Most students who are placed on a waitlist will remain there—only a strategic and fortunate few will move forward to become members of that college’s incoming class. What makes that difference? And what can you do to increase the odds of success if you have been offered a spot on the waitlist? COLLEGE WAITLISTS: THE […]
Author: Heidi Lovette
As Assistant Director of Admissions, Heidi evaluated and made executive decisions on 7,000+ undergraduate applications to Cornell University’s College of Arts & Sciences. With additional experience in the admissions offices of Dartmouth College and Temple University, she brings deep insight into the review process at highly selective institutions. Heidi’s admissions experience is complemented by a 15-year career in communications and publishing. As Medical Editor at Cambridge University Press and Science Editor at Cornell University Press, Heidi collaborated with STEM faculty and physician authors to bring dozens of books to successful publication. Heidi now enjoys using both her firsthand admissions experience and editorial skills to advise students on how to distinguish themselves in the admissions process.
After attending Castilleja School in Palo Alto, California, Heidi graduated cum laude with an Honors thesis from Dartmouth College as a double major in Classical Archaeology and Comparative Literature. At the University of Pennsylvania, Heidi was a Williams Fellow in the graduate program of Art and Archaeology of the Mediterranean World. She has conducted archaeological field work in Sardinia, Cyprus, Greece, and Turkey.
Visiting colleges during your high school spring break allows you to see the university in session, filled with students engaged in their activities, and campus culture on full display. While summer can be a more convenient travel time, most colleges are sleepy places during their long annual break when there are fewer students around (or […]
If you were denied admission by your early round target school, you are not alone. Schools such as UVA (up 4.4% for Early Decision 1) are reporting increasing numbers of early round applications. This in turn means record-low early decision (ED) acceptance rates. It was once customary for schools to defer most ED applicants who […]
Being deferred by your first-choice school in the early decision (ED) or early action (EA) round is frustrating: you came close to being accepted, but are now in a state of limbo and you don’t know why. Meanwhile, you don’t have much time before the next round of applications are due. DEFERRAL TO ACCEPTANCE: THREE […]
Have you fine-tuned your Common App? Ready to submit your main essay? Congratulations! But don’t relax just yet, because some of the most important essay components are still ahead. Most top schools use school-specific supplemental essays to find out more about each applicant and—critically for them and for you—to distinguish which applicants are truly invested […]