CollegeVine Expert FAQ

I saw some of our 8th graders at school taking the PSAT and I was wondering, why do they do that? Is there any advantage to taking it so early? Do colleges look at these scores or is it just for exper …

Feeling a bit puzzled about how long my personal statement should be for the Common App. What's the typical word count everyone's aiming for? Want to make sure I provide enough detail without going ov …

Hey everyone, I'm a bit tense about whether to report all my AP test scores on the Common App or just the higher ones. Some of them aren't exactly where I want them to be. Will colleges care if I omit …

Just out of curiosity, does anyone know if being on a top-ranked high school sports team, like Missouri’s class 2 football, impacts your college applications or if it's largely irrelevant unless you'r …

This may sound ridiculous, but how do you find out your class rank in high school? I hear people talking about it, and I'm kind of lost. Is it something I ask my counselor for, or is there a way to ca …

Quick question y’all – when did you guys get inducted into the National Honor Society? I’m a sophomore and trying to plan ahead; not sure if I should be gearing up for this year or next. How does the …

Does anyone have experience with the Natural Science CLEP exam? I'm trying to figure out how to prep effectively and could really use advice from those who have successfully navigated this one. What t …

Feeling a bit overwhelmed here. Could someone break down what the core classes are that colleges are really looking for? I want to make sure I’m not missing anything important that could hurt my chanc …

Hey folks, I'm thinking about taking a few classes online next year to manage my schedule better. Has anyone done this and have any advice or tips on how to do well in an online setting?

Hey everyone! I’ve been starting to look into different colleges and I was wondering, do all colleges have general education requirements? Is it something that varies a lot from one institution to ano …

Hello fellow juniors, in the process of studying for the PSAT and I'm just curious about something. How many juniors typically take the PSAT each year? Just wondering because it feels like everyone at …

Hi all, junior here looking to self-study for the American Government CLEP exam and I could really use some pointers. Has anybody here taken it and can offer guidance on study materials or methods tha …

Has anyone taken an American Studies course in high school? I'm deciding on my schedule and would love to know if it helped you in any specific way, maybe with certain majors or just general college-r …

Hey fellow juniors, I’ve heard that colleges like to see 'leadership skills', so do you think helping organize class building activities at our school could be a good move? How would I even present th …

To anyone who's taken a Psychology course in high school, how was it? Did it prepare you well for potential college psych courses? And do you feel like it was positively noted in your college apps? Su …

I'm getting my Common App profile together and got to the Honors section. It's giving me a bit of anxiety because I'm not sure what counts as an 'honor' exactly. Do you think stuff like honor roll and …

Hi guys, junior here. I'm thinking about taking some college courses online over the summer to impress admissions officers. Is this worth it? Have any of you had experience with how this is perceived …

Hey y'all! So I've been invited to join the National Honor Society at my school, and I'm on the fence. I'm active in a few clubs already and I'm not sure how NHS will stand out on college apps. What m …

I’m fascinated by politics and I'm eager to challenge myself by taking a US government course that's at collegiate level while still in high school. Any tips on how to get enrolled?

Okay, probably a silly question, but how do I assign my recommenders on Common App? I've asked my teachers already, but I don't want to mess up this step. Can someone who's done it already walk me thr …