Gravely Group College Advising

12/08/2025

Many colleges still have an antisemitism problem on campus. Hopefully some of the Administration's efforts will bring more light to this concerning issue.

Antisemitism continues to run amok across American college campuses, with some of the top universities in the nation failing to make sure their Jewish students feel safe, according to a new report.

05/01/2025

GGCA Visits Catholic University - 3/19/2025

Every college is a new experience, but our visit to Catholic University, just 4 miles from the White House, was truly a surprise. This is a beautiful campus, overshadowed only by the beautiful Basilica adjacent to campus. We were so close to DC but the 176 acres of stately buildings and the plethora of green spaces made it feel like we were nowhere near a major city while on campus.

At Catholic you aren’t committed to a major but are mostly admitted to a specific college and there are many options for a school this size. Those include:
- The Architecture & Planning College, built in an airplane hanger and offers a Masters in 6yrs.
- Busch Business College has many options including International Business and a Sales Major.
- Rome School of Music, Drama, and Art has a BFA in MT and students get cast in shows in DC.
- Nursing is DA, has a new building, and is very competitive. Clinicals are often less than a mile away and they boast an NCLEX Pass rate 96%
- Philosophy and Theology is small and has multiple seminaries. Interestingly, we met 4 grad students from Asia studying there for their PhDs. There aren’t many places you can study Canonical Law!
- The School of Social Service has a BSW to MSW program which includes a third-year internship.
- As a liberal arts college , they have a strong Arts & Sciences program with a variety of BA/MA and BS/MS 4 + 1 programs

Obviously Catholic U is a Catholic university and there are 4 required Theology classes you do with your First Year LLC, a small cohort of 20 students who meet 3x/week mixed across majors. Students we met loved their FY LLCs

Community is the driving force at Catholic U. There’s a 3 yr residency requirement… some students stay on 4 years. Other great reasons to consider Catholic might be their strong club athletics program, or that it’s just three Metro stops from the White House or that they have their own campus in Rome (you might have guessed that!)

There’s no doubt that faith, reason, and service inspire students here. The mission is to teach students to do right by the world. Cardinals are devoted to the Church & our Nation. They believe that Religion is a thing and will always help a student find a way to build their faith. And yes, 71% of students are Catholic – I might have thought more were! (BTW You could go to Mass 10x/day but of course MOST STUDENTS DON'T!)

04/25/2025

GGCA Visits William & Mary 3/2025

On a beautiful spring day, we visited the 2nd oldest college in the USA, The College of William & Mary. It was founded in 1693 by King William III of England and Queen Mary II and is the 9th-oldest in the English-speaking world. It’s a beautiful, leafy-green campus, just 2 blocks from Colonial Williamsburg and is often ranked in the top most beautiful campuses.

Any college this old is going to have some “Firsts” and lots of traditions. They were first to have an Honor Code, the first Greek-letter society - Phi Beta Kappa, and first US Law School. (BTW our first president also went there!) They celebrate Charter Day, for their founding, and just celebrated 332 years.

Though W&M is a public university, its size and beauty give it a private school feel. Many classes are small with an emphasis on Socratic Method and Profs know students’ names so come prepared to be a contributor to class discussion.

It’s refreshing that, unlike most universities, W&M tells you what they want to see from their admitted students. They want 3 years of Foreign Language DURING high school since there are FL requirements when you get to W&M unless you test out. They don’t count a variety of HS classes into their “rigor score” including: AP Pre-Calculus, Direct Enrolment classes, College Math, or Honors classes. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take them though!

They are TO through 2026 and 60% students don’t submit BUT 60% of the student they admitted DID submit scores. AO’s said submit if > 31 and >1300. You can even submit a portfolio (talk to your GGCA Advisor about that!) Interviews are optional (so consider doing one) especially if you get to campus. And they like DI … reach out to your AO! But don’t expect to get a lot of Merit Aid. Only 10% get Merit Aid here.

Everyone enters Undeclared, in the spirit of a true LAC. What’s surprising is that 65% major in STEM or computational fields. They’ve been adding to their STEM offerings and recently added Data Science, Physics, and Marine Science. They have the Mason School of Business to which you apply in Y2. It’s competitive – only about 40% admitted - but you can still minor in Business if not.

