college admissions

March 6, 2023

On the Road with Betsy Woolf – Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

Located on California's Central Coast about halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a California public university where the motto is "Learn by Doing." And that is exactly what I found on a trip to this surprisingly modern campus. The curriculum is "flipped," meaning that from day one, students are  taking classes in their areas of study. And they don't just sit in class. This is a hands-on university.
February 26, 2023

On the Road with Betsy Woolf – So You Think You Know ASU…

ASU West is a 35-minute shuttle bus ride from the Tempe campus, yet it is a world away. It's hard to find a public university with a small student population, but ASU West is one. There are just over 4000 students attending this pretty modern campus...
June 9, 2022

On the Road with Betsy Woolf – CalArts

CalArts was founded by the Disneys in 1961 as a performing and visual arts educational institution. It is a direct entry school, which means that a student applies into a particular program. CalArts houses six separate schools—Art, Critical Studies, Dance, Film/Video, Music and Theater. All undergraduate programs – there are around 70 -  lead to a BFA degree.
May 17, 2022

Update on the Common Application

Current Common Application membership is 979 colleges and universities, 63 of whom are international. Members hail from 19 countries outside the US. This year, 1.2 Million first year applicants submitted 7.5 million applications.
May 16, 2022

In a New York State of Mind

...I proceeded to the Uptown campus of the University at Albany, which features nine schools: Arts and Science, Social Welfare, Education, Engineering and Applied Sciences, Public Health, Business, Public Affairs & Policy, Criminal Justice and Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity.
September 14, 2020
how to write the why this school essay

How to Write the Why This School Essay

One of the most popular questions in the Common Application and the Coalition for College Application is some variation as to why a student wants to attend a particular college. The answer to the Why This School question […]
March 27, 2020
Emory University

On the Road with Betsy Woolf – The Two Sides of Emory University

It was a few blogs ago that I wrote about somehow visiting colleges on grey and rainy days, and my visit to Emory was no exception. It was pouring in Atlanta and Covington. Covington? Yes. Emory has a […]
March 21, 2020
Georgia Tech

On the Road with Betsy Woolf – Georgia Institute of Technology

There’s a new campus recreation center at Georgia Tech, replacing the one I saw years ago. Georgia Tech was the site of the swimming and diving events for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Since then, a new rec center […]
August 1, 2019

On the Road with Betsy Woolf – Loyola Marymount University

Just nine minutes from Los Angeles International Airport, Loyola Marymount University (LMU) seems worlds away. Sitting on a high hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the upscale residential community of Playa Vista in the heart of LA’s Silicon […]
June 14, 2019

On the Road with Betsy Woolf – Hood College

One of the perks of this career is the opportunity to not just visit and revisit a wide range of colleges, but also to visit a vast array of locations, many of which I certainly would not have […]