You checked your decision and saw it wasn’t a yes or a no; it was a deferral. So, what should you do next? A deferral means the admissions office sees potential in your application and wants to look at it again with the Regular Decision pool.
Being waitlisted is confusing and stressful. You haven’t been accepted, but you haven’t been rejected either. That’s why it’s important to understand what to do if you are waitlisted for college and whether you still have a real chance of getting in.
In this guide, we’ll check out the colleges that offer the most generous financial aid packages in the U.S., and break down how they put those offers together. We’ll also help you figure out which options could work for your financial situation.
It feels like going onto a stage when everyone else knows the script when you’re a first-generation college applicant. But this is precisely why colleges want students like you: you have a new point of view, a strong work ethic, and a narrative that has to be told.
Picking a college can be super exciting, but also a bit stressful at the same time. There are so many choices, rankings, and it feels like everyone has something to say about it. But what really helps is figuring out how to determine reach, match, and safety schools.
Figuring out how colleges use the FAFSA and the CSS Profile is super important for your financial planning. Moreover, knowing the difference between these two forms saves you a bunch of cash and a whole lot of hassle.
It’s tough to take when you’ve put in all that effort, writing essays and staying up late. But that doesn’t mean you’re out of luck. Many students are surprised to learn that there’s an official college admissions appeal process.
Even though you studied for months, got perfect scores on the SAT, and wrote the best essay, another student still gets in. Annoying, right? It could be something as easy as legacy preferences, though.
You’ve probably thought about what is a good SAT score in 2025-2026 if you’re serious about applying to college. A lot of schools are now test-optional, but the scores you get are still very important for admissions decisions, scholarships, and even course placement.
You’ve already finished your Common App essay, and just when you’re ready to celebrate, surprise! Colleges want a few extra essays, too. Those are the supplemental essays that help them get to know you even better. But how do you write one that really stands out to admissions officers?