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Coming up!

Sept 22: SolutionPrep.com/PSATzoom
Sept 28: SolutionPrep.com/CollegePlanning

New college ranking list just dropped.

Get ready to argue. 😂

Who’s to say which list is “right” or which colleges are “best”?

What’s the “best” ice cream flavor? Ask 20 people and you’ll likely get 20 different answers.

At the end of the day, there’s more than one college where your student can succeed and be happy, and which one is best for them is a matter of matching what a student and family wants with what any given college has to offer.

So do the research, visit some schools, and consider more than what another dying magazine publishes in their ranking list. (When was the last time you saw a U.S. News & World Report magazine or bought a copy of Time?)

America's Best Colleges of 2027 TIME and Statista name the 500 best colleges that provide ROI for students

The UC system’s initial adoption of the SAT back in the 1960s was the catalyst that pushed colleges nationwide to begin requiring them for admissions. Will it happen again?

It could be as soon as the 2027 admissions cycle, which is for students in the high school class of 2028.

California GOP lawmakers push for reinstatement of SAT, ACT in UC admissions This follows an open letter from UC professors saying the students entering their classrooms were under-prepared for university-level math.

Fewer international students paying full price means fewer scholarship dollars for American students.

American colleges are estimated to have up to 112,000 fewer international students next year, which may mean billions in lost revenue and 40,000 fewer jobs. Read more: https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeltnietzel/2026/08/12/projected-loss-of-international-students-could-bring-a-34-billion-hit/?utm_source=ForbesMainFacebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ForbesMainFB (Photo: Getty Images)

What do these districts all have in common?

1. High property values = high property taxes = well-funded school districts

2. Education-focused parents are attracted to buy homes in good school districts

3. Education-focused parents who can afford in-demand houses in good school districts invest in SAT prep

Y’know what? Sometime the jokes are for me.

If I’m gonna teach 5-10 hours a day, I’m gonna have a good time. And I think that comes through, even if the students don’t get every joke or reference I make.

See this week's video: As Columbia University becomes the final Ivy League college to reinstate SAT & ACT testing requirements of all applicants, this could have cascading and seismic shifts in how all other colleges review applications and what’s required of students to apply.

Link in the comments

One reason Columbia’s acceptance rate has gotten so low — just 3.9%* — is because it is (soon to be was) the only remaining Ivy students without elite scores could apply to test-optional (i.e. without SAT/ACT scores).

Incoming high school seniors will still have to option to submit scores or not. But incoming high school juniors will find all 8 of 8 colleges in the Ivy League (an athletic conference, not an academic category) require test scores to apply.

*compared to 6.1% in the last pre-pandemic admissions cycle when test scores were last required

Columbia University to Require Test Scores More than three years after deciding to go test-optional permanently, Columbia University will again require applicants to submit standardized test scores, starting fall 2027.

A low acceptance rate like MIT‘s 5% doesn’t mean they accept the top 5% of high school students.

It means they accept the top 5% of applicants who thought they had a chance of getting admitted to MIT and were willing to write 8 essays to find out.

If you didn’t get into your reach school, try to remember that it was always a reach, that the colleges that accepted you are also ones you were excited enough to apply to, and that you can always apply to your reach school again as a transfer applicant or for grad school.

We can also help with those applications down the road when you’re ready.

Interesting list. What percent of the colleges on your list are among America’s 50 most applied to?

50 Most Applied-To Colleges — 2025 The class of 2027 saw a tremendous number of talented and impressive applicants. While college admissions have always been competitive, the most recent data suggests that this trend will continue. Surprisingly, some institutions saw a record number of applicants. With 6 schools on this list topping....