What minimum GPA is typically seen for UW’s CS applicants, despite no official cutoff?
Generally 3.8+ (competitive applicants)
Where can you study ‘Magic’ as part of a Folklore program?
UC Berkeley
Which college allows free major changes only before reaching 60 credits?
Georgia Tech
Which school does not offer alumni interviews at all?
Caltech
Which college offers a major in Peace and Conflict Studies that's become a global diplomacy feeder?
Swarthmore College
Which university requires a minimum 3.3 GPA as a prerequisite for declaring a CS major in its College of Letters & Science?
UC Berkeley
Which dual-degree program grants degrees from both a liberal arts university and a design college?
Brown | RISD Dual Degree
What is unique about Brown’s grading system?
No pluses/minuses; optional pass/fail
Which university offers a “guaranteed transfer” program for select applicants?
Cornell University
Which top-tier U.S. university offers a “Medical Humanities” minor blending ethics, literature, and biology?
Duke University
Which Ivy League college offers a unique major in “Modified” programs, allowing students to combine two disciplines — like Economics modified with Computer Science — to create an interdisciplinary degree?
Dartmouth College
At which top university are engineering students "undeclared" until sophomore year?
Princeton University
Were all Ivy-League Universities founded before the United States was a country?
False. Seven of the eight Ivy League schools were founded before 1776, but Cornell University was established in 1865, well after American independence.
Which institution is the youngest out of the following?
Columbia, William and Mary, Yale, UPenn, Duke, Princeton
Duke began as Brown’s Schoolhouse in 1838.
What’s Columbia University’s campus tradition involving wrapping the Alma Mater statue?
During protests or campus events, often wrapped in thematic items
Which school offers PPE modeled after Oxford's original curriculum?
University of Pennsylvania
What is the SRAR submission deadline relative to the Common App deadline for UIUC?
SRAR must be completed by the same day as the Common App deadline: November 1 for Early Action; January 5 for Regular Decision.
Which Top 10 U.S. university gives applicants the optional opportunity to submit a short, self-introductory video as part of its holistic admissions process — often called the “Elevator Pitch”?
University of Chicago
A select group of universities offers both binding ED 1 and ED 2. How do yield-management pressures differ between rounds, and what criteria would push you to recommend ED 2 over ED 1?
ED 1 yields higher admit rates and locks in spots early.
ED 2 allows yield-boosting in February when many RD candidates have offers and financial packages in hand.
Recommend ED 2 for: students who need to compare financial aid offers, who aren’t yet fully committed senior fall, or whose credentials improve significantly in first-semester senior grades.
Which private research university offers direct admit to PRISM and Data Science programs but uses general admit for all other STEM majors, and what criteria differentiate those two tracks?
University of Michigan (direct admit to Ross+SEAS dual-degree PRISM; general admit for traditional College of Engineering majors); PRISM requires SAT Math/Math 2 in the 98th+ percentile, plus specialized essays.