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What the 2026 College Admissions Landscape Is Telling Us
Insights & Analysis
DOWNLOADABLE ASSET

What the 2026 College Admissions Landscape Is Telling Us

As the college admissions landscape continues to change, families are facing more questions than ever about competition, cost, testing, majors, and what colleges are looking for in applicants. In this post, College Solutions Vice President of Policy & Outreach Pierce Coughter takes a closer look at some of the trends shaping the 2026 admissions cycle and what these changes mean for students and families navigating the process.

By Pierce Coughter GET REPORT & GUIDE →
Intro to Executive Function - Welcome to the Cockpit
Bridging the Gap

Bridging the Gap: A Stress-Free Introduction to Executive Function

Executive function skills act like an air traffic control system in the brain, managing takeoffs and landings of thoughts, emotions, and tasks. When kids struggle with organization or follow-through, it is not a lack of ability or defiance, but a developmental gap between knowing what to do and actually doing it that personalized coaching can bridge.

By Heather Houmis READ GUIDE →
College Solutions scholarship search tool results
Paying For College

Finding the Right Scholarships Takes More Than a Google Search

College Solutions' proprietary new scholarship tool helps students find merit aid opportunities that align with their unique qualifications and interests.

By Margaret Bolton Baudinet READ GUIDE →
Students sitting on couch studying
Bridging the Gap

Bridging the Gap: From Summer Camp to School Success

Study & Scribe summer camp helped students build organizational, planning, and time management skills. Activities focused on journaling, hands-on problem solving, and executive functioning strategies for the new school year.

By Heather Houmis READ GUIDE →
Margaret Baudinet advising a family on college planning
Paying for College

The Biggest Mistake College Advisors Still Make When Evaluating ROI

To accurately evaluate college ROI, advisors and families must calculate earnings minus the actual net cost paid after merit aid, rather than relying on sticker price or prestige alone.

By Margaret Bolton Baudinet READ GUIDE →
Tutor Talk

Testing in College Admissions Guide

The college admissions testing landscape features a spectrum of policies ranging from test-required to test-blind. Students should take standardized tests to keep their options open, but must strategically evaluate their scores against a college's historical averages before deciding to submit them.

By College Solutions Team READ GUIDE →
Calculator and financial planning chart
Paying for College

College ROI & True Cost Guide

Calculating the true cost of college means looking beyond tuition to include living expenses, inflation, and debt interest. To maximize your Return on Investment (ROI), never borrow more than your anticipated first-year salary and thoroughly research the career outcomes of your intended major.

By College Solutions Team READ GUIDE →
Financial planning documents and calculator
Paying For College

Complete Financial Aid Overview

College financial aid consists of grants, scholarships, work-study programs, and student loans. Most federal aid is determined by the FAFSA, but many private colleges also require the CSS Profile to award institutional funds based on a deeper assessment of a family's finances.

By College Solutions Team READ GUIDE →
High school student athlete
Major Features

The Year-by-Year Recruiting Timeline for High School Student-Athletes

The college athletic recruiting process should begin as early as freshman year with academic planning and foundational training. By junior year, student-athletes must actively engage in coach outreach, attend ID camps, and register with the NCAA Eligibility Center to secure recruitment offers.

By Katie Andersen READ GUIDE →
Major Features

How College Admissions Really Works

College admissions decisions prioritize high school grades and curriculum rigor above all else. However, through holistic review, selective colleges also heavily weigh character attributes, extracurricular depth, and demonstrated interest to determine how a student will contribute to their campus community.

By College Solutions Team READ GUIDE →
Technology and AI concept visualization
Tutor Talk

ChatGPT: What It Is, How It Could Change College Admissions, and How to Talk to Your Kids About It

ChatGPT is a powerful AI language model that presents both learning opportunities and academic integrity risks for students. Using ChatGPT to write college essays is considered cheating and can result in application disqualification, making it critical for parents to discuss responsible AI use with their children.

By College Solutions Team READ GUIDE →
Frustrated law student reviewing documents
Major Features

TL;DR – A Harder Year, Plain and Simple

The current law school admissions cycle is significantly more competitive due to a massive surge in applications over the last two years. Applicants must rely on clear narratives, strategic timing, and excellent judgment rather than just strong numbers to secure admission.

By College Solutions Team READ GUIDE →
Cordel Faulk
Major Feature

TL; DR — AI in Law School Admissions

AI is becoming a permanent fixture in law school admissions. While applicants can ethically use AI for proofreading and brainstorming, they should never use it to generate personal statements, as authenticity and human judgment remain critical to admissions decisions.

By Cordel Faulk READ GUIDE →
Pierce Coughter
Tutor Talk

AI in College Admissions - Tips for Students

Colleges are increasingly using AI to sort applications and review essays, while also deploying AI detection tools. Students should use AI for brainstorming and proofreading, but never to write their essays, as losing their authentic voice is the biggest risk to their application.

