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The ultimate guide to elite college admissions

Recorded Sunday, May 2, 2021 at 09:00 PM

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About this livestream

Description

The admission process at highly ranked colleges is getting more competitive every year — and the top 20 colleges now have an average acceptance rate below 12%.

So today, Elias will walk through everything you need to do in high school to gain admission to top colleges, including: the best testing strategies, developing an extracurricular profile, and the best alternatives in a world of social distancing. He'll then walk through the applications process at top colleges, including the strategy around your early application, as well as maximizing your essays and alumni interviews.

We'll also open up the floor for a Q&A to answer any and all questions you may have about elite college admissions.

Your host

Undergrad College: Harvard University '17

Major: Music

Graduate College: University of Michigan, M.M.

Work Experience: Now in my fourth year at CollegeVine, I have helped dozens of students gain acceptance to their top-choice schools and have also advised and mentored thousands more through my livestreams. Apart from my work at CV, I am also a professional conductor and a multi-instrumentalist. I currently serve as the music director of the Apollo Ensemble of Boston, and I have led symphonic concerts and operatic productions throughout the United States.

My Admissions Story: Initially interested in pursuing a career as a performing cellist, I applied almost exclusively to music schools with dual and double degree options and ultimately enrolled in the Tufts University/New England Conservatory Dual Degree Program. Unhappy with the combined program and worried I'd never feel like I was fully a student at either school, I logged back into CommonApp.org in October of my freshman year. I can't say I went about the transfer process in the smartest way (I only applied to two schools!), but Harvard miraculously accepted me (or 'excepted me' as I wrote in a celebratory Facebook post that day - no one ever let me live that one down), and the rest was history.

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