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    To stay or not to stay on the waitlist. That is the question.
    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
    • Mar 3
    • 1 min

    Common App Application Updates

    The Common Application recently published a report of application trends through February 15, 2022. Here are the big takeaways: 1) Since...
    Unpredictability is the Reality
    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...
    FWIW go with the email or I'll be SMH.
    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...
    How College Admissions is Like Dating
    Alison Merzel
    • Dec 18, 2020
    • 2 min

    How College Admissions is Like Dating

    You know that old phrase, "It's not you, it's them?" You know you are a great catch - you have the brains, the athleticism, the artistic...
    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...
    Demonstrated Interest Decoded
    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...
    Tips for navigating college websites
    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...
    A Gap Year with College Credit
    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...
    When does "Optional" mean "Preferred"?
    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,...
    School Spotlight: Columbus State Community College
    Alison Merzel
    • Jul 22, 2020
    • 2 min

    School Spotlight: Columbus State Community College

    As a result of financial constraints, healthcare concerns, and social/emotional instability, many students are expected to turn to...
    College vs. university? Public vs. private? What is the difference anyways?
    Alison Merzel
    • Jul 6, 2020
    • 2 min

    College vs. university? Public vs. private? What is the difference anyways?

    When most high school students begin thinking about colleges, their list typically begins with schools they have heard of - those their...
    Find the school that is ranked #1 for YOU
    Alison Merzel
    • Jun 17, 2020
    • 2 min

    Find the school that is ranked #1 for YOU

    Rankings are essentially a marketing tool for colleges and universities - you can find a ranking for just about anything: "Most Wired...
    Access. Information. Education. For All.
    Alison Merzel
    • Jun 4, 2020
    • 2 min

    Access. Information. Education. For All.

    As a white woman who was raised in an upper middle class family in a predominately white neighborhood, I cannot claim to know what it...
    COVID-19 Doesn't Define You
    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...
    Test Optional is not Test Blind
    Alison Merzel
    • Apr 27, 2020
    • 2 min

    Test Optional is not Test Blind

    As so many colleges and universities announce that they will adopt a test optional admissions policy for this fall, you may be wondering...
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