Rona Aydin is the founder of Oriel Admissions, a Princeton-based college admissions consulting firm advising families nationwide on elite university admissions strategy. An Oxford University graduate, Rona leads a deeply experienced team whose distinctive 360 approach treats every part of the application - academics, testing, activities, essays, and interviews - as one connected strategy.
Emory admitted 10 percent of ED2 applicants to Emory College for the Class of 2029, against 30.1 percent in ED1. A two-week plan for students rejected in December: the ED2 deadlines, how to pick the right ED2 college, and what to rewrite.
Early action deadlines and decision dates for fall 2027 entry at 50 selective colleges, which programs are restrictive, which colleges also offer early decision, and which offer no early action at all.
The International Baccalaureate Diploma explained for US families: the six subject groups and the core, how the 45-point score works, average scores and pass rates, and how colleges such as Michigan, UT Austin, Yale and the UC campuses treat IB courses and exams.
The 2026 AP score distributions for all 40 exams, with the share of 5s, 4s and 3s, the 2025 comparison, the highest and lowest pass rates, and why distributions have shifted since College Board changed how it sets standards.
What counts as a good high school GPA: the national average, the GPAs of entering classes at selective universities from their Common Data Sets, how weighted and unweighted GPAs differ, how the UC calculates GPA, and how much grades matter in admissions.
The eight Ivy League schools with location, founding date and size, why the league is called the Ivy League, Class of 2030 admission rates, which Ivies require the SAT or ACT, their early plans, and 2026-27 costs.
Testing time, section structure, date and format for every May 2027 AP exam, what changed on the calculus, physics, statistics, history and language exams, and the 2026-27 fees.
NASA OSTEM internships now require college enrollment, closing the main NASA pipeline to current high school students; SEES, run with the University of Texas at Austin, is the pathway that remains. Here is the current eligibility, the SEES calendar, and how to build a NASA-grade record.
The best colleges by major are not the best colleges overall. Oriel Admissions has published guides to 23 majors, from biology and physics to philosophy and journalism, each comparing degrees, requirements, and research. This page lists them all.
Biology is the fourth most popular bachelor's degree, with 131,500 awarded in 2021-22. The best colleges for biology put undergraduates into research early, from Caltech's paid summer fellowships to Minnesota's first-year field station. 31 programs compared.
There is no pre-law major, and the ABA recommends none. The best colleges for pre-law publish law school outcomes and back them with advising, writing, and law-related programs. 30 colleges compared, from six-year JD paths to legal studies majors.
Colleges awarded 34,636 economics degrees in 2020-21. The best colleges for economics differ in how much math they require, whether they offer a BS, and who writes a thesis. 32 programs compared, from MIT and Chicago to Michigan and Davidson.
U.S. colleges awarded a record 1,065 astronomy degrees in 2024-25. The best colleges for astronomy and astrophysics put undergraduates on real telescopes and into research early, from Maryland and UT Austin to Princeton and Vassar. 31 programs compared.
NCES counted 9,288 neuroscience bachelor's degrees in 2021-22. The best colleges for neuroscience build research into the degree, from Vanderbilt's required research credits to Chicago's paid summer honors research. 31 programs compared by structure and selectivity.
Colleges awarded 13,962 chemistry degrees in 2020-21. The best colleges for chemistry majors pair an ACS-certified degree with real research, from Caltech summer fellowships to the senior thesis Reed requires of every student. 32 programs compared.
NAAB recognizes only three professional degrees, and a four-year BA or BS in architecture is not one of them. Of 32 programs compared, 20 offer a five-year B.Arch and 10 require a Master of Architecture afterward. The best colleges for architecture, with portfolio rules for each.