Students

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Happy birthday to Apply with Sanity!

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Happy birthday to Apply with Sanity!

The first blog post on Apply with Sanity was on September 28, 2016. It was just a short welcome and explanation of what the site is about, and all those things are still true four years later:

I want to reduce the amount of pressure you feel, not increase it.

I want to empower you to feel in control, not feel like a passive product for schools to consider.

I know that you, a unique and interesting person, are important regardless of your college situation.

I understand that a big-name, highly marketed college isn’t necessarily a path to happiness.

I feel that self-knowledge is the most important knowledge.

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Five key ideas about paying for college

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Five key ideas about paying for college

It’s really hard to talk about paying for college with a broad audience, because every individual’s circumstances are different. And individual circumstances are really important to college affordability, since the price of college depends to a huge degree on your individual circumstances. One of the great things about college education—but also one of the complicated things—is that most students pay different amounts for the same education. However, as we’re coming up on application due dates and FAFSA opening up on October 1, there are some key ideas that are applicable to everyone, no matter your individual finances.

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Three quick questions with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

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Three quick questions with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

For Three Quick Questions, I send the same three questions to admissions representatives at colleges all over the country (the subject line of the e-mail is “Three quick questions”), and then I hope to hear back from them. When I do, I post them on Apply with Sanity. It’s that simple.

The three questions are meant to probe some of the things that make a school unique but that aren’t easily captured as a stat to go in a book or web search.

This response is from Theresa Abbott, Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York.

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Three quick questions with Davidson College

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Three quick questions with Davidson College

For Three Quick Questions, I send the same three questions to admissions representatives at colleges all over the country (the subject line of the e-mail is “Three quick questions”), and then I hope to hear back from them. When I do, I post them on Apply with Sanity. It’s that simple.

The three questions are meant to probe some of the things that make a school unique but that aren’t easily captured as a stat to go in a book or web search.

This response is from Abby Vidmer, Admission Counselor at Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina.

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Three quick questions with Muhlenberg College

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Three quick questions with Muhlenberg College

For Three Quick Questions, I send the same three questions to admissions representatives at colleges all over the country (the subject line of the e-mail is “Three quick questions”), and then I hope to hear back from them. When I do, I post them on Apply with Sanity. It’s that simple.

The three questions are meant to probe some of the things that make a school unique but that aren’t easily captured as a stat to go in a book or web search.

This response is from Bailey Fulginiti, Assistant Director of Admissions at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

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Meet Julianna

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Meet Julianna

It’s time to begin the fourth year of Meet the Class! The class of 2021 has the strangest admissions season in memory—standardized tests being largely sidelined, few in-person campus visits, all on top of the demands of living through a pandemic—and I’m interested and excited to see how it goes for the more than a million college-bound high school seniors. It looks like there will be four seniors participating this year, and here is the first installment. Enjoy!

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Three quick questions with Santa Clara University

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Three quick questions with Santa Clara University

For Three Quick Questions, I send the same three questions to admissions representatives at colleges all over the country (the subject line of the e-mail is “Three quick questions”), and then I hope to hear back from them. When I do, I post them on Apply with Sanity. It’s that simple.

The three questions are meant to probe some of the things that make a school unique but that aren’t easily captured as a stat to go in a book or web search.

This response is from Kendall Wulbrun, Assistant Director of Admissions at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California.

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Three quick questions with Kenyon College

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Three quick questions with Kenyon College

For Three Quick Questions, I send the same three questions to admissions representatives at colleges all over the country (the subject line of the e-mail is “Three quick questions”), and then I hope to hear back from them. When I do, I post them on Apply with Sanity. It’s that simple.

The three questions are meant to probe some of the things that make a school unique but that aren’t easily captured as a stat to go in a book or web search.

This response is from Guy Hatch, Admissions Counselor at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio.

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Three quick questions with Washington College

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Three quick questions with Washington College

For Three Quick Questions, I send the same three questions to admissions representatives at colleges all over the country (the subject line of the e-mail is “Three quick questions”), and then I hope to hear back from them. When I do, I post them on Apply with Sanity. It’s that simple.

The three questions are meant to probe some of the things that make a school unique but that aren’t easily captured as a stat to go in a book or web search.

This response is from Skylar Kuhn, Admissions Counselor at Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland.

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Three quick questions with The College of William and Mary

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Three quick questions with The College of William and Mary

For Three Quick Questions, I send the same three questions to admissions representatives at colleges all over the country (the subject line of the e-mail is “Three quick questions”), and then I hope to hear back from them. When I do, I post them on Apply with Sanity. It’s that simple.

The three questions are meant to probe some of the things that make a school unique but that aren’t easily captured as a stat to go in a book or web search.

This response is from Logan Reed, Assistant Dean of Admission at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.

What should juniors do this fall to be prepared for college?

What should juniors do this fall to be prepared for college?

When my daughters were in the midst of their Terrible Twos, my wife and I had a line we kept repeating to ourselves: "she’s only two once, and it only lasts a year." It gave us a reminder to keep things in perspective and not get completely despondent. When you’re having your really difficult days, it may be helpful to you, too. Say it: "I’m only a high school junior once, and it only lasts a year." You’re going to be fine.

What should seniors do this fall to prepare for college admissions?

What should seniors do this fall to prepare for college admissions?

This year it may be harder than normal to be a good high school student. High schools are having a hard time being good high schools, too. Whether you’re fully online, fully back to school in person, or some hybrid, please understand that everyone understands how rough this year is. If your grades have dropped or if you’re having difficulty staying focused because of unexpected circumstances, you will have an opportunity to explain that and be heard. Even in the middle of a pandemic, you should do your best. But colleges aren’t asking you to do more than that. With that in mind, let’s look at what else you can do to prepare for college.

Should you submit your test scores to a test-optional college?

Should you submit your test scores to a test-optional college?

At this point in the summer, it’s no longer news that a huge number of colleges and universities have gone test-optional for the next admissions cycle. Many have already declared they will be test-optional for a year or two after this one, and some have permanently gone test-optional. Some, of course, were already test-optional even before COVID-19 forced testing sites to cancel. So if you haven’t already taken an SAT or ACT, you shouldn’t worry. (And, for your safety, you shouldn’t take the test this fall, even if you find an open test site.) But this year many students who do already have test scores are facing a dilemma that used to only be a decision for a few people: should you send your scores to a test-optional school?

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Three quick questions with Illinois Tech

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Three quick questions with Illinois Tech

For Three Quick Questions, I send the same three questions to admissions representatives at colleges all over the country (the subject line of the e-mail is “Three quick questions”), and then I hope to hear back from them. When I do, I post them on Apply with Sanity. It’s that simple.

The three questions are meant to probe some of the things that make a school unique but that aren’t easily captured as a stat to go in a book or web search.

This response is from Diana Zhu, Admission Counselor at Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, Illinois.

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Three quick questions with Pitzer College

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Three quick questions with Pitzer College

For Three Quick Questions, I send the same three questions to admissions representatives at colleges all over the country (the subject line of the e-mail is “Three quick questions”), and then I hope to hear back from them. When I do, I post them on Apply with Sanity. It’s that simple.

The three questions are meant to probe some of the things that make a school unique but that aren’t easily captured as a stat to go in a book or web search.

This response is from Hayley Burke, Assistant Director of Admission at Pitzer College in Claremont, California.