Our Admissions Data

We aren’t going to provide a full picture of our admissions data, in large part because the numbers often fluctuate widely, and to prevent any of our students being identified. We also aren’t going to include data where there isn’t a statistically significant amount; we had no students apply to Caltech or Cornell (an interesting point on its own); we had just one application to MIT, which was rejected, and two to Northeastern, both accepted.

While we would like to brag about a hundred percent acceptance rate to Northeastern, that doesn’t feel quite honest. With that in mind, here’s the data from the past year in admissions: 

This is a lot of numbers, so for an easier set of comparisons, here’s that same data on a handy graph:

We’re very proud of all our students have accomplished, and our mentors for helping them so much on their journey.

Trends in Applications and Admissions

Along with the successes, we’ve seen some other trends in admissions. These are based on a small slice of data, but do match some of what we’re seeing and hearing from both others in our industry, and admissions officers themselves. We’re going to go through what we’re seeing, and what these mean for the students who are now preparing to apply this fall, and in future admissions cycles. 

An Increase in Public School Applications

�ԹϹ��� has been doing this for a long while, over ten years at this point, and this past year was one of the highest application rates for public universities we have seen. Now, students have always aimed at public colleges, and these are great schools, but this year, far more students applied to flagship state schools alongside, or in place of, top private universities. 

University of Washington is a great school, with many great programs. This year, however, we saw more students interested in applying to UW than Dartmouth, Princeton, and Cornell. Based on what our students say, they are motivated primarily by two factors: a desire for merit scholarships at these schools, and the increasing level of competition at private colleges.

Scholarship Interest

Students have long been interested in scholarships, both generally and those we work with. College costs a lot of money, more so every year. We have, however, seen many more students interested in pursuing honors programs and scholarships at both public and private colleges, putting equal emphasis on these and on more expensive private colleges, which may have a slightly higher ranking, but offer less financial support. 

We had some remarkable successes doing this with students this year, achieving honors scholarships to UT Austin and University of Washington, and merit scholarships to Texas A&M and University of Houston, amongst others. We did receive scholarship offers from private schools, including Yale and NYU, but the increased interest in public schools and their scholarship programs is noteworthy. 

A Fall Off on Lower Tier Private Schools

Certain schools have always attracted less interest; Fordham has always been less popular than NYU, Southern Methodist University has always been less of a draw than Texas A&M. This year, however, we have seen very few applications to these schools compared to previous years. 

Now, there is always some fluctuation in which schools receive interest from our students; we saw far more applicants to Yale than Princeton this year; two years ago it was the reverse. This, however, is a decrease across the board in interest in lower ranked private universities. We did still see some applications, but far fewer than we observed in previous years.

There have been several factors contributing to this, but the largest one we have heard from students is cost. These schools cost a lot of money, far more than their private counterparts. When there is a major prestige advantage, students and parents are willing to accept that. When there isn’t a major advantage in prestige, then there is the question of why they would choose these schools over a more affordable option.

This matches broader trends we are seeing in the application landscape, where lower ranked private schools are seeing significant reductions year over year in the number of applications they receive. Many of them are already alarmed by this, with fears that if these trends continue, some universities may have to shutter, as they often rely heavily on tuition money to keep the lights on.

Implications for Future Applicants

Those are the trends we’ve seen developing, but what does all of this mean for students who are just now thinking about their applications, the current crop of juniors for whom college admissions is looming on the horizon? We can’t predict the future, but like any good captain, we can see how the currents are running, and make predictions on the courses that will follow. 

The first major takeaway is that public colleges, especially flagship state universities, are going to get more competitive. We already saw this happen to schools like UT Austin and UNC Chapel Hill, but we predict it happening to further schools as well; University of Washington, Texas A&M, Purdue, UIUC, all of which already have some very competitive programs, but which are growing more popular quite quickly. 

Schools which may have once been safeties are moving out of that category as this interest increases, driven by economic pragmatism. At the same time, some third tier private universities are seeing their application numbers drop, and may become easier to apply to, though this is harder to predict for any given university or application. 

We also anticipate applications for honors programs and merit scholarships to grow more competitive, as students who once sought out private universities now put far more consideration on these offerings from public institutions. Honors colleges have always been competitive of course, but the trend line is headed upwards, though it’s hard to say how steep it is as yet. 

Finally, we anticipate more scrutiny of student research projects as they become more popular. Research that is well done with heavy involvement by the student is notable, and something universities like to see, but not all research falls into this category. Just as admissions officers became overwhelmed by students creating nonprofits without purpose, so too are admissions officers growing wary of research that isn’t done seriously. Our research program is scrupulous and driven to produce actual serious work, but not all companies are so dedicated. 

Final Thoughts

College admissions changes slightly each year, as students react to shifting economic pressures, and colleges roll out new initiatives and priorities. These changes are often gradual, but accumulate over time; admissions now is very different from five years ago, and will change again in another five years. We hope that this article has helped you understand some of the changes we saw in admissions this year, and how this will impact the college application cycle going forward.

If you are worried about your own upcoming college admissions, and want a guide through this shifting and byzantine landscape, then �ԹϹ��� can help. Our students see great results in the admissions process, regardless of where they’re applying. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more about how we can help you.

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The Honors Academy is Texas A&M’s university-wide honors program. This is a classic honors college, where students have their own housing, advising program, and coursework. While most of the courses you take for the program are non-honors, students in the program either take or an ; in both students take additional honors-level coursework, and receive additional recognition at graduation.

Honors students get additional mentorship and networking opportunities with professors, and honors classes tend to be smaller and more discussion based. While they are more challenging, they allow for a deeper level of exploration of the material at hand. Honors students are encouraged to complete , but these are not required. 

The Honors Academy is open to students in any major. Students may participate in both this program and department or major specific honors programs; indeed, this is often encouraged. Students are also encouraged to join honors societies on campus, though this is not compulsory. 

The Honors Academy does not provide any additional scholarships of its own. Many students in the academy do receive scholarships from A&M, but this is correlation, and getting into the Honors Academy does not guarantee additional scholarship funding. Honors housing has the same costs as any other university housing. 

Applying to the Honors Academy

Applications to this program are available both to incoming freshmen, and to current students at Texas A&M. This program requires a separate application; you can indicate interest on the Common App, and once you apply, you will be sent an email with a link to the Honors application. 

Of note is that there are no set minimum eligibility requirements to apply to the honors academy. While academic excellence is expected, they don’t set a firm bar for where that is; instead they admit the best students in each incoming class of applicants to the honors program.

Now, Texas A&M unfortunately doesn’t make their full honors application available online to view. We don’t know in full what it contains, but much like other honors applications, the goal is to assess whether or not you’re prepared academically and socially to be part of their program, by analyzing your grades, extracurriculars, and essay submissions. For advice on answering honors program essays generally, see our article here. 

This program is specifically for engineering students, and offers them access to a small and supportive community within the broader Engineering College. The primary benefit is access to honors courses; these tend to be smaller than regular courses, and are presented at a higher level, letting students get a better overall grasp of the material and explore it in more depth. Unlike the general Honors Academy, engineering honors students do not automatically get access to honors housing.

All honors students take part in a research experience, and have an advisor for the program specifically to help connect them with research projects aligned with their interests. In addition to this, students have access to additional networking events and opportunities, and more chances to connect with those in industry and graduate programs.

The final benefit is priority registration for courses. This is a small thing, but in a field of study as popular as engineering, does make getting all of your required coursework done just a little bit easier. This program is ideal for students who want to push themselves in their engineering coursework.

Both incoming freshmen and current students may apply to the honors program. There are no hard eligibility requirements, but a high GPA is expected. The application for incoming freshmen is open November 3 to January 15, and may be completed fully . 

Once you are in the engineering honors program, you must meet certain requirements to maintain your status. These vary by , but generally involve maintaining a certain GPA (generally 3.5 or above), attending honors events during the year, and participating in honors coursework. They want to be sure that students in the program are actively partaking in the program. 

Business honors is a specific major within Mays Business School. Like, the primary benefit of this is the advanced coursework provided to honors students, which generally features smaller class sizes and more access to professors. Honors classes are taught at a slightly higher level as well. Like the engineering honors program, business honors does not provide specific honors housing to its students. 

While business honors is itself a major, most students in the program choose to take on an additional major within Mays; the program is designed to facilitate exactly this. In addition to coursework, the business honors program has a significant focus on networking and career placement opportunities, over and above those already hosted by Mays. 

The program admits 100 students each year; these cohorts generally form a close-knit group within the larger business school, and are supported by a range of specific advisors and program supports. Applications to the program are competitive, though both incoming freshmen and current students are eligible to apply. 

