the surface they are paddling furiously to keep up with the competitive and rigorous college environment."

https://www.thecrimson.com/column/science-n-tradition/article/2023/4/4/kumar-stress-duck-harvard/

MIT:

"The “floating duck syndrome,” coined at Stanford, describes how every student there appears to be graceful and still, while furiously paddling beneath the surface. It’s generally an illustration of how toxic it can be when everyone pretends that they are fine. [At MIT] people will work themselves to exhaustion just to look like they are on the same page as everyone else."

https://thetech.com/2020/10/15/floating-and-drowning-ducks#:~:text=The%20%E2%80%9Cfloating%20duck%20syndrome%2C%E2%80%9D,pretends%20that%20they%20are%20fine.

No!

Students find the prospect of encountering familiar faces at university to be consoling. So, they have a tendency to apply to the same universities to which their friends are applying, in copycat fashion.

Many AOs (Admission Officers) review applications in bunches—of students from the same high school. Each university will only accept so many students from a specific high school, no matter how qualified. So, in addition to competing on a national and international level, high school classmates are competing against each other for places at the same university.

Also, with the same logic, because schools seek geographical diversity in their student body, you may lower your chances of acceptance to your preferred universities by sharing your college list with other students who live in the same geographical area—in the event that they decide to apply to your preferred universities, too.

Students should share their college lists with teachers. AOs sometimes reach out to teachers who are Recommenders, so they should be well-informed.

Test-Blind / Test-Free / Score-Free means that a school will not consider SAT/ACT scores in admission decisions (note: UC Berkeley still accepts SAT Subject Test scores).

Test-Optional means that if scores are submitted, they are considered as part of the admission decision. Students who submit strong test scores have a competitive advantage over those who do not submit test scores.

Test-Flexible means that a school allows a student to substitute materials in lieu of SAT/ACT scores. Examples include International Baccalaureate or Advanced Placement exam scores.

TEST-BLIND / TEST-FREE / SCORE-FREE SCHOOLS (as of 4 November 2020), in order of selectivity:

• Minerva Schools at KGI: 1% Acceptance Rate

  www.minerva.kgi.edu/admissions/admissions-process/

• Cornell University Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management: 6.41% Acceptance Rate (2020 data)

  admissions.cornell.edu/standardized-testing-requirements

• Caltech (for students applying for Fall 2021 and Fall 2022): 6.6% Acceptance Rate

  www.caltech.edu/about/news/caltech-announces-two-year-moratorium-sat-and-act-requirements

• The Sophie Davis Biomedical Education Program/CUNY School of Medicine (for Fall 2021 admission): 8% Acceptance Rate

• Cornell University Colleges of Agriculture, Architecture and Hotel Administration: 10.6% Acceptance Rate

  admissions.cornell.edu/standardized-testing-requirements

• UCLA: 14% Acceptance Rate

• UCB: 14.8% Acceptance Rate

• Pitzer: 17.5% (Class 2026)

  www.pitzer.edu/admission/admission/apply/

• Macaulay Honors College (CUNY, through Spring 2022 semester): 20.6% Acceptance Rate (Class 2022 Data)

• California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo (1 year pilot): 28.42% Acceptance Rate

• UC Irvine: 28.96% Acceptance Rate (the Class of 2025 had 107,957 applicants of which 31,269 were accepted)

  UW GPA: 25th Percentile 3.75, 50th Percentile 3.91, 75th Percentile 4.0

  W GPA: 25th Percentile 3.96, 50th Percentile 4.15, 75th Percentile 4.28

  www.admissions.uci.edu/discover/why-uci/admitted.php

• UC San Diego: 30.1% Acceptance Rate

• UC Santa Barbara: 32.2% Acceptance Rate

• San Diego State University: 34.13% Acceptance Rate

• Reed College (2-year pilot): 35% Acceptance Rate

• Hunter College (CUNY, through Spring 2022 semester): 36.4% Acceptance Rate

• UC Davis: 39.1% Acceptance Rate (the Class of 2023 had 78,092 applicants of which 30,508 were accepted)

  admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/campuses-majors/davis/freshman-admission-profile.html

• CSU Long Beach: 39.27% Acceptance Rate (if scores are submitted, they are used for the purposes of Math and English placement only; they are not part of the admissions decision)

• Baruch College (CUNY, through Spring 2022 semester): 39.3% Acceptance Rate

• Lehman College (CUNY, through Spring 2022 semester): 39.7% Acceptance Rate

• Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania (1-year pilot): 40% Acceptance Rate (Class of 2023 data)

