Every spring, college admission rates dominate the headlines: “Duke Admits 4.8% of Regular Decision Applicants,” “Northeastern Acceptance Rate Drops to 5.6% After Record Number of Applicants,” “Yale Admits 2,234 Students, Acceptance Rate Shrinks to 4.46 Percent.” As parents and students clamor for a competitive edge, many are drawn to the disproportionately high admission rates from […]
Author: Nellie Brennan Hall
Nellie has spent her entire career in teaching, admissions, and counseling. As Associate Director of Admission at Brown University, she spent nearly a decade recruiting and evaluating applicants. In her role as chair of selection committees, Nellie made executive decisions on applicants and also served as a central member of the athletics committee. Armed with a nuanced view of the review process in highly selective institutions, Nellie moved into college counseling at independent schools, helping students craft essays and guiding them through every stage of the college search and application process Nellie’s students have gained admission to the top schools in the country, among them Harvard, Yale, Brown, Dartmouth, Columbia, UPenn, Northwestern, Duke, Johns Hopkins, Georgetown, Amherst, and Middlebury. Nellie graduated from Harvard and holds an M.Ed. from Notre Dame in Secondary Education and an Ed.M. from Harvard in Higher Education, where she was awarded the Pforzheimer Fellowship.
As students look to distinguish themselves in the college admissions process, participating in (and winning!) contests is a great way to earn recognition for your talent and signal to colleges the value of your knowledge and work. Last week, we shared some top STEM contests to boost your Ivy odds, but high school students with […]
Top STEM Contests to Boost Your Ivy Odds
For high school students with a passion for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), participating in prestigious contests can be a game-changer. Not only do these competitions provide a platform to showcase one’s intellectual prowess, creativity, and problem-solving skills, but they also offer a unique opportunity to catch the attention of top-tier universities. TOP STEM […]
When my oldest child entered middle school, I heard countless condolences and commiserations. The common misconception is that middle school must be a time fraught with hormones, identity crises, petulance, and a reduced commitment to school in favor of social life. However, I found it to be the opposite. In fact, it has been my […]
For the past two years, researchers have been studying the academic and psychological effects of the pandemic on students. As they begin to compile the data, the findings are not surprising to parents and educators who have seen firsthand large learning losses and mental health concerns among children and adolescents. UNFINISHED LEARNING: LOOKING AT THE […]