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Hover over the orange dots to read a testimonial from one of our families.

Our expert counselors have worked with countless international students. They created a guide to US university admissions for international students to navigate the complex US admissions process. This guide is free and you can download it today by clicking the button above.

Thank you so much for being there for us when we needed you…Last night when Alex had to decide whether he would commit himself to attend Brown if accepted I couldn't think of making that decision without your advice... Mirta T., Buenos Aires
Argentina, Son accepted Regular Decision to Brown University, Class of 2012

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The college admissions process can be extremely overwhelming, especially for those who are not familiar with it. IvyWise guided me throughout the entire journey, helping me craft essays and perfect applications. I was admitted Early Decision to one of the best business schools in the world. Anonymous Student, Brazil
Accepted Early Decision to the Stern School of Business, New York University, Class of 2014

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At the beginning of the process, I found the task before me somewhat daunting and was quite intimidated by all of the work involved. By the successful end of the process, however, I came to understand the process and considered my counselor a friend, confidant, and trusted advisor. She sure knows how to get the job done! Jessica Rotman, Toronto, Canada
Accepted Early Decision, University of Pennsylvania, Class of 2008

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In truth, the great result pales in comparison with the life experience of the journey taken together with our son. Was it expensive? Yes. But how do you put a value on helping your child become the kind of singular young person you always knew he was? Parent, Los Angeles, CA
Son accepted Early Action to Bard College, Class of 2014

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Integrity, honesty, straight talk and tough love is what you will get from IvyWise. Quick, clear and definitive answers to the murky waters of the entire application process are provided. Perhaps your child would be better suited at a school you had never heard of, but is a top-notch institution. Perhaps your child does not know if an Ivy League School is right for him or her. IvyWise gives both direction and insight for both the student and the family. Parent of two IvyWise students, Chicago, IL
Daughter, Accepted Regular Decision, Goucher College, Class of 2009
Son, Accepted Early Decision, Dartmouth College, Class of 2012

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Our particular counselor came well prepared to guide us toward success. Having been an admissions counselor at Brown, she knows exactly which attributes of a student are most likely to be given priority, where you need to strive for excellence, and can give you realistic expectations of where you might be admitted. She has an organized, systematic approach to the admissions process that assures each attribute required is practiced, executed, and re reviewed. Be it tutoring for standardized tests, writing essays, or planning summer activities, our counselor was there to guide us constantly towards "putting our best foot forward." In the end, we had several top schools to choose between. In a year that was known for its record low admission rates, choosing which great school to attend was a wonderful problem to face! J. L., Colorado
Son accepted to Middlebury College, Class of 2013

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IvyWise's forte lies in devising a strategy to help the student present himself most effectively. Haphazard teenage choices were transformed into a revealing personal profile. This process in itself was a real turning point for our son: he learned to see and acknowledge his own strengths and weaknesses more clearly. He saw where he was at and what he had to do to get where he wanted to go. He had his heart set on going to Brown and with IvyWise's help, he was offered a place there, his first choice school. Mother of Alejandro Landes, Quito, Ecuador
Son Accepted Regular Decision, Brown University, Class of 2003

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Thanks so much for all your help and that of everyone in your team. You were invaluable and we could not do it without you. We are delighted with the result! R. C., England
Son admitted to Harvard College, Class of 2013

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Working with my IvyWise counselor has been both fun and reassuring. The college admissions process is one that I found to be relatively painless, and I'm pretty sure I can attribute that directly to the preparatory work we did together both in sessions and over the phone. I saw plenty of friends break down and cry over missed deadlines, frustration over writing essays, and a sense of hopelessness at the sheer magnitude of applying to all of their colleges. Without your help, and the ApplyWise videos I watched, I wouldn't have been nearly as successful in my essay writing and interviews with private teachers. Thanks so much for all of your help; I look forward to keeping in touch with you over the coming months and years! Teddy Malasky, West Palm Beach, FL
Accepted to Northwestern University, Class of 2014

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Embarking on my college application seemed like an extremely long and daunting voyage. IvyWise helped break down my journey into manageable stages, guiding and reassuring throughout. Not once did IvyWise try to interfere too much with my application – so the true me was able to come across in a more impressive and polished way. Being an international student, I found their help and expertise invaluable and would strongly recommend them to anyone searching for counseling with a difference. Anonymous Student, Lichtenstein
Accepted Early Decision, Princeton University, Class of 2009