By Pierce Coughter READ GUIDE →
The Summer Reset - Executive Function Guide
Bridging the Gap

Bridging the Gap: The Summer Reset

Summer vacation does not need to be turned into another school semester, but it also does not need to be three months of chaos. Families can execute a successful 'Summer Reset' by establishing predictable anchor points in daily routines, clearing out physical and digital clutter, pursuing real-life project experiences, and previewing fall responsibilities without rushing summer break.

By Heather Houmis READ GUIDE →
Simple Executive Function Wins for Families
Bridging the Gap

Bridging the Gap: Small Shifts + Simple Strategies = Big Executive Function Wins for Families

Executive function struggles at home appear as missing assignments, homework battles, and lost items—reflecting developing frontal lobe skills rather than character flaws. Families can achieve quick executive function wins by implementing visual timers, making tasks visible with checklists, establishing distraction-free organizational routines, and responding with curiosity instead of frustration.

By Heather Houmis READ GUIDE →
Getting good recommendation letters in a virtual world
Tutor Talk

How to Get Good Recommendation Letters in A Virtual World

Securing strong college recommendation letters during virtual or hybrid learning requires proactive student engagement, active participation in online classes, professional email communication, and detailed brag sheets provided well in advance.

By Sarah Dohl READ GUIDE →
How many college applications should you submit
Major Features

How Many College Applications?

Determining the ideal number of college applications requires balancing reach, match, and likely schools to ensure a diverse, manageable list without overwhelming the student with supplemental essay fatigue.

By Margaret Baudinet READ GUIDE →
Handling college rejections with grace
Major Features

How to Handle College Rejections with Grace

College rejections are an inevitable and painful part of the admissions journey, but they do not define a student's worth or future potential. Families can process disappointment constructively by allowing space for emotions, reframing rejections as redirection, exploring exciting alternative options, and maintaining perspective.

By Margaret Baudinet READ GUIDE →
The importance of extracurricular activities in college admissions
Tutor Talk

The Importance of Extracurricular Activities (and How to Choose Them)

Extracurricular activities allow colleges to evaluate a student's character, leadership trajectory, and community impact outside the classroom. Rather than accumulating a superficial list of clubs, students should pursue deep, sustained engagement and authentic passion projects.

By Sarah Dohl READ GUIDE →
After college admissions decisions
Major Features

After the Decision, Now What?

Once college admission decisions arrive, students must navigate making deposits, declining alternative offers gracefully, managing waitlist strategies, preparing housing preferences, and sending final transcripts while maintaining academic momentum.

By Margaret Baudinet READ GUIDE →
Year-by-year athletic recruiting timeline for student-athletes
Major Features

The Year-by-Year Recruiting Timeline for High School Student-Athletes

Navigating the college athletic recruiting process requires a structured year-by-year approach starting in freshman year with academics and athletic foundations, moving through sophomore outreach and junior ID camps, and culminating in senior year commitments and eligibility clearance.

By Katie Andersen READ GUIDE →
How early should you start preparing for college admissions
Tutor Talk

How Early Should You Start Preparing for College Admissions?

College admissions preparation is a gradual, multi-year process that begins in middle school with study habits, evolves in early high school with academic rigor and deep extracurricular exploration, and culminates in junior and senior year with testing, list building, and essay craftsmanship.

By Margaret Baudinet READ GUIDE →
Decoding demonstrated interest in college admissions
Campus Spotlights

Decoding Demonstrated Interest: How to Make Colleges Notice (Without Going Overboard)

Demonstrated Interest (DI) is tracked by many selective colleges to predict enrollment yield. Students can effectively signal genuine interest by opening college emails, attending virtual information sessions, visiting campus, connecting with regional admissions representatives, and writing detailed, school-specific supplemental essays.

By Margaret Baudinet READ GUIDE →
Navigating the Common Application dashboard
Tutor Talk

How to Navigate the Common App

Navigating the Common App efficiently requires setting up your account early, rolling data over smoothly between grade levels, detailing extracurricular impact in the 150-character limit, managing school-specific supplemental essays, and tracking recommender deadlines systematically.

By Margaret Baudinet READ GUIDE →
Avoiding the high school senior slump
Tutor Talk

5 Tips to Avoid the Senior Slump

High school seniors must maintain their academic momentum through graduation because colleges review final transcripts and can rescind admission offers. Avoid the senior slump by working efficiently with structured breaks, studying in collaborative groups, taking engaging electives, prioritizing midterms, and balancing workload with healthy social downtime.

