Although we all describe the initial move to college as “living on your own,” that’s really an illusion of sorts. Sure, you may be living without your parents, but it takes a lot more than that to be seriously independent. The dorms may offer you a place of your own, but let’s face it – they still shelter you from some big responsibilities that truly living on your own entails. Of course, no one lives in the dorms forever. It’s fun for awhile, but eventually you get fed up with the cramped space and loud floormates and are ready to move on. Students even recognize the aspects of an actually independent livi... Read More About 5 Things to Know About Off-Campus Living

There are so many different ways to go about choosing your first college roommate nowadays. You can play it safe and room with someone you knew from high school. You can join the Facebook group for your incoming class and meet someone on there. You could meet someone at your summer orientation – or you could just go totally random and hope for the best. Well, if you choose the last option, then you’ll just have to cross your fingers that the situation works out okay. But if you go a different route, one that involves you meeting the person beforehand in some fashion, there are a few crucial things you should evaluate in order to ma... Read More About How to Choose Your First College Roommate

Interviews are stressful enough, but having to make your first impression over the phone can make things even more difficult. There are so many things to think about when approaching an interview. Your facial expressions, your handshake, your hand gestures, your suit of choice, etc. So much of that goes into what these people think of you, so it would seem like the phone interview makes it impossible for you to get these great things you have to offer across. But fear not; just because you cannot physically be in front of the person does not mean you cannot still send a positive energy over to them. Let’s look at one clear benefit you g... Read More About How to Approach an Admissions Phone Interview

“So, do you have any questions for me?” This is probably the one admissions interview question you forgot to prepare for. You remembered to go over your reasons for applying to this school, leadership stories from past clubs and organizations, and your academic aspirations, but you did not come up with any inquiries of your own. Ironically, this is one of the most important and telling parts of an interview. It may not feel like it, since this question is snuck in at the last minute just when you are wrapping up your conversation with happy relief, but be warned: it is not as much of a conversational throw-away as the admissions o... Read More About How to Approach Questions After an Admissions Interview

Varsity Tutors brings you insider tips and advice straight from nationally recognized admissions experts. Cara Ray attained her Master’s in Higher Education from The University of Denver’s Morgridge College of Education and went on to become the Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at The University of Colorado Boulder. She spent a great deal of time recruiting students all over the country, reading thousands of applications, and even chaired one of the application reading committees. Currently, Cara is a member of the Great College Advice team, an organization dedicated to consulting with and guiding students through the colleg... Read More About Ask an Admissions Expert: Cara Ray