The program does have strict academic eligibility requirements, namely that you must be in the top 25% of your high school class. They do note that academic standards are simply there as a benchmark; they are something you must surpass, but students aren’t admitted to the program on the basis of academic excellence alone. In order to apply, you must select Business Administration as your first choice major, and select YES on the honors program application question. You will then be invited to apply once your A&M application is processed.

Your base Common App and Texas A&M supplementals are available to the Business Honors admissions team. In addition they recommend (but do not require) submitting standardized test scores and a letter of recommendation from an academic source. This application is reviewed and processed separately from your admission to A&M and the business program as a whole. 

Departmental Honors Programs at Texas A&M

In addition to the university-wide and college-wide programs, some academic departments have their own honors programs as well, solely open to students in those departments. What these offer specifically varies, but it tends to be increased resources, access to professors, and networking opportunities, along with recognition at graduation. We won’t go through each of these in detail, but here’s an overview of them: 

Note that none of the departmental honors programs allow you to live in honors housing, though many students who are in the honors college also pursue departmental honors; indeed, this is highly encouraged. 

Are Texas A&M Honors a Good Option for You?

Honors colleges can offer a lot of benefits to college students, and A&M is no exception. We will note, however, that one of the primary benefits offered by many schools isn’t offered here, as there are no honors-specific scholarships. While many honors students do also earn merit scholarships, there are no specific funding options for honors students. 

So what does Texas A&M honors offer? Each program has its own unique suite of options, but they all have some commonalities; we’ll go through each of them, and how they may or may not benefit you. 

Honors Classes

This is the big appeal of honors programs, and the main thing mentioned. These courses are smaller, offered at a higher level, and tend to take a more in-depth approach to content. These do give you better access to professors, and can help you better master content. On the other hand, taking honors courses or graduating with honors alone doesn’t necessarily lead to better career outcomes. These courses do tend to be more demanding in terms of the work required, and can make maintaining a high GPA difficult. These courses can be a great resource, but there are tradeoffs when taking them. College isn’t high school, and honors courses are neither expected or required. 

Research Opportunities

Texas A&M is a big school, with a lot of students. While there are plenty of professors doing research, there are far more students who want to be involved than there are spots. While all students who want research can generally find something, students in honors programs get to build closer relationships with professors, and have set pathways to participate in research. 

If you are interested in pursuing research, especially with an eye towards graduate school or medical school, then honors programs are an excellent way to do this. In addition to increased research opportunities, these programs often let you build much closer relationships with professors, which helps greatly when getting letters of recommendation.

Networking

How much of a focus networking has varies a great deal by program; it is most prominent in business, but is offered in all of them. Again, networking and recruiting events are something offered and open to all students at A&M, but honors programs offer unique opportunities that aren’t open to all students. 

Many companies do like recruiting students from honors programs specifically. There is a sense that these students are more motivated, and more likely to succeed at a high level. In many ways, this is akin to how students from more prestigious universities are viewed, which is part of what honors programs are trying to emulate. It is unclear how advantageous these extra opportunities are, but finding a career is always easier with more networking opportunities. 

Honors Housing

This is one of the smaller benefits provided by the honors program, and is indeed only available through the campus-wide honors program, rather than the college or departmental offerings. The honors dorm is nice, and being in a community of similarly high-achieving scholars can be beneficial, both socially and from a networking perspective. 

This is more of a minor perk however, and you don’t lose very much if you choose not to live in honors housing. While this is worth considering, it should not be the deciding factor on whether you want to take part in the honors program. 

The Honors Community

This is the most nebulous benefit of taking part in honors programs, the community they afford you access to. College is a time to make new friends and meet new people, through your dorm, classes, clubs, campus activities, or even happenstance. The honors program at Texas A&M proposes that you will become part of a broader community through participation in it. 

This is often the case, and you can make excellent friendships through an honors program. This is quite good for students who need peer motivation in their school work, or who work best in groups. Being constantly surrounded by and hanging out with smart and motivated people can rub off on you, and give you the motivation to go farther and do more than you would on your own. This may be one of the best benefits of joining an honors program, and if this kind of community would materially help you, we highly recommend it. 

Final Thoughts

Texas A&M is a great college, one many students from Texas attend and enjoy. Like all large colleges, it has a lot of programs and options for students, enough to feel somewhat overwhelming to grasp or explore. We hope that this article gave you a good sense of one such program, and what it can offer to prospective students interested in a higher level of academic achievement and commitment. 

Applying to honors programs can be quite competitive, intentionally of course, a means to winnow the field of candidates to only those best able to make use of the resources the program provides. If you are looking for advice on your own honors applications for Texas A&M, or want help finding the right program to match your needs and interests, then �ԹϹ��� can help. Schedule a free consultation today to learn how our mentors can make your college applications journey an easier and more enjoyable experience; we’re always happy to hear from you. 

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These are all reasonable questions, but aren’t always simple to answer. In this article, we’re going to look at why colleges are filling your mailbox (and inbox), what they want from it, and what you should do when you get these letters. Everything colleges do is for a reason, even if the logic can be a bit opaque and twisty at times. Let’s jump right in!

Why Colleges Send You Junk Mail

Colleges want students to apply to them, even ones with low acceptance rates (often especially ones with low acceptance rates). When building a class of students, colleges want to have options, to be able to pick and choose from among the best and brightest students available. The more students who apply, the more they are able to do this, to have a range of options for their school.

Now, top schools have this already; indeed, most top universities have far too many bright and capable students applying to admit even a small fraction of them. They, instead, are playing a numbers game. Having a low acceptance rate is a point of pride and prestige in itself, and so elite colleges send out ads to entice students to apply who may or may not ever get admitted, but who will make the numbers just that little bit better. 

Thus colleges are sending you mail for two different internal reasons, but with the same end goal: to get you to apply to their school. This often works well; a student getting a letter from Harvard or Yale, even one who knows they don’t have a great chance, is often swayed to apply; after all, why would they send a letter to them if the school thought they had no chance?

It can also work out for less popular schools. While they are far from having a perfect hit rate, they do draw in many new applicants this way. That’s why they do it, seeking to find students who otherwise wouldn’t have heard of or considered their school, and enticing them to apply. 

Why �۴dz�’r�� Getting This Mail from Colleges

So why are these colleges sending this to you specifically? The reasons are their own, but we can tell you how the process works generally. It begins with standardized tests; the SAT, ACT, and AP exams. These record not just your results, but also demographic information; who you are, what school you attend, and various traits about you. 

This data is then apportioned and sold to colleges, who can buy it in batches targeting certain demographics. Say, for instance, a college wants to increase their applications from region or demographic; they can get all students matching those requirements who scored above a certain threshold on these tests, and send them some mail to see if they’re interested. 

Students who score higher on these tests tend to get more letters, though this is not a strictly linear increase or relationship. Where each college sets its score benchmark depends on their desires. Note that just because a college sends you a letter doesn’t mean they are interested in you specifically, rather that you fit into a demographic that they find promising. 

This holds true for both physical and digital missives, though different colleges have different approaches to snail mail and email. Both serve the same purpose, but one is a much higher investment than the other. This doesn’t mean a college who sends you a physical letter is more serious than one who sends you an email, just that they have invested more into this endeavor. 

What Should You Do When Colleges Send You Letters?

So that’s why you’re getting all of these letters, but now we turn to the lasting question of what you’re supposed to do once you’ve gotten them. There are several approaches you can take, and what you do depends on your interest in the school in question, and the state of your college list. In general, here is how we advise students deal with the letters they get. 

Step One: Sort the Letters

The first thing to do to figure out if a letter means anything useful is to read it. Now, you don’t have to read every letter colleges send you; you’re going to get a lot of junk, and reading it all is a waste of time, but you should get a sense of who it’s from, and what it’s saying. 

Colleges you are absolutely uninterested in for firm reasons should get tossed. Colleges you’ve never heard of can get put into a pile for brief perusal. Colleges you are interested in or actively applying to should be read, at least in part. They may or may not contain anything truly useful, but it’s worth checking.

Step Two: Reading the Letters

For the schools you haven’t heard of, we advise skimming the letters, but pausing and reading in more detail if something catches your eye. Many schools offer scholarships, special programs, or other opportunities in these letters. They are trying to sell themselves to you, to highlight their best points, but it’s still worth seeing what’s on offer. 

You do not need to apply to or consider a school just because they sent you a letter, but especially for smaller regional schools, this is still a good way to find universities you may be interested in learning more about. Indeed, a solid portion of my own college list when I applied was schools that sent me interesting mail. That wasn’t enough on its own of course, but what I saw made further investigations worth pursuing. 