By Sarah Dohl READ GUIDE →
Building a strong college application resume
Tutor Talk

How to Build a Strong College Application Resume

A strong college application resume serves as a clear, organized executive summary of a student's extracurricular depth, leadership, and honors. Focus on measurable impact using decisive action verbs, maintain clean one-page formatting, tailor content when applying to specialized programs, and submit only when invited by admissions.

By Margaret Baudinet READ GUIDE →
Preparing for a college admissions interview
Tutor Talk

How to Ace a College Interview

College interviews provide applicants a valuable opportunity to demonstrate interest, expand on their character, and assess institutional fit. Students can succeed by researching specific academic programs, practicing open-ended questions aloud, preparing thoughtful inquiries for the interviewer, and following up promptly with a tailored thank-you note.

By Margaret Baudinet READ GUIDE →
Engaging a reluctant student in the college search process
Tutor Talk

10 Suggestions to Engage Your Reluctant Student

When high schoolers seem disengaged from the college search, it usually stems from fear, overwhelm, or uncertainty rather than a lack of motivation. Parents can re-engage them by pinpointing underlying anxieties, keeping conversations casual, visiting local campuses, using tangible incentives, and letting external counselors share the guidance burden.

By Sarah Dohl READ GUIDE →
Top 10 Mistakes Parents Make During the College Search Process
Tutor Talk

Top 10 Mistakes Parents Make During the College Search Process

Parents navigating the college search can best support their student by prioritizing institutional fit and financial reality over prestige, avoiding taking over the process, ensuring a balanced list with genuine likely schools, and celebrating small milestones along the way.

By Margaret Baudinet READ GUIDE →
Why Executive Function Challenges Intensify During Summer
Bridging the Gap

Bridging the Gap: Why Executive Function Challenges Often Intensify During the Summer

When school ends, the external scaffolding of bells, daily teacher prompts, and strict deadlines vanishes overnight, making executive function challenges significantly more visible. Without structure, summer demands much more internal self-management from developing brains, but the absence of academic pressure also provides the ideal breathing room to reset routines and build lifelong executive skills.

By Heather Houmis READ GUIDE →
Parents and students touring college campuses
Campus Spotlight

Campus Visit Tips for Parents: How to Support Your Student

College campus visits are a vital rite of passage. Parents can maximize success by blending into the background during tours, encouraging students to lead interviews and ask questions, visiting auxiliary campus offices like financial aid, and keeping an open mind about student preferences.

By Sarah Dohl READ GUIDE →
Brainstorming and drafting the college personal statement essay
Tutor Talk

Brainstorming the College Essay: Finding Your Unique Voice

The college essay is the primary opportunity to spotlight personal character and individuality beyond transcripts and test scores. Effective brainstorming requires self-reflection, free-writing defining moments, exploring quirky hobbies, and evaluating personal growth to escape generic application tropes.

By Sarah Dohl READ GUIDE →
Building a balanced college list with likely schools
Campus Spotlight

Do 'Safety' Schools Exist Anymore?

Traditional safety schools are increasingly unpredictable due to soaring application volumes and yield protection strategies. Students must build a balanced college list anchored by genuine likely schools where academic credentials comfortably exceed historical admission averages.

By Sarah Dohl READ GUIDE →
How to choose a college major when undecided
Major Features

How to Choose a College Major (When You’re Unsure)

Entering college undecided is completely normal and encouraged. Students can find clarity by engaging in self-reflection, researching career paths via the Bureau of Labor Statistics, utilizing general education courses to explore disciplines, visiting campus career centers, and choosing broad foundational fields before specializing.

By Margaret Baudinet READ GUIDE →
Appealing financial aid packages and scholarship awards
Paying for College

Appealing Financial Aid Awards: How to Request More Money

Families can appeal financial aid packages by submitting formal written requests supported by documentation for two primary reasons: changes in family financial circumstances (job loss, medical bills) or competing merit offers from comparable institutions. Maintaining financial dialogue before submitting enrollment deposits maximizes negotiating leverage.

By Sarah Dohl READ GUIDE →
Double depositing is a no no college admissions policy
Major Features

Can You Double Deposit?

Double depositing—submitting enrollment deposits to more than one college after May 1st—violates the ethical agreements signed on the Common Application and UC application. It distorts college enrollment data, prevents waitlisted students from receiving offers, and carries ethical and institutional consequences if discovered.

By Sarah Dohl READ GUIDE →
College admission rescission and senior year academic integrity
Major Features

Can Colleges Really Rescind an Offer of Admission?

While rare, colleges can and do rescind offers of admission. Revocations typically stem from significant senior-year grade drops, falsified application information, early decision contract violations, missed deposit deadlines, academic dishonesty (plagiarism or cheating), disciplinary suspensions, or inappropriate social media behavior. Admitted students can protect their status through proactive communication, honest disclosure, and maintaining academic and behavioral standards through graduation.

