Top Tier Admissions
A successful Harvard application requires far more than exceptional grades and test scores. Harvard is dedicated to nurturing thoughtful, engaged leaders who go on to make a genuine difference in research, public service, business, medicine, and the arts. When you apply, the committee is eager to see how your personal story, curiosity, and character fit […]
The biggest Cornell essay change this year is not hidden in any one prompt. Rather, it is the prompt that is no longer there. For applicants applying in the current admission cycle, Cornell has dropped the 350-word Cornell University question about community and lived experience. This decision highlights three important trends that I am already […]
Cornell University, located in rural Ithaca, New York, approximately 220 miles northwest of New York City, is a private Ivy League research university founded in 1865. It is the largest land-grant university in New York state. Cornell’s eight undergraduate colleges and schools – the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; the College of Architecture, Art […]
Cornell is one of the hardest Ivies to decode because its admissions process is not organized around a single undergraduate admissions pool. Cornell’s famous motto, “any person…any study,” feels expansive, inclusive, and open-ended. And, in many ways, it is. But from an admissions standpoint, Cornell is highly structured: applicants apply directly to one of Cornell’s […]
In late May 2026, Yale University Admissions announced an update to its standardized testing policy. Starting in the 2026-2027 application cycle, all first-year applicants will be required to submit either an ACT or SAT score, and AP/IB scores cannot be substituted to meet this testing requirement. This policy change reverses the test-optional and test-flexible policies […]
The Senior Year Roadmap
Every deadline from August to May – test dates, applications. decisions – in one place. Signup to download the full 9-page Senior Year Roadmap (PDF)