October 2024
I hope your October is off to a great start! In this month’s newsletter you can find some advice—for all grade levels—about choosing your extracurricular clubs and activities. You’ll also find quick profiles of two colleges, some of the better posts from past Apply with Sanity years, and a whole lot of admission news. If you have any questions or comments, I’d love to hear them!
—Benjamin
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Here’s what I covered on the website in September:
Choosing, and explaining, your extracurricular activities. Advice for choosing which clubs and activities to be a part of, how to explain your activities, and why you need to list your activities at all.
Three Quick Questions:
Susquehanna University. Susquehanna University has been test optional for decades and sends 95% of its students to study abroad!
Augustana College. Lots of colleges say they want you to experience life beyond campus. Augustana College, on the Mississippi River, puts their money where their mouth is to get you out of the classroom.
The full Three Quick Questions archive. Whether or not you’re going to work with a consultant for college admission (you probably don’t need to), how would you answer these questions? How would you explain yourself to another person? What questions do you think I should ask that I don’t?
Here are some blog posts from the archive that seem good for this October:
Writing essays like a grown-up
Things for parents to know about paying for college
Here's more great admission news from around the internet:
*Some articles may be behind a paywall.
First look at how college enrollment has changed since Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action (NBC)
Why this will be the most extraordinary season for college admissions in years (San Francisco Chronicle)
Colleges are using AI in admissions. How can they do it right? (On Point)
Top 3 reasons to apply Early Decision or Early Action to college (Forbes)
Colleges confirm advocates’ worst fears after Supreme Court affirmative action ban (The Hill)
A CSS Profile school can be a best fit for middle-income families (Link for Counselors)
Will AI make college admissions and advising better—or worse? (Chronicle of Higher Education)
Balancing books and beyond for college admissions success (Forbes)
What does holistic admission mean? (Notes from Peabody)
Conservative and exploring colleges? The Heritage Foundation has ratings for you (Inside Higher Ed)
College trends happening now (Forbes)
How your social media accounts can affect your Ivy League applications (Forbes)
College admission: An AI revolution (Forbes)
Yale, Princeton, Duke are questioned over decline in Asian students (New York Times)
A fraught new era of scrutinizing admissions metrics has begin. Good luck figuring it all out (Chronicle of Higher Education)
This is what admissions officers really want to read in college essays (Vox)
The hidden factors influencing college admissions decisions (Word in Black)
Kaplan survey: 75 percent of admissions officers believe college rankings have lost their luster (Business Wire)
UT-Austin tightens automatic admission rate to 5% (Texas Tribune)
The long-awaited FAFSA autopsy is here (Inside Higher Ed)
Going to college doesn’t have to suck (Diverse: Issues in Higher Education)
The U.S. News college rankings are out. Cue the rage and obsession (New York Times)
10 essential college admissions interview questions (Forbes)
Students paid thousands for a Caltech boot camp. Caltech didn’t teach it. (New York Times)
California bas legacy admissions in all colleges, universities (ABC News)