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Top Tier Admissions Statement on ChatGPT and Generative AI

Many parents and students have asked us about the proper role of ChatGPT and similar AI tools in writing college essays, school assignments and summer application essays. For us, this is both an ethical question and a practical question. Rather than focusing on the ethics of using AI-generated content, we will focus on the practical implications—the limitations and potential consequences when applied to academic contexts. Unlike a research paper, successful personal writing revolves around unique experiences and achievements. ChatGPT might be a useful tool for research-oriented projects (though Generative AI models often provide false information due to gaps in data), but it cannot replicate a student’s authentic voice or generate meaningful personal anecdotes. In your summer program applications and college essays, your goal should be to convey your unique academic interests, your experiences, your ideas and potential. ChatGPT cannot do this for you. 

COLLEGES: LAYING DOWN THE LAW

Colleges are starting to put out stern warnings about the use of AI and ChatGPT. UCAS, the UK’s centralized admissions service for higher ed, posted “A Guide to Using AI and ChatGPT With Your Personal Statement” on their website: “Generating (and then copying, pasting and submitting) all or a large part of your personal statement from an AI tool such as ChatGPT, and presenting it as your own words, could be considered cheating by universities and colleges and could affect your chances of an offer.”

They go on to say that they (like most US universities) run student submissions through a program to detect AI. “If UCAS anti-plagiarism software detects elements of a personal statement that are similar to others, the universities or colleges it is intended for may be notified…If your personal statement doesn’t appear genuine, it could affect your chances of being offered a place. AI is good but it can’t replicate your personal thoughts and feelings and convey your own skills and experiences. A bland AI-generated personal statement is not what universities and colleges are looking for.”

Most high schools are crafting their own AI standards and plenty see the advantage of these technologies to help students brainstorm or generate outlines. All of them, however, agree that cutting and pasting is not acceptable without explicit permission from the instructor. 

In a recent episode of Yale University’s podcast, “Inside the Yale Admissions Office,” Hannah Mendlowitz, senior associate director of admissions at Yale, said directly, “An applicant who submitted a ChatGPT-generated essay would violate the university’s admissions policy.”

ChatGPT: NOT WORTH THE RISK

Our advice? Learn how to harbor the power of ChatGPT for research or personal projects, but understand how to leverage the technology responsibly. In your personal essays (whether for college applications, summer programs, contests, or English assignments), we counsel our students to avoid ChatGPT entirely. Don’t risk everything by taking this short cut.

Follow us on Instagram @toptieradmissions for more tips and the latest admissions news!

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Exploring Colleges with Late Application Deadlines

As we enter the new year, we know there are seniors still navigating the labyrinth of college applications. For those who simply need more time, we have good news: there are a handful of colleges that offer late application deadlines.

THE BENEFITS OF LATE APPLICATION DEADLINES

Late deadlines can offer a second chance to those who might have missed earlier opportunities. Take this additional time to perfect your essays and ensure your application truly reflects your strengths and unique ambitions, leading to a stronger application at a best-fit school that might not have been on your radar earlier.

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Essay Guidance

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Perfect Your Essays

Strong essays are a critical part of your application package at ALL schools. You need to share your unique and compelling story highlighting exactly what YOU will bring to a campus community.

Better Odds

Colleges with late or rolling application deadlines often have more room in their incoming class, making it slightly less competitive. If you’re waiting on SAT or ACT scores, late application deadlines can be a lifeline.

Demonstrate Interest

Take this extra time to further demonstrate your interest at these schools. Attend virtual information sessions, connect with professors, or engage with current students online.

EMBRACE THIS OPPORTUNITY

While it’s essential to stay organized and meet deadlines in the college application process, late application deadlines can provide a valuable safety net for students. They offer more time, less stress, and the chance to submit stronger applications to colleges that genuinely align with your goals. So, don’t panic if you missed the early January deadlines. Instead, embrace the opportunity to explore colleges with late application deadlines and make the most of this extra time to secure your place at the perfect school for you.

Check out our list of notable colleges and universities with late application deadlines and keep in mind, schools with rolling admissions will keep their application cycle open until their class is full.