• John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY, through Spring 2022 semester): 40.6% Acceptance Rate

• Brooklyn College (CUNY, through Spring 2022 semester): 44.3% Acceptance Rate

• UC Santa Cruz: 47.4% Acceptance Rate

• Queens College (CUNY) York College (CUNY, through Spring 2022 semester): 47.6% Acceptance Rate

• CSU Los Angeles: 47.81% Acceptance Rate

• The City College of NY (CUNY, through Spring 2022 semester) : 48.3% Acceptance Rate

• University of San Diego (1-year pilot): 49% Acceptance Rate

• University of Charleston, West Virginia (1-year pilot): 50.4% Acceptance Rate

• UC Riverside: 50.6% Acceptance Rate

• CSU Fullerton: 52.69% Acceptance Rate

• Northern Illinois University: 54.4% Acceptance Rate

• Cal State Polytechnic U - Pomona: 54.9% Acceptance Rate

• CSU Fresno: 57.94% Acceptance Rate

• CSU Northridge: 59.34% Acceptance Rate

• Worcester Polytechnic: 60.2% Acceptance Rate (6679/11,092 - Class 2025)

  www.wpi.edu/admissions/undergraduate/apply/how-to/test-blind-admissions

• CSU San Marcos: 61.67% Acceptance Rate

• San José State University (CSU): 63.6%

• UC San Francisco: 65.6% Acceptance Rate

• Northern Michigan University: 65.7% Acceptance Rate

• UC Merced: 66.2% Acceptance Rate

• San Francisco State University (CSU): 67.3%

• CSU San Bernardino: 68.56% Acceptance Rate

• Stonehill College (1-year pilot, Catholic): 69.6% Acceptance Rate

• CSU Chico: 72.33% Acceptance Rate

• Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (1-year pilot): 73.7% Acceptance Rate

• Saint Xavier University (1-year pilot, except for Nursing program): 74% Acceptance Rate

• NY City College of Technology (CUNY, through Spring 2022 semester): 75.1% Acceptance Rate

• CSU Monterey Bay: 75.28% Acceptance Rate

• CSU East Bay: 76.18% Acceptance Rate

• CSU Maritime Academy: 76.21% Acceptance Rate

• CSU Dominguez Hills: 77% Acceptance Rate

• Washington State University (1-year pilot): 77.2% Acceptance Rate

• CSU Bakersfield: 80.71% Acceptance Rate

• CSU Sacramento: 82.26% Acceptance Rate

• Catholic University, Washington, D.C.: 83.7% Acceptance Rate

• CSU Channel Islands: 85.79% Acceptance Rate

• CSU Stanislaus: 89.29% Acceptance Rate

• Medgar Evers College (CUNY, through Spring 2022 semester): 90% Acceptance Rate

• Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA: 92.17% Acceptance Rate

• College of Staten Island (CUNY, through Spring 2022 semester): 93% Acceptance Rate

• Loyola University, New Orleans (for students applying for Fall 2021): 94.3% Acceptance Rate

• Idaho public universities (4 campuses, 1-year pilot)

fairtest.org/sites/default/files/Test-Blind-Admissions-List.pdf

Due to COVID-19, some schools will be temporarily test-blind for students applying to attend in Fall 2021, to include:

Cornell University: SC Johnson College of Business; College of Agriculture and Life Science; College of Architecture, Art and Planning (all other colleges are test-optional)

TEST FLEXIBLE SCHOOLS

At NYU, in lieu of SAT/ACT scores, a student may submit:

(3) Advanced Placement (AP) exam scores

HISTORICALLY TEST OPTIONAL SCHOOLS

Schools which were SAT/ACT-optional prior to COVID include: University of Chicago, Bowdoin College and Colby College in Maine, Middlebury College in Vermont, Trinity College in Connecticut, Tulane University in New Orleans, and American University in Washington, D.C. among others.

PERCENTAGE OF ENROLLED APPLICANTS WHO SUBMITTED TEST SCORES

School Percentage Date/Class

Occidental 38% Fall 2021

• www.oxy.edu/admission-aid/apply/class-profile

Franklin & Marshall, PA 75% Class of 2025

• www.fandm.edu/admission/meet-the-new-class

When not submitting SAT/ACT, more emphasis is placed upon grades.

