Gwen Elise

About Gwen Elise

Gwen is an avid traveler who feels most at home in Kentucky and Argentina. Her closet is full of dark dresses, and her walls are papered in colorful maps. She likes to make puns, read, write, and translate to and from Spanish, and she misses Vassar College, her alma mater, which helped her get better at all of those things.

Applying to college with disciplinary history — Most students who are applying to college with a disciplinary history or criminal record would like to move forward with their lives, and they may feel frustrated or nervous when they come across questions about their backgrounds on their college applications. Students applying with the Common App, for example, might […]

Applying to College with a Disciplinary History or Criminal Record

This entry was posted in Admissions on May 26, 2017 by Gwen Elise

Understanding the GMAT: A Test for Prospective MBA Students — The GMAT, or the Graduate Management Admission Test, is a standardized admissions test for prospective MBA students. Their scores on the test help business schools select which students they’d like to accept from the pool of applicants. So, if business school is on your mind, taking the GMAT (or maybe […]

Understanding the GMAT: A Test for Prospective MBA Students

This entry was posted in Admissions on May 17, 2017 by Gwen Elise

Student Health Insurance or Parent's Plan? — College students have several options when it comes to health insurance coverage. Your options may depend on your age, income, state of residency, school, and immigration status, and you can read more about the options for your situation here. The following FAQ, however, is aimed at full-time college students who […]

Should I Take the Student Health Insurance or Stay on a Parent’s Plan?

This entry was posted in Health and Wellness on May 5, 2017 by Gwen Elise

A girl holding her finger to her lips and saying "shhh." — All jokes aside, members of college secret societies generally do keep mum about their activities, and some may keep mum about their membership status too. That’s why you won’t find much information if you go scouring the web about secret societies. As the name implies, they like to keep an […]

Everything You’re Allowed to Know about College Secret Societies

This entry was posted in Extracurricular on April 11, 2017 by Gwen Elise

Fun and Weird College Traditions — I can’t think of a college that doesn’t have a rich history. Even the newest colleges have stories to tell. College traditions are one way that those stories are passed on, and they become fun ways for students, faculty, and alumni to cultivate a sense of community and school spirit. […]

10 Fun and/or Weird College Traditions around the Country

This entry was posted in Recreation on April 8, 2017 by Gwen Elise

A person counts the money in their wallet, wondering about ways to make money at school. — With tuition costs on the rise, it’s no surprise that many college students call themselves broke. Sure, there are ways to hold down jobs in college—work-study is an option, and an off-campus job is another—but sometimes you’re looking to earn fast cash on the side. That’s when it’s time to […]

Earn Fast Cash in College with a Side Hustle

This entry was posted in Extracurricular on April 2, 2017 by Gwen Elise

A woman reads a book while balancing a book on her head; balancing school and work-study is a delicate act. — When you enter the workforce after graduation, you’ll surely hear the phrase “work-life balance.” A job with a good work-life balance lets you live a life outside of the office. That balancing act is trickier for students who plan to work and add school into the mix. How do you […]

How to Balance School and Work-Study without Losing It

This entry was posted in Money and Financial Aid on March 27, 2017 by Gwen Elise

Understand the myths about online colleges and learn the facts. — While online colleges only began popping up in the 80s and 90s, they have redefined higher education for many students. In fact, in 2012, 11% of U.S. undergraduates and 22% of U.S. graduate students were enrolled in online colleges. If you need further proof that they’re here to stay, turn […]

Four Myths about Online Colleges Debunked

This entry was posted in Preparation on March 24, 2017 by Gwen Elise

A granddaughter becomes one in a line of legacy students. — If you’ve binge-watched Gilmore Girls like I have, you’ll know that for most of her life, Rory Gilmore wanted to go to Harvard. Her grandfather was opposed—he was a Yale man—and he did his best to convince Rory to follow his lead. When she began to show interest in Yale, […]

Legacy Applicants and Legacy Students: An FAQ

This entry was posted in Admissions on March 18, 2017 by Gwen Elise

How to Decide between Two Colleges — Trying to decide between two (or more) colleges is a good problem to have. It means you have options, and you probably have a couple of good ones. If you’re excited by more than one of the possibilities within your reach, if you have to decide between two colleges, making […]

How to Decide between Two Colleges

This entry was posted in Admissions on March 6, 2017 by Gwen Elise

A girl shows her resume to a man and asks for last minute ways to improve a college resume. — It’s crunch time! The deadline to submit an application to your dream job, a cool summer internship, or your top-choice graduate program is nigh. If you’ve never written a résumé before, you’ll need to start from scratch—and hurry!—but let’s say that you know the basics and you have a draft […]

Seven Last-Minute Ways to Improve Your College Résumé

This entry was posted in Career on February 22, 2017 by Gwen Elise

Valentine's Day Ideas for Singles — By this time of year, couples have taken over campus. They stare lovingly into each other’s eyes at the dining hall. They walk hand-in-hand to the library. They sit a little too close to each other in class. If you’re single, you often can’t help but notice those happy couples. […]

Fun On-Campus Valentine’s Day Ideas for Singles

This entry was posted in Love and Relationships on February 13, 2017 by Gwen Elise