Rona Aydin is the founder of Oriel Admissions, a Princeton-based college admissions consulting firm serving families nationwide. An Oxford University graduate, Rona leads a team of former admissions officers from Harvard, Princeton, and Columbia who help students build standout applications to the most selective universities in the country. Her data-driven approach to college admissions strategy has helped hundreds of families navigate the increasingly competitive landscape at Ivy League and top-20 schools.
TL;DR: Every top-20 university accepts both the SAT and ACT equally, with no preference for either test (College Board and ACT, Inc., 2025-2026). The middle 50% score range at Ivy League schools is 1500-1570 SAT or 34-36 ACT. The digital SAT is now 2 hours 14 minutes while the ACT is dropping its required science … Continued
TL;DR: Likely letters 2026 are pre-notification signals sent by selective colleges to approximately 5-15% of admitted students, typically 2-4 weeks before official decision dates (NACAC, 2025). All eight Ivy League schools, Stanford, Duke, MIT, and several other top-20 universities send likely letters. They originated from Ivy League athletic recruiting rules that prohibit formal offers before … Continued
TL;DR: The most selective universities require 1 to 6 supplemental essays in addition to the Common App personal statement (Common App, 2026), and the “Why This School” prompt is the most common and most consequential (Common App, 2026). According to admissions officers, the supplement is where most applicants lose: generic essays that could apply to … Continued
TL;DR: The Class of 2030 admissions cycle produced record-low acceptance rates at multiple top universities (institutional announcements, March-April 2026), with MIT at 4.2% (Class of 2029, Harvard Magazine), Harvard at 4.2% (Class of 2029, Harvard Magazine), and Caltech at approximately 3.78% (institutional announcements, March-April 2026). Application volumes continued to rise at schools like Georgia Tech … Continued
TL;DR: The Common App essay prompts for 2026-2027 are identical to 2025-2026, with all seven options unchanged (Common App, February 2026). The most popular prompt last cycle was “Topic of Your Choice” at 28%, followed by “Facing Adversity” at 23%. The prompts do not matter as much as the story. Admissions officers at top-20 schools … Continued
TL;DR: Admissions officers evaluate every applicant in the context of their high school, not against a universal standard (NACAC State of College Admission, 2024). A 3.8 GPA at a nationally ranked feeder school carries more weight than a 4.0 at a school that has never sent a student to a top-20 university. Every selective college … Continued
TL;DR: Breaking an Early Decision agreement can result in rescinded admission offers from both the ED school and other schools, high school counselor refusal to send transcripts, and permanent blacklisting from the ED school (NACAC Guidelines on Admission Decision-Making, 2024). The most common legitimate reason for breaking ED is insufficient financial aid, which is the … Continued
TL;DR: 73% of admitted students at top-20 schools commit by mid-April, and families who do not have a structured decision framework often default to brand prestige rather than fit (NACAC, 2024). The right choice depends on five factors: intended career path, financial aid package, campus culture, geographic preference, and specific departmental strength. Harvard is not … Continued
TL;DR: Yale’s admitted students for the Class of 2029 had a median unweighted GPA of approximately 3.95, with 96% of enrolled students graduating in the top 10% of their high school class. Yale does not publish a minimum GPA requirement, and holistic review means a 4.0 GPA alone does not guarantee admission at a 4.59% … Continued
TL;DR: Over 4 million students apply to college each year (College Board, 2024), and the admissions process spans four years – from freshman course selection through senior-year decisions. The most critical window falls between spring of junior year and April 1 of senior year. Common App opens August 1, Early Decision deadlines hit November 1-15, … Continued
TL;DR: Brown’s admitted students for the Class of 2029 had a median unweighted GPA of approximately 3.94, with 95% ranking in the top 10% of their high school class (Brown CDS 2024-2025). Brown’s 5.2% acceptance rate and unique Open Curriculum (Brown University academic policies) – which has no core requirements – mean admissions officers prioritize … Continued
TL;DR: Columbia’s admitted students for the Class of 2029 had a median unweighted GPA of approximately 3.95, with 97% ranking in the top 10% of their high school class (Columbia CDS 2024-2025). Columbia’s 3.9% acceptance rate means a near-perfect GPA is necessary but nowhere near sufficient. The Core Curriculum – Columbia’s signature required course sequence … Continued
TL;DR: Over 75% of parents cite U.S. News rankings as a major factor in college selection, yet rankings correlate with acceptance rate and endowment size – not with career earnings or student satisfaction (Gallup-Purdue Index, 2014-2019). A school ranked #20 and a school ranked #5 produce statistically similar career outcomes when adjusted for student selectivity … Continued
TL;DR: Stanford’s admitted students for the Class of 2029 had a median unweighted GPA of approximately 3.96, with 96% ranking in the top 10% of their high school class (Stanford CDS 2024-2025). Stanford’s 3.9% acceptance rate places it among the three most selective universities in the country alongside Harvard and MIT. Stanford does not use … Continued
TL;DR: Cornell’s admitted students for the Class of 2029 had a median unweighted GPA of approximately 3.90, with 93% ranking in the top 10% of their high school class (Cornell CDS 2024-2025). Cornell’s 7.9% acceptance rate – the highest among Ivies – is misleading, because applicants apply to one of seven undergraduate colleges with vastly … Continued
TL;DR: Georgia Tech’s acceptance rate for the Class of 2029 was 12.7%, with 8,520 students admitted from 66,895 applications, the lowest admit rate in school history (Georgia Tech Office of Undergraduate Admission, March 2025). Georgia residents face a far more accessible 30% rate compared to 9% for non-residents, the steepest in-state vs out-of-state gap among … Continued