For the schools you have heard of and are interested in, you should see if there’s anything noteworthy or worth following up on in the letters. There may not be (though sometimes they do send swag in the envelopes), but it’s worth checking. This is especially true for emails. Schools can track who opens their emails,a nd whether or not you follow the links in them; doing so is a great way to demonstrate your interest in a particular school.

Step Three: Taking Action

If what you saw from a school you hadn’t heard of did interest you, then this is your cue to do more research. A letter is a taster, an appetizer, but often doesn’t tell you much about what a school really offers, and whether it’s going to be a proper fit for you. We advise following up and doing more research to see if the reality matches the sales pitch they led with. 

In some cases, you will be disappointed. In others, however, you may find a new school to add to your college list, someplace with offerings that match your needs; be they academic, financial, or otherwise. In these cases, we recommend following up with the school and reaching out. These schools too track demonstrated interest in many cases, and that can add substantially to your chances of getting in. 

What �ԹϹ��� Emails From Colleges?

While colleges do still send letters through the post, many many more send out massive batches of emails, easier and cheaper to disseminate en masse. You should follow a similar approach and sorting process as you take with letters. If you are fully uninterested in a college, we advise unsubscribing from their mailing list; otherwise the letters will just keep coming. 

You do not need to open every email, but for schools you are really interested in, it can be worth checking them semi-regularly. Schools want to admit students who want to be there, and demonstrating this interest early is the best way to do so. Not all schools actively track demonstrated interest, but they will still check who reads their emails, and who follows the links sent out in them. 

As a final note, if you are curious about a college and aren’t hearing anything from them, you can always ask. Schools have mailing lists you can ask to join, and attending one or inquiring about an information session is a great way to get on a school’s radar and let them know you’re interested.

Final Thoughts

We aren’t going to go so far as to say that junk mail from colleges is a good thing. Much of the time it is a massive waste of time and paper. In some cases, however, it can be quite useful, a way to learn about new colleges or to indicate to ones you may be considering that you are indeed interested. We hope this article has given you new perspectives on this mail, and how you should handle it in the future. 

If you want to take a more rigorous approach to building your college list than simply answering junk mail and going off of vibes, then �ԹϹ��� can help. Our mentors have a deep experience with college programs, and are well suited to help you find the ones which best match your needs and interests. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more; we’re always happy to hear from you.

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Why Colleges Have Auditions

For most college programs, you are expected to show some interest in a field, but they certainly don’t expect you to be a master of it. They appreciate it if a student who wants to major in aerospace engineering has taken part in model rocket launches, but it’s far from a hard requirement. Students intending to enter the arts, however, are expected to enter these programs with a high degree of mastery already. 

In large part this is because of how the arts work. Most students begin playing their instrument in elementary school, dancers often begin even earlier. College programs reflect this; a certain level of technique is needed to understand and benefit from what they teach, with additional advanced layers on top. Composition and choreography, how to find jobs in the industry, and heightened artistry in performance are all things that require a solid foundation in a field to be worth discussing. 

Auditions, across disciplines, are therefore looking for a few key factors (though what constitutes these of course depends on your artistic discipline): 

• Foundational technique. If you have enough solid grounding in what the art requires to do what is asked of you by the program. Much like you need calculus to study engineering, you need the same level of groundwork for the arts. 
• Artistic voice. How you portray your own artistry through the performance. This doesn’t need to be fully developed yet; honing your voice and vision is part of what these college programs are for. They are looking for signs of it however, and this can only come through in a performance. 
• Personal qualities. These are somewhat lesser, but are still observed and noted. How you comport yourself outside of the audition, and within it, serves as a kind of informal interview (though sometimes they have a formal interview as well), to see if you’re the kind of person they want in their program. 

We’ll go through what colleges are looking for in each particular artform in their respective sections. Overall, what they want to see is who you are as a person and an artist, and how you will fit into their particular program. 

Preparing for Auditions

Across disciplines, auditions happen in the fall of your senior year. We advise students begin preparing for these in the summer before, or even the spring of their junior year. You should work with your current arts teacher to begin preparing for these auditions; they have gone through this same process, and will be able to give you the best practical advice on which sections you need to improve on, and which of your skills are best to highlight.

Dance Auditions for College

Dance auditions went virtual during the pandemic, and there are still often virtual options, though most schools have brought back in-person auditions as well. We do recommend doing in person auditions when you have the resources and opportunity to do so; this also affords you a chance to visit campus, and see what else they have to offer. 

Dance auditions are generally, though not always, ballet auditions, though some colleges do modern or contemporary as well, they generally want to see a strong grounding in ballet technique, even for students interested in those programs. These consist of a full standard ballet class; if you’ve ever auditioned for a summer program, they generally take the same format.

Here are our key pieces of advice for dance auditions:

• Show up early to check-in, stretch, and warm up. You want to be ready to showcase your full skills from the very start of the audition.
• Don’t wear warmups during the audition itself.
• Dress code will vary by audition, but generally dress professionally; your home studio’s uniform will generally serve well if in doubt. 
• Don’t be afraid to stand in front, either at the barre or in the center. Some programs will organize by height, but usually they don’t. �۴dz�’r�� there to show off, so don’t be afraid to do so.

Many of these, especially auditions for ballet programs specifically, will require pointe work for women. Check on this beforehand, so you know what to pack and bring with you. Other than that, standard ballet class etiquette applies. In many ways, these are the simplest of the kinds of auditions, even if you’ve never done one before. This doesn’t make them easy, or reduce the stress of them, but they are not a massively different experience from any class you may have taken with a guest artist, save that the stakes are higher.

Music Auditions for College

Music auditions, both instrumental and vocal, are offered both in-person and virtually, though virtual auditions are becoming more common. Auditioning in person is still preferred by some colleges and programs, and we do recommend doing it where possible based on your resources. The chance to visit campus and get a feel for it, along with meeting people from the music school in person, is a valuable experience. 

Many music programs have a two-phase audition process. The first is a pre-screening, where students are asked to send in recordings of themselves performing; select students from this group are then invited to audition. Note that many schools require video recordings for these, not just audio (though sound quality is more important that video quality). 

For both pre-screening recordings and auditions, you will need a repertoire to perform. Different schools have different requirements for what they’ll want to see, but you’ll want a wide range of pieces and styles in your repertoire; enough to show off the breadth of your technique and artistry. The exact pieces you will be asked to perform will depend on school, program, and instrument. 

You should be comfortable with both prepared pieces, and with sight-reading. This is done to assess your level of technical readiness, and your artistic skills. If you are given options on which pieces to perform, then choose a range of them, to showcase the breadth of your styles. 

Here’s some other pieces of key advice: 

• Dress professionally, for both the pre-screening video and the audition. A suit for guys and a dress for girls is generally the standard, and all-black is traditional. 
• If you are bringing music for an accompanist, make sure it is clearly legible photocopies, in a three ring binder for ease of access and use. Plastic sleeves can create a glare, and shouldn’t be used. 
• Arrive early to your allotted audition time. This will give you time to check in, and make sure nothing goes wrong; being late is a bad look. 

While you are visiting a college for an audition, you can also often schedule a lesson with a professor. These are often short, fifteen minutes or so, but can give you a feel for the style of instruction on campus, and give them more insight into you. This may not be permitted, but it is always worth asking.

Theatre Auditions for College

Students interested in theatre auditions face one of the more complicated and competitive audition processes (even compared to the other performing arts). These auditions follow similar formats for both theatre and musical theatre, though of course the pieces you are expected to perform for each do vary according to discipline. 

The first stage is prescreening videos; for these you prepare a number of monologues or solos. The exact requirements may vary by program, but you can likely use the same footage for multiple prescreens. Note that for musical theatre, you may also be asked for dancing videos; singing is of course, also required. 

You don’t need to dress extremely formally for either these videos or the audition, but you shouldn’t be too casual either. Dancewear is, of course, accepted for the dance portion of the video. Students who are selected based on prescreenings are invited to in-person auditions. In person auditions are much more common than virtual, but some schools and programs do accept virtual auditions as well. 

You may be asked to prepare certain pieces, but more commonly you will be given latitude for which you will prepare and present. You want to pick pieces that showcase your full range of style and technique. Work with your current acting teachers or coaches to select and rehearse these pieces. 

As always with auditions, you should arrive somewhat early to check in and prepare yourself. Each audition will have a set block of time; make sure your prepared pieces fit within that without running over. They will not appreciate running late because of you. Record and time yourself when initially preparing your pieces. 

