Ellen Andersen

Ellen is a guest blogger for College Raptor. She is a recent graduate of the University of Iowa. She holds a BA in English with Creative Writing and Psychology. Her current focus is applying to the Fulbright Scholar program.
college comparisons

Colleges with Interesting Histories

By Ellen AndersenLast updated on December 22, 2022
 The Humble Origins of the Harvard Yard When Harvard was first founded in the 1630s, the first piece of property purchased by the school was a house and an acre of land. This property was located on “Cow-yard Row”. The school distinguished its property from the surrounding name by calling their acre the “College Yard”. …
A jar of coins, mostly pennies and dimes.
financial aid

What Counts As “Demonstrated Need” For Financial Aid?

By Ellen AndersenLast updated on December 22, 2022
There is a common misconception in the minds of many college students: They believe they do not qualify for need-based aid based on their family’s income. But the definition of “need” is actually a little more flexible than what income bracket your parents’ finances fall into. When a college or scholarship requires you to show …
Save some money and avoid college application fees
college applications

How to Avoid College Application Fees

By Ellen AndersenLast updated on December 22, 2022
Part of the college application process is paying all those darn fees… Or is it? Here are some ways you can avoid paying application fees. Attend a Campus Visit Some schools have arranged for application fee waivers if you arrange (and attend) a campus visit day. It’s best to do this through the school rather …
Here's how to revise your first draft of your college application essay
college applications

How to Revise Your College Application Essay

By Ellen AndersenLast updated on December 22, 2022
You’ve done it. You have the first draft of your college application essay. You feel good about it, about the point you are making for the admissions officers. But it’s only a first draft. Now it’s time to buckle down and revise. Here are some tips on how to revise your college application essay. Read …
Check out our ultimate SAT breakdown guide.
ACT & SAT

The Ultimate SAT Breakdown Guide

By Ellen AndersenLast updated on December 22, 2022
Test-makers are constantly advancing standardized tests. Most of the time it’s just changing certain questions or adding new content to update current tests. And then sometimes you get the complete overhaul of a test, such as what they’ve done to the SAT. Before we breakdown each SAT section, let’s look at how it has changed …
Here are some mistakes you may make on your college admissions essays
college applications

Common Mistakes Students Make on College Admissions Essays

By Ellen AndersenLast updated on December 22, 2022
So you’ve narrowed down your list of schools. You’ve filled out all the demographics information for the application, and now it’s time for the essays and short answers. You’ve got everything covered…or do you? Here are some common mistakes that college admissions see, as well as how to fix mistakes on college admissions essays. Starting …
Should you apply to a huge reach school?
questions & answers

Should I Even Apply to “Huge Reach” Schools?

By Ellen AndersenLast updated on December 22, 2022
Should you apply to a huge reach school? The answer to this question put simply, is “Yes!” It’s always good to have at least one school to strive to challenge yourself. You never know, you might surprise yourself in the quality of work you produce for the application. And because of the higher demands of …