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Thank you all so much for you support and guidance in my application. It was obvious that you and the rest of the staff invested a lot of time and energy editing my essays and finding ways to emphasize my passion for Cornell and Ithaca. I'm sure you're thanked a lot of "helping to realize my dream, etc." but that's exactly what you've done in my case. It was a pleasure working with you. D.R., Massachusetts, Accepted as a Transfer Student,
Cornell University, Class of 2011

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While my IvyWise counselor guided me through the perceived challenges of the admissions process, working with her made those challenges seem like the workings of my imagination; she helped me to discover topics for the essays that made writing them more of a voluntary reflective task than an obligatory and tedious assignment. She seemed more like a supportive friend than a college counselor. Her assiduity ensured I had the best presentable application. When December 15 arrived, she celebrated with me on my acceptance to Johns Hopkins University! If you're serious about getting in to the school of your dreams, contact IvyWise to be one step closer to accomplishing your dream. Daniel Ammirato, New Jersey, USA, Accepted Early Decision,
Johns Hopkins University, Class of 2009

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In an admissions world where 2400's and stellar letters of recommendation do not guarantee acceptance to a student's first choice school, IvyWise helped me account for the difference. My counselor also helped me decide on narratives for my essays that allowed my personality and uniqueness to radiate through. Each sentence I wrote gave meaning to my personal statement. In addition, the entire advising team read over my work, which made me feel more confident when I submitted my applications. For each school I applied to I wrote different essays and truly emphasized specific and concrete reasons why I wanted to attend a certain school. IvyWise helped me set my best foot forward in the college process, for which I am eternally grateful. Anonymous Student, New York, NY
Accepted to Harvard College, Class of 2014

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We wanted to thank you again so very much, for helping [our son] through his college admission process. Our counselor was a phenomenal help in navigating a high-stakes, complex adventure -- and we couldn't be happier with the outcome! Parent, Portland, Oregon, USA
Son accepted to Brown, Class of 2010

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The college admissions process has become so brutally competitive. IvyWise was the key to helping me maximize my accomplishments throughout my high school years. My counselor at school wasn't able to help me create the unique profile that top colleges were looking for. IvyWise did exactly that for me by guiding me every step of the way on both the extracurricular and academic fronts. Dr. Kat helped me maximize my efforts by guiding me on the direction that I should focus my energies. This guidance allowed me to become much more efficient and in the end accomplish a lot more than I had originally thought I would be able to. By being the most up-to-date and "in the loop" of what is going on in the college admissions world, the IvyWise team showed me how to create memorable essays, and overall create a final application that would be sure to attract the attention of admissions officers. IvyWise let me shine through the application process by honing in on every different facet of the process. I can't thank IvyWise enough for what they've done for me. Anonymous Student, International

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About Us

Press Releases

Decoding College Admissions Speak

Early Application Deadlines Begin November 1st and 15th

New York, NY (October 30, 2009) — The college application process can often be a smorgasbord of confusing acronyms, deadlines and restrictions for parents—many of whom may not have applied to college in more than 20 years—and their college-bound teenagers. What's the difference between applying "early action," "early decision," and "regular decision?' During which round should students apply? Does when they apply affect their chances of admission or their financial aid packages? Which schools have eliminated early decision altogether? With early application deadlines beginning November 1st and 15th, it's critical for families of college-bound teens to understand admissions speak.

"There is no one application plan that is right for everyone," says college admissions expert Dr. Katherine Cohen, CEO and founder of IvyWise, an internationally recognized college admissions counseling company based in New York City. "While some students should apply early to increase their chances of admission, others may need to hold off until they can improve their academic profiles, do additional research on the schools they'd like to attend, or even compare financial aid packages."

Defining key college admissions terms:

Common Application is a standardized form accepted by almost 400 colleges that allows students to complete an application once and send it to many schools. Caution: Many schools require supplemental essays and materials. Read the fine print!

Regular Decision is a standard, non-binding application plan and the most common. Open to all students who may apply to as many schools as they wish, applications are typically due late December through mid-February, depending on the school. Acceptance letters go out by the first week in April.

Early Decision is a term used to describe binding early application to one school. Students may apply to only one school Early Decision. If accepted, the student must attend that school. Early Decision applications are due November 1st or 15th and students are notified by mid-December. Early Decision is recommended for students whose junior year grades are indicative of who they are as a scholar, whose standardized tests are complete and who don't want to compare financial aid packages.

Early Action is a non-binding, early application for students who aren't necessarily committed to attending one school, but want to increase their chances of getting admitted to one or more schools. Early Action applications are due November 1st or 15th and students are notified by mid-December.

Rolling Admissions policies allow students to apply within a large window of time. The admissions cycle is open—first come, first served. Rolling Admissions is a common practice at larger state colleges and community colleges.