You will likely have done auditions before, but program auditions are distinct from auditions for a role in a production. They aren’t looking for how well you match their vision of a particular character, but instead for the breadth and depth of your acting potential. The logistics and pressure may be similar, but what they are looking for is distinct. 

Unified Auditions and Prescreens

Some colleges and programs offer unified auditions and prescreens, though these are not universally adopted and only a small number of programs participate. Unified auditions are held over three to four days in New York, Chicago, and LA, while unified prescreens all ask for the same material and are uploaded to a common website. 

If you are interested in one of the programs which offers a unified audition or prescreen, it can be worth checking out the other programs connected to it as well, for logistical ease if nothing else. Note that while unified auditions sometimes accept walk-ins, most only view students who have sent in a pre-screening video. 

Auditions, Acceptances, and Rejections

Each college and program handles auditions separately. In some cases, you may get accepted to the university as a whole, but not to the more selective program you auditioned for. If, for example, you applied to UT Austin’s while in the top 5% of your class in Texas (thus ensuring automatic university acceptance), you may get into the Liberal Arts college, but not Butler. 

Other colleges where you apply directly to the music program, like Northwestern’s , will simply accept or reject you, without the consideration for other programs at the school. In general, if a music or arts college is a separate entity and handles its own admissions, this is how it works, while music and arts departments which are within a single liberal arts college may see you admitted to the college as a whole, but not the specific major or program you wanted. 

You don’t want to plan for rejection of course, but this is something to consider when building your college list. You also should decide if you are interested in attending a school even if you don’t get into an arts program, and what other majors you may consider in such an eventuality. Planning this out ahead of time makes things far less stressful in the moment.

Final Thoughts

When you apply to college as an arts major, your grades, essays, and test scores still matter. Unless you’re applying to a conservatory, you’ll still be expected to take general studies requirements, and be as academically proficient as any other member of the students body. Auditions are something that is required of you on top of those requirements, rather than in place of them. 

We hope that this article has given you a good introduction to the audition process. It is somewhat involved of course, but that’s the case for every aspect of college admissions. If you’re looking for help planning out your own auditions, or aren’t feeling as confident as you should with the non-artistic parts of your application, then �ԹϹ��� can help. Our mentors are skilled at every aspect of college admissions, and can help you navigate the often byzantine process. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more, we’re always happy to hear from you.

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Getting Rejected by Colleges Sucks

There’s really no other way to put it; submitting an application to a college and getting told no is just not a fun experience. This is especially true because of the nature of college applications. Colleges ask you to bare your heart and soul to them in admissions essays, to showcase who you are as a person, your dreams and passions and ambitions. When you get rejected, therefore, it can feel as if a personal judgement has been passed, as if you specifically don’t measure up. 

The most important thing to remember is this: getting rejected from college isn’t personal. It isn’t an indictment of you as a person, your achievements, your passions, your dreams, your character, or any other aspect of you. There are many different reasons students get rejected, but it isn’t because of who you are as a person. 

This doesn’t make your pain any less real, but we do want to emphasize that point. It does suck, and it does hurt, but it doesn’t make you any lesser to get rejected by a college. Tens of thousands of excellent students, prize-winners and valedictorians, are rejected by top colleges every year. That is, unfortunately, just how the system is set up. There are more talented students who want to attend than there are seats at any top college. 

We also want to emphasize that you shouldn’t compare yourself to other students. It can be tempting to wade into the reams of videos online of students reacting to their acceptances to your dream school, to measure yourself against them, to wallow in the pain and resentment, drinking deep to bitter dregs. Another student’s acceptance did not cause your rejection. It feels like that, feels like that’s how it must be, but that’s not how college admissions works, and comparing yourself to those students who did get in will just compound your resentment and negative emotions. 

What then should you do if you’ve been rejected? Every student will follow a slightly unique path, but we’re going to share the steps we follow with our students, to help them make the most of the futures ahead of them. 

Step One: Take Time to Grieve and Process

There’s a good chance that getting rejected from your top college is the biggest rejection and setback you’ve encountered thus far. This is normal; applying to college is a major step for many students, and getting rejected here stings harder than a failed grade or slip-up during high school. While you shouldn’t wallow in it, taking time to process this, to grieve what might have been, is normal and healthy. 

We recommend speaking with counselors or parents about this, or otherwise working through an often complex whirl of emotions in a way that helps you contextualize and deal with them in a healthy manner. This is beneficial in two ways:

1. It helps you deal with what’s going on in the moment, helping you navigate a turbulent time.
2. It gives you skills so that the next time there’s a major disruption (such as rejection from a graduate program or a dream job), you have tools already at hand to help you handle it. 

This step must come first, but can continue in parallel with other steps. Every student will handle things in their own way, and we do recommend speaking with a licensed counselor if you are experiencing significant emotional turmoil from this. 

Step Two: Assess the Damage

It can be crushing to get rejected from your top choice school, but there is a difference between a setback and a disaster, a rout and a retreat. Once you’ve processed the initial shock and pain of rejection, it’s time to assess just how much of a setback you’ve encountered. 

Some setbacks are larger than others, but experiencing less of a disaster than another student doesn’t make your pain any less real. It isn’t a competition. It is important to assess this however, as it directs what next steps you can take. Generally, there are several tiers of things going wrong. We’ll go through each and briefly touch on options, with more on that in the next section.

Rejected from your top-choice school. This is a painful setback, but the student still got into at least one other reach school; perhaps not quite the equivalent of their first choice, but in the same general tier. These students can then turn to attending one of these schools, preparing for college unabated.

Rejected from all reach schools. This is more painful, but these students do have target schools that admitted them. These students may look into transfer options, or may decide that one of their target schools is a good fit for their collegiate journey. How much they like their target schools in comparison to reach options will depend on their long-term goals. 

Rejected from reach and target schools. This is less common, but can still happen. This is why all lists should have safety schools, backup options in case everything goes wrong. Many students will not be satisfied with safety schools long-term, but they can still provide a start to your college journey. 

Rejected from all colleges. This is rare, but some students are either terribly unlucky, or build an unbalanced college list, one without safety schools. There are still options you can take here, which we will explore in a later section.

Based on how bad the damage is, and what admissions results you did get, will greatly shape the next steps you will take. As the pain of rejection fades to a dull ache, it is time to begin thinking seriously about what your college journey will look like. 

Step Three: Your Next Steps, Near and Far Term

Your next step is to decide where you want to attend college from the schools that admitted you. It may be painful to not go to a school you’ve been dreaming of, possibly for years, but college is still a key step in what comes next, and that means assessing what your options are, and choosing one which will bring you the most benefit. For those students who didn’t get into any colleges on their list at all, we will go over your options in the next section. 

None of the schools which admitted you are your top choice, but you must have seen something in them that appealed to you, otherwise why would you have applied at all? We go over the following with our students when comparing their acceptances, and choosing between schools which may not have been the favorite: 

• Program of study. Were you admitted directly into your top choice major, or into a field that isn’t quite aligned? If the second, how easy or hard is it to change to your preferred major?
• Cost. What financial aid have they offered you? This is hard to know when applying (even with financial aid calculators), but now that you have the offers on the table, you can make a better comparison. A school you may not have liked can become far more appealing if they offer you a good scholarship package. 
• Fit. A school’s location, housing options, food, extracurriculars; all can play a role in where you decide to attend. Even if you don’t spend all four years there, you want the college you attend to be somewhere you are comfortable. 

For many students, cost ends up being a deciding factor in these calculations. A state school which paled in comparison to your top choice may seem much more worth it when comparing the relative costs of schools, or a private school you hadn’t considered as highly may offer you more of a scholarship than anticipated. Whichever factors end up moving the needle for you, you should pick somewhere to attend college, and begin making the necessary steps to do so.

Submit your deposit, withdraw from other schools, apply for housing, begin picking out courses, all the little things that need to be done to become a true member of a school’s student body. 

Transfer Planning

In some cases, however, none of the secondary schools will do. You still must choose one to attend, but you can also immediately begin making a transfer plan. Thousands of students transfer between colleges each year, and you can still get into your top choice school (or another you have found and enjoyed), even if things didn’t work out the first time around. 

We have a full guide to transfer applications here, but the long and short of it is that after either your first or second year of college, you can switch to another school to finish out your degree. In many ways, this process is akin to applying to college the first time around, and just as preparing for that early brings good results, so too does preparing for transfers early. 

You do not need to do this, but if no other school will satisfy you, then enrolling and immediately beginning your transfer planning is the best use of your time. You know now what went wrong the first time, and can strive to become a better candidate for your second pass. 

