SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips

If the thought of writing a college essay fills you with terror, you might be wondering: are there any colleges that don’t require essays?

The answer is yes, there are! This guide will give you an overview of colleges that don’t require admissions essays, how to find these schools, and whether you should apply to one or not. We’ll wrap up with a list of 64 colleges with no essay requirement that you can apply to.

Applying to college is a nerve-wracking process, but have no fear, if you want to go to college even with a low SAT score, there is most likely a school for you!

In this article, I'll list the colleges with the lowest 25th percentile SAT scores for their admitted students. The 25th percentile SAT score means that 25% of admitted students to that university scored at or below that number; the 75th percentile SAT score means that 75% of admitted students scored at or below that score (25% scored higher). I'll also explain why their low SAT criterion doesn’t necessarily mean the university is bad.

Northwestern University is an excellent choice for college, but can you easily explain just why you want to go there? If you're planning to apply to Northwestern, you’ll need to submit a "Why Northwestern" essay—a supplemental statement that describes why you’ve chosen to apply to this school and what you think Northwestern can offer you in terms of your future goals.

In this article, we’ll go over what this kind of college essay entails as well as why you're required to submit a "Why Northwestern" essay. We'll also cover various topics and tips you can use to craft a compelling Northwestern supplement essay.

The eight schools in the Ivy League are among the most well-known and selective universities, both within and outside of the U.S. Because of this, Ivy League (and similarly selective non-Ivy) schools have tens of thousands of students from whom to choose their class of 2023.

But what are Ivy League schools' acceptance rates, and how have those rates changed over time? In this analysis, we'll look at Ivy League admissions, from the number of applicants to the number of students who ultimately end up attending.

In addition to the eight Ivy League schools (Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, UPenn, and Yale), we'll also consider eight equally selective non-Ivy League national universities: Caltech, Duke, Johns Hopkins, MIT, Northwestern, Stanford, UChicago, and Vanderbilt.

Most people have at least heard of the Ivy League, but not everyone knows which schools belong to the venerable group. Is Stanford Ivy League? Is Duke Ivy League? Is MIT Ivy League?

In this article, we'll answer these questions and more as we take a look at which schools comprise the world-renowned Ivy League and which schools are most often mistaken for Ivy League institutions. We'll also explore what being in the Ivy League means for schools and how Ivy League schools compare with those not in the Ivy League in terms of national rankings and selectivity.

Ah, October. The changing of the leaves, the onset of autumn allergies...and the knowledge for high school seniors that slowly but surely, college application deadlines are drawing ever nearer.

If you're applying to schools in the U.S., you've probably heard of the Common App before, but you may not know about the relatively new Coalition Application.

The Coalition Application works pretty much the same way as the Common App—it's an online application that you only have to fill out once (aside from supplements for certain schools). This centralized application system is a big time saver if you're applying to multiple Coalition Application schools.

To help you figure out if you can use the Coalition Application for the schools on your college wishlist, we've listed all the current Coalition Application schools in this article, broken down by state.

When it comes to college applications, you have a few options for how you can apply. Two of these are the Common Application (or Common App) and the Coalition Application (or Coalition App).

In this extensive guide to the Coalition vs Common App, we’ll go over the major features of the two application systems and take a look at their biggest pros and cons. We’ll then review the colleges that don’t accept either application system, and offer you tips on whether you should choose the Coalition or Common App.

Did you know that the ACT is accepted by all four-year colleges? And that more students now end up taking the ACT than the SAT? With the test growing more popular each year, it’s helpful to get a handle on what schools are toughest when it comes to applicants’ ACT scores. 

For this article, I've compiled a list of colleges with the highest average ACT scores for admitted students. With this data, you can compare your own ACT scores (or goal scores) with those earned by admitted applicants at top colleges. We'll also talk about what these rankings actually mean: are these schools the best you can attend? Are they the most competitive? What if your ACT scores are below the listed averages?

Read on to find out the answers to these questions (and more)!

If you want to advance your skills and education but are unsure if a traditional four-year college is for you, you may want to consider a trade school. Attending a trade school can be an excellent option for those who want to get the necessary training to secure a good job quickly.

In this article, I'll explain the benefits and potential disadvantages of trade schools. Also, I'll thoroughly describe the differences between trade schools, community colleges, and four-year colleges.

Aiming for the world-renowned Harvard University? As part of the application to this prestigious Ivy League school, you'll have the option to submit a supplemental essay. But what should you write about for your Harvard essay? What are the different Harvard essay prompts to choose from, and how should you answer one so you can give yourself your best shot at getting in?

In this guide, we give you advice for each Harvard essay prompt as well as tips on whether you should choose a particular prompt. But before we look at the prompts, let’s go over what Harvard actually requires in terms of essays.

Got your heart set on Princeton—the #1 ranked university in the US? Then you’ll need to learn how to write amazing Princeton essays for your Princeton Supplement, a key part of your application for admission.

In this detailed guide, we go over the different types of essays you’ll be required to write for your Princeton application and provide you with some expert tips on how to write your most effective and unique essay possible.

The decision to attend college is a big one. Getting a college degree takes time: at least four years for most people. Getting a college degree also costs money: tens of thousands of dollars for most people. You might be asking yourself, "Is it worth it? Should I go to college?"

In this article, I'll explain the benefits of going to college and detail some of the potential drawbacks. Furthermore, I'll give you all the information you need to decide whether or not you should pursue a college degree.

Colleges with high acceptance rates can be good options for you when you’re selecting schools you want to apply to or attend. If you have low grades, standardized test scores, or you need to add safety schools to your list of colleges, these schools can give you more confidence that you’ll be able to gain admission to a 4-year college.

In this article, I’ll give you the list of colleges with the highest acceptance rates, explain why they have such high acceptance rates, and offer pros and cons of attending these schools.

Do you dream of building driverless cars or a space elevator? You should check out the best engineering schools in the US!

But with so many different engineering schools out there and intense competition for the top programs, how can you figure out where should you apply? To help you decide, we’ve compiled a list of the best engineering schools in the US. We’ll explain a little bit about each school on the list as well as provide rankings within specific subfields of engineering.

SAT and ACT scores are common admission requirements for college. But what if I told you that you could get into a great school without taking either of these exams? Behold test-optional colleges. Colleges that are test optional don't require you to submit SAT or ACT scores but will consider them if submitted.

In this guide, we’ll explain what "test optional" means for different schools before providing you with a comprehensive list of test-optional colleges and universities in the US. The first two lists will cover the best test-optional colleges and universities (i.e., those ranked in the top 100), and the last list will include all other test-optional colleges in the country.

Along the way, we'll also give you a few key tips on when you should and should not send your SAT/ACT test scores to schools.