CollegeVine Expert FAQ

Hello! I've been looking at colleges, and I've found two that seem very similar. How can I decide which one is a better fit for me? What factors should I consider? Thanks for your help!

Hey friends, I've received my financial aid offers from colleges, and I'm wondering if there's any way to ask for more aid. How can I approach colleges about potentially increasing my financial aid pa …

Hi everyone, I'm a high school junior and I'm trying to understand what college admissions officers are looking for when reviewing applications. What factors are most important and how can I make sure …

Hello fellow students! I'm a junior and I'm starting to feel overwhelmed with the thought of balancing school, extracurriculars, and college applications. How did you guys manage your time during this …

Hi everyone, I'm a bit stressed about my college essay. I've used contractions in it, and I'm not sure if that makes my writing appear too informal. Do admissions officers frown upon the use of contra …

Hi! I'm a junior trying to decide between some prestigious schools and those that may offer me better financial aid packages. How do I weigh the importance of financial aid and the long-term value of …

Hi everyone, my school actually ranks students by GPA. I'm currently ranked 25 out of 300, and I'm worried that this might negatively affect my chances of admission at highly competitive schools. How …

I'm working on my college essay and I want to use some abbreviations to keep it concise. Is it acceptable to use abbreviations, or should I spell everything out? I don't want it to look unprofessional …

Hey! I recently took the SAT and got a 1520, which I'm pretty happy with. However, I want to make sure it's considered strong enough for Ivy League admissions. Do you think my score is competitive or …

Hey everyone, I've heard rumors that colleges may be using AI detectors to analyze our college essays. Is this true, and if so, how can we make our essays more genuine and avoid sounding generic? Feel …

Hi everyone, I'm a high school junior and I'm hoping to play a sport in college. What should I know about the recruitment process and applying to college as a student-athlete? Any advice would be grea …

Hi everyone! I'm considering attending a large university and I'm wondering about the pros and cons. Can anyone share their experiences or thoughts on why a large university might be a good or bad cho …

I'm a little stressed about this whole college selection process, and I've noticed a lot of emphasis around research universities. Do these universities really have an edge over other types of college …

Hey everyone! With the pandemic still ongoing, I'm finding it difficult to research colleges effectively since I can't visit them in person. What are some alternative ways that I can learn about diffe …

Hi everyone! I have a strong opinion on a controversial topic and I'm thinking about writing my college essay on it. Is this a good idea or should I avoid controversial subjects to not risk offending …

Hey everyone! So - I spent a few weeks of my past summer traveling to different countries with my family, where I got to know various cultures and also volunteered for some local NGOs. It was an incre …

Hi there! I've been researching colleges and I've fallen in love with a few of them. I want to make sure they know I'm really interested. What are some effective ways to demonstrate interest? I've hea …

Hey guys! I'm currently a junior, and I'm starting to look into colleges. I'm interested in Tufts University, but I'm unsure if it's considered a research university. Can someone confirm this for me? …

Hi everyone, my second-choice school offers Early Decision, but I'm conflicted about applying. My first-choice school has restrictive Early Action, which I'm leaning towards. Would applying ED to my s …

Hey everyone, I'm a junior and my dream school is Princeton, but my GPA isn't that great. I had a rough couple of years academically and my GPA has suffered. I have a strong extracurricular background …