What to Do if You Were Rejected by All Colleges

This is a very rare circumstance, and one we haven’t encountered with any of our students, though it does happen. If this has happened to you, it is time to assess your options. Generally, there are two main paths forward:

1. Taking a gap year and applying again as a freshman.
2. Enrolling in community college and applying as a transfer student. 

Students who were weaker academically in high school will benefit the most from enrolling in a community college. High grades here will overshadow any struggles you had in high school, and make you a far more competitive applicant to your top college. Many community colleges accept applicants and enrollees until well into the summer, meaning this path is still open to you.

Gap years can be valuable, so long as you have a good way to spend one, one which demonstrates your passions and commitments. See our article on gap years for more information. 

Getting rejected everywhere can be devastating, and throw every plan you had into disarray. This doesn’t need to be the end of your college journey however, and it’s still possible to graduate from a great school, even after a setback like this.

Final Thoughts

There’s nothing fun about getting rejected from your top choice college, and there’s no way to soften the blow. It will always sting, but learning to deal with that, to handle disappointment and move on, building anew, is in itself a valuable lesson. Not one you want to learn perhaps, but still valuable for your future. Moreover, getting rejected from your top college isn’t the end of your future dreams, or even the end of your road to higher education.

We hope this article has given you the insight you need to process and deal with the sting of rejection from college, and material steps to get your college planning back on track. If you are looking for help planning out your own transfer pathways, or advice on what to do during a gap year, then �ԹϹ��� can help. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more, we’re always happy to hear from you. 

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In this article, we’re going to answer these common questions. We’re going to explain what these programs are, how they work, and whether or not they’re something you should consider taking advantage of. We’re going to do this by looking at a number of specific programs at top universities, and examining what they do, and don’t, actually offer. Let’s jump right in!

Understanding Fifth-Year Masters Programs

On some level, fifth year masters programs are quite simple; they’re programs that let you continue your school for a fifth year, directly out of undergrad, and in so doing complete a master’s degree. This is generally (though not always) in the same field as your undergraduate degree. 

These programs require you to apply while you are an undergraduate. What this requires specifically varies from college to college and even program to program, but is generally some combination of academic standing, GPA, and filling out some forms, plus getting sign-off from an advisor. Compared to most application processes, it’s really quite easy to get into one of these programs.

Once you’re in one, you usually start taking graduate courses in your fourth year of undergrad, and transition fully to grad level classes in your fifth year. The exact timeline depends on program, but most try to fit the equivalent of a two-year degree into a single year in this way. You will need to complete the full requirements for both your undergraduate degree and your graduate degree. In most cases, you won’t be able to double-count courses. This can lead to some juggling, and you will generally need to take a full course load for your entire undergraduate career to make these programs feasible.

Financial Aid and Housing

Masters programs generally don’t offer financial aid, and don’t have housing. Whether or not your undergraduate aid will continue in your fourth year depends on school, some do, and others don’t. , for example, will continue your financial aid package, but will begin charging you the graduate tuition rate, which may be more than you were paying for undergrad. Your fifth year, you are a full graduate student, and undergraduate aid will not continue. 

On-Campus housing is generally only available to undergraduates, you may be able to stay in dorms for your fourth year (especially if that’s part of your financial aid package), but will need to find an apartment or another housing option for the fifth year of these programs. 

Are Fifth-Year Master’s Programs Worth It?

This is the primary question, and one without a simple answer. The difficulty of this is because masters programs themselves are of such varying value; some can therefore be quite worth it, while others often are not. Whether or not a master’s program itself is worth it depends on the field of work you are entering, and what additional opportunities a masters program affords you. 

In some cases, a masters degree can greatly enhance your credentials, and open up new career opportunities. This is especially true in engineering fields. You can get great engineering jobs with only an undergraduate degree, but the additional qualifications of a masters simply open more doors for you. These often have an increase in salary as well. 

Other fields see almost no return for a masters degree. The jobs you can get with a masters degree in English, for example, are nearly the same as those you can get with a bachelor’s degree. For these fields, a PhD is generally needed to advance to the next phase of qualifications, while masters degrees are an intermediary step that does very little for your career prospects. 

Other fields can see returns from having a masters degree, but a more moderate one. Biology, chemistry, archaeology; all have many more doors opened for students with masters degrees, but the financial returns are often less. There is more prestige, and more responsibility, but not always more money. 

The main benefit of a fifth year masters program is that you generally still count as an undergraduate for financial aid purposes during the first year of it. Thus students with a generous financial aid package may receive a significant discount on their graduate study, along with completing it faster than they normally could. 

Since scholarships for masters programs are quite rare, this is the biggest benefit of the fifth-year programs. This does not mean all of these programs are worth it, but if a masters degree is necessary, or advantageous, for your career goals, then a fifth year program can be one of the best ways to pursue it. 

Fifth Year Masters Programs and You

Unlike some joint degree programs (notably BS/MD programs), you do not apply to fifth year masters programs when you are applying to college as a freshman. Instead, they are always something you apply to as a current student, and depend on your current standing in the university. In spite of this, these programs can shape your approach to college applications. 

Students interested in certain fields know they will need an advanced degree. It is somewhat difficult to practice law if you haven’t attended law school, nor will patients trust a doctor who hasn’t attended medical school. Similarly, students who want to pursue research may know that a PhD is their ultimate goal. It can be more difficult to know whether or not a masters degree is right for a field you are interested in, or if it fits with your path. 

You may or may not know if you want to pursue one of these now, but you may know that a master’s program is beneficial to your overall career goals. In these cases, this is something you can and should bring up in your application essays to particular colleges, as an example of what draws you to a school. 

Generally, you shouldn’t mention plans beyond college in an application essay. Admissions officers are not keen on students who only see their institution as a stepping stone to medical school or law school. Integrated fifth year programs are an exception to this however. These are part of the school itself, wrapped in the undergraduate experience. In addition, mentioning one of these programs specifically shows that you have done your research on a school, and considered all it can offer you. 

When Not to do a Masters Program

Colleges tend to tout their masters programs quite highly, both the integrated fifth year options and the independent programs they offer. They are proud of their offerings of course, but masters programs are also a major source of income for colleges. These don’t offer financial aid in the way undergraduate and PhD programs do, and the high cost of tuition is borne entirely by the students.

This doesn’t mean masters programs are worthless, but you should take a college’s claims of benefits with a grain of salt. In some cases, they will be a great advantage for your career, but they aren’t a necessary next step in the progression for most fields. Only undertake a master’s program if you have a clear idea of how the degree will benefit you and your career goals.

Many fields benefit far more going directly from undergraduate to PhD programs, or simply entering the workforce directly out of undergrad. A fifth year masters is a good compromise due to reduced cost, but again, is far more beneficial for some fields and career trajectories than others.

Final Thoughts

Colleges offer any number of special programs; some of these are unique, but others simply take on different guises at different schools. Many colleges offer some form of fifth year masters degrees, and many students benefit from these programs each year, gaining advanced knowledge and a leg up for their careers. These programs certainly aren’t the right choice for all students, but you should be aware of the possibility, and what it may mean for you. 

We hope this article has served as a good introduction to fifth year masters programs. If you are curious about these programs, or want to explore other unique college opportunities that may appeal to you, then �ԹϹ��� can help. Our mentors are masters of helping students find the options that best support them and their needs, and helping them get there. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more, we’re always happy to hear from you. 

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In this article, however, we’re going to take a step back, and look at how to plan college visits in sequence, and how to do so strategically. A college visit takes time, planning, and effort, and you can visit everywhere. With some careful prep work, however, you can ensure that you make the best use of your time, and see colleges that interest you. Thus, we’re going to explain how to assemble a tour of college visits; let’s explore how such a thing works. 

What You Want From Your Visits

There are many possible reasons to visit colleges, but these generally fall into two tracks. Either you already have a top choice school (or schools) and want to see them in more detail, or you want to get a better sense of colleges as a whole, and see what traits in a college appeal to you. 

If you have a particular college as your top choice already, then you should structure your entire tour around that school. You will of course visit other campuses, that’s the point of a tour, but scheduling campus visits, guided tours, and other admissions events should be based primarily on what’s available at your top-choice school. 

If you don’t have a top choice school, then you should instead focus on getting the widest variety of experiences possible. If, for example, you visit three small liberal arts colleges, or three large public universities, then you will only have sampled a small portion of what college is and what college can offer. By sampling a broad array of potential college offerings, you can get a better sense of which appeal to you. You may enjoy them all equally, but that too is useful to know for certain. 

