The Best U College Admissions Consulting

  Does the major I apply to matter? What if I don’t know what I want to study? Will my major choice change my chances? Students and parents have many questions about the role of major choice in the college admissions process. While we believe there’s plenty of room for changing your mind and pursuing a range of interests in college, there’s something to be said for thinking about majors of interest early and often. Read on for what we want every high school student and parent to know about high school majors & why this is something to think about sooner than later – Colleges evaluate applications in context: Context is everything in college admissions. One key piece of information admissions officers look to to gain context are the major and career interests a student articulates on their application. Admissions readers will use a student’s intended major or stated future career interest as a lens through which to evaluate the application. This means that a student’s declaratio...

As the final admissions decisions of the season have finally rolled in, the tables turn for students and families who’ve been anxiously awaiting this news, and it’s time to decide what’s right for you . While you may be compelled to check the rankings, we have a different approach. Here’s how we encourage you to make your own best decision – #1 Break up with the rankings: There are all kinds of college rankings and ‘best of’ lists out there…and while that may have led you to apply to a certain school, we encourage you to leave all those external validations behind when it comes time to make your college decision. The truth is, no ranking list can tell you if you will be happy, if you will build a great community, meet amazing mentors, or shape the life you want to. Nothing can tell you this with certainty, but decision time is the perfect time to step away from the noise of what everyone else thinks about a college and tap into your own intuition. Here’s how: #2 Ask yourself: how will ...

The new year presents a fresh opportunity for students to look at the semester and summer ahead and take stock of their activities and involvements. While it’s easy to get caught up in what will ‘look good’ on a college application, we find the most successful (and happiest!) applicants chase J.O.Y. instead. Truly. Read on for how we use these three letters to set a successful, and yes, enjoyable plan for a student’s involvements – To shape a plan for out of school time hours, think about how you spend your time in these three categories: Something that brings you Joy – Every student should have a chance to do something in their week, month, and year purely for the joy it brings them. This is the kind of activity you do to unwind, and has no requirement for getting better, building skills, or showing achievements. Whether that’s playing pickup basketball, trying out improv, tinkering with a guitar, hanging out with the anime club or taking a hike, making time for a pastime that brings ...

 We meet a lot of students who are eager to ‘make an impact’ in high school, motivated by both the desire to contribute meaningfully to issues that matter, and to strengthen their college applications with the kind of special project they believe will set them apart. We meet even more parents who are anxious to see their kids have this kind of tangible item to put on their activities list or resume. While parents and students alike are often hungry for direction from us, wondering what outcome to strive for and what will ‘look good,’ we take a different approach. Read on for how we recommend high school students think about doing something that matters– Our greatest advice is quite simple: just begin. Any project or objective you devise for the express purpose of impressing others is not likely to have the impact you hope for. The truth is, good projects come from good works, good questions, and good relationships. Here’s what that looks like: Take an issue that is important to yo...