college applications Archives - Collegiate Gateway

How to Write Your Personal Essay for College, Part I: Brainstorming

Are you feeling overwhelmed at the thought of writing your personal essay for the Common Application? We walk you through some tried-and-true tips for crafting a tight, captivating personal essay that will wow admissions officers. In this blog post, Part I: Brainstorming, we cover how to develop the best topics to write about. In our next blog post, Part II: Narrative Structures, we provide several options for how you can tell your story.

Maureen Meyer2026-06-22T14:55:45-04:00June 18th, 2026|Categories: Caroline Ferrucci, college, college admissions, college applications, College Essays, college list, Collegiate Gateway, Common Application, Julie Gross, Personal Essay Brainstorm, Personal Statement|Tags: brainstorming, Caroline Ferrucci, collegiate gateway, common app, common application, common application tips, crafting personal statement, julie gross, personal essay, personal essay brainstorm, personal statement|

What are the Differences Between First Year and Transfer Essays?

Learn about how the Transfer Essay differs from the First-Year Personal Essay for college applications. Read our tips for crafting essays that are thoughtful, clearly defined, and that demonstrate specific reasons for wanting to transfer to a certain school. Your Transfer Essay should reveal your interests and goals, and show how you will be a good fit for the college of your choice!

How to Demonstrate Interest to Colleges

What is demonstrated interest and which colleges care about it? Read our blog post to find out more about the role that demonstrated interest plays in college admissions, and our 10-point plan to communicate the strength and depth of your genuine interest to your best-fit colleges.

Maureen Meyer2026-05-19T11:31:41-04:00May 19th, 2026|Categories: Admissions trends, Caroline Ferrucci, college, college admissions, college applications, college early applications, college list, college visits, Collegiate Gateway, demonstrated interest, Early Admissions, Julie Gross, Regular Admissions, yield|Tags: American University, Caroline Ferrucci, College Applicant Portal, college tours, college visits, collegiate gateway, demonstrated interest, High School Info Sessions, julie gross, Lehigh University, yield|

Crafting Your College List, Part III: Balancing Your List from Reach to Realistic

As part three of our blog series, Crafting Your College List, now it’s time to narrow down the list of schools you will apply to, and ensure that your list is balanced in a way that is right for you. The ultimate goal is not only to be accepted, but to succeed and thrive at the college you choose to attend!

Maureen Meyer2026-05-11T13:25:44-04:00May 11th, 2026|Categories: Admissions trends, Caroline Ferrucci, college, college admissions, college applications, college early applications, College Features, College interviews, college list, college visits, Collegiate Gateway, Early Action, Early Admissions, Early Decision, Julie Gross|Tags: balanced college list, Caroline Ferrucci, College Admissions, college candidacy, college list, college visits, collegiate gateway, julie gross, Naviance, Scattergrams, Test Optional|

How Make the Most of a College Fair

Are you attending a college fair soon and feeling overwhelmed? Read our tips for how to prepare for your college fair, including which schools to visit, what questions to ask, and how to follow up after.

Crafting Your College List, Part II: College Visits

In part two of our step-by-step guide to Crafting Your College List, we will help you narrow down a list of schools for you to research further, and then visit, either in-person or virtually. You will start to see your preferences emerge more clearly with each visit, and your college list will come into focus!

Crafting Your College List, Part I: Best-Fit College Features

When crafting your college list, consider your personality and preferences and how they relate to the features of each college you are considering. Use these "best-fit" features to help you determine at which colleges you will be most able to grow academically, socially, and personally.

Maureen Meyer2026-05-11T13:31:50-04:00April 30th, 2026|Categories: Caroline Ferrucci, college, college admissions, college applications, College Features, college list, Collegiate Gateway, Common Application, Fit, Julie Gross, Uncategorized|Tags: Caroline Ferrucci, college, College Admissions, college extracurricular activities, college features, college location, college size, college visits, collegiate gateway, internships, julie gross, study abroad|

Why do Students Decide to Transfer Colleges?

Transfer rates are on the rise, and we take a closer look at the factors that motivate students to pursue switching colleges. We provide tips for weighing your options before you decide to transfer, and how to take the next steps if you decide that this move is right for you.

Maureen Meyer2026-04-08T07:43:32-04:00April 8th, 2026|Categories: Admissions trends, Caroline Ferrucci, Class of 2030, college, college admissions, college applications, college list, Collegiate Gateway, Julie Gross, Transfer Admissions, Uncategorized|Tags: Caroline Ferrucci, College Transfer, collegiate gateway, julie gross, reasons to transfer, transfer admissions, transfer applications|

Collegiate Gateway’s Guide to Early Admissions Policies

If you are confused about restrictive and non-restrictive early admissions policies for college applications, you are not alone! We can answer your questions about the differences in ED (early decision), REA (restrictive early action), SCEA (single-choice early action), and EA (early action) policies.

Who Benefits From Early Decision?

How does Early Decision benefit students and colleges? What is the impact of Early Decision on Regular Decision admissions programs, and why are more colleges using Early Decision to fill almost half of their incoming classes? Find out the answers to all of these questions and more!

Maureen Meyer2026-03-06T15:38:51-05:00March 6th, 2026|Categories: Class of 2030, college, college admissions, college applications, College Early Admissions Programs, college early applications, College Scholarships, Collegiate Gateway, Common Application, demonstrated interest, Early Action, Early Admissions, early admissions trends, Early Decision, ED2, Julie Gross, Merit Scholarships, Partial Scholarship, Regular Admissions, Regular Decision Admissions, Scholarships|Tags: Barnard College, Boston College, Boston University, brown university, Caroline Ferrucci, class of 2029, College Early Decision, collegiate gateway, Cornell University (ED), Dartmouth College, Duke University, early decision, early decision acceptance rates, Early Decision Application Numbers, early decision benefits, early decision problems, ED, history of early decision, Johns Hopkins University, julie gross, Northwestern University, QuestBridge, skidmore college, test-optional Early decision admissions, the Kipp Foundation, Tulane University, University of Chicago, University of Pennsylvania, UVA, Washington University in St. Louis, Williams College|