The Logistics of College Tours

Over the course of a week, you can generally comfortably visit three or four colleges. Here is how we arrive at that number, and why we don’t recommend doing more than this on a college tour: 

• Each college visit should be given a day for itself. You won’t spend the whole day on campus, but this gives time for an official tour, possibly some admissions events, and visiting parts of campus of particular interest to you (such as specific departments or athletic facilities).
• Unless all the colleges are in the same city, you will need to take time to travel between them, this may be a short drive, or a longer one. These travel days can also be used for non-college related sight-seeing. 
• Most colleges only offer official tours Monday-Friday (though there are exceptions). We always recommend signing up for an official tour, which naturally limits when you can visit these colleges. 

With this in mind, the logistics of a college visits tour unfolds naturally. You travel over the weekend, begin with the first school on Monday, travel and then visit another on Wednesday, and finish with a final school on Friday. In between, you may stop for some local sights, or attractions, or other interesting and fun things to do. Doing nothing but visiting colleges isn’t all that exciting, and risks both burnout, and each college blurring together into an indistinguishable mass. 

The next step then is putting together a reasonable collection of colleges to visit. The primary factor to consider here is geography; Stanford, Northwestern, and MIT are all great schools, but trying to visit all three in a week will leave you jet-lagged and irritable. 

Instead, you want to pick a geographic region to focus on. How large of a region that is depends on your own tolerances for travel; you can easily fill a week with the great colleges in Boston or New York alone, or go as expansive as driving through the midwest or across states like California or Texas. 

If you already have a top choice school, then you naturally look to other schools which are situated near it; students interested in Harvard can also look at MIT and Tufts, for example. If you are more open to where to attend college, then you can perhaps focus on areas near you, or if you prefer to travel, regions where you already have family or which you enjoy.

Example College Tour Plans

This has all been somewhat theoretical thus far, and while theory is good, putting it into practice can be messier. To help with that, we’re going to give you examples of college tour plans, the sort we help students construct all the time. Your own plans won’t look exactly like this of course; our goal instead is to show you what factors we consider during planning, and how these trips actually play out. 

Example: Top Choice Stanford

A student has Stanford as their top choice school, and has a strong desire to attend college on the west coast. They haven’t given much thought to colleges beyond that, but would prefer not to be in LA. 

For this student, we would recommend starting in Stanford on a Monday; tours are seven days a week most weeks, but this allows them to fly into the bay area and rent a car on Sunday, then get started with a school visit bright and early. This also lets them see the campus full of students, which is a very different vibe, and one worth experiencing. They also offer information sessions on Mondays and Fridays this spring, in combination with the tour, letting the student ask any questions they have about the admissions process. 

From there, they would drive north, heading to Reed College in Portland (and possibly stopping to do some sight-seeing along the way). They offer Monday to Friday, with some Saturday availability as well. Current seniors are also able to register to sit in on a class at Reed, to experience what the academic atmosphere is really like. 

After this, they drive north again, and finally tour University of Washington in Seattle. Campus are available Monday through Friday, and are often accompanied by information sessions. This student is interested in business, and arriving on Friday also allows them to take part in a departmental business tour; these aren’t offered every Friday, but do occur several times each month on a Friday. Not all colleges offer separate departmental tours, but they are worth taking advantage of where possible. 

The goal of this tour is twofold: first, it seeks to let the student experience Stanford, and confirm it really is their top choice. Second, it seeks to let them experience two widely different sorts of colleges, to see what aspects appeal to them, and what they might not like. They may not actually like either of these schools, but it can give them an idea of what aspects they do enjoy, and which they may not want in a college. 

Example: Texas Sampler

Many students in Texas want to remain in Texas for their college education (though this is far from universal). Others simply want to confine their school visits to schools in Texas, because this is just a lot easier to manage. Texas is big, but you can drive everywhere. For these students we put together a sampler of colleges, one which will help them assess a range of potential options. 

First is Rice, based in Houston, where they could start on a Monday. They frequently offer seven days a week, but starting on Monday is a good way to see the campus in action, with classes in full swing. Rice isn’t exactly like Harvard or Yale, but is the same kind of small elite liberal arts university, and will give you a good sense of what these schools offer.

From here, students proceed to Texas A&M on Tuesday. Based in College Station, a relatively short drive from Houston, this is an easy second stop. They offer five days a week, along with optional academic department sessions, which can be scheduled separately. These give you a sense of what a department is like at such a large school, and how it can differ from its smaller compatriots. 

After this is UT Austin; while Austin isn’t exactly close to Houston or A&M, it’s not terribly far either, and you can tour this on either Wednesday or Thursday. are offered five days a week; note that they can fill up, and you should try to register ahead of time. UT Austin is another large public school like A&M, but is in a more urban environment, and the campus has a very different feel from A&M; often students will prefer one to the other. 

The final leg of your trip sends you north to Southern Methodist University in Dallas. This is the longest drive, but still manageable, especially by Texas standards. In spite of this, we recommend having this visit be on Friday, take some extra time in either Austin or Dallas to enjoy what the city has to offer. are offered twice-daily, Monday through Friday. Academic offer you a chance to experience a class at SMU or meet with faculty in a particular department. These are, unfortunately, offered on an irregular basis, and are hard to plan around.

Final Thoughts

Your own campus tour is going to depend on when and where you’re going, and what you want to see. We work with students to make sure they get the most out of these visits, from faculty they might want to connect with to organizations and associations on campus they are interested in. What this looks like differs for each student, from contact information for coaches to seeing what acapella groups exist on campus. 

College visits are a way to test drive a school, to see if what they offer is right for you, or to see what kinds of features in a college appeal to you. Being able to compare multiple kinds of universities lets you make the most informed choice, and pick the school that will best support your own needs and wants. 

We hope that this article has given you the tools you need to plan out your own tours of college campuses, and to do so in a way that won’t leave you burnt out and exhausted. If you are looking for help setting up a more personalized tour, or want advice on the best way to connect with universities before you apply, then �ԹϹ��� can help. Our mentors are well versed in all the many minutiae of college admissions, and we’re always happy to hear from curious students. Schedule a free consultation today to learn how we can make your life easier. 

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This is part of a broader and ongoing debate, especially as states advance their own bills with similar aims, notably . In this article, we’re going to look at what these bills do, and whether worthless degrees are something you need to take into consideration when you plan out your own college journey. Let’s jump right in!

Accountability for “Worthless” Degrees

While this debate has been ongoing for quite some time, it has entered the spotlight again due to a regulatory update from the Department of Education. This proposal, scheduled to take effect in July of 2026, will end federal funding (both directly and in the form of student loans and financial aid) for college programs where graduates earn less than those with only a high school diploma. 

If a program must fail this test for two consecutive years to lose funding. Separately, if more than half of a college’s programs fail this test, then it too will lose all access to federal funding. This would need to happen for two consecutive years as well, meaning that actual funding shutoffs are still over the horizon, though they are now an option that schools must consider.

Based on these standards, roughly 650,000 students are currently enrolled in a program that would fail these criteria. Approximately half of these students are enrolled in for-profit institutions. These regulations cover certificates, two year, and four year degree programs, at both traditional and for-profit institutions.

While these regulations are yet to come into effect, some states are moving to introduce their own enhanced standards. Indiana, in particular, has proposed which would allow the state to simply end these programs at state universities and community colleges, if graduates of them do not earn more, on average, than those with only a high school diploma. 

While Indiana’s bill is the most developed, other states are considering pursuing action of this kind as well, including both Nebraska and New Hampshire. There are differences in how states are pursuing these, but it is increasingly seen as an option to regulate what degrees are offered. 

The degrees impacted by this in Indiana are highly varied. Based on Inside Higher Ed’s reporting, they include programs including (but not limited to): 

• Ball State University’s bachelor’s degree in dance
• Purdue Northwest’s bachelor’s in computer software and media
• University of Southern Indiana’s master’s in mental and social health services

This then gets to the meat of the problem: what actually makes a college degree (or certificate program) worthless?

What Makes a College Degree Worthless?

This is the question underlying this whole discussion, and one which is somewhat difficult to give a straight answer to. There are certainly some degrees which everyone agrees are worthless; certificates that don’t qualify you to do anything, or programs which do not give you the skills they purport to. Other programs, however, often fall into a grey area.

The main trouble stems from using income as the sole barometer, especially as certain fields are traditionally quite underpaid. Dance (to use an example of a degree from above) is often quite a low paying field, yet increasingly requires a degree to enter professionally. Does this make the degree itself worthless? Many dancers would disagree. 

This is further complicated because there are multiple different definitions of a worthless degree. The one used federally is a degree that has you earning less than or equivalent to peers without one, but some use the term to mean any degree earning less than certain benchmarks, or even earning less relative to their peers. 

