Insights & Strategy
Admissions advice, application strategy, and the thinking behind how we work.
MBA
Can You Get Into an M7 MBA With a 3.0 GPA?
Key Takeaways A 3.0 GPA is not an automatic rejection at M7 schools, but it is a real liability that…
College
How Colleges Evaluate Rigor Without AP Classes
Key Takeaways Colleges evaluate rigor in context, using your transcript, school profile, and counselor report to understand what was actually…
College
How Much Does the College Essay Matter?
Key Takeaways The essay usually does not rescue an application on its own; its main role is to add meaning,…
College
Do Freshman Year Classes Matter for College Admissions?
Key Takeaways Freshman year matters because it starts your transcript and shapes later course options, but colleges read it as…
Medicine
Is Your Medical School List Too Top-Heavy?
Key Takeaways A med school list becomes too top heavy when most schools give your profile a low-probability path to…
MBA
Can HBS CORe Help a Low-GPA MBA Application?
Key Takeaways A low GPA is usually treated as academic risk, not an automatic rejection. Admissions teams look for evidence…
Law
LSAT Addendum for a Lower Second Score
Key Takeaways An LSAT addendum is optional and should only be used when it adds real clarity to a score…
Law
LSAT vs GPA in Law School Admissions
Key Takeaways LSAT vs. GPA is really three separate questions: prediction, admission, and scholarships. The answer changes depending on which…
College
ACT vs. SAT: Which Test Should You Take?
Key Takeaways Colleges generally accept both the ACT and SAT, so the better choice is the one that fits your…
College
How Colleges Calculate GPA for Admissions
Key Takeaways GPA is not a universal number in admissions; colleges may use the school-reported GPA, recalculate an admissions GPA,…
College
How Colleges Evaluate AP and IB in Admissions
Key Takeaways Separate admissions review from credit and placement: colleges may value AP or IB rigor in admission but still…
Medicine
Retaking Classes for Medical School: What Actually Helps
Key Takeaways A retake should solve a readiness problem, not just a GPA problem. Identify whether the issue is an…