By Patrick Zylka READ GUIDE →
Early Decision vs Early Action college admissions strategy
Major Features

Early Admissions Strategy: Early Decision vs. Early Action (and What to Do If Deferred)

Early Decision (ED) is a binding admissions plan requiring immediate enrollment and withdrawal of other applications, whereas Early Action (EA) is non-binding and allows students to compare financial aid packages until May 1st. If deferred in an early round, students should review application materials, submit mid-year grades, write a Letter of Continued Interest (LOCI), and complete regular decision applications without delay.

By Sarah Dohl READ GUIDE →
Clarity Amidst Chaos: Navigating College Admissions in the Wake of COVID-19
Webinars

Clarity Amidst Chaos: Navigating College Admissions in the Wake of COVID-19

It’s hard to overstate how much the admissions world changed in recent years, and understanding these structural shifts is critical for families of freshmen, sophomores, and juniors as they begin their college journeys.

By Margaret Baudinet WATCH & READ RECAP →
High School Curriculum Dos and Don'ts
Webinars

High School Curriculum Dos and Don'ts

In this College Solutions webinar, President and CEO Margaret Bolton Baudinet covers important dos and don'ts when it comes to high school curriculum and navigating the college admissions process with clarity.

By Margaret Baudinet WATCH & READ RECAP →
A Guide to Fly: Parenting College-Bound Students in the Wake of COVID

A Guide to Fly: Parenting College-Bound Students in the Wake of COVID

In this webinar, CEO of Virginia Family Therapy, Amanda Sovik-Johnston, and CEO of College Solutions, Margaret Bolton Baudinet, lead a conversation about mental health in teenagers as they approach the college application process.

By Margaret Baudinet WATCH & READ RECAP →
Podcast Recap: Supporting Your Teen Through College Applications

Podcast Recap: Supporting Your Teen Through College Applications

In our work with families over the last two decades, there is perhaps no more challenging a time for teenagers and parents than the college admissions process. Since COVID, it has only gotten worse, with more complexity and more confusion in the process than ever before.

By Margaret Baudinet WATCH & READ RECAP →
Webinar Recap: A Parent's Guide to Mental Health and College Admissions

Webinar Recap: A Parent's Guide to Mental Health and College Admissions

If your kid might apply for college in the next ten years, you want to listen to this one! Margaret is an expert in supporting kids through the college application process. She has a particularly valuable perspective on how teenagers experience this crazy time and how parents can support them, and today, she’s sharing her knowledge with us!

By Margaret Baudinet WATCH & READ RECAP →
Creating Impact: Community Service in College Admissions and Beyond

Creating Impact: Community Service in College Admissions and Beyond

Our recent webinar presented in partnership with the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation highlighted how community service isn’t just about satisfying a set number of hours for your graduation requirements. Featuring inspiring insights from Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation President Jane Hale Paulsen and College Solutions Senior Counselor Anna Brown, and moderated by College Solutions CEO Margaret Bolton Baudinet, this live webinar reminded participants of the many ways civic engagement can enrich the lives of young people and equip them with skills for adulthood.

By Margaret Baudinet WATCH & READ RECAP →
Decoding the College Admissions Maze: A Counselor's Take on Testing Trends
Webinars

Decoding the College Admissions Maze: A Counselor's Take on Testing Trends

Earlier this month, College Solutions Vice President and Senior Counselor Patrick Zylka co-hosted a webinar with Compass Education Group and several university admissions representatives, where they discussed recent changes in schools’ SAT & ACT testing policies. In today’s post, he recaps key takeaways from this insightful discussion and how to approach your own testing strategy.

By Patrick Zylka WATCH & READ RECAP →
Webinar Recap: Myths, Tips, and Tricks of the College Admission Process
Webinars

Webinar Recap: Myths, Tips, and Tricks of the College Admission Process

There are so many sources of information (and misinformation) about college admissions out there. It can be hard to know what advice is accurate and what might actually hurt your application. With current standardized testing policies, do students still need to take the SAT or ACT? Is your child at a disadvantage if their school doesn’t offer tons of AP courses for them to take? How many extracurriculars do they really need to do?

By Patrick Zylka WATCH & READ RECAP →
Quieting the Noise: Recapping Our Conversation with NYT Bestselling Author Jeff Selingo
Webinars

Quieting the Noise: Recapping Our Conversation with NYT Bestselling Author Jeff Selingo

Drawing on our exclusive conversation with New York Times bestselling author Jeff Selingo, College Solutions CEO Margaret Baudinet reflects on what families often miss amid today’s increasingly noisy college admissions landscape. This post distills key insights from their discussion of Dream School and offers a grounded perspective on why fit, engagement, and long-term outcomes matter more than prestige alone.

By Margaret Baudinet WATCH & READ RECAP →

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