This July 2023 data is instructive:

"(...) attending an [Ivy League or] Ivy-Plus college instead of the average highly selective flagship public institution increases students' changes of reaching the top 1% of the earnings distribution by 60%, nearly doubles their chance of attending an elite graduate school, and triples their chances of working at a prestigious firm."
https://opportunityinsights.org/paper/collegeadmissions/

This 19 May 2025 NY Times article is instructive:

”If entry-level roles [for recent college graduates] evaporate [due to AI], those lacking elite networks or privileged backgrounds will face even steeper barriers to finding their footing in the workplace.“

www.nytimes.com/2025/05/19/opinion/linkedin-ai-entry-level-jobs.html

Data from the 2022 NACUBO-TIAA Study of Endowments (NTSE) reflects the vast resources afforded attendees of Ivy/Ivy Plus schools:

Endowment per student

Princeton $4,067,983

Yale $2,868,064

Stanford $2,139,952

MIT $2,090,222

Harvard $2,013,622

By comparison:

UVA $ 410,871

UMich $ 294,469

UNC Chapel Hill $ 180,498

Georgia Tech $ 98,654

UWisconsin $ 79,117

UCLA $ 77,406

UCB $ 64,345

Purdue $ 62,268

www.insidehighered.com/opinion/blogs/learning-innovation/2023/09/08/endowments-full-time-equivalent-student

At the same time, content of the following 29/30 April 2024 Forbes articles by Senior Education Reporter Emma Whitford (formerly of Inside Higher Ed) should be considered:

“Employers Are Souring On Ivy League Grads, While These 20 “New Ivies” Ascend”

You’re not imagining things: The Ivy League is forfeiting its standing as America’s producer of great talent. Here are the schools producing the hard-working high achievers that employers crave.

(…) 33% of those making hiring decisions said they are less likely to hire Ivy League graduates today than five years ago

(…) 20% [of hiring managers] said [the Ivy League colleges are] doing worse [at preparing job candidates]

(…) ascendant private [schools] are turning out hungry graduates; the Ivies are more apt to turn out entitled ones. And in creating the latter, the Ivies have taken the value they’ve spent centuries creating—a degree that employers craved—and in just a few years done a lot to forfeit it. (…)

schools attracting the smartest students and plaudits from employers [include] CMU, JHU, Northwestern et. al.”

www.forbes.com/sites/emmawhitford/2024/04/29/exclusive-employers-are-souring-on-ivy-league-grads-while-these-20-new-ivies-ascend/?sh=732c5cd15585

“Why Hiring Managers Are Widening Their Gaze Away From The Ivies”

Covid, technology, and a changing workforce have led employers to cast a wider net for collegiate talent, even as they sour on Ivy League grads.

www.forbes.com/sites/emmawhitford/2024/04/30/why-hiring-managers-are-widening-their-gaze-away-from-the-ivies/?sh=4209a431537d

Yes!

COLUMBIA INTERNATIONAL DUAL DEGREE PROGRAMS

• France: Sciences Po - 18% admit rate (136/720) for Class of 2028 compared to 3.85% (2319/60,248) at Columbia College sciencespo.gs.columbia.edu/

• Ireland: Trinity Dublin - 31% admit rate (137/439) for Class of 2028 compared to 3.85% (2319/60,248) at Columbia College

tcd.gs.columbia.edu/

• Tel Aviv

• City U, Hong Kong

WELLESLEY DOUBLE DEGREE W/MIT

www.wellesley.edu/advising/classdeans/engineering/dd

PENN ONLINE BACHELOR OF APPLIED ARTS AND SCIENCES (BAAS) PROGRAM (launched Fall 2019)

Although not indicated on the program website, traditional students may apply to the following online Ivy League non-traditional undergraduate program immediately upon graduating from high school, said program which is vastly less competitive than the traditional one:

University of Pennsylvania
lpsonline.sas.upenn.edu/academics/bachelors-degree

lpsonline.sas.upenn.edu/admissions/baas-admissions

Students may submit a standard application for which the equivalent of a minimum 3.0 GPA is required, or may “earn their way in” by taking four (4) courses and receiving a grade of at least “B.” In both cases, SAT/ACT is not required. Students may attend part-time if they wish. Once admitted, after having attended for one year and through the end of the sophomore year of study, students may apply to transfer to the on-campus program.

RD applicants to the traditional Penn residential program receive decision letters on 1 April; those who are not accepted to the Penn residential program may submit an application to the BAAS program immediately thereafter. The BAAS application deadline is 1 July for the Fall 1 Term of Entry.

The BAAS program should not be confused with the Penn College of Liberal and Professional Studies (LPS) Program, which BAAS replaced. Students at LPS were not permitted to apply to transfer internally to the on-campus program.

