The Knewton Blog

Summer is the best time to visit colleges. But many students and parents don’t know how to approach this first critical part of the college admissions process. What should you do? What should you definitely not do? How does interviewing work? Here’s the thing: effective, smart visits can help you narrow down your college list, make better decisions about where and when to apply and ultimately get you (or your child) admitted to the right… Read more

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This post was written by our friends at EqualApp. For more college admissions advice, check out their blog. Have you figured out what you’re doing yet this summer? Watching TV? Playing Xbox? Sitting around on Facebook? No, no, and no, say admissions officers. They don’t necessarily care what you do this summer, but they like to see that you’ve done something. What is that something? Here are seven ideas for summer activities that will impress… Read more

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You work hard to maintain a good G.P.A. and spend a majority of your time outside of class doing homework and participating in a variety of extracurricular activities. Yet, as soon as you reach junior year of high school, all anyone seems to want to talk about is your SAT score. If you’re like many of our SAT students here at Knewton, you’re probably wondering: How important is the SAT, and what is considered a… Read more

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If your grades or SAT scores are on the borderline of acceptability for your college of choice, sometimes a strong letter of recommendation is the best way to tip the scales in your favor. When I was deferred after applying early decision to Oberlin College, I ran around like a maniac getting everyone but my mailman to write me a recommendation, and ended up getting in the spring. While I can’t be sure, I have… Read more

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This week’s college admissions tip comes from our friends at College Essay Organizer. We see it year in and year out – students put all their eggs in the basket of their dreams, and are then are left with a surprising amount of work to do in just a couple of weeks when they receive the dreaded thin envelope. We know that when you send out that early application you feel like senior year is… Read more

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Those college application deadlines just keep getting closer and closer, don’t they? If you’re overwhelmed by SAT prep, college applications, or endless amounts of homework, take a breather with this week’s College News Roundup. 1. Stanford Admissions Office Moves Forward with Random Audits Stanford and other universities are cracking down on students who may be lying on their college applications.  These audits are being run to ensure fairness and honesty – but will they do… Read more

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New workshop added! Just like last week, our friends at College Essay Organizer are running a super-helpful admissions essay webinar. Check out the details, then click the link below to sign up! How do you write college essays that help you stand out from thousands of other applicants? How can you manage all your different essays without going totally insane? Organizing and writing your college essays is the most time-consuming and stressful part of the application process. This… Read more

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Hey SAT students: Tonight, our friends at College Essay Organizer are running a sweet admissions essay workshop. Check out the details below! How do you write college essays that help you stand out from thousands of other applicants? How can you manage all your different essays without going totally insane? Organizing and writing your college essays is the most time-consuming and stressful part of the application process. This entertaining and informative webinar will show you how… Read more

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Applying for college, while exciting, can also be incredibly stressful, tedious, and frustrating. Many students feel an intense pressure to attempt to get into the “best” school that they possibly can and, in the process, begin to miss the point. While all schools are certainly not of equal quality, it’s important to remember: there are no objectively “best” schools. Those schools that are touted as the “best” are, more accurately, the most famous and universally… Read more

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This week’s college admissions tip comes from Dan Stern, founder of College Essay Organizer. His product is designed to streamline the essay process, and so will his tips below. Over the years of advising on the college essay process, we’ve seen every trick in the book: the gimmick essay, the avant-garde essay, the comedy essay. (About this last one – how funny is it? Are you sure?) But there are a few very common pitfalls… Read more

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