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Recommended High School Courses According to Ivy League Admissions:

Harvard Recommended Courses

Yale Recommended Courses

Princeton Recommended Courses

Brown Recommended Courses

Dartmouth Recommended Courses

Columbia Recommended Courses

UPenn Recommended Courses

Cornell Recommended Courses

UChicago Recommended Courses

MIT Recommended Courses

Stanford Recommended Courses

What to Include or Avoid in your Why Us Essay for Each University:

Learn About Departments, Programs, and Courses at Columbia

Learn About Access to Graduate Level Courses for Columbia Undergrads

Learn About Departments, Programs, and Courses at UPenn

Learn About Dual Degree Programs With Wharton

Best Non-Ivy League Schools for Each Interest Area:

Business/Economics

Pre-law

Pre-med

Psychology

Computer Science

I’ve Read 100+ Successful Harvard Essays. They all start with one of these hooks:

Unique College Essay Topics That Got Students Into Harvard:

PDF of Essays

Top Public Colleges For Every Interest Area

Business, Political Science, Pre-med, Computer Science, Engineering

How to Make Being a Participant Sound Impressive on the Common App

Example: The Theatre Tech Team

Before Using This Strategy: Participated on the team helping with lights and sound effects for seven
shows
After Using This Strategy: Helped team reach a record number of shows for the year, organizing lights
and sound effects for seven shows as opposed to five the previous year

Example: Cross Country Team

Before Using This Strategy: Ran on the cross country team for four years, attending meets every weekend
After Using This Strategy: Ran on the cross country team for four years, helping our team perform better
in state competitions as compared to any previous year since 2012

Safety* School Equivalents for Every Ivy League

Guide to Choosing Saftey Schools

*NOTE: A true safety school should have at least an 80% acceptance rate. The colleges listed in our post
are still VERY selective but serve as more realistic alternatives to the Ivy League for students with strong
grades and test scores.

How Harvard Accepted a Murderer

The Full Story of Gina Grant

Universities That Have Gained Prestige Over The Past 20 Years

Source

How to Make Sure You Get a Good Recommendation Letter

Template for Asking for a Letter of Recommendation:

*It is best to ask in person!

Hello ___,

I hope you are doing well! Your class has been one of the favorites of my high school career,
where I feel I have experienced real growth. I was wondering if you might have time to write me
a letter of recommendation. I know you are quite busy, and I totally understand if not. If you do
have time, I have attached a list of some of my proudest moments from your class below to
hopefully make things easier for you. Thank you so much!

Sincerely,

- Your Name

Most Academically Rigorous Colleges in the US

Full List

What to Avoid When Writing Multiple Supplemental Essays for One School

Guide to writing supplemental essays

Best Non-US Universities

Full list

MIT Admissions Recommended Summer Programs for High School Students

Links to apply to programs

Early VS. Regular Acceptance Rates for Each Ivy League+

Source

Universities Where You Earn the Highest Salary after Graduating

Source

Top High School Competitions & Internships With Deadlines this November

Harvard International Economics Essay Contest (HIEEC)

Leonard L. Milberg ’53 High School Poetry Prize
Rachel Carson Contest
American Mathematics Association (AMC) 10/12
Regeneron Science Talent Search
New York University Tisch Future Artists Program
StandOut Connect High School Internship Program

The Most Helpful Websites for Surviving High School According to Harvard Students

Kahn Academy
Chegg
Google Calendar
Grammarly
StandOutSearch

Top Universities With the Most Grade Inflation

Link to Source

Universities that Send the Most Students to Top Medical or Law Schools
Medical
Law
Navigating “Test-Optional" Policies

Article

Top Universities With The Least Wealthy Student Body

Sources:

U.S. News & World Report (2023) "Best National Universities" rankings

U.S. Department of Education "College Affordability and Student Financial Aid" data

The Chronicle of Higher Education "Wealthy Students at Elite Colleges: A Statistical Portrait" article

Top 50 Colleges With The Most Depressed Student Bodies

Source

The Demographics of the Ivy League

Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Brown Source 1, Brown Source 2, Dartmouth, UPenn, Cornell

US Colleges With The Most Difficult Applications

Source

The Most Exclusive Collegiate Secret Societies

Source

Do colleges limit the number of students they accept from each high school?

Source

The Best Public Universities in the US

Source

Extracurriculars Admissions Officers are Most Likely to Fact Check

Source 1
Source 2

Top Universities That Admit the Most Legacies

Source 1
Source 2
Source 3

Top High School Competitions and Internships With Deadlines this December

Internships

Competitions:

NY Times, spUN Debates

US Universities With the Happiest Student Bodies per Princeton Review

Source

Best Non-Ivy League+ Colleges For Each Interest Area

Business/Economics:
Pre-law:
Pre-med:
Engineering:
Computer Science:

Top Universities That Care Least About GPA & Class Rank

Source

The Sports That Make it Easiest to Get Into Top Colleges

Source

Congress is Asking Ivy League Presidents to Resign

Source 1
Source 2
Source 3

What to Do if You Are Deferred

Source 1
Source 2

Why You Might Not Have Gotten into Your Dream School

Source

Will Your Parent's Education Level Give You a Disadvantage Applying to College?

Source

New Year’s Resolutions that Will Help You Get Into a Top University

Time-Boxing Article from HBR

Top Universities That Don’t Have Legacy Admissions

Source

Harvard’s President Has Resigned

Source 1, Source 2

What Major Earns the Most Money After Graduating for Each Ivy League

Source 1, Source 2

The Easiest Top Universities to Get Into Outside the Ivy League+

Source

US Universities That Make it Easiest to Find Internships

Source

Which Universities are Considered Ivy League+?

Source

How Much Each Ivy League+ Cares About What State You’re From

Source

How Many AP Classes Should You Take for Ivy League+ Admissions

Source

The Most Unique Classes Offered by Each Ivy League (save for your why us essay!)

Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Dartmouth, UPenn, Brown, Cornell

Most Academically Rigorous High Schools in The US

Source

Why You Should Apply to 20 Colleges According to Harvard Business Review

Source