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Topic: What Colleges Look For

What Colleges Look For

Do Letters of Recommendation Help You Get Into College?
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By Ian Parker
March 17, 2023 | 9 minute read

Which teachers to ask for letters of recommendation is one of the biggest questions facing any college applicant. But why is it so important? How do colleges use letters of recommendation?...

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What Colleges Look For

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

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What Colleges Look For

What Matters to Colleges from Freshman Year of High School?
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By Collegewise Staff
April 11, 2022 | 5 minute read

So you’re a freshman or a sophomore thinking about that 9th grade report card and wondering, “Uhh, how much will colleges care about my C in Biology, since science is my least favorite...

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What Colleges Look For

What You Need to Know About Volunteer Hours for College in 2022
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By Vanessa Daves-Poarch
March 14, 2022 | 6 minute read

At Collegewise, there’s one questions our counselors despise being asked: “How many volunteer hours should I do to be a competitive college applicant?” Volunteering for the sake of looking...

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What Colleges Look For

Behind the Holistic Admission Curtain
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By Casey Near
November 10, 2021 | 3 minute read

A few weeks ago, my colleague Arun hosted the leaders of the admission offices at UC Berkeley, Caltech, and Johns Hopkins to discuss highly selective admission, peeling back the layers of...

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What Colleges Look For

Ten Ways to Make Valuable Contributions
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By Kevin McMullin
November 3, 2021 | 3 minute read

Too many high school students view their success in group activities as measured only by accolades or official titles. But there are lots of ways you can make valuable contributions that...

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