This is often used in reference to degrees like English or art history, subjects which often have an unclear career path, and do not offer a simple road to a future career as is promised in a business degree. You can still get jobs with these degrees, everything from teaching to academia to fields entirely unrelated, but the stigma remains. 

Our Definition of a Worthless Degree

We’re going to solve this problem of conflicting definitions that nobody agrees on by adding our own definition to the pile. We realize this may not help generally, but this is how we define a worthless degree when advising our own students on what opportunities they should pursue:

• A worthless degree is one which does not return the value you invest in it. 

This is perhaps overly simplistic, but what we emphasize to students is that the value of a degree is what you learn from it, the opportunities it gives you, and the future it sets you up for. I have friends from undergrad who majored in English and who went on to medical school, or who majored in chemistry and now work in human resources. As has been pointed out many times, while your college degree can inform your future career, many times it doesn’t. 

The most valuable college degrees are the ones which give you valuable skills; how to synthesize information, how to learn new skills quickly, how to adapt to novel situations and come up with solutions to problems you haven’t encountered before. This is the value of a traditional education, even for degrees which aren’t directly related to a career. 

So what degrees do we find valueless? Often those offered by for profit institutions, ones which have major promises and deliver little. Many masters degrees fall into this category as well, unless they are directly necessary for a particular career or qualification. It is often hard to blanket declare certain degrees or programs worthless; many of these are going to come down to value judgements, and depend on what a particular student is looking for.

How This Impacts You

When you are planning for your own degree, and own future, there is often a pressure to major in specific fields. Computer science, engineering, business, based on the thought that other fields will not lead to lucrative careers, or even careers at all. Now, some degrees do have more direct paths to employment than others, and some students want this certainty. Others may genuinely desire a career in engineering or computer science.

Our point in all of this is that you should not feel pushed to major in a field which doesn’t interest you at all because you think it is necessary for a future career. Studying a subject that interests you and picking up skills, combined with internships and networking, can lead to great career outcomes as well. 

The worth of a degree is determined by what you get out of it, and for top colleges, none of the degrees they offer are worthless. This does not mean they are all going to lead to equivalent starting salaries, but consultants are simply paid more than physicists or paleontologists. 

Some degrees will take more work to connect with a career, and you do need certain degrees for certain careers, though this is mostly the case for fields like engineering, where a professional certification is required. You can enter the field of business from many different starting points, and see great success in doing so. 

That said, we do find that for profit institutions tend to offer truly worthless degrees, and commend this legislative initiative for cutting these off from federal funding. Students attending accredited and well-vetted institutions, however, are well positioned regardless of the degree they pursue.

Final Thoughts

With college being as expensive as it is, it makes sense to worry about the investment you are making, and whether the degree you are paying for is worth it. As with any investment you can and should research your options carefully, to understand what you are paying for, and what you get out of it. We hope this article has given you insight into what makes a degree worthwhile, and why some are not. 

If you are looking for help evaluating colleges and the degrees they offer, and how each may work for you, then �ԹϹ��� can help. Just as you’d speak with a broker about investing, so too can �ԹϹ��� help you understand what you’re getting into when investing in a college education, and how you can get the best returns on this particular investment. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more, we’re always happy to hear from you.

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How the Texas A&M-Blinn TEAM Program Works

The TEAM program is a dual-enrollment program. Students take a majority of their coursework at Blinn, but also take courses at A&M, and have access to A&M’s community and opportunities, everything from advising and extracurriculars to the Corps of Cadets. This is a two year program, and students who successfully complete it are automatically enrolled in their chosen major at A&M.

Students take at least 60 credit hours at Blinn, and at least 15 at A&M over the course of the program. Each semester, they take the majority of their coursework at Blinn, and a few courses at A&M. Each potential major you may transfer into has their own required courses you must take to qualify; we’ll cover these in more detail in a later section. 

Students in the program are permitted to live in A&M dorms and eat in A&M’s dining halls (Blinn, being a community college, doesn’t offer dorms). You do not have to do this, but many students do, seeking to be part of the broader community at A&M, even if they aren’t full students at the school yet. This is one of the major advantages the TEAM program offers over related programs, allowing you to begin integrating into A&M’s community before you fully transfer. 

You will have advisors at each school, and be required to pay tuition separately to each school. Tuition is dependent on credit hours taken by school. You will need separate parking passes for each campus. While you may join many opportunities at A&M, including Greek life, you will not enroll in enough credits there to qualify to compete on A&M’s official sports teams under NCAA regulations. You may still partake in club sports however.

Admissions

There is no separate application or admissions track for the TEAM program. Instead, students who apply to Texas A&M may be offered admission to TEAM in place of simply being accepted to Texas A&M itself. In this way, it is similar to the CAP program at UT Austin, though slightly different in overall structure. You must apply to Texas A&M and not Blinn for this program.

There is no way to apply for this program specifically, it is simply a decision which admissions makes and which may be offered to you. It offers students who A&M may not otherwise have room for a chance to graduate from the school, or students who may need a bit more academic preparation time to get it before enrolling in A&M fully. 

The Major Transfer Process

You do not need to apply for transfer admissions or otherwise when moving from the TEAM program to enrolling full time at Texas A&M if you meet both the program requirements and your specific major’s requirements. The program requirements at base are quite simple: 

• Maintain a minimum GPA of 2.5
• Have at least 60 credit hours at Blinn and at least 15 at Texas A&M

The major requirements, however, are far more varied. The requirements for TEAM students are the same as those interested in a , the internal process through which Texas A&M students apply for a major change. These are set by individual departments, and include everything from GPA minimums to courses you are required to have taken and passed. 

The reason for these requirements is twofold. First, they want to be sure you are qualified for the major you are entering. If you have spent all your time in the Blinn program taking business courses, and then attempt to transfer into engineering, they may worry you don’t have the experience needed to succeed in the major. 

The second concern is that you will be able to graduate on time. Universities love having you around, but they still want all students to graduate on a reasonable timescale, generally within the standard four years. These requirements, particularly the courses, are ones required for the major, and ensure you will have enough credits to graduate in four years if everything remains on track. 

Particular Major Requirements

The base requirements are easy, those for particular schools or majors on the other hand, are much more involved. We won’t go through each of the hundreds of majors at A&M, but we will illustrate a few common examples, so you get a better sense of what this process really entails. 

Mays College of Business

Unlike every other program, the Mays requirements are specifically different from what’s on the website, and exist for the entire college, rather than being differentiated by major. are the requirements for 2025, the most recent year they have available at time of writing. Here is what they require of students to transfer successfully: 

• A 3.80 GPA for all Blinn course, all A&M courses, and all ten qualifying courses, both overall and for each qualifying segment individually
• Ten specific qualifying courses in business and economics. These may be taken at Blinn or A&M

In addition, you are expected to fulfill certain core credit requirements for A&M during this time, courses all students must take to graduate as part of their distribution requirements. These too may be taken at A&M or Blinn. The GPA requirement is the hardest part of this, and is the highest GPA requirement for any TEAM transfer major; this is in large part due to the popularity of the business major, and is set in place purposefully as a stumbling block. 

Engineering Majors

Engineering uses the same general guidelines for TEAM as it does for . They have some general guidelines for all students, and then specific requirements for each subsidiary major. The general guidelines are: 

• You must have a minimum grade of C in all science and math courses
• Grades of D or F in non-science courses, or retaking science or math courses for higher grades, can negatively impact how competitive you are
• The more engineering courses you complete, and the more math and science courses are completed at A&M, the more competitive you are

These aren’t exactly hard requirements, but are rather a look into their evaluation process; what they weight and how they weight it when making an admissions decision. Note that for TEAM students, transfer is usually automatic if you meet the major’s specific requirements, so you need to worry about these less; though there is some overlap. We will note that many majors in engineering have capacity limits, and when this happens, more competitive applicants are more likely to get the seats. 

Each major then has their own requirements. Here are the ones for Computer Science, as an example:

• An overall GPA of 3.5
• Required math and science coursework, where you must earn a C or better
• Required programming coursework, which must have an average GPA of 3.75 or better

The GPA requirements vary by major; many are 3.5, and we recommend as high a GPA as you can achieve. The course requirements, of course, are fully dependent on the major, but are generally a number of prerequisite math and science courses, plus a number of courses specific to the major’s material.

Note that there is also a separate program for students interested in Engineering specifically: . This is what you will be placed into instead of TEAM in most cases if you applied to an engineering major at A&M. It functions similarly to TEAM, but is a different program. These students are prioritised for engineering transfers, while students who are simply in the TEAM program are less likely to be offered admission.

