Пандемия COVID-19 стала причиной сильных изменений в американской системе образования. Для каких-то учеников и университетов сильно ускорены существующие процедуры, что привело к нововведениям в системе сдачи экзаменов и образования. Для других учеников и университетов изменения были непредвиденными, в результате чего возникла необходимость быстрой адаптации. Учитывая характер кризиса, вызванного COVID, продолжать обучение в привычном режиме, в классах, как и сдавать вступит

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused major shifts in the American educational landscape. For some students and universities, existing trends have been vastly accelerated, leading to new experiments in admissions and education. For other students and universities, the changes have been unforeseen, leading to the need for rapid adjustment. Due to the nature of the COVID crisis, it was impossible to continue running not only normal, in-person classes, but also college admissions tes

I’m writing to you on a cold Philadelphia morning. It’s only December 5, but I feel like I’m ready to sleep for days. The Hermiona team has been hard at work with our students since September, if not earlier. It feels like a race: we work on most of our regular students’ admissions until the end of December (sometimes a bit later), and then transfer season begins, so we are on the go until March. It’s my fourth admissions season with Hermiona. And while I wish I could say tha

For any number of reasons, you might not want to be at your home institution anymore: your classes might not be challenging enough; you might not be getting the attention you need from your professors; or you might even feel like you’ve grown so much since applying originally that you’re now a contender for a more prestigious institution. These are all reasons I’ve heard, and I invite you to ask yourself the following questions before pursuing a transfer application: What is

Every year, students ask me if they should apply early, expecting a simple yes or no answer. The reality is that this question is far more complicated, and that every student with hopes set on a particular school should ask themselves this. Before we begin, I’d like to explain the difference between two types of early applications: Early Action and Early Decision. Some schools offer one; some schools offer both. Some schools offer neither one. (In fact, I got into Princeton v

Ever felt like you’ve “outgrown” your current university? Ever felt like you’re ready to explore the opportunities that another college has to offer? You can submit a transfer application! It’s largely the same as a regular first-year application, but with a few nuances that I’ll mention below. Most spring transfer application deadlines have already passed, but you still have plenty of time to apply for fall transfer! (This is me singing with my a cappella group at Princeton.

Now nearly three years into this job, I’ve come to realize that the most mystifying part of the undergraduate application process for nearly all students, domestic and international, is letters of recommendation. Everything else you can control -- test scores, grades, extracurriculars, etc. But students do not (and should not) have any control over their letters of rec, beyond choosing who should write them. They typically waive their right to view the letters in the first pl

I think it’s safe to say that COVID has created trends in social media and the news faster than we—or at the very least, I—can catch up. Perhaps this is just betraying my age as a very young millennial, but I have admittedly overwhelmed by the dizzying array of memes, viral foods, and TikTok dances at times. My favorite quarantine trend, however, takes a slower pace: “The Celebrity Bookshelf Detective.” First started by the New York Times, this series combines “investigative

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. In college, course selections—or “shopping,” as we affectionately called it—was both my favorite week and the most stressful week of the semester. Faced with the daunting task of choosing four (only four?!) courses from the labyrinthine course catalog, only to find that all your top choices all met at the same time, is exhilarating… that is, until I realized that I still needed to take that one science course I’d been avoid

When I applied to the Leadership for Social Change program at Tufts University, I was unsure if I was going to enjoy it. I was introduced to the program near the middle of May, during the long period of quarantine, very near the due date of the application -- May 21. There was no time to do any long thinking, so after one session of research, I found that I liked what the program was teaching. Social change is not only an important and large concept but one that I have been p

I'll say it first: I am so tired of quarantine. I spent all day thinking about what I was going to write about. Another COVID-related post, even if only indirectly related? I couldn't bear it. But I guess that's the reality these days. Everything seems impacted by the current state of the world, even the thing that we hold most dear: college admissions. At Hermiona, we've always worked remotely -- so we're prepared for the challenge. We're planning our admissions season now,

As I begin preparations to start graduate school this fall, I am reminded of what this time of year has meant for me for the past eight years: pulling out the suitcases from storage, looking at move-in times, and feeling a general nervous excitement about the coming school year. To me, as a graduate of Phillips Academy and Princeton University, campus life away from home has become a familiar way of life. However, especially during my first couple years at Princeton, a freque

When I entered college, I had no idea what to expect. I am a first-generation high school graduate, and now, a college graduate as well. No one in my family could give me tips, as they had no idea what my school would really be like. Given my situation, I felt it was best to stay open to new ideas, experiences, and interests. I had originally received several scholarships to attend university in the Civil Engineering field. But the feeling of being locked into one major from

С трудом верится, что уже конец июля. Многие из нас, уйдя на карантин с середины марта, провели четыре месяца в уединении – так это, по крайней мере, ощущается. Я часто ловила себя на мысли, что жизнь сильно изменилась, даже несмотря на занятия по Zoom и прогулки с друзьями с соблюдением социальной дистанции. Я скучаю по обедам с лучшей подругой в нашем любимом кафе, скучаю по объятиям с дедушкой и бабушкой. Я даже стала скучать по тому ощущению, когда ногти, нечаянно задевая

It’s hard to believe that it’s already the end of July. Many of us have been in quarantine since the middle of March, making for four months of solitude -- or at least it feels that way. Even with Zoom classes and socially distant walks with friends, I often find myself saying that nothing really feels the same anymore. I miss getting lunch with my best friend at our favorite restaurant, and I miss hugging my grandparents. But I’ve also come to miss the screech of nails on a

Составляя заявку на поступление в колледж, я знала, что мое творческое портфолио составит ее неотъемлемую часть. Во время учебы в старшей школе я много времени уделяла занятиям танцами и музыкой. Я брала уроки игры на скрипке и каждые выходные выступала в нашем фортепианном квинтете в Консерватории Новой Англии. Я также солировала в танцевальных представлениях в Бостоне и его окрестностях и уже в выпускном классе ставила хореографию и режиссировала собственные представления.

Going into the college admissions process, I knew that the arts supplement would be an integral part of my application. Both music and dance had significantly shaped my high school experience. I studied violin and performed with my piano quintet at the New England Conservatory every weekend. I also had been a soloist in dance performances in the greater Boston area and was choreographing and directing my own shows by senior year. Even though I wasn't going to major in music o

Да, лето проходит совсем не так, как мы планировали, но команда Hermiona готова прийти на помощь! В понедельник 13 июля стартует второй поток курсов от HermionaU, и в этой статье я хотел бы рассказать о тех из них, которые лично мне кажутся самыми интересными. Интенсив по написанию и доработке сочинений к заявке в колледж Полина Иванова Между умением писать качественное сочинение и писательскими навыками человека как таковыми нет четкой взаимосвязи. К сожалению, в нашей систе

Summer isn't how we planned it -- but Hermiona is here to help! Our second session of HermionaU is starting on Monday, July 13th. I wanted to take this opportunity to highlight some of the courses I personally found most interesting. Writing and Revising the College Application Essay Polina Ivanova One’s ability to write a compelling essay has relatively little to do with one’s overall writing skills. Unfortunately, even though essay writing is an extremely useful skill that

Да, лето проходит не так, как мы планировали, но команда Hermiona готова прийти на помощь! В рамках нашего проекта Hermiona University мы только что закончили первый поток Интенсива по написанию сочинений для заявки в колледж, который охватывает весь процесс создания эссе от черновика до тщательной редактуры и финальных правок. Но самое главное – в конце курса у участников был готов полноценный идеально составленный черновик сочинения, отвечающий всем требованиям заявки в кол