❌The Lazy College List. Selecting colleges solely based on scholarships or “big city vides” is a common error. This approach that you didn’t bother to really look into what each school offers and why its a good fit for you. Your college list deserves more thoughtful consideration.

❌ Quantity Over Quality. Accumulating a long list of extracurricular activities isn't impressive if there's no depth. Many students mistakenly believe more is better, what matters a lot more are passion and commitment.

❌ IELTS Overkill.
Believing a 9.0 IELTS score guarantees admission to top universities is misguided. Once you've met the minimum requirement (typically 7.5), additional points rarely influence your application. Focus your efforts on other aspects instead.

❌ Late-Stage Essays.
Postponing your essays until the last minute is a huge mistakes. These aren't school assignments that can be crammed the night before. Most students underestimate the time needed for reflection, drafting, and revision to craft compelling personal statements.

❌ Cheating. Exaggerated achievements, outright lying, or ChatGPT-written essays are serious missteps. Not only is it unethical, but it's also often very obvious to experienced admissions officers. Authenticity is key in your application.

And last, but not least: getting help too late. There is nothing that even the best counselor in the world can do if you ask for help one week before the application deadline.

Get help early by by booking a consultation or subscrbing to Admissions Guidance.

Acceptance rates: International ? Overall

Harvard: 2% vs 3%
Amherst: 3% vs 10%
Princeton: 2% vs 4%
Upenn: 3% vs 6%
Georgetown: 8% vs 11%
Lehigh: 9% vs 29%
Duke: 4% vs 7%
Wellesley: 6% vs 14%
Emory: 7% vs 11%
Vanderbilt: 4% vs 6%

Find more schools here, resource from @pasha_harvard Telegram channel

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QS World University Rankings 2025 have just been released! Here are TOP 30 universities USA edition???

1. MIT
2. Harvard University
3. Stanford University
4. California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
5. University of Pennsylvania (Upenn)
6. University of California, Berkeley
7. Cornell University
8. University of Chicago
9. Princeton University
10. Yale University
11. Johns Hopkins University
12. Columbia University
13. University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
14. New York University (NYU)
15. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
16. Northwestern University
17. Carnegie Mellon University
18. Duke University
19. University of Texas at Austin
20. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
21. University of California, San Diego
22. University of Washington
23. Brown University
24. Pennsylvania State University
25. Purdue University
26. Boston University
27. Georgia Institute of Technology
28. University of Wisconsin-Madison
29. University of Southern California
30. University of California, Davis

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