Everyone follows the “Coll (College) Curriculum” and you will deep dive into unique topics over 4 years with some sense of career objectives. The goal is to do research and a final project. One of their most unique programs is their St. Andrew’s Joint Degree where you do 2 years at W&M and 2 years at St. Andrew’s in the UK. This program has about 5% acceptance so it’s tough.

We like their strong FY Orientation program where you’ll get introduced not just to the college and your new classmates but the small town energy of the town. You’ll love Duke of Gloucestershire Street’s cheese shop, Lulu Lemon store, AND even some sheep (yes, actual sheep) if you walk a few hundred yards more into the colonial Williamsburg. You’ll also learn about all of the offerings of this adorable college with lots of music/a ca****la teams, 23 D-1 sports teams, lots of service opportunities, a strong and Greek system. If you feel you need to get off campus, head to the Jamestown Settlement or Busch Garden for free W&M days. Your also only 1 hr to Va Beach and 2 hours to DC. Maybe you’ll even stay in DC on the W&M DC campus.

04/17/2025

May 1 is College Decision Day. There's no way to predict who will be accepted, though building your resume and maximizing all aspects of the application are essential. But most important is a balanced list! All GGCA students have great options!

This young man's story is interesting ... and remember he's got great options, even if the headline doesn't tell you that! Remember: it's not where the college is ranked but what you do when you get "on the court" - just check out the NCAA March Madness!

Zach Yadegari, founder and CEO of a nutrition tracking app, Cal AI, took to X to reveal the names of all the colleges that rejected him and the handful that accepted him.

04/15/2025

Students interested in learning more about business should check out Ohio Business Week. INFO LINK: https://www.ohiobusinessweek.org/

High school students from across Ohio learn how to take a business from concept to reality. Inspire and educate young leaders to succeed as entreprenuers in the global economy.

* Dates: July 13-18
* Location: Wright State University
* Cost: $599 ($399 if registered by June 1).

An immersive business educational experience each summer for high school students, empowering students to leave a positive economic and social impact on their communities.

03/16/2025

GGCA Visits University of Missouri - Columbia (aka Mizzou) 9/2024

In between St. Louis and Kansas City is the first public university west of the Mississippi River. After a 2 hour drive from St. Louis, our first stop was a cool restaurant called Café Berlin, which I highly recommend.

Mizzou, founded in 1839, has all the hallmarks of a classic college, with lots of red brick and green space. The beautiful Ionic columns on the Quad are the remains of the first Academic Building after a fire. An obelisk, the original tombstone of Thomas Jefferson, is also there. I was surprised when I learned that the student body is 60/40 in-state to out-of-state. I was even more surprised that I saw Cleveland and Cincinnati spirit wear on multiple students during my 2 hour campus tour. Their mascot, Truman the Tiger, is a Bengal tiger, which warmed my Cincy heart.

Admissions said that when you apply the “intended major on their application does not impact their admissions decision.” If you are interested in Trulaski Business, it’s direct admit but you are “undeclared” until sophomore year when you choose an “emphasis area”. Pre-Nursing has a 60% admit rate but then students must apply to the clinical portion of the major in their Sophomore year – and only 75 students are accepted. The good news is there's a hospital right at the edge of campus - ideal for all Pre-health majors!

Engineering applicants can be admitted either to the major directly or “undeclared engineering” but I was told that Undeclareds can choose their final major because there are no impacted majors. Mizzou’s School of Journalism was the first Journalism school in the US, and only the second in the world (right behind Paris LOL.) They invented the Missouri Method - a real-world approach to journalism education — learning by doing. This program is very hands on and they have an NBC affiliate right on campus.

Test Optional is still available so consider going TO if not Middle 50% (FYI in probing Admissions I’m thinking this might change in future years.) Check out this grid for Mizzou’s Automatic Scholarships https://admissions.missouri.edu/costs-aid/scholarships/freshman-scholarships/. Interested in their Honors College? Those with an ACT 28 above are invited to apply.

Plan to live on campus for your 1st year – smart to do whether it’s required or not. However, many second years live off. About 30% are Greek and Greek housing is mostly on Tiger Blvd. This is nice size campus so there’s always lots going on! From concerts, sports, clubs, alternative Springs breaks, local Film Festival, hiking, caving, etc! I was told there are strong faith communities as well. At Mizzou, you can find just about everything.

