What Colleges Look For

What is a Weighted or Unweighted GPA? Which Do Colleges Care About?

By Meredith Graham
October 3, 2022 | 14 minute read

Weighted versus Unweighted GPAs: A Closer Look Anyone who has worked as an admission officer or college counselor will tell you that questions around student GPA come up almost as...

College Applications

How to Craft the Perfect College Application

By Meredith Graham
October 20, 2021 | 5 minute read

We get questions on this topic all the time. How do I write a perfect essay? How do I create a perfect application? How do I become the perfect college applicant? Well, here’s the secret:...

College Applications

The 2021 Common App Guide is Here!

By Meredith Graham
September 9, 2021 | 3 minute read

Oh hey! It’s that time of year again—it’s time for this year’s update of our Common App guide! Creating this free guide has become an annual tradition for us at Collegewise, and sending it...

Choosing a College

An Open-Minded College Search

By Meredith Graham
June 30, 2021 | 6 minute read

A few years ago, I was working with a student on building his college list. He said his ideal college was a large university in a mid-sized or large city with a strong engineering program...

College Research

Major Myths, Busted: Pre-Med Edition

By Meredith Graham
March 31, 2021 | 5 minute read

Back when I worked in admissions and spent a lot of time at college fairs and other events, I’d field all kinds of questions from students and families. And usually, lots of those questions...

Choosing a College

The Pre-Decision Pause: Waiting On College Application Results

By Meredith Graham
December 10, 2020 | 6 minute read

Look at you, getting your college applications done and submitted! Congratulations! I’m really proud of you. Thank you—I’m pretty proud of my work and my applications, too. So, what’s next?