Admissions Angle

This comes up a lot: A kid gets a B-minus or a C-plus in 9th grade, and the parents freak out or look the other way. Don’t do either!

Freshman year determines course access in 10th, 11th and 12th. It also affects GPA and class rank. We pulled admissions data from Harvard University, Stanford University, Yale University, Hamilton College and Vassar College for a clear admissions angle. There’s a whole section on the UC system because a lot of families think excluding ninth grade from the GPA means it doesn't matter, but it absolutely still counts!

If you have a high schooler (or an eighth grader about to become one), read this before September. Link in comments. ⤵️

Five schools said yes. London chose the University of Pennsylvania. ⁠
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College application season starts August 1, and if you're the parent of a rising senior, now's the time to put a strategy in place. Set up a free call to talk through how we can support the process. ⬇️ Link in comments.

What if the credential belonged to the professor, not the institution? Silicon Valley has a name for it. One professor says 60 to 70% of faculty won't survive what's coming. And the families still treating college as transferable and portable may be making the costliest mistake of the admissions process.

Also this week: Brandeis University launches a tool that gives families the actual cost before they apply. Princeton University ends 133 years of unproctored exams. And the College Board has a new AP course it's betting big on.

The full issue is live on Substack. Link in comments ⬇️

One counselor works for the school. The other works for your family.⁠
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That's the whole piece, honestly. But the details — including what Dalton, Horace Mann, Trinity and Collegiate's own websites say about when individual guidance actually begins — are worth reading before your child hits junior year. New on Substack ➡️ https://bit.ly/432Rrub.

The Northwestern University campus is beautiful. It's also in the middle of something families are actively asking us about. ⁠
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As The Daily Northwestern reports, the university is currently surveying students on campus climate as part of its agreement with the federal government. If you have a high schooler with Northwestern on their list, now is a smart time to pay attention. Read more ➡️ https://bit.ly/4tM5ss8.
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📸: Joss Broward

International enrollment just saw its steepest single-year drop since the pandemic. A lot of families are reading that as good news, but it's not that simple.⁠
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The openings this creates are substantial, but they're concentrated in specific schools, programs and parts of the admissions process. At the Ivies and other elite privates, domestic odds haven't moved. Elsewhere, the picture is more complicated than most families realize.⁠ The nuance is worth understanding.

🌏️💡Full piece on Substack: https://bit.ly/4tTLlYX.

Harvard University, Yale University, Dartmouth, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Stanford University and Princeton University are all back to requiring standardized test scores. And the list of schools following their lead is growing. For families who assumed "optional" meant "irrelevant," this is the clarification you need, and the earlier you have it, the better. ⁠
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We break down what's changed, what it means for your student and what to do next. 🔗 Full piece at https://bit.ly/4tAcTSV.

$43,000 in debt before they graduate. Michigan's funding war. Yale gets called out, again. This and more, in the latest issue of Headlines in Higher Ed- now on Substack.

That first walk on a campus either clicks or it doesn't. Williams has a way of clicking.⁠
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Tucked into the Berkshire Mountains, it's one of the most selective liberal arts colleges in the country. Small by design. Rigorous by reputation. And genuinely different from what most students picture when they think "top school."⁠
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If Williams is on your list, or you've been wondering whether it should be, our College Navigator guide breaks down exactly what admissions is looking for, what makes a strong application, and why this place isn't just a consolation prize for the Ivies. It's a first choice for a reason.⁠
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🔗 College Navigator: Williams College⁠ → https://admissionsangle.substack.com/p/college-navigator-williams-college
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📸: .yy