COLUMBIA SCHOOL OF GENERAL STUDIES (GS)

Students who secure employment in NYC may apply to the GS program, attending part-time the first year. Thereafter, they may attend full-time and/or apply to transfer internally to Columbia College (CC).

The admit rate for females to GS is 29% (111 of 383 applicants) and for males it is 42% (130 of 313 applicants); compared to an admit rate of 3.66% to CC (2,218 of 60,551 applicants).

Students may not apply simultaneously to CC and GS. After being rejected by CC, students may not apply to GS for the following three admission seasons.

Students may apply simultaneously to Barnard College and Columbia GS.

CORNELL VIA ITHACA COLLEGE

Cornell has a close relationship with Ithaca College, which is two miles away. Students may begin at Ithaca and apply to transfer to Cornell through the end of their sophomore year. While at Ithaca, students may attend one class per semester at Cornell.

https://www.ithaca.edu/ic-cu-exchange-program

https://www.ithaca.edu/admission

Yes!

Waiting to apply as a transfer student to desired reach schools where a student does not meet applicable criteria as a high school senior increases probability of transfer admission because:

—the student avoids the risk of incurring a rejection in the file which draws the attention of the Transfer Admission AO (Admission Officer) to the undesirable and/or missing elements from the high school career

—the focus of the Transfer Admission AO is riveted on early performance in college, exactly where we want it.

An example:

— The CDS (Common Data Set) of Caltech reveals that since 2018, 100% of admitted students at Caltech have been in the top quarter of the high school graduating class. A high school senior who wishes to attend Caltech but is not in the top quarter of the high school class is well-advised to wait and apply only as a transfer student.

—Also to note in the case of Caltech: for the Class of 2026, the Male Transfer Admit rate was over twice the Regular Male Admit rate and the Female Transfer Admit Rate was almost triple the Regular Female Admit Rate:

Male Regular Admit Rate: 1.85% (211/11,352)

Male Transfer Admit Rate: 3.9% (5/128)

Female Regular Admit Rate: 4.49% (237/5274)

Female Transfer Admit Rate: 12.9% (4/31)

NOTE TO PARENTS:

Every school publishes data about admitted students (GPA medians, standardized test medians, etc. ) which constitute clear, objective indicators of probability of admission.

Parents who choose to ignore such parameters should carefully consider the emotional toll on a student of racking up avoidable denial letters.

When an adult encourages a teenager to apply—or fails to discourage a teenager from applying—to a school where applicable criteria are not met, typically false hopes are created which can lead to extreme disappointment at a negative outcome.

The phenomenon whereby parents/students insist upon applying to non-viable schools in an attempt to create the illusion with friends and acquaintances that the student is a viable candidate is a recipe for disaster.

Every school on the list which is not viable is stealing the spot of a school which is viable, thus compromising the overall outcome.

This Forbes magazine article is of interest::

"These 7 Famous Transfer Students Changed the World. You Can Too."

" According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, 37% of college students transfer at least once."

www.forbes.com/sites/nancyleesanchez/2019/03/06/these-7-famous-transfer-students-changed-the-world-you-can-too/?sh=72ee6bed999f

Yes!

Male Transfer Admit Rate Male Normal Admit Rate Female Transfer Admit Rate Female Normal Admit Rate

Harvard 7.8% (7/893) 3.2% (908/28,024) 9.5% (8/842) 3.2% (1076/33,197)

• bpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/sites.harvard.edu/dist/6/210/files/2023/06/harvard_cds_2022-2023.pdf

Cornell 11% (346/3126) 6.52% (2317/35,492) 17.1% (452/2635) 7.99% (2851/35,672)

• irp.dpb.cornell.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/CDS_2022-2023_Cornell-University-v6.pdf

Northwestern 11.63% (187/1608) 6.66% (1452/21,781) 14.73% (200/1357) 7.22% (1869/25,855)

https://enrollment.northwestern.edu/pdf/common-data/2021-22.pdf.

Also to consider: UChicago and Northwestern offer ED transfer!

Yes!

Baylor University, Waco, Texas

—Baylor applied for and was granted by the U.S. Department of Education on 25 July 2023 exemption from the sexual harassment provision of Title IX:

—"(...) the University requests assurance of its exemption from the following regulatory provisions to the extent they are inconsistent with the University's religious tenets (...):

• 34 C.F.R. 106.30(a), 106,44045 (sexual harassment)

https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/t9-rel-exempt/baylor-university-response-07252023.pdf