Admissions Mom

FEBRUARY 5, 2025

Every year, I receive tons of questions about how many extracurricular activities are necessary and whether a kids chances will be hurt because they havent performed at Carnegie Hall, been speaking Mandarin since they were five, or cured cancer. Its an important part of your application. They want to know that, too. The bad news?

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AdmissionSight

FEBRUARY 6, 2025

For Fall 2025 applicants, Cornell remains test-optional, giving students the choice to submit SAT or ACT scores. However, this policy will change for Fall 2026 admissions, when standardized test scores will once again be required. Understanding Cornells shifting test policies is crucial for applicants.

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ACM College Consulting

NOVEMBER 6, 2024

Prepare for Standardized Tests If you plan to take the SAT or ACT, start preparing now. Plan to take the test at least twice this spring and summer to meet fall deadlines. While most colleges are test-free or test-optional, remember that more and more schools are shifting back to requiring testing.

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AdmissionSight

JANUARY 20, 2025

Extracurriculars. Standardized test scores (optional). Show how youve made a difference at your current institution, whether through academic achievements, extracurricular leadership, or community involvement. They accept both, but standardized test scores are optional. Demonstrate leadership and impact.

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Top Tier Admissions

NOVEMBER 7, 2024

Test scores Unlike the many colleges that have reinstated standardized testing requirements , the UC schools remain test-blind and will not consider SAT or ACT scores. They do, however, allow students to report AP and IB exams, and non-native English speakers are required to submit an English language proficiency test.

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Admissions Village

JUNE 19, 2024

Extracurricular Activities (EC’s): How a student spends their time outside of the classroom. High School Profile: A document supplied by high schools to colleges that summarizes the school’s grading system, course offerings, standardized test score ranges, and other important data. Only junior year scores are NMSQTs.

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Top Tier Admissions

MARCH 18, 2025

In recent years, many of the most selective colleges have returned to relying on standardized testing. HOW STUDENTS CAN STAND OUT As grade inflation continues to shape high school academics, students need to focus on genuine learning, course rigor, standardized test scores, and outside achievements.

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AdmissionSight

NOVEMBER 16, 2024

won’t require standardized test scores. The rise of the best test optional colleges is changing the game, giving students new ways to stand out in the admissions process. If you have test anxiety, decided to skip the SAT or ACT, or didn’t quite hit the scores you hoped for, you’re not out of luck.

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Top Tier Admissions

DECEMBER 20, 2024

Renewed Interest in Test Scores For the first time since 2021, more applicants submitted test scores than did not, despite widespread test-optional policies. This trend signals a growing perception of the value of standardized testing, as students aim to bolster their applications.

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AdmissionSight

JANUARY 11, 2025

To boost your chances, focus on maintaining a strong GPA , engaging in extracurriculars, and showcasing what makes you unique. Keep up those grades, get involved in extracurriculars, and make your passion for what UC Davis offers stand out in your application. No need to worry about test scores and recommendation letters!

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Peterson's Blog

JANUARY 7, 2025

Standardized test scores, like the SAT and ACT, determine academic readiness and skills for entering university. While it may be beneficial to take both tests, this blog will answer the question, “Do you need both ACT and SAT for college? While both are standardized tests, there are a few key differences between them.

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AdmissionSight

DECEMBER 17, 2024

Part of this gap comes from the changing role of standardized tests, but it highlights a bigger issuethe growing divide between students who are actively preparing for college and those who are not. Outside of academics, your freshman year is the perfect time to explore extracurricular activities that match your interests.

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AdmissionSight

DECEMBER 17, 2024

Harvard looks at other factors like your course rigor, extracurricular activities, essays, and recommendations. To truly stand out, youll need to focus on other elements of your application, like leadership, extracurriculars, and your essay. Strong extracurricular activities. Still, GPA isnt the only thing that matters.

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Marks Education

APRIL 23, 2025

AP Exams are standardized tests administered by the College Board that measure your mastery of the college-level coursework youve been learning in your AP course. This means that colleges can evaluate your abilities on a standardized scale. What are AP exams, and why are AP courses valuable? How do colleges read AP scores?

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Great College Advice

JANUARY 28, 2025

Extracurricular Exploration : Try various activities to discover genuine interests. 10th Grade: Gaining Momentum Sophomore year is about refining academic and extracurricular focus while beginning standardized test preparation. Standardized Testing : Take the PSAT for practice.

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Berkeley² Academy

MARCH 8, 2025

Changes to standardized testing requirements Some colleges that have maintained test-optional policies include Princeton, the University of Maryland, and Texas A&M. However, many of the most competitive schoolsincluding Caltech, Stanford, and Cornellhave reinstated testing requirements.

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Peterson's Blog

NOVEMBER 18, 2024

Poor Time Management and Organization Skills —Balancing schoolwork, extracurricular activities, and personal life can be overwhelming. Preparing for Major Exams or Transitions —Standardized tests, college admissions, or transitioning to a new grade level can be stressful. Ask questions.

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Spark Admissions

MAY 2, 2023

Create a Study Schedule Staying on top of your schoolwork isn’t always easy; you have extracurricular activities, service commitments, family responsibilities, and more. Try not to let your schoolwork or extracurricular activities interrupt your sleep schedule. Rest will help you focus and keep you healthy for the long term.

