College admissions guides

The parts of the college application process that students most often get wrong, explained without the marketing. Free to read, no account needed.

• Early Decision vs Early Action vs Regular Decision

  Early Decision is binding, Early Action is not, and restrictive early plans limit where else you can apply. What each round commits you to, and how to pick one.

• How to build a balanced college list

  A list is balanced when its safeties are real — admission near-certain and cost confirmed. How to classify reach, target, and safety, and how many colleges to apply to.

• The Common Application, section by section

  What each part asks for, the 50 and 150 character limits on the activities list, how the 650-word essay is actually read, and how fee waivers work.

• How the FAFSA works

  Free, opens in the fall, and uses tax data from two years earlier. Why you should file even at high income, and why state deadlines beat the federal one.