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It’s Back to School for College Applications: 2021 Edition


Running errands this morning, I saw students waiting for the bus, groups of teens walking to school and a whole lot more traffic. Yes, it’s back-to-school time, and the students seem ready. Motivated applicants have been meeting with me live and virtually, brainstorming ideas and discussing the ins and outs of the application process. If they’re underclassmen, they’re asking questions and learning that there are multiple ways to be a great candidate for college and career.

It’s Free to Apply . . . But Will They Get In? Poor parents! That’s right; application fees keep mounting. For those aspiring to Stanford, it’s up to $90.00! Interestingly, some colleges are eliminating application fees altogether. As reported in Inside Higher Education, “the experience of colleges that have gone fee-free have prompted more colleges — especially liberal arts colleges — to drop their application fees.” Institutions to which your student can apply without a fee include Dickinson, Colorado College, Wellesley and Reed. Sweet! The article points out that colleges that

No fee at CC!

The Chair: Fact or Fiction?  Are there parents of potential English majors out there? If so, you may not want to watch The Chair, recently released on Netflix. In the fictional Pembroke University (not Pembroke College, merged into Brown years ago), faculty of the English Department are at war with each other and the administration. The series features some decent acting and a clever use of controversial issues as it depicts life at an elite liberal arts college.


Free Skiing in the Green Mountain State Does your applicant want a season pass for skiing along with free rentals? If so, Middlebury College might be just the place. As pointed out in Inside Higher Ed, some colleges are dealing with larger-than-normal student populations. In the case of Middlebury, students taking the ski deal also need to live 11 miles away from campus. At Dartmouth, students entered a lottery, with winners receiving $5,000 in exchange for their spot for on-campus housing. Still, other campuses around the country have experienced just the opposite situation, with too much housing and not enough students.

Bigger in Texas (Just Not the Acceptance Rate) It happens more every year. Students in Northern New Jersey can’t get enough of the University of Texas at Austin (even if they’ve never been there). As often mentioned in this blog, students from out of state face significant admissions challenges at popular public research universities; spots are limited.

Curious for more, I recently sat through a webinar sponsored by College Matchpoint to learn about the dramatic changes to UT’s 2021-22 application process. As it turns out, prospective Longhorns will have to write precise responses to four essay prompts, including an explanation of why they fit their selected major. (At UT Austin, prospective business and engineering students are known to have it particularly rough.)

UT Austin sccepts 6-8 percent of out-of-staters.

College Bowl Revisited Earlier this summer, this blogger rambled on about being disappointed in Capitol One College Bowl. Since then, the Tide has rolled over Michigan and Columbia staged a successful comeback over Auburn. Yet students still struggle with easy questions, for example, not knowing about Phi Beta Kappa, to which host and Hall of Famer Peyton Manning belongs. In this week’s episode, USC and Alabama compete for a spot in the semifinals.

Does your applicant need to stay on track with the all-important supplemental essays? Does your student need a jumpstart to college and career? Don’t hesitate to get in touch.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

Running errands this morning, I saw students waiting for the bus, groups of teens walking to school and a whole lot more traffic. Yes, it’s back-to-school time, and the students seem ready. Motivated applicants have been meeting with me live and virtually, brainstorming ideas and discussing the ins and outs of the application process. If they’re underclassmen, they’re asking questions and learning that there are multiple ways to be a great candidate for college and career.

It’s Free to Apply . . . But Will They Get In? Poor parents! That’s right; application fees keep mounting. For those aspiring to Stanford, it’s up to $90.00! Interestingly, some colleges are eliminating application fees altogether. As reported in Inside Higher Education, “the experience of colleges that have gone fee-free have prompted more colleges — especially liberal arts colleges — to drop their application fees.” Institutions to which your student can apply without a fee include Dickinson, Colorado College, Wellesley and Reed. Sweet! The article points out that colleges that

No fee at CC!

The Chair: Fact or Fiction?  Are there parents of potential English majors out there? If so, you may not want to watch The Chair, recently released on Netflix. In the fictional Pembroke University (not Pembroke College, merged into Brown years ago), faculty of the English Department are at war with each other and the administration. The series features some decent acting and a clever use of controversial issues as it depicts life at an elite liberal arts college.


Free Skiing in the Green Mountain State Does your applicant want a season pass for skiing along with free rentals? If so, Middlebury College might be just the place. As pointed out in Inside Higher Ed, some colleges are dealing with larger-than-normal student populations. In the case of Middlebury, students taking the ski deal also need to live 11 miles away from campus. At Dartmouth, students entered a lottery, with winners receiving $5,000 in exchange for their spot for on-campus housing. Still, other campuses around the country have experienced just the opposite situation, with too much housing and not enough students.

Middlebury admit rate: 16 percent 

Bigger in Texas (Just Not the Acceptance Rate) It happens more every year. Students in Northern New Jersey can’t get enough of the University of Texas at Austin (even if they’ve never been there). As often mentioned in this blog, students from out of state face significant admissions challenges at popular public research universities; spots are limited.

Curious for more, I recently sat through a webinar sponsored by College Matchpoint to learn about the dramatic changes to UT’s 2021-22 application process. As it turns out, prospective Longhorns will have to write precise responses to four essay prompts, including an explanation of why they fit their selected major. (At UT Austin, prospective business and engineering students are known to have it particularly rough.)

UT Austin sccepts 6-8 percent of out-of-staters.

College Bowl Revisited Earlier this summer, this blogger rambled on about being disappointed in Capitol One College Bowl. Since then, the Tide has rolled over Michigan and Columbia staged a successful comeback over Auburn. Yet students still struggle with easy questions, for example, not knowing about Phi Beta Kappa, to which host and Hall of Famer Peyton Manning belongs. In this week’s episode, USC and Alabama compete for a spot in the semifinals.

Does your applicant need to stay on track with the all-important supplemental essays? Does your student need a jumpstart to college and career? Don’t hesitate to get in touch.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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