Top Tier Admissions

MARCH 7, 2024

In February, the College Board announced physics course and exam revisions, which will take effect with the 2024-25 school year (May 2025 AP Exams). As high school students make decisions about course selection, they might be wondering how to distinguish between these classes, and which ones are most important for college admissions.

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Admissions Village

FEBRUARY 25, 2024

Many colleges have still not decided if they will become permanently test-optional for admissions. Instead, they are tracking how their test-optional students do once they are on campus, and they will use that data to make a final decision eventually. Yale has said they will not take predicted IB scores.

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College Essay Guy

MAY 23, 2023

What colleges look at in the application process, and how they assess different elements, tends to feel pretty nebulous to most students. In particular, how grades from different years of high school are evaluated can seem murky. How do freshman grades affect college admissions chances? You couldn’t START with the Needle! (Or

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Princeton College Consulting

FEBRUARY 21, 2023

Honors or Advanced Placement Level One of the more frequent questions we get from parents and students is: Is it better to stay at the College Placement (CP) or Honors level in my high school courses and get an A or step up to the Honors or Advanced Placement (AP) level and get a B? While this may be the conventional wisdom, be careful!

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HelloCollege

AUGUST 7, 2023

AP courses, also known as Advanced Placement courses, have a range of benefits. These college-level classes prepare students for the rigors of higher education, as well as a chance to earn college credits. However, one of the biggest advantages of AP Courses courses is their potential to boost your GPA.

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The Koppelman Group

APRIL 17, 2024

When you start 9th grade, college still seems like it’s an eternity away. But, as soon as you walk into your first class of freshman year, your path to getting into college starts. Every grade counts towards your GPA, and you have no excuse not to get involved with clubs or access resources your school has to offer.

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Top Tier Admissions

MARCH 19, 2024

As you gear up for May AP exams , now is the time to take ownership of your AP prep. Your AP scores are not just a way to place into advanced coursework or test out of requirements in college, they are also a pivotal asset in college admissions. You’re not alone. is crucial to score points on both sections!

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Top Tier Admissions

APRIL 7, 2023

Since the College Board discontinued SAT Subject Tests in 2021, AP exams have become even more important data points in the selective college admissions process. Remember that just because a high school doesn’t offer a certain AP, it doesn’t mean you can’t prepare to take the AP exams yourself. Stressed about APs?

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Top Tier Admissions

APRIL 12, 2024

Around 6,700 undergraduate students attend classes at Harvard’s urban location in Cambridge, MA, where 97% of students will live on-campus for all four years. HARVARD ACCEPTANCE RATE: HIGHEST IN FOUR YEARS AS APPLICATION NUMBERS FALL Harvard accepted 3.59% of Regular Decision applicants to its Class of 2028, or 1,245 students.

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Excelsior Admissions Consulting

NOVEMBER 18, 2023

Weighted GPAs give weight in the calculation to AP, honors, or IB courses. Rigor of Classes: In addition to evaluating a student’s GPA, colleges consider the rigor of their courses. Rigor of Classes: In addition to evaluating a student’s GPA, colleges consider the rigor of their courses. Many schools do not rank students.

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Shemmassian Academic Consulting

SEPTEMBER 12, 2023

How hard is it to get into UCLA? UCLA’s tri-fold mission of education, research, and service is deeply integrated into its world-class curriculum and campus community. Getting into UCLA means joining a world-class community of learners and leaders. If you feel your excitement about UCLA growing, you’re not alone.

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Top Tier Admissions

APRIL 7, 2023

For the Class of 2027, the Emory acceptance rate was a mere 10% (compared to 11% for the Class of 2026 and 13% for the Class of 2025). For the Class of 2027: Emory increased its QuestBridge Match Scholars this year, admitting 61 students from the program in the early round. Like most selective U.S.

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College Essay Guy

JANUARY 13, 2023

You want to know the easiest AP classes because you want an A+ on your transcript and a 5 on the AP exam. So, what are the easiest AP classes? But you can look at data on AP exam pass rates, student reviews, and a few subjective factors to determine which might be the easiest AP classes for you.

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The Koppelman Group

APRIL 2, 2024

Princeton has so many great programs. If you are into International Affairs, Eating Clubs, or need-blind schools, you probably already have Princeton near the top of your list. But you might be asking yourself, “Can I really get into Princeton?” If you are serious about Princeton, you need to be a top candidate.

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DC College Counseling

APRIL 13, 2023

Every year, we get lots of questions from families about AP course selections. What are the benefits of an AP class? There are many advantages to taking an Advanced Placement course. AP coursework can also reinforce your interest in and readiness for a particular major. And that’s not all.

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The Koppelman Group

APRIL 12, 2024

So, if you are considering applying to Vanderbilt, being a top candidate has never been more important. But how can you ensure that? We’re so glad you asked. Let's break down what it takes to be a top Vanderbilt applicant. You want to make sure you absolutely eat in these categories.

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The Koppelman Group

APRIL 27, 2024

Don’t let the name fool you. So, whatever you want to study, they probably have it. If you hope to get into USC, you must be a strong candidate. We want to help by breaking down the most important things to do if you hope to get into USC. You want to take as many of these credits as you can at a high level.

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College Essay Guy

FEBRUARY 3, 2023

Taking IB vs AP classes? All important questions in the life of a high school student, but here we’re only going to help you tackle that last one. Whatever you decide between IB classes and AP classes , you’ll benefit from the ways these courses challenge you to think about the world.