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Princeton College Consulting

JANUARY 12, 2025

Many of us are familiar with the standard elements of a college applicationsuch as your academic background, extracurricular activities, essays, and letters of recommendation. While each university has its own assessment process, there are core criteria that every reader focuses on.

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Marks Education

MAY 14, 2025

When school starts, youre going to be thrown back into the world of extracurriculars and homework, but during the summer, you have a little time on your hands that you can use to set yourself up for success and achieve your goals. Marks Education offers baseline testing every Saturday this summer; contact us now to reserve your spot.

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College Essay Guy

NOVEMBER 4, 2024

Earn strong standardized test scores ( minimum SAT scores of 500 verbal and 500 math, or ACT scores of 21 English, 19 Social Studies, 24 Mathematics, and 24 Science). Demonstrate leadership through work experience or extracurricular activities. You should also aim for high standardized test scores ( SAT or ACT ).

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AdmissionSight

JANUARY 1, 2025

At the same time, the admissions office has worked hard to keep standards sky-high. To have a real shot, your application needs to stand out in every waygrades, essays, recommendations, and extracurriculars. That means your essays need to be sharp, your recommendations glowing, and your extracurriculars meaningful. Dont panic.

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AdmissionSight

DECEMBER 6, 2024

Standardized test scores (SAT/ACT) Standardized tests like the SAT and ACT have been a big part of college applications for decades. However, many schools have shifted to being test-optionalmeaning you dont have to submit your scores. Extracurricular activities Colleges love well-rounded applicants.

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The Koppelman Group

MARCH 21, 2025

Teenagers with dyslexia face unique challenges during the college application process on top of the usual stress of essays, deadlines, and standardized tests, theyre also navigating reading and writing difficulties that can make the process feel overwhelming. Its the result of strategic, well-planned decisions made over time.

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Marks Education

APRIL 16, 2025

A typical international college counseling session begins with a conversation about your academic history, extracurricular activities, interests, and any specific questions you may have about the application process. This includes explaining standardized tests (SAT, ACT) , essays , recommendation letters , the Common Application.

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Spark Admissions

APRIL 11, 2023

According to Columbia, this move was prompted by a growing recognition of the flaws in standardized testing and the school’s desire to make the admissions process more equitable and accessible to a broader range of students. For decades, standardized tests have been central to the college admissions process.

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Spark Admissions

APRIL 11, 2023

According to Columbia, this move was prompted by a growing recognition of the flaws in standardized testing and the school’s desire to make the admissions process more equitable and accessible to a broader range of students. For decades, standardized tests have been central to the college admissions process.

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HelloCollege

JANUARY 16, 2025

Instead of requiring students to submit a full application with essays, activities list , recommendation letters , and other traditional elements, some colleges proactively offer admission to students based on information already available, like GPA, standardized test scores, or self-reported academic achievements.

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AdmissionSight

MARCH 30, 2025

Very important They place the most importance on things like your talent/ability, character/personal qualities, standardized test scores, recommendations, and your application essay. Important Next up, extracurricular activities fall under the important category. Also, dont stress if you need to retake the test.

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Great College Advice

JANUARY 14, 2025

10 th grade is an exciting time as you have hopefully found a nice rhythm between your academics, extracurriculars, and social life. Continue to refine your extracurriculars (ECs) and explore leadership roles Pursue those extracurricular interests that engage you and that give you a sense of accomplishment.

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HelloCollege

FEBRUARY 11, 2025

By breaking it down further, we can provide a more tailored approach to when test prep tutoring makes the most sense. Section 1: When to Start Thinking About the SAT and ACT It bares repeating: It’s never too early to start thinking about standardized testing, even if the test dates seem far off.

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AdmissionSight

DECEMBER 4, 2024

Standout extracurricular achievements What you do outside the classroom matters just as much as your grades. Participation in extracurricular activities like science fairs, research internships, or STEM competitions. Standardized test scores. RSI looks for applicants who have actively pursued their passion for STEM.

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AdmissionSight

NOVEMBER 22, 2024

Out of those applicants, only around 1,512 students were admitted, which means the standards are seriously high.The sheer volume of applications contributes to how hard it is to get into Vanderbilt. They take a holistic approach, which means your essays, extracurriculars, and personality matter just as much as your GPA.

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The Koppelman Group

JANUARY 9, 2025

Keep Your Extracurriculars on Track In the same vein as above, you also need to develop a strong resume for when you ultimately apply. So, best to treat this like the standard transfer/Why essay. If youve done a lot of extracurricular work in this space, this is also a place to mention how youve built upon this work over time.

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Peterson's Blog

OCTOBER 23, 2024

Standardized tests, like the SAT and ACT, are used to determine academic readiness and skills for entering university. In this blog, we will cover the current data on scores year after year, factors associated with the changes, and how to best approach these standardized tests in light of recent data.

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AdmissionSight

APRIL 26, 2025

This means that gaining admission with a 910 SAT score would be extremely rare unless you have outstanding extracurricular achievements , compelling essays, or unique personal circumstances that help set you apart. If you believe you can improve your SAT score, retaking the test could open more opportunities.

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Top Tier Admissions

MARCH 13, 2025

Small adjustments, like upping sports recruitment for football teams and prioritizing standardized test results (which tend to be slightly higher for men) can tip the scales towards increasing male enrollment. At Brown University, about 12,000 more women than men applied for admission in 2023, but 14 more men than women were admitted.

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