SELECTED LIST OF COLLEGES WITH LATE APPLICATION DEADLINES

Adelphi (NY)Rolling
Antioch College (OH)Rolling
Barry University (FL)

Rolling
Baylor University (TX)

Feb 1
Bennington College (VT)

Jan 15
Bryant University (RI)

Feb 1
Butler University (IN)

Feb 1
Chapman University (CA)Jan 15
Coastal Carolina University (SC)Feb 1
Creighton University (NE)Jan 10
Fairleigh Dickinson University (NJ)Rolling
Franklin Pierce University (NH)Rolling
Goucher College (MD)Jan 15
Hobart & William Smith College (NY)Feb 1
Ithaca College (NY)Feb 1
Loyola University New Orleans (LA)April 15
Manhattanville College (NY)Rolling
Muhlenberg College (PA)Feb 1
Pace University (NY)Feb 15
Penn State University (PA)Rolling
Providence College (RI)Jan 15
Quinnipiac University (CT)Feb 1
Regis University (CO)April 22
Roger Williams University (RI)Feb 1
Santa Clara University (CA) **transfer onlyApril 15
St. John’s College (both campuses, MD and NM)Jan 15 (Rolling after Feb 15)
Siena College (NY)Feb 15
Simmons College (MA)Feb 1
Spelman College (GA)Feb 1
St. Lawrence University (NY)Feb 1
Stetson University (FL)Rolling
Suffolk University (MA)Feb 15
Temple University (PA)Feb 1
Texas Christian University (TX)Feb 1
The American University of Paris (France)Mar 15 (International after Apr 1)
The New School (NY)Jan 15
Trinity College Dublin (Ireland)after May 1st until June 30th
University of Alabama (AL)Rolling
University of Edinburgh (Scotland)Jan 31
University of Denver (CO)Jan 15
University of Kentucky (KY)Feb 15
UMASS – Lowell (MA)Feb 5 (Rolling until Aug 1 for select majors)
University of Michigan (MI)Feb 1
University of Oregon (OR)Jan 15
Ursinus College (PA)Feb 1
Willamette University (OR)Feb 1
Worcester Polytechnic Institute (MA)Feb 15
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Gap Year or Post-Graduate (PG) Year Guidance

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GAP YEAR GUIDANCE

If you simply aren’t ready to apply to college this year, that’s okay too! Consider a gap year and spend the extra time creating an enriching year that readies you for the Class of 2029 application cycle! We’ve got your back!

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The Procrastinator’s Guide to the College Essay: Last Minute Tips

We’ve all been there – the deadline for your college essay is looming, and you find yourself scrambling to put together a compelling piece that will make you stand out in the admissions process. While it’s not ideal to wait until the last minute, sometimes life gets in the way. Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered with some last-minute tips to help you craft a winning college essay.

COLLEGE ESSAY TIPS: HOW TO START

Try Mind Mapping

Mind mapping tools like MindMeister or XMind can help you visually organize your preliminary thoughts and ideas. They can create a central topic or question and branch out with related ideas, supporting details, and examples. Note-taking apps like Evernote or OneNote can also be used to jot down ideas or snippets of inspiration. These tools help keep all brainstorming materials in one place.

Manage Your Time Wisely

While not a traditional brainstorming tool, The Pomodoro Technique is an effective time management method that might help you overcome procrastination. It involves working in focused, 25-minute intervals (Pomodoros) with short breaks in between. Apps like Pomodone and Focus Booster can help you implement this method. You might also consider installing apps like Freedom or Cold Turkey to block distracting websites and apps during your essay writing time.

Freewriting is Your Friend

We always encourage our students to simply start writing without worrying about structure or grammar. Stream-of-consciousness writing can help uncover ideas and insights you might not have considered otherwise.

Adjust Your (First Draft) Expectations

Before you touch your keyboard, adjust your “first draft” expectations. Many students get bogged down thinking they’re terrible writers based on a first draft’s lack of perfection. We can attest that most first drafts are subpar; this doesn’t mean the final essay won’t be extraordinary. Write and then refine, deepen and continue to write, refine further, until finally you reach your final essay draft.

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COLLEGE ESSAY TIPS: MAKE EVERY WORD COUNT

Choose a Unique Angle

One advantage of procrastinating is that you’ve had more time to reflect on your experiences and insights. Use this to your advantage by selecting a unique angle or perspective for your main essay. What sets you apart from other applicants? What academic and personal experiences have shaped your journey? Admissions officers love a good story. Share an anecdote or experience that illustrates your character, values, interests, and growth. It’s the storytelling element that can captivate the reader’s attention and leave a lasting impression.