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Top Tier Admissions

APRIL 20, 2023

The Academic Index was designed specifically to regulate athletic recruitment (in the Ivy League colleges, 15-20% of the first-year class is made up of recruited athletes for their sports teams). Remember: AP scores from senior year coursework are not back in time to report on the Common App! Use your summers wisely and push ahead.

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College Essay Guy

NOVEMBER 29, 2022

But if you want your transcript to stand out to college admissions officers, AP classes are definitely a good idea. Of course, that's only true if you take AP classes that you can get good grades in. But what are AP classes? Are they the same as college classes? Sound good?

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The Koppelman Group

APRIL 22, 2024

Weirdly, they don’t publish their acceptance rate as part of their class profile (ok, gatekeep, gaslight, girlboss). But with a sub-7% acceptance rate, you have to be a competitive candidate if you hope to get in. But how can you be sure that you are a competitive candidate? We are so glad you asked!

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SSA Online College Prep

OCTOBER 12, 2023

Take time to study for and take the SAT or ACT ! Take AP courses and follow up with the exams! Make a college list and tour schools that you want to go to! Research colleges, programs, and scholarships that might interest you! Start thinking about the theme for your Common App essay ! Not a Junior?

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The Koppelman Group

FEBRUARY 11, 2023

If you hope to be an electrical engineer, going to a great undergrad engineering program should be your first step. To really stand out as an applicant, you want to show that you have the skills and knowledge base to hit the ground running as an engineering student. But how do you do that?

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Georgia Tech Admissions Blog

MARCH 9, 2024

I mean…you never know. I rent a car and pull up to the exit booth. “Ummm… do you have a map?” “No, Sweetie. “No, Where are you going?” “Charlottesville.” “Ok. Go to the third light, take a left, and follow signs for 64W.” Got it. In the end, she lived about 5 miles away (How do I know?

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Solomon Admissions

JUNE 29, 2023

High schools have many different academic philosophies and offer varying curriculum types, including the Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs. For schools that don’t have an advanced curriculum, standardized tests provide colleges a chance to see how those students compare to others.

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College Essay Guy

JUNE 15, 2023

We assume you’re here because you have standardized testing questions. How can students find out what a “good score” is? How much do standardized tests matter for colleges? Let’s talk timelines: How much preparation should I plan on? How should I prep for the SAT or ACT? How about APs?

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College Essay Guy

FEBRUARY 21, 2024

students and families (understandably) often ask us what colleges are looking for in students they admit and how to maximize their chances of standing out in selective college admissions. They actually tell you. They tell other people, who try to tell you. And we’ll help you understand how and where they do.

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College Essay Guy

NOVEMBER 20, 2023

If you're proactive and implement the advice below, you should be able to confidently fill out your applications knowing that you took the time to build a narrative that will help your application readers understand what you bring to their program. Which classes should you be taking?

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The Koppelman Group

MARCH 23, 2024

The school has many unique offerings, such as a calendar with four 10-week sessions each year, creating flexibility for students to take on work, internships, vacations, and study abroad opportunities on their own schedule. While no one is guaranteed a spot, there are things that you can do to help your chances as an applicant.

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Top Tier Admissions

APRIL 3, 2024

Have you memorized every word of The Gladiator ? Are you fascinated by Greek mythology? Do you dream of summer excavations in Italy or Greece? As a Classics major, you will have the opportunity to dive into a rigorous study of the ancient Mediterranean world through language, literature, art, and archaeology.

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Solomon Admissions

DECEMBER 8, 2023

Did you know that there are over 1,830 colleges and universities that have switched to test-optional over the last few years? According to Forbes , many of these schools did so to help combat the effects of COVID, but as COVID cases have been on a drastic decline schools are standing by this policy for a multitude of reasons.

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Admissions Mom

MARCH 3, 2023

There’s all this pressure to take the most honors, APs, or IB courses possible — like there’s some magical combination of classes that will unlock your acceptance to the most fabulous college in the world — as if there were just one fabulous college ;-). Colleges want to see who you are and what you have to offer.

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SSA Online College Prep

APRIL 13, 2023

Summer is an important time to think about preparing for college, but there are so many competing priorities that it can be hard to decide the best use of your time. You may want to consider academic priorities but also volunteering, family, and more. So many summer college prep options! So many summer college prep options!

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The Koppelman Group

JANUARY 2, 2023

If you want to get into the engineering school of your dreams, you are going to have to show you are serious about engineering and that you have some math and science chops. Taking the right classes will help your application compete. For most high schools that means taking AP Calc, IB Calc, or Calc BC.

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College Essay Guy

JANUARY 24, 2023

You know what those words have in common? So, when you ask, “What are the hardest AP classes?” we have to be honest and give you what might seem like a boring answer: it depends. What’s challenging for you might be a piece of cake for your classmate. AP Art & Design: 2-D 86.6% AP Art History 61.5%

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SSA Online College Prep

OCTOBER 9, 2023

Taking the PSAT is a great way to get used to standardized testing before the SAT! Plan classes for next semester or year that will demonstrate to colleges that you work hard and challenge yourself. Research colleges and programs that might interest you! Look for a summer job or class !

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DC College Counseling

JUNE 8, 2023

There’s good news in store for math lovers and even reluctant math learners: this coming fall, AP Precalculus will make its debut! Today, we’re going to tell you all about this new class and explain why it could be a great addition to your schedule next year. Why was AP Precalculus Created? Sorry, stats lovers.

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