Samantha Clavelli shares her experiences at the University of Virginia. While she recognizes the competitiveness of UVA, she sees flexibility as the key to college success.

English teachers often require students to write college essays as a classroom assignments. Consider a

A review of essay prompts can be a great way to prepare for the writing process. A creative prompt may just the spark a fresh perspective or a new insight about yourself. And, this new idea could go on to inspire your main essay, after you’re well rested and ready to start writing your college essay.

For two universities that are so well known and in the public eye, it is perhaps curious that each has a bit of a head-scratcher for a nickname. After all, what in the world is a “tar heel”? And what’s a “wahoo,” for that matter?

Compare the outdoor-focused programs at the University of Colorado and the University of Vermont. PrepMatters feature College Cousins compares relationships among college programs with similar themes, academic programs, or student cultures.

Students at both universities can round out their college experience with a host of activities in the form of on-campus clubs and organizations.

These two private research universities have similar vibes in a number of respects. More importantly, however, each offers excellent academics, abundant opportunities and a rich experience to the students who, for four years, make these schools their home.

This column puts the spotlight on Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana and Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina. By most standards, these schools are tiny (Guilford having about 1,700 undergrads and Earlham only 1,050), and yet they have managed to gain big-time reputations – and deservedly so.

For some, the quintessential college experience is characterized by a quality education gained in a special kind of atmosphere – the kind typified by Denison University and Trinity College. These two small liberal arts colleges offer four-year collegiate experiences on campuses that are traditional in appearance but brimming with energy and diversity.

Two of our country’s most respected institutions of higher learning are familiarly known to us as CalTech (California Institute of Technology) and MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). Both, as their names suggest, have a major focus on all things relating to science and technology – although that isn’t to say that students can’t pursue excellent courses of study in other fields.