Economics Majors

Economics is in the College of Arts & Sciences, and is among the more popular majors in that college. This school has no universal requirements; each major is fully distinct in what it asks for from students (though there are of course similarities; having some minimum GPA and some list of coursework to complete). This makes sense; when majors are divergent as chemistry and English are under one roof, each is going to want very different things from incoming students.

Here is what the economics major asks for specifically: 

• A minimum GPA of 2.75
• Completing ECON 203 and 323 with a C or better
• A minimum GPA average of 3.0 for all economics coursework

They do not have a strict requirement for how many economics courses or other prerequisite courses you complete, beyond the two mandated, but we do recommend you take a number of math and introductory economics courses, just to make your transition to the major smoother. 

To compare this to another popular major at A&M, here are the requirements for Biology: 

• A minimum total GPA of 2.65
• Completing BIOL 111 and CHEM 119 with a B or better
• Completing MATH 147 with a C or better

They also note that if you have AP credit for the biology or chemistry courses, you will instead need to take the next level of coursework (BIOL 112 and CHEM 120, or other higher level courses in either) at A&M. AP credits are accepted, but you then need to prove your ability to do the work at a collegiate level. 

A Note on Readmissions

TEAM requires you to meet specific requirements to be admitted. If you fall short of these, you can apply for waivers, but these may be rejected. In these cases, you may find yourself without other options. If this is the case, Texas A&M allows students to apply for .

This is for Texas A&M students who left before getting a degree, and who wish to return to the school. It is akin to the transfer process, but with higher acceptance rates than the standard transfer admissions process. Students who apply through readmissions do often get the major they desire, though of course some are far more competitive than others. 

This isn’t a core component of the program, but we thought it worth noting, to show how it handles the cases where things don’t work out exactly according to plan. 

Is the TEAMs Program Right for You?

This program is something of a consolation prize for students who were not admitted directly to Texas A&M. That doesn’t make the program bad necessarily, but may not be your best option. It all depends on what your goals are, and what other options are available to you. 

If Texas A&M is your dream school, and perhaps a bit of a reach, then this program is an excellent choice; indeed, it is designed for students in this exact scenario. It gives you a guaranteed place at Texas A&M if you prove you can handle the coursework, and lets you experience the environment there while making the transition.

The program is also lower cost than simply enrolling in A&M from the get-go, though it is more expensive than the CAP program at UT Austin. Community college coursework is just less expensive, though the cost to live in A&M’s dorms (should you choose to) remains the same. It isn’t a major savings compared to some other transfer programs, but if cost is something you’re sensitive to, this may be something worth considering. 

If Texas A&M is not your top choice school, then this program may not be right for you, especially if you received admissions to another comparable school. There are many factors to consider of course, but some students want the full college experience for all four years. TEAM is a great program, and gets closer to delivering that then many other transfer pathways, but still falls short. 

Final Thoughts

Transfer pathway programs are a feature of many large and respected public universities, and for good reason. The goal of public universities is to serve the public in a particular state, and transfer pathways contribute significantly to that goal. The TEAM pathway offered by Texas A&M offers a number of benefits other pathway programs don’t, and we hope that this article serves as a proper introduction to it for you, and let you know if it is right for your needs. 

Finding the right college can be tricky, and so can navigating acceptance offers. This isn’t made easier by colleges themselves, many of whom invite students to join programs they may have never heard of, or send purposefully confusing financial aid packages. If you need help with this, or any other aspect of the admissions process, then �ԹϹ��� can help. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more, we’re always happy to hear from you. 

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Understanding Pell Grants

The is the most basic form of federal student aid, a sum of money the government grants eligible students to pay for college tuition. These grants are specifically meant to help students with the most severe financial need afford a college education; indeed, some schools use “Pell Grant recipients” as a shorthand for how many economically disadvantaged students they admit. 

This program began in the 1980s, with a goal of making college more affordable for the poorest students. While award amounts have increased over time, they have not kept pace with the cost of tuition; 2025-26 Pell Grants are for $7,395, which is a good bit less than $100,000. Still, for students attending community college or in-state public colleges, a Pell Grant can make a meaningful impact. 

Note that $7,395 is the maximum possible award amount; many Pell Grants will be for amounts less than this. The amount they give you depends on your need, the cost of the school you are attending, whether you’re a full-time or part-time student, and whether you’re attending for the full academic year.

The funds for a Pell Grant are disbursed directly to the school to cover tuition costs and fees; any leftover funds are generally disbursed directly to the student. These may be used to cover other related educational costs. For most colleges, there will not be enough Pell Grant to cover the full cost of tuition, and so all of the funds will be applied to that. 

Who is Eligible for Pell Grants?

Pell Grants have somewhat odd eligibility requirements, as there are the standard requirements, and then a limited number of exceptions to those. First, these are the standard eligibility requirements for the grant: 

• Display exceptional financial need
• Not have previously earned a bachelor’s, graduate, or professional degree

You may be enrolled either full or part time. The school you are enrolled in must be a fully accredited institution. Note that students enrolled in post-baccalaureate teacher certifications may be eligible for a Pell Grant as well, even if they already have a bachelor’s. 

Note that if you had a parent or guardian die in the US armed forces, you may have additional . This mostly relaxes the income and financial need requirements, though you must still meet other eligibility requirements. If you yourself served in the military, then you have additional funding options outside of the Pell Grant.

Applying for the Pell Grant

You apply for Pell Grants, as with all governmental aid, using the . This automatically determines your eligibility based on your financial situation, and offers grants based on that. This is not intended to be a difficult process, but does usually take some time. We recommend putting aside an afternoon to complete it. 

Pell Grants may be renewed annually for a maximum of six years, or until you earn a baccalaureate or professional degree, whichever comes first. You must fill out the FAFSA each year to maintain eligibility, as your financial situation may change, and with it the amount of aid you are entitled to. 

Should You Apply for a Pell Grant?

There is no separate application for these, as we just covered, so in most cases the answer to this question is yes. Even if you don’t intend (or expect) to receive any aid from the federal government, many colleges require students complete the FAFSA to be eligible for any kind of aid, even merit-based awards. This does, of course, vary by institution, but most students benefit from completing it. 

The exact requirements to receive funding under a Pell Grant change year to year, but it generally only goes to students with the most financial need, those well below the poverty line. There are limited funds available to disburse, and the program wants to be sure they go to students who need them most. 

Getting a Pell Grant, or applying for one, will not substantially impact your college applications. There are some schools who are need-aware, but they’re going to be need-aware regardless of whether you apply for one. If you do not need financial aid, you can improve your odds of acceptance to need aware schools by indicating you are not seeking it, but this is done on a per-school basis, and you can still complete the FAFSA and apply for aid at other institutions. 

Is the Pell Grant Ending?

Recent have pointed out the Pell Grant is facing a budget shortfall, and a sizable one: $11,500,000,000, which is slightly more than pocket change (though is still quite small in terms of the overall federal budget). The reasons for this are long term and systemic; Congress has been patching up Pell Grants with short-term funding solutions, but these have not kept pace with inflation or the program’s needs. 

Due to rising costs, more students than ever before are eligible for the Pell Grant, and more of them are also eligible for full funding under it. Currently, 7.6 million students are receiving funding from the Pell Grant, an appreciable number, and an increase of more than a million since 2020. 

On the one hand, expanded access to the Pell Grant is a good thing; helping more students afford the cost of a college education has been shown to be a very valuable and efficient investment, generating far more economic activity than it costs. This does, however, require the funding to actually support all of these students, which has not been given out. 

The Pell Grant has a fairly wide base of support amongst the public; US citizens of all stripes have benefitted from it. It remains up to Congress, however, to come up with a funding solution that will work in the long term; they have until September to wrangle over the budget, but if they can’t find a solution by then, then a number of students currently supported by Pell Grants risk losing their funding. 

We will return to this again if there are any major changes in funding for Pell Grants, since they are such an important source of educational funding for many students. Hopefully, a solution is found which allows all of them to continue their academic journeys with the support they need.

Final Thoughts

Pell Grants, and the rest of government funding for college education, offers far less than the total cost of tuition for many schools. That said, a few thousand dollars in aid is nothing to sneeze at, and these programs do provide a valuable lifeline for many low-income students. We hope that this article has clarified any questions you may have about the Pell Grant, and how it may be relevant to you. 

The college application process is stressful; after buying a house, a college education is generally the largest investment you will make in your future. If you are looking for help evaluating potential investments, or in expert advice to help you manage an oft overwhelming process, then �ԹϹ��� can help. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more, or check out our pro bono Laurel Scholars program. Either way, we’re always happy to hear from you.

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