Alison Merzel
Don't Let "Average GPA" Scare You Away
If you look at published GPA ranges for many well-known colleges and universities, you may start to scratch your head in bewilderment....
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Alison Merzel
- Sep 16
- 1 min
Look out for the SSAR and the SRAR
While many colleges/universities request official high school transcripts as a part of the application process, some prefer to see a...
Alison Merzel
- Mar 28
- 2 min
To stay or not to stay on the waitlist. That is the question.
You may have noticed that this year, in particular, colleges are handing out waitlist decisions like candy. It almost feels like "YOU get...
Alison Merzel
- Feb 1
- 3 min
Unpredictability is the Reality
As admissions decisions continue to get released, there is always chatter about why one student got into a school and another didn't. "He...
Alison Merzel
- Jul 16, 2021
- 2 min
Early High School Course Planning Helps
I am often asked what 9th and 10th graders should be doing to prepare for the college application process. I am a strong believer that...
Alison Merzel
- May 20, 2021
- 2 min
Teacher, pretty please?
If you are a high school junior, don't let the school year end without politely requesting a letter of recommendation from an adored...
Alison Merzel
- Apr 30, 2021
- 2 min
Spotlight on Ohio Guaranteed Transfer Pathways
In case you missed it, President Biden announced the American Families Plan earlier this week, which will invest in American children and...
Alison Merzel
- Apr 20, 2021
- 3 min
FWIW go with the email or I'll be SMH.
DMs are the new texts. Texts are the new emails. Emails are the new letters. While sometimes it feels like the days of email are going in...
Alison Merzel
- Mar 22, 2021
- 4 min
We are not Rick Singer
If you had forgotten about the huge college admissions scandal that happened in 2019, you have likely been reminded again with the...
Alison Merzel
- Feb 9, 2021
- 2 min
High School Scheduling Advice
Especially as a freshmen, it may seem premature to consider how your current course scheduling may impact college admissions. However, it...
Alison Merzel
- Dec 16, 2020
- 2 min
Surprised to be deferred? This may explain why.
In a previous post, I explained the difference in terminology between "defer"and "waitlist" - some schools use them interchangeably but...
Alison Merzel
- Dec 2, 2020
- 3 min
It's About Who You Are, Not What You Did
I recently attended a conference session during which admissions officers at three selective institutions shared case studies of...
Alison Merzel
- Nov 18, 2020
- 2 min
Demonstrated Interest Decoded
You know how you google something and then all of a sudden you start seeing ads for the item showing up everywhere you go? Or even...
Alison Merzel
- Oct 27, 2020
- 2 min
Tips for navigating college websites
College and university websites should be a primary source of information as you research schools and try to evaluate whether you are...
Alison Merzel
- Sep 25, 2020
- 2 min
Focus on the WHY and WHAT before the HOW
For many high school students, the mechanics of the college admissions process take shape before they have even given thought to why it...
Alison Merzel
- Sep 16, 2020
- 2 min
5 tips about the University of California application process
If you are interested in applying to any of the nine schools within the University of California system, you will use one application,...
Alison Merzel
- Sep 15, 2020
- 1 min
You know about AP and IB credit, but do you know about CLEP?
While most high school families are familiar with either AP and/or IB courses as pathways to college credit with passing exam/assessment...
Alison Merzel
- Aug 26, 2020
- 2 min
A Gap Year with College Credit
You have likely heard of a Gap Year by now if you hadn't before - with so many colleges and universities offering only remote...
Alison Merzel
- Aug 3, 2020
- 2 min
When does "Optional" mean "Preferred"?
Earlier this spring, I wrote a post explaining that Test Optional is not Test Blind. As a result of continuous test center closures,...
Alison Merzel
- May 21, 2020
- 2 min
COVID-19 Doesn't Define You
As high school juniors are preparing to write college essays, of course the novel coronavirus is top of mind. Every single one of us has...