High school students have a lot going on already, but when you add on the big college search, it’s hard for a student not to find life extremely overwhelming.  This is one giant process that requires a lot of guidance, so it is critical that a student really understands what they’re getting into before taking on this life-changing project.  It cannot be treated as something they will coast their way through or just occasionally check on.  The college search should be an extremely organized endeavor that you are keeping up with every day and giving very careful attention to. Of course, this takes us back to the overw... Read More About How to Prepare for the College Search

Although many college students may view senior year as the time to start thinking like an adult, junior year is really the time to do it.  By no means does this imply you are obligated to stop engaging in student life and must spend all your time networking in business suits, but you do need to start shaping your mindset for that reality.  Otherwise, you will enter senior year with no preparation for the real world that is ever so quickly approaching you. Possibly the biggest reason for all this is the fact that internship season is falling upon you.  If you haven’t had an internship already, the summer between junior and... Read More About Why Junior Year of College is Important

More often than they should, students decide to go to grad school simply to avoid the doomed job market.  Others choose to go because they flat out miss being in school.  Neither of these are logical reasons and in the end, they usually won’t leave the student feeling fulfilled. Graduate school is a very serious and big commitment that should only be undergone if a graduate degree is definitely what you want and/or need.  There are several aspects of being a graduate student that may not be hitting you just yet as you scour admissions pages for application requirements and deadlines.  There are a few key questions yo... Read More About Is Grad School the Right Option for You?

Varsity Tutors brings you insider tips and advice straight from nationally recognized admissions experts. Dr. Lucia Tyler has worked in admissions at Cornell University providing counseling for applicants, giving admissions presentations, and eventually wrote a faculty admissions handbook.  Additionally, she has held various professional roles in several areas of higher education at Cornell for over 15 years.  Dr. Tyler is now the leader of her own college admissions consulting firm and has tutored, mentored, and advised numerous students over time. VT: How far ahead of time should a student begin working on his or her college appli... Read More About Ask an Admissions Expert: Dr. Lucia Tyler

Time and time again, people may tell you not to stress over deciding on a major right away.  They generally advise you to take your time contemplating, that you can change it at any time so there should be no pressure at all.  While all of this may be true in a sense, the difficulty of adapting your curriculum to a major switch cannot be underestimated – but it often is. People are quick to glamorize the freedom of being able to change your mind regarding your career path at any time in college, but the truth is, you can only change your mind so many times before it significantly lengthens your college career.  With every... Read More About Picking a Major Early in College