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University Planning
2 articlesAdmissions Officers, On the Record
First-hand interviews with US admissions officers — what they actually read for, where Chinese-American applicants get misread, and what they tell families to do differently.

Read in order
1Part 1Cornell Admissions Officer Marina Fried: We Never Reject a Student Over One Score
Cornell admissions officer Marina Fried explains why scores and AP course selections aren't the deciding factor — admissions teams look for whole, alive students. The opening piece of our Admissions Officers Interview series.
Jan 8, 20263 min readRead
2Part 2UCSB Admissions Officer Cuca Acosta: Step Out of the AP Box and Truly Think
UCSB admissions officer Cuca Acosta explains why top public research universities care more about your critical thinking than the number of AP courses you take. A piece for families agonizing over course selection.
Jan 30, 20264 min readRead