Written by Kaashvi, Dartmouth College Welcome back to The College Countdown! For those of you who are stopping by our blog for the first time, hey, I am Kaashvi, your friendly neighborhood college admissions enthusiast and your guide through this series. Whether you’re a returning reader or a newcomer, I’m super excited to have you join us for this wild ride. We are dedicating this week’s episode to working our way through the extracurricular activities section on the Common App and writing standout descriptions to make your application memorable. But why exactly does the activity section ca ..read more

Written by Sienna, Princeton University From test-mandatory, to test optional, and back to test-mandatory again, in the past few years college admissions has seen radical transformation. With so many changes, testing policies being just one of those, students and parents find themselves trying to predict the uncertain future of the college admissions process. This can be a frustrating position as students and parents are forced to make decisions about how to allocate resources and time, without a proper understanding of the return on those investments. While there are a number of factors tha ..read more

Dartmouth drew in a record number of applicants for the class of 2028, bringing the acceptance rate to an all-time low.  While applicants for this incoming class did not need to submit standardized test results, those aspiring to join the class of 2029 will need to as Dartmouth’s pandemic-era testing hiatus comes to an end.  Dartmouth is one of the more expensive Ivy league schools, costing nearly $90,000 for the 2024-2025 academic year, however, it implemented a new financial aid policy for the class of 2028 that benefits middle-income families.  Admissions Stats Dartmouth acc ..read more

Written by Kaashvi, Dartmouth College Welcome back to The College Countdown! For those of you who are joining us for the first time today and aren’t familiar with me, I am Kaashvi, your friendly neighborhood college admissions enthusiast and your guide through this series. If you’re a returning reader, I hope that after reading the last two articles, you’ve been able to get a head start on making your college list and figuring out what you’re looking for in colleges. Either way, I am ecstatic that you’ve decided to join us for this wild ride. In today’s episode, we are decoding the different ..read more

Written by Kaasvhi, Dartmouth College Welcome back to The College Countdown! For those of you who are joining us for the first time, hey, I am Kaashvi, your friendly neighborhood college admissions enthusiast and your guide through this series. Whether you’re a series regular or a newcomer, I’m super excited to have you join us for this wild ride. In this week’s episode, we are diving head first into uncovering the process of researching colleges and starting off your admissions process. You probably have always heard people say things like, “Finding the right college is all about fit” or “M ..read more

Columbia’s acceptance rate ticked down slightly for the class of 2028, as it enjoyed its third-largest pool of applicants, though it still fell short of the record low of 3.66% for the class of 2025.  Last year, the university became the first to announce that its admissions process will be permanently test-optional, unlike some of its peers who are bringing back testing requirements following a brief hiatus amid the Covid-19 pandemic.  Even if Columbia doesn’t require testing, it always helps to have a good score if you wish to apply to the storied institution in Morningside Height ..read more

Written by Alex, New York University Yale attracted the largest number of applicants ever to its class of 2028, resulting in a record-low attendance rate. The surge in applications since 2020 is in part attributed to the test-optional policy that Yale adopted in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, though earlier this year the college changed to a flexible-but-mandatory test policy that will come into effect in the next admissions cycle.  Admissions Stats Yale admitted 2,146 out of 57,465 applicants for the class of 2028, amounting to a 3.73% acceptance rate. That compares to Yale accept ..read more

Written by Kaashvi, Dartmouth College Welcome back to The College Countdown! If this is your first time stopping by our blog, I am Kaashvi, your friendly neighborhood college admissions enthusiast and your guide through this series. Whether you’re a returning reader or a newcomer, I’m pumped to have you join us for this wild ride. In today’s episode, we’re talking all about the crafting of the mythical college list. Now, if you’re reading this article, you’ve probably either just started the spring semester of your junior year or are wrapping up a very stressful junior year, only to be hit w ..read more

Written by Kaashvi, Dartmouth College Hey there, and welcome to The College Countdown! I’m Kaashvi (though my friends and family call me Kai), your friendly neighborhood college admissions enthusiast, and I'll be your guide throughout this series. Having recently tackled the whirlwind of applications and decisions myself, I get the mix of nerves and excitement that comes with the territory. So, whether you're a wide-eyed freshman just starting to think about your future or a seasoned senior feeling the weight of impending deadlines, you're in good company. Throughout this series, we'll explo ..read more

Written by Sienna, Princeton University Most people know Princeton University from its consistent ranking as the #1 school in America according to the U.S. News Rankings (13 years in a row and counting). There are a number of factors that are considered in the award of this prestigious title, but today we are diving into what makes Princeton a standout school beyond just the numbers. Written by a Princeotn university graduate, this article includes first hand insights that you won’t get anywhere else…  All-expenses paid summer research in Italy? No problem!  Princeton University has ..read more