Revise and Edit Ruthlessly

With limited time, it’s crucial to make every word count. After you’ve written your essay, revise and edit it rigorously. Don’t let typos or grammatical errors undermine your hard work. Eliminate unnecessary words, fix punctuation errors, and ensure your sentences flow smoothly. Consider reading it aloud to catch any awkward phrasing or mistakes you might have missed.

Showcase Your Fit

Admissions officers want to see that you’ve researched their institution and understand how you’ll contribute to their community. In the essays that ask specifically about why you’re interested in that college, be sure to mention unique programs, professors, or opportunities that align with your goals and interests.

COLLEGE ESSAY TIPS: ASK FOR EXPERT GUIDANCE

Seek Professional Help

If you’re short on time and need expert guidance, consider our Essay Guidance Program. We specialize in helping students maximize their chances of admission, even when time is running out. Our experienced counselors can provide valuable insights and feedback to enhance your essay, and we promise a 24-turnaround on all edits.

While procrastinating on your college essay isn’t ideal, it’s not the end of the world. With these last-minute tips, you can still create a compelling essay that showcases your strengths and fits the college of your dreams. Good luck, and remember, it’s never too late to put your best foot forward in the college admissions process.

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From Deferral to Acceptance: Success Stories and Strategies

Being deferred by your first-choice school in the early decision (ED) or early action (EA) round is frustrating: you came close to being accepted, but are now in a state of limbo and you don’t know why. Meanwhile, you don’t have much time before the next round of applications are due.

DEFERRAL TO ACCEPTANCE: THREE CRITICAL (AND IMMEDIATE) STEPS

1) Follow up with a compelling deferral letter.

Don’t give up on the school where you were deferred. Depending on the school, up to 15% of deferred students are ultimately accepted in the regular decision (RD) round. The key is to maximize whatever chance you have. Start by watching our video on what goes into an impactful deferral letter. In this communication you must remain positive, emphasize your continuing deep interest in that school, and highlight the special attributes you would contribute to their academic community. Above all, follow your specific school’s instructions, for example MIT and Stanford request updates in a specific short form whereas others allow more substantial communication.

Demonstrated interest can also be important at this stage.

2) Assess the most likely reason why you were deferred.

This will determine your next steps as well as the content of your deferral letter. Colleges rarely offer feedback on an application, yet it is critical to get perspective from someone with insight into the admissions process to help with this evaluation rather than a well-meaning relative or the unfounded and anonymous feedback of an internet “Chance Me.” Your school counselor or an admissions expert who has evaluated applications firsthand can determine whether the school is legitimately waiting for your senior mid-year grades, or to see who else applies from your school or region, or whether it is a “courtesy deferral” meant to soften the blow of negative admissions news.

In our experience evaluating unsuccessful Early Decision applications in our Deferral Analysis & Guidance program each December, however, the most common reason for an early decision deferral is that a student with otherwise strong academic and extracurricular credentials did not leverage their application materials to present themselves as strategically as needed for competitive schools.

Max’s Story

Max, a prospective pre-med student and Eagle Scout, contacted Top Tier Admissions the day after being deferred from Northwestern in Early Decision. Our Deferral Analysis & Guidance Program allowed Max to better emphasize his strengths and take advantage of the Early Decision 2 application round. Max scored a 790/800 on the SAT, had 8 APs, and was a straight-A student in the top 6% of his large Texas class of 600+ students. However, our analysis of Max’s application identified many key places where his inexperience with this process led him to make poor application decisions, including careless typos and a cliché main essay topic. Implementing our suggestions and rewriting essays allowed Max to pursue his pre-med dreams at WashU, a top research institution.

In the holistic admissions process of highly selective colleges, every individual component of your application matters. But these pieces must also come together to tell a broader yet cohesive story about you as a person and scholar.

3) Revisit your overall college strategy. Identify and upgrade any components of your application that held you back.

These two steps are related, because the strategy of where you should apply and whether you should take advantage of the ED2 round now depends partly on how much you can upgrade your application materials. Deferral from your target school should be a wake-up call that something is not as strong as it should be in your application presentation. You now have the opportunity to reevaluate your application and fix any weaknesses before you submit your other applications, but only if you gain a clear-eyed assessment of what these weaknesses are.

