Best Liberal Arts Colleges

 To  follow up on my list of the best universities,
 Here is a list of some of  the  best liberal arts colleges. (Again in alphabetical order)

1.       Amherst
2.       Bates
3.       Bowdoin
4.       Bryn Mawr
5.       Claremont Mckenna
6.       Colorado
7.       Davidson
8.       Grinnell
9.       Hamilton
10.   Ithaca
11.   Kenyon
12.   Kenyon
13.   Macalaster
14.   Middlebury
15.   Oberlin
16.   Pitzer
17.   Pomona
18.   Reed
19.   Swarthmore
20.   Trinity
21.   Vassar
22.   Wellesley
23.   Wesleyan
24.   Williams
25.   Wooster

 Many universities are actually structured  more like liberal arts colleges.  Dartmouth  is  the  best example of this.  Miami- Ohio and Truman state are othr examples.

Top Universities

I have already talked about how almost all institutions of higher education can be placed in 2 groups:
The large research universities and the smaller liberal arts colleges.
Her is a list of the top 25   research universities (  listed alphabetically)

1. Brown University
2. California Institute of  Technology
3. Carnegie Mellon University
4. Columbia University
5. Cornell University
6. Dartmouth College
7. Duke University
8. Harvard University
9. Johns Hopkins University
10. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
11. Northwestern University
12. Notre Dame University
13. Princeton University
14. Rice University
15. Stanford University
16. University of Virginia
17. University of Michigan – Ann Arbor
18. University of North Carolina
19. University of California – Berkeley
20. University of California – Los Angeles
21. University of Chicago
22. University of Pennsylvania
23. University of Southern California
24. Washington University in St.Louis
25. Yale University

in Europe

I will be in  Europe( UK and France) from  Jun20 to July 4.
Prospective students interested in meeting should send email to clearskyeducation@gmail.com

The Coalition application

 The Coalition for Access  & Affordability is a  group of nearly 100 universities that  pledge to make education more affordable. All coalition schools  offer either   subsidized  in- state tuition or have need blind admission policies.

read more at

Coalition for Access & Affordability

 The application  has the same components as  the common ap and includes recommendations , transcripts and an essay

 The essay promps for  the 2016-17 application are:

• Tell a story from your life, describing an experience that either demonstrates your character or helped to shape it.
• Describe a time when you made a meaningful contribution to others in which the greater good was your focus. Discuss the challenges and rewards of making your contribution.
• Has there been a time when you’ve had a long-cherished or accepted belief challenged? How did you respond? How did the challenge affect your beliefs?
• What is the hardest part of being a teenager now? What’s the best part? What advice would you give a younger sibling or friend (assuming they would listen to you)?

   and I will discuss thes individually  later on.

Ger ready for College Applications

 After the Summer the college application season will start in earnest.

  At the moment the are only 200 days left to the January deadline and a lot of work to be done.

 Use  your summer break to grt  some of the ground work out of the eway,
  Start thinking of the schools you want to apply to.
  Talk to friends in college and start looking them up online.
 Do visit any colleges and Universities  you are very keen on and especially if you  want to apply Early Decision/Early Action.

 This is the time to start deciding if you have a clear first choice  destination university.

  Also it helps to use the summe to bef up your resume. get a job. volunteer somewhere,   travel,
 remember to emjoy yourself.

Summer job and your college application

 As Summer Holidays begin,    this is a good time to look for a good summer job.

  The right summer job can play a  surprisingly big part in your college application.

 Many students base their essays on experiences and anecdotes they faced at work.

 The reason a job can help you  is that it gives the onean opportunity to demonstrate that 

 you can  assume a position of responsibility and keep yourself meaningfully occupied.  

 If you have a specific  major in mind it helps  to find a job related to your  field as this demonstrates seriousness and intent.

Finally  keep in mind that as a college student you WILL be short of money and  having a few extra dollars saved up over summer  is bound to come in handy.

 Some jobs that   can boost your application profile

•  anything in an education/teaching role
• Working in a  hospital or health care   setting
•  being involved with a startup

 Some jobs can also have a negative   effect especially if you   are not in an active role.   Several students use the summer to sit at family owned  firms with taking an active role.

 If you choose to  base your essay on your  summer job , do not write about  what you did or what happened to you  but rather about what you learned  from the experience.

The 2016 admissions calendar starts now

   The 2016 admissions calendar starts now for the future class of 2021.
 You have  about 200 days until the admission deadline of December 31.

 The summer break  should be spent  on a meaningful internship or job as well as   studying for  standardized tests.  Take the SAT/ACT   if you feel confident.   Dont worry as there is enough time for a second attempt. You can start  thinking about colleges in the background. do visit any universities you are really interested in. This will demonstrate serious interest on your  part and might give you an interesting anecdote  you can use in your essays.
 Keep in mind these are early days - so  be confident and do not let the stress  start getting to you.

 Start talking to your school counsellor or identify an external advisor to guide you. Clearskyeducation.com   has started working with students and we are ready to take on more.
contact me  on ravi@clearskyeducation.com