Part I: The Common Application Personal Statement With the application season in full swing, our students at Quantum Prep are well on their way towards finishing their applications for US universities. As US college admissions consultants, we get the most questions by far on one topic – the Personal Statement. There are good reasons why people are so concerned about this too: this one short essay of only 650 words needs to represent you to the admissions officer. It’s your

The most common question we hear from our students every year is on what topics they should use for their personal statements.  While it is impossible to tell our students what to write for their personal statements, as everyone’s story must be personal, there are certain topics we should avoid using. The following are seven topics that can easily sink an application from the get-go. 1. The Braggart The US admissions process is holistic. This means the admissions officers review

Many public examinations like the IB and A-Levels have been cancelled in the midst of COVID-19; fortunately, universities have decided to uphold the conditional offers given to prospective students who have already received admissions decisions. After news came out that schools will work to provide final public exam scores to students by assessing their course-work, students are now working hard to meet their offers by catching up and making sure their final scores reflect their abilities.  So what are the

In the early ’90s, before Microsoft launched Windows 95, I worked inside the MIT admissions office as a student worker to support myself. I remember transporting heavy boxes of student folders and hearing the sound of different textures of paper sliding against each other and the occasional rattle of metal. Oftentimes, I would be curious and peer into those heavy boxes. You may be surprised to hear that it was not just stacks of printed out student applications. College applications

Testing policies: Optional, Flexible, and Blind Although the SATs and ACTs are synonymous with US college admissions, not all universities require the SAT or ACT! Each university follows their own standardized testing policy, and while almost all US colleges will assess any test scores sent to them, many universities popular among international students operate under policies known as Test-Optional, Test Flexible, and Test Blind. Test-Optional universities are those that leave it up to the student whether or not they want

In the years since I became an admissions consultant, one of the most common questions I get asked is whether or not internships are genuinely important for university admissions. After all, the students doing these internships are often only sixteen and seventeen years old.  The quick answer: it depends, especially on whether you intend to pursue an academic or professional programme. 1.  Why internships do not matter for academic majors Whether an internship is useful and whether they are necessary