With just two weeks between early round decisions (mid-December) and RD application deadlines (early January), you can strengthen your application, BUT you need to act quickly. It is equally as important to have someone in your corner who can constructively review your application materials from the perspective of an admissions officer.

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Deferral/Denial and Waitlist Analysis & Guidance

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DEFERRAL TO ACCEPTANCE: WE CAN HELP

At Top Tier Admissions we use our decades of expertise to analyze what went amiss and how best to fix any strategy or application issues. Students who take action with our Deferral Analysis & Guidance program are able to completely rework their applications and revise their essays strategically. We devote ourselves to working with only a few select students during this critical time.

Over the last three years, all students who we have worked with after being deferred were able to completely transform their admissions prospects, including:

  • a student who was initially deferred from Stanford and then admitted into Stanford’s Class of 2025 in Regular Decision
  • a student who was deferred from Notre Dame in the Restrictive Early Action round and then accepted to NYU in ED2
  • a student who was deferred from Princeton in the Single Choice Early Action round and is now at Harvard

DEFERRAL TO ACCEPTANCE: SILVER LINING

Good news: being deferred rather than denied means that you were roughly in the right zone of selectivity, at least for the early round. Working with us to upgrade your application materials is likely to create strong opportunities for you at other schools, although you will now be in a much larger applicant pool. While a deferral can feel like a setback in the moment, it can be a catalyst for ultimate success in the college application process, IF you take strategic action.

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Gratitude and College Essays

As we catch our breath from the early wave of application deadlines, turning our sights from supplemental essays to stuffing and pumpkin pie recipes, we’re taking a moment to pause and reflect on the power of gratitude at TTA.

GRATITUDE AND COLLEGE ESSAYS

When admissions officers read application essays, they’re looking to discern what attributes, experiences, and perspectives applicants will bring to their schools. Colleges signal their institutional values through the questions they ask of their applicants. For example, as Dartmouth’s supplemental prompt quotes Dolores Huerta’s assertion that “We must use our lives to make the world a better place to live,” and asks, “In what ways are you making an impact?” we can clearly see that they prioritize civic engagement and leadership. UPenn, on the other hand, prompts applicants to “Write a short thank-you note to someone you have not yet thanked and would like to acknowledge.” The Common App also solicited gratitude when it changed its personal essay prompts for the 2021-22 cycle for the first time in years, swapping out a seldom-answered prompt about solving a problem with the following: “Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?” According to the Common App, the shift was intended to invite students to reflect on positive aspects of their lives within the growing anxiety of racial tension, pandemic losses, and polarizing politics.

While it’s refreshing to think about gratitude in an otherwise stressful process, and tempting to gush uncensored about someone you just couldn’t live without, remember that colleges ultimately want to know about you. It’s a tricky balance to strike, but beware of the common pitfall of focusing your essay entirely on someone else. This excerpt from a UPenn supplement illustrates how to effectively express gratitude while also highlighting scholarly interests:

GRATITUDE AT SCHOOL AND HOME

Behind each one of your college applications is a team of well-wishers who have helped you cultivate your interests, sparked new passions for you, motivated you to succeed in your courses, sponsored your clubs, coached your teams, written you letters of recommendation, and of course, cooked your dinners at the end of your very full days. After you’ve submitted your applications, take time to thank the many members of your support team. Amidst today’s barrage of emails, texts, Tweets and Snaps, receiving a handwritten thank-you note is especially meaningful. Expressing gratitude is also a healthy distraction for keeping anxiety at bay while you’re awaiting your admissions decisions.

GRATITUDE AND COLLEGE INTERVIEWS

If you’re lucky enough to get the opportunity to sit down with an admissions officer or alum to talk about your interests and ask questions about the school, it’s crucial to follow up with a thank-you note, a gesture which will likely be noted in your file. Be sure to:

  • Thank them for taking the time to speak with you
  • Mention something new you learned about the school that excited or intrigued you
  • Reaffirm your enthusiasm for specific aspects of the school
  • Wish them well in something—their upcoming application reading, holiday season, new year—or reference a personal detail you learned about them (“I hope your son’s orchestra audition goes well!) 

GRATITUDE FROM THE TTA TEAM

This Thanksgiving season, we are thankful for our extended TTA family of students and parents who place their trust in us—year after year—as we help students realize unimaginable potential and go forth to make impact in the world. Cheers to YOU!

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