CollegeVine Expert FAQ

Hi there! I have a question about incorporating dialogue in my college essay. Is it okay to use dialogue to add depth and make my story more engaging, or should I avoid it altogether? Any advice would …

Hi everyone, I'm a junior and I've heard that having a strong relationship with my guidance counselor is important for the college application process. However, I'm not sure how to approach them or wh …

Hi all! I'm a junior and my parents both attended a prestigious university that I'm interested in applying to. I was wondering how much of an impact legacy status has on college admissions. Any insigh …

Hi there! I'm in the process of writing my college essays and I'm not sure if I should use first-person pronouns (like 'I' and 'me'). Is it okay to write in the first person for college essays or shou …

Hi everyone, I'm a junior and I've started thinking about my college essays. I'm struggling to come up with a good topic and I want to make sure my essays stand out. What should I focus on when writin …

Hi there! I'm a junior in high school, and I've been hearing a lot about the benefits of applying Early Decision. I was wondering if applying ED truly increases your chances of getting into a college. …

Hey guys! I'm a junior and I want to make sure my college applications demonstrate that I'm a good fit for the schools I'm applying to. What are some ways I can show colleges that I'd be a great addit …

My GPA isn't as strong as I'd like it to be, but my test scores are pretty good. How can I show colleges that I'm still a strong candidate for admission despite my lower GPA? Is there anything I can d …

Hello, I'm a high school junior and I've been hearing a lot about the importance of letters of recommendation for college applications. How important are they really, and who should I ask to write the …

I'm a little bit stressed about writing my college essay, and I'm not sure how long it'll take me to finish. How much time did you guys spend on your essays? Any tips for managing time effectively wou …

Hello, I'm applying for a few different scholarships and I noticed that some of them have similar essay prompts. Is it okay to submit the same essay for different scholarships or should I rework it fo …

Hi everyone! I'm a junior in high school, and I recently took the SAT (or ACT) for the first time. My score is only slightly below my target score, but I'm not sure if it's worth retaking the test to …

Hello! I'm a high school junior, and I've heard that having a good relationship with your counselor can be helpful during the college application process. Is it really that important, and if so, what …

Hey everyone, I've seen the term 'demonstrated interest' mentioned a lot lately and I'm not entirely sure what it means. Can someone explain it to me and how I can effectively show my interest in a co …

Hi everyone, I'm a junior and I've been struggling to find an extracurricular activity that I'm truly passionate about. I want to get involved in something that I enjoy and that will also look good on …

Hey, I'm a junior and I'm trying to plan my senior year schedule. I'm debating between taking a regular class and getting an A, or taking an AP class and potentially getting a B. Which option would lo …

Hey everyone, I'm a junior and I'm starting to look for scholarships to help pay for college. I know there are a lot of them out there, but I'm not sure where to start. What are some good resources fo …

Hey everyone! I've taken the SAT once and the ACT once, but I'm not sure if my scores are good enough for the colleges I'm interested in. Is it worth retaking one or both of the tests to try to improv …

Hi there! I'm a junior trying to decide between taking AP or Dual Enrollment courses next year. Which one do colleges prefer? Are there any benefits to taking one over the other? Thanks in advance for …

Hey guys, I'm working on my college essay and I've noticed I use 'I' a lot. Is this frowned upon or is it okay? I don't want it to sound too self-centered. Thanks for any advice!