2024 College Application Guy Year In Review

Reflect on the biggest topics in college admissions from 2024 and what they mean for the future.

It’s been quite an eventful year for me personally, and for college admissions more broadly. Thank you to all of my readers – this year I published 43 free posts and eclipsed both views and shares goals.

A quick summary of the most popular and talked-about topics.

Equity and Fairness

The biggest story of the year in college admissions has been the consequences and changes resulting from the 2023 Supreme Court’s decision to effectively end Affirmative Action in college admissions.

2024-2025 is the first full college admissions season since that historic decision, and the impact is still being felt.

Some schools have responded by adding to - or further emphasising - information captured in the personal statement and/or supplemental essays. Others have responded by increasing outreach efforts. And still others have been taking a wait-and-see approach (with data from selective colleges still being gathered and analyzed).

A few important articles to help you and your family navigate the uncertainty -

• Common App Essentials: Supplemental Essays - Tips and tricks for answering the “Community Essay”, also sometimes referred to as the “Diversity Essay”, e.g. one that asks you to reflect on your community and how it has shaped who you are today.

• How To Research a College Using Their Website - Understand what colleges are looking for in applicants.

• Common App Essentials: Writing Essays - How to best tell your story.

• Supplemental Essays - “Hidden” Application Work (That Takes Hours) - Budgeting for and tackling the challenges of many supplemental essays.

Early Admissions

There is a continued shift towards earlier-and-earlier admissions deadlines.

Colleges see tremendous value in identifying and locking in students early, and those students who apply Early Decision and Early Action are seeing benefits not just in terms of who gets in, but also who is receiving merit aid (and how much).

• Early Action and Early Decision FAQ - Answers to the most frequently asked questions on early admissions strategies.

• Early Admissions: Early Decision | Early Action | Restricted Early Action - Benefits and consequences of pursuing an early admissions strategy.

• College Admissions Calendar - Important Dates - Common deadlines for both applications and financial aid.

Deep Dives: The Common App and Athletics Recruiting

This year I authored two multi-part deep-dives on common admissions topics. In the Common App series, I explored each and every page / step in completing and submitting your application. In the Athletics Recruiting posts, I covered the most important elements of making the jump from high school to college athletics.

Common App Deep-Dive

• Common App Essentials: Profile

• Common App Essentials: Family

• Common App Essentials: Education

• Common App Essentials: Testing

• Common App Essentials: Activities

• Common App Essentials: Writing Essays

• Common App Essentials: Courses & Grades

• Common App Essentials: College Questions

• Common App Essentials: Supplemental Essays

• Common App Essentials: Recommenders & FERPA

• Common App Essentials: Submitting Your Application

Athletics Recruiting Deep-Dive

• The Student Athlete (part 1): What to Know About NCAA Div I + II + III, NAIA, Club, and Intramurals

• The Student Athlete (part 2): Understanding Eligibility

• The Student Athlete (part 3): Recruiting

• The Student Athlete (part 4): Showcasing Your Athletic Talent

• The Student Athlete (part 5): Athletic Scholarships and What You Need to Know

• The Student Athlete (part 6): Building a Balanced College List for Athletics

• The Student Athlete (part 7): Committing and the National Letter of Intent

• The Student Athlete (part 8): FAQs

Thank You

I am grateful for the opportunity to share college admissions information and knowledge with you all. Have a happy holiday season and I’ll pick up on January 7th 2025 with the next post.