How to win the college admissions game and get into your #1 school.

Not long ago, all you needed to get into a top school were good grades and a high SAT score. Your essays didn’t really matter. Now it’s the exact opposite: the college essay is king. Why? Because leading universities are inundated with so many highly qualified candidates that they turn to your application to decide who they want and who they don’t. If your application has a clear and compelling theme—and your essays are bold, original, and endearing—every school will try to find a spot for you. (Assuming you’ve got the grades to back it up — but even sometimes if you don’t!)

Whether you’re applying to college this fall, or you’re an underclassman who’s trying to map out your high school courses, extracurriculars and internships for the next few years, we provide strategic guidance to help you boost your credentials and win the college admissions game. The key to getting into a top university is to start your planning early. And the courses you take, the activities you pursue, the career opportunities you explore – those all paint a very clear picture to admissions officers about the type of candidate you are. The sooner you start, the stronger your college application will be.

A few competitive colleges remain test-optional, but most are transitioning back to test-required. Why? Because recent studies by Yale, Dartmouth, and Brown confirmed what colleges long suspected: a strong showing on the SAT or ACT is still one of the best indicators of college preparedness. To boost your score, you can take your chances with a one-size-fits-all SAT class. Or you can sign up for our private, one-on-one test prep program, where we tailor the entire course to fit your needs.