Top Tier AdmissionsMaria Laskaris joins Top Tier Admissions as one of the most experienced admissions deans in the country. She graduated from Dartmouth College in 1984, and served as Director of Admissions at Dartmouth for over a decade where she evaluated tens of thousands of applicants. From 2007-2015 she served as the Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at Dartmouth, overseeing all facets of the admissions and financial aid processes. She played an integral role in developing key enhancements to the Common Application, serving on the 14-member Board of Directors. With over 25 years of admissions experience at one of the most selective colleges in the country, she provides an insider’s perspective like no other, with deep knowledge of selective college admissions.
In addition, Maria is proud of her long-term volunteer work with Opera North (Lebanon, NH) in fundraising, marketing and audience engagement. She is an avid masters rower with the Upper Valley Rowing Foundation (Hanover, NH) and also serves as a member of its board of directors.
Top colleges and universities seek scholars: students who willingly go above and beyond what’s required of them in their classes because they have a love of learning and boundless curiosity. Why? First, research and scholarship – whether in the sciences, social sciences, or arts and humanities – are core to the mission of top schools across […]
Record-low acceptance rates and record-high application numbers grab all the headlines, but who was actually admitted to the Class of 2026? And how do these accepted students reflect a college or university’s mission? Now that the dust has settled and colleges have released more information about their incoming classes, we can understand what mattered most […]
Regular Decision acceptance rates continue to plummet at top schools; some see application volume level off. March went out like a lion. Over the past two weeks, highly selective colleges and universities released decisions and shared data on their shockingly large applicant pools. From university press releases to college student newspapers, headlines pointed to record-low […]
For high school seniors and admissions officers, “March Madness” is more than just a storied basketball tournament. This month, seniors will begin to learn the outcome of applications they submitted as early as last fall. For the lucky ones, virtual “fat envelopes” at dream schools signal the end of the madness. Some may find themselves […]
If “factors that matter most in college admissions” were the question posed to contestants on “Family Feud,” surely the top answer would be “high school transcript.” Scan the websites of any selective college and you’ll see that colleges care deeply about the combination of grades and rigor of courses. Plenty of research at the national […]
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