Colleges that practice holistic admissions consider factors beyond grades and test scores when making admission decisions. For most colleges, grades earned and courses taken make up the bulk of the admission criteria; selective colleges want to see evidence of high grades in a challenging curriculum. With the majority of US colleges now offering test-optional admission (at least for the current year), additional factors take on new importance in holistic admissions. So what else counts?

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Merit scholarships are especially helpful in attracting students whose families don’t qualify for need-based financial aid but are unable or unwilling to pay more than $50,000 a year for college.

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College Solutions student Ben is a freshman at Reed College in Portland, Oregon. We recently caught up with him to ask how he’s enjoying his first semester and what advice he would give to high school students currently navigating the college application process.

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Applicants often want to know if colleges are fishing in the social media waters. Are colleges and universities proactively seeking out information on prospective applicants or not? TLDR: Most are.

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This Thanksgiving, a few thoughts from our families to yours from College Solutions CEO Margaret Bolton Baudinet.

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Nursing majors study chemistry, psychology, anatomy and physiology and work in hospitals, nursing homes, doctors’ offices and government health departments. If you’re thinking about studying it in college, read this first.

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The “Why are you applying to our college?” essay prompt on many Common Application college supplements can be more challenging than the longer Personal Essay because it is tough to respond in a way that doesn’t come across as insincere and irrelevant.

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There’s not one number that’s right for everyone.

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Every month, College Solutions features a new edition of Getting College-ed, an editorial cartoon created by College Solutions’ own Lee Ann Gun. Check out this month’s edition below, and sign up to get future editions straight to your inbox.

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In the spring of 2020, many volunteer opportunities came to a crashing halt. Schools closed, clubs stopped meeting, community centers shut their doors and students went inside, behind closed doors, as the authorities attempted to crush the curve of the Covid-19 outbreak. Suddenly, young people who were used to serving meals at the homeless shelter, volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club, tutoring the freshman math students, and helping out their schools’ sports teams, were unable to take on anything outside the house. After the initial shock of the required switch to virtual learning, those same enthusiastic and eager students started to reach out and add community service back into their lives. Here are some great ideas.

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The bulk of college financial aid money comes from the federal government; this aid is distributed by colleges using information supplied by families when they complete the FAFSA, available October 1. About 400 colleges, universities and scholarship programs, however, use an additional form, the CSS Profile, to gather more information in order to award their own institutional funds to deserving students. Here’s what you need to know.

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Although Business is currently the most popular major for college students, the social sciences account for the second most frequently chosen major. The social sciences address the problems and challenges that affect our world today, and the knowledge and skills gained in these areas can be applied to nearly any career path. Our increasingly global society provides numerous opportunities for international relations graduates. Political science studies equip students for leadership positions as well as graduate studies in areas such as law.

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Most students add a couple of “likely” schools to their college lists without giving these safer colleges much thought, because the applicants don’t imagine they will need to attend one of them. However, students should apply only to colleges that they are willing to attend (and gladly!). Thus, you need to spend as much time researching the schools likely to admit you as you do on the schools likely to deny you. In fact, your safety might just end up being your dream school.

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College Solutions student Katherine tells us a little more about her virtual brand marketing internship at GravityFed.

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Every month, College Solutions provides an overview of some of the key college planning and admissions activities for students. Below are your to-dos for October.

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Every month, College Solutions features a new edition of Getting College-ed, an editorial cartoon created by College Solutions’ own Lee Ann Gun. Check out this month’s edition below, and sign up to get future editions straight to your inbox.

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Over 450 colleges offer Early Decision or Early Action application plans. Some offer both. Before deciding whether you should apply Early Decision or Early Action, it’s important to understand the differences between these plans and applying in the regular decision round. Here are answers to some of the most common questions families have about Early Decision and Early Action.

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The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is the primary form used by colleges to determine eligibility for need-based aid. A small number of colleges will not even consider an applicant for merit aid unless that student has first submitted a FAFSA. The FAFSA should be filed as soon as possible after October 1 of the student’s senior year, and then yearly while attending college.

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If math has been one of your favorite classes in high school and you love to solve problems, especially those with only one “right” answer, you might want to consider a major in math. Don’t see yourself as a mathematician? Look instead to a study of applied mathematics.

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After over a year of online learning, most U.S. students will be returning to the classroom this fall. Along with the excitement of seeing friends and resuming activities, many are feeling anxiety about the re-opening and return. How can you maximize your high school experience? Here are 9 actionable tips from our team.

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