Top Tier AdmissionsEliza has years of experience at Top Tier Admissions, helping students gain admittance to top-flight colleges and pioneering the Writing Center. She holds a B.A. in English with Honors and Distinction from Stanford University, where she was a two-time recipient of Stanford’s Rebele Journalism Fellowship. She earned her MA and PhD in English Literature at the University of Virginia. Prior to working at Top Tier, Eliza taught in UVa’s English Department and its Academic and Professional Writing Program. The effectiveness of her teaching and her commitment to her students earned her multiple awards, including the All-University Graduate Teaching Award and honors from UVa’s Seven Society. Eliza’s own writing has appeared in publications ranging from academic journals to The Philadelphia Inquirer. She also has experience in publishing, digital humanities, and study abroad programming.
The term “Southern Ivies”—meant to denote schools that offer Ivy League-quality educations in the lower half of the United States—has been applied to schools ranging from Davidson College to UT Austin. As with “public Ivies,” there is no consensus on a definitive list of schools in this category. Below, we’ll introduce you to some of […]
For high school seniors, the beginning of January generally brings a sense of relief. After months of writing essays, filling out applications, and stressing about your college choices, your applications are finally in! Pretty soon, though, you may find yourself feeling a new kind of stress—the kind that comes from waiting to hear your college […]
You did it! You submitted your Early Decision and Early Action applications, and you are now resisting the urge to refresh your email as you await good news. For many students, the next few weeks will be filled with dreams of acceptance and worries about rejection. But there is another response you might receive from […]
Whether we’re talking strong muscles or strong minds, striving for excellence requires consistency, perseverance, grit, and good ole’ fashioned hard work! With Thanksgiving only six weeks away, high school students across the country are working diligently to earn top grades and strong test scores that will help them develop competitive college profiles. In other words, […]
The “personal statement.” For many students, just seeing these words causes a spike in anxiety and stress. In just 650 words, you have to show perfect strangers who you are, set yourself apart from thousands of other applicants, and convince college admissions officers why they should want you on their campus. That’s a lot of […]
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Complete your Common App and supplemental essays, build a school list aligned to your profile, and develop a clear admissions strategy—guided by the Top Tier Admissions team. In our 22 years running Boot Camp, our counselors have helped thousands of students earn admission to the country’s most selective colleges.