Score Choice is a policy that lets students choose which test dates from their SAT Reasoning Test or SAT Subject Tests to send to colleges. This is a new policy from The College Board, and relatively few schools honor it thus far.

Test Optional is a program at 800 schools wherein applicants have the option not to submit their SAT or ACT test scores. Those schools can be found at www.FairTest.org.

Need Blind Admissions is an application review process without consideration of an applicant's financial need. This is considered to be the fairest way of admitting students. The opposite would be need-sensitive admissions, where an applicant's ability to afford the school can sway an admission committee's decision.

"Despite economic uncertainty, it seems that these students and their parents believe that college is a worthwhile investment," said Katherine Cohen, Ph.D., founder and CEO of IvyWise college counseling and the author of The Truth About Getting In.

Dr. Cohen noted that the increased numbers of applicants makes sense, given that the high school graduating class of 2009 will be the largest in America's history, with 3.2 million students getting their diplomas. "These students have been working hard to get into the colleges of their dreams, and apparently, they are not letting economic conditions deter them from seeking the education that best meets their needs," she said.

According to Dr. Cohen, some colleges are experiencing a slight gender gap, with female applicants exceeding male applicants by anywhere from five to 20 percent. Yale reported that 55% of its current applicant pool is female.

"This isn't completely surprising. Liberal arts colleges saw the gender gap widening over a decade ago. Now, highly selective universities are seeing it, too. Currently the ratio of girls to boys applying to and attending college is 60:40 and some colleges are actually doing affirmative action for boys. So, I advise my students that this trend might play a role in how their applications are reviewed by a college," Dr. Cohen explained.

Ralph Figueroa, Director of College Guidance at Albuquerque Academy agreed. "We are very direct with our female students and their parents, telling them that the process is just a little bit harder on them than on their male classmates. Seeing this trend extend into the national universities is a little discouraging, but it is just a reality we all need to recognize," Figueroa stated.

The bottom line-there is more competition than ever before to get into college and so high school seniors should brace themselves for potential disappointment. "April will be a stressful month," warns Dr. Cohen. "Not only will many wonderful students not get into their top choice school, but if they do, their parents will still have to worry about whether there will be enough personal resources and financial aid available to make their child's dream a reality."

Comparison of Application Plans

	Binding?	Compare Financial Aid?	Typical Application Deadline	Typical Notification
Early Decision I	Yes	No	Nov. 1st or 15th	Mid-Dec.
Early Decision II	Yes	No	Late Dec.-Mid-Feb.	Feb. or March
Early Action	No	Yes	Nov. 1st or 15th	Mid-Dec
Restrictive Early Action	No	Yes	Nov. 1st	Mid-Dec.
Regular Decision	No	Yes	Late Dec.- Mid-Feb.	1st week in April
Rolling Admission	No	Yes	N/A	Within months of submitting application

Dr. Cohen advises that every college-bound student begin the application process by creating a college wish list. She recommends students apply to 10 to 12 colleges which includes "reach, target and safety" schools that are a good fit academically, socially and financially. "Don't choose a school based solely on its perceived prestige or published rankings," she cautions.

Although applying early may not be for everyone, it does give students an advantage in some cases. IvyWise's data shows that students applying early to several selective schools have a higher chance of acceptance.

2009 Acceptance Rates for Selective U.S. Colleges and Universities

School	Regular	Early Decision/Action
Columbia University	10%	23%
Dartmouth College	12%	26%
Duke University	17%	36%
University of Pennsylvania	17%	32%

About IvyWise

Recognized for its expertise, impressive results and collaborative counseling approach, IvyWise is an eleven-year-old comprehensive independent educational consulting company located in New York City. Founder and CEO, Dr. Katherine Cohen (named America's Superstar Independent College Counselor) and her team of former Ivy-League admissions officers work one-on-one with students worldwide to make informed decisions as they seek admission to the college of their choice. IvyWise provides expert advice to students and parents on school placement, college admissions and financial aid. For more information about IvyWise, please visit www.IvyWise.com.

ApplyWise is an affordable online college admissions counseling program, developed by Dr. Cohen and her IvyWise team of counselors, that includes interactive online counseling modules and organizing tools to give parents and students everything they need to master the college admissions process. For more information about ApplyWise, please visit www.applywise.com.

Testimonials

"The college admissions process can be extremely overwhelming, especially for those who are not familiar with it. IvyWise guided me throughout the entire journey."

Anonymous Student, Brazil
Accepted Early Decision to the Stern School of Business, New York University, Class of 2014