02/27/2025

GGCA Visits LSU (1/2025) …

About 1.5 hours car ride from NOLA (though it took me 2.5 hours), I arrived in Baton Rouge to visit Louisiana State University (LSU.) Baton Rouge isn’t as well-known as New Orleans but it’s the state capitol. And LSU is a large and important part of this capitol city. Like many flagships, you can find just about anything you want to study right there: Engineering, Art & Design, Business, even a College of Coast & Environment, and almost everything else.

The university is attractive (even if a bit worn in certain areas) and large. Plan on using the bus if you want to go from one end to the other. Housing is located around the edges with most of the academic building in the middle. The housing for Honors College was impressive (and very well located!) But better are the many discussion-based Honors classes, niche courses, and lots of research opportunities. The housing is spread around the academic center.

Academically they are proud of their Ourso College of Business with a market research lab with students as the research subjects! Engineering is getting a new building and touts its breadth of majors and alumni outreach, especially with strong relationships with Dow, Shell, and other major companies. Some might consider the 3+3 programs in Law, Education, Pre-Veterinary.

A few other interesting facts:
- Tiger stadium holds >102k and Mike the Tiger #7 is the only tiger who lives on a college campus.
- Like many A&M schools, they have a dairy store where students are involved in all aspects of cheese, meat and ice cream production (with a $1 cone.) Business students can get involved too.
- The beautiful oak trees across campus are insured for $50Million.
- They like their Cajun food and have the first Sonic on a campus.
- LSU has a great ROI and all students are considered for Merit Aid.

Despite lots of LA students, they also have lots of TX and NJ as well. Strangely, I ran into two Ohio students and a NJ family on my tour. And my tour guide’s roommate was from Atlanta. So from wherever you come, you can find a home at LSU.

02/20/2025

Hey Cincinnati .. Join us at our in-person seminar on March 10.

REGISTER AT: https://forms.gle/yn2DxWpvEWUN7w6x8 to hold your spot.

02/11/2025

GGCA Visits Tulane University (1/2025) …

I visited New Orleans as preparations for Mardi Gras and the Super Bowl were commencing… and dropped in on Tulane. The Uber drove up lovely St. Charles Street, with historical homes, into “Uptown”. Across from Tulane is a park that students take advantage of. Despite crime in other parts of the city, campus seems very safe. (During my tour I learned that Tulane police monitor 1 mile around the campus.)

Tulane is the perfect size for many students- around 7000 students - and yet still is an R1. Class sizes average about 20 which means LOTS of collaboration and teamwork so don't plan on sitting in the back row.

When you are accepted to Tulane, you are accepted into ALL of Tulane’s 7 colleges. Then you have 2 years to declare a major so this is truly an LAC with a core curriculum. Tulane is also proud of their service-based learning which requires 2 service projects to be completed though these are often built into regular classes. NOTE: UG pre-med can lead to Tulane Med school with about 30% of Tulane Med School acceptances from Tulane UGs.

Residential life is quintessential Tulane. Students love their 4 years there. As of 2025, there’s a 3 year on-campus requirement. They are proud of their Tides FY Seminar program, and have lots of advisors helping you during your first year and beyone.

Life at Tulane is vibrant and includes a strong Greek life along with engagement with NOLA and the tons of area festivals. Everyone was excited for January 6th, official kick off to Carnival/Festival season. They also like their traditions like Crawfest, the largest student-run music fest. They are building their athletics (they are D1 for every sport), especially after winning the Cotton Bowl in 2022.

So you want to go to Tulane? A couple of things to remember. Demonstrate Interest - any way you can- and consider ED. Some years as many as 70% are accepted via ED. They are still open to Test Optional applicants since 65% are admitted TO. The AO told me not to submit anything under an ACT 30. But most importantly, let then know “Why Tulane” and what will you contribute when you come to campus!

If you want an energetic and beautiful campus, festivals, and maybe a little bit of local jazz, Tulane is going to fit the bill!

01/16/2025

Colleges are always offering new majors and the concept of "integrated" majors was very popular with Engineering and Business. Here's a good article talking about a few more, all aimed at helping students have skills suited to the 21st century.

Ten colleges will launch integrated majors, which combine two existing degrees into one, to see if they lead to increased diversity and skill sets suited to the 21st century.

10/11/2024

Check out this great resource if you need a little help in math, science, or STEM. These tutors are Rose-Hulman students who major in math, science or engineering—which means they’re more than equipped to help with just about any math or science homework problem.

Meet our Tutors: AskRose Tutors are Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology students who study STEM fields, & are smart, friendly & ready to help.