Hilary Cairns

Hilary Cairns is a graduate of SUNY New Paltz and has a BA in English/Creative Writing. She's an established freelance writer who also has a hand in marketing, social media, and editing for various businesses across the United States.
Dollar sign on a brick college wall.
financial aid

Coronavirus Aid: How COVID-19 Affects College Finances

By Hilary CairnsLast updated on January 24, 2023
As a student or recent alumni, you might wonder how COVID-19 affects your colleges finances. Is there coronavirus aid available? Do you qualify? The quick answer: it depends. Here are some facts you need to know: Most Students Keep Their Financial Aid… Colleges have switched over to online courses, but this has not affected financial …
Student submitting application on a laptop.
college admissions

COVID-19 and College Admissions: What You Need to Know

By Hilary CairnsLast updated on December 22, 2022
With COVID-19 throwing much of the world into disarray, you may be wondering how it will affect your college admissions and college application going forward. Take a look at some must-know information here: Some Schools Changed Decision Deadline When you receive an acceptance letter to a college, most schools ask that you make your decision …
A pink origami pig standing on a gray surface.
financial advice & planning

How to Find the Best Savings Account Rates

By Hilary CairnsLast updated on January 24, 2023
As we’ve talked about in previous articles, you don’t want to choose just any savings account for your money. Something you need to consider when selecting a new account is the rate. So how do you find the best rates for a savings account? Start with Research Rates can vary from bank to bank and …
Two pencils on a desk next to a gray boolet.
ACT & SAT

Is the ACT or SAT Easier?

By Hilary CairnsLast updated on December 22, 2022
Junior year is the time to start thinking about the ACT and SAT, so you might be asking, “which is easier, the ACT or SAT?” You might be a bit surprised by the answer. It Depends There is no straightforward answer to the question “Is the ACT or SAT easier?” It actually depends… on you. …
Here's everything you need to know about college acceptance rates.
college admissions

What you need to know about college acceptance rates

By Hilary CairnsLast updated on December 5, 2025
Key takeaways: College acceptance rates are the percentage of accepted applicants in an admissions cycle at any particular school. Caltech is one of the most selective with a 2.6% acceptance rate, and University of Maine is one of the least selective at 96.8%. You can improve your chances of an acceptance letter with high grades, …

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Join thousands of students and parents learning about finding the right college, admissions secrets, scholarships, financial aid, and more.