In the old days of computer discs, I remember the best piece of advice I ever heard: “start early; save often”. This was in the context of college essay writing, and the high school senior sharing her wisdom with me, a ninth grader at the time, had just experienced a catastrophic setback because of a computer melt-down. After that incident, she saved every line of every draft of her college essay to a different floppy disc, hiding them around her bedroom and car and school locker to prevent having to replicate any more of her painstakingly personal work.

Last week, we launched our inaugural social media campaign featuring students sharing what they love about their colleges We heard from enthusiastic students from around the country at different schools - which ranged in size, location, programming, and selectivity. Though all of the students and their experiences were unique, a theme that resonated between the posts was the students’ appreciation for their school’s sense of community: they all felt academically and socially supported on their campus of choice.