College Decisions 2025: A Recap

College Decisions 2025

We’ve got data to share with you! After one of the most brutal application processes we’ve seen (every year it seems to get tougher and more competitive), here’s what we’ve gleaned from analyzing our students’ data, including their test scores, activities, and geographic location.

1. Some students are now thrilled about their safety schools. They’re usually cheaper, offer more aid, have a “big school” feel, and offer a wide variety of programs. We always recommend that students take their safety schools seriously, and they’re delighted when they get their acceptances back. Our students were also invited into prestigious programs within those schools: one of the reasons we ask both students and parents not to dismiss a school just because they have a high acceptance rate.

2. Wisco was competitive this year. Very few of our students got in there, even though many considered it a safety school. These same students got into Ivy Leagues, the UCs, and many competitive private schools.

3. All of our students on the Brown waitlist got in. These students were waitlisted in the Regular Decision round, wrote Letters of Continue Interest in early February, then wrote additional Waitlist Letters as soon as they discovered that they were on the waitlist. And it worked in every case!

4. SAT and ACT scores matter. Overall, our students who submit SAT or ACT scores get into a higher percentage of the schools they apply to. They are also granted much more merit aid (we’ve known this for a few years) and automatically qualify for scholarships at schools like CU Boulder.

5. Personal, anecdotal essays work better than “bragging” essays. An admissions officer at UPenn told one of our students that her personal statement showed not only what she’s capable of, but who is as a person. Her supplemental essays were laser-specific about which programs at Penn she wants to participate in, which convinced the admissions officers to let her in early. 

6. Schools are offering alternative majors or programs. This isn’t new, but it was more common this year: if schools want a particular student but the program they’ve applied for isn’t available, they may offer them a spot in a different major or program. Some students are thrilled; others aren’t. Either way, now they have the information they need to make a decision.

7. We are so proud of the work our students have done. In this world of ultra-competitive college admissions, we know that the work our students do resonates with admissions officers because our students always get into at least one of their three top-choice schools. While we all know that college admissions are a black box and that luck plays a huge factor, our students 

We’re about to make our rounds at graduations in NYC and LA to celebrate with our students, so if you’re in those cities, please let us know! We are so grateful for our students, as well as their parents and families who have supported them throughout this difficult and loooooooong process. There’s so much success to celebrate! Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your lives, and if you ever have any questions (we coach college kids as well!), please email Nathaniel at nathaniel@kingfisherprep.com.

"College Decisions 2025: A Recap", written by Nathaniel Dolquist, CEO at Kingfisher Prep