The IvyWise College Counseling Experience

Want to get into your dream university? At IvyWise, our team of former admissions officers knows what it takes to stand out when applying to college. 

Colleges consider all four years of high school grades, courses, activities, summer plans, and awards when reviewing applicants, so it’s important to start the college preparation process as early as possible. At IvyWise, our programs are tailored to fit each student, no matter what stage of the college admission process they are in. Comprehensive programs can start as early as 8th grade or much later in the process when seniors have just started on their applications. We’re here to help guide students through the entire process – or the specific areas where they need the most support.

Students in long-term IvyWise college counseling programs work with their counselor to build compelling profiles by maximizing their time in high school in order to be best prepared for the college admissions process. As senior year approaches, students receive comprehensive application support – ensuring they’re putting together the most compelling applications that will give them the best chance of admission to their top-choice schools.

Profile Building: Colleges evaluate all four years of high school grades, courses, activities, summer plans, and more, so starting early is critical to a successful and stress-free college admissions process. In this stage of the program, sessions are impactful and introspective as IvyWise counselors get to know students and help them build a strong foundation early, allowing them to take advantage of all opportunities available to them with expert guidance through every step of the way. This includes working with students in 8th grade to help them choose 9th grade courses – setting their academic track through all four years of high school.

Crafting Your “Story:” Who are you today and who do you want to be in the future? As students enter 9th and 10th grade, IvyWise counselors continue to work with them to explore and refine their academic and extracurricular activities, helping them continue to build their profile authentically and better define their “story.” Colleges want to build well-rounded classes of students with clear interests and goals, so our counselors guide students to participate in purposeful and relevant activities that are true to their interests and who they are. It’s our goal to help students grow into the best versions of themselves and tell their own story – not the story someone else thinks admissions officers want.

Executing Your College Prep: Most high schools don’t start college prep until the second half of 11th grade. At IvyWise, we have been building a solid profile since 9th grade, so by the start of junior year students are ready to dive into the bulk of the college prep process. At this point, sessions are more frequent with more deliverables as IvyWise counselors leverage our tutoring and research services to help students to build a balanced college list, refine and execute a relevant testing strategy, plan for college visits, and more. Everything students have been doing over the last 2-3 years is starting to be realized as they work toward the application process senior year.

Telling Your Story: IvyWise counselors work directly with students to tell the story they’ve been building over the last four years through compelling and thoughtful college applications. This starts with developing and executing a strategic application plan to maximize outcomes. Students work exclusively with their IvyWise counselor for every part of the application process, including brainstorming, drafting, editing, and refining the personal statement essay along with any supplements. Sessions are weekly, or even daily, as we work with students to tell their story through every application and submit them to IvyWise Roundtable, which helps students hone their applications before submitting. 

Looking for expert feedback in a fast-tracked, targeted program? IvyWise offers short-term senior programs that give families access to expert college application advice to help students prepare their applications, or even offer guidance after their applications are done. While these programs don’t include access to the IvyWise Roundtable, students still benefit from personalized guidance from a member of our team of admissions experts.

The IvyWise Application Boot Camp is ideal for students who are coming to us later in the process and want to tap into IvyWise’s counseling services in a focused, fast-tracked, and affordable program. Seniors will work with an IvyWise counselor on all aspects of the Common Application, including personal and activity statements, as well as the supplement for a top-choice school.

You’ve already completed your Common Application and the supplement to your top-choice school, but are you sure it’s ready for submission? Get your application read by a former admissions officer before it really counts! An IvyWise counselor will provide comprehensive evaluation of all application aspects and make suggestions for improvement.

Are you submitting a portfolio with your college applications? The IvyWise Portfolio Review gives students a thorough, expert review of all elements of their completed portfolio and, if required, an artist’s statement by a former admissions officer and artist who reviewed applications and portfolios for both undergraduate and graduate-level art programs.

You’ve already completed the admissions process and the results are in – but they’re not what you expected. IvyWise counselors provide expert insight into what comes next. They will review all of the student’s application materials and provide a strategic plan to help maximize the chances of admission.

Enhancing philanthropic giving is important to all colleges and universities, and can play a unique part in the college admissions process in some circumstances. At IvyWise, we provide development and philanthropic counseling with a former Ivy League development and admissions officer with over 20 years of experience. Your counselor will explain the development process from the point of view of a highly selective university and discuss development priorities and methods for pledging or making a major gift.

In addition to direct admissions experience, IvyWise counselors have specialties in a number of specific areas that can give an added layer of support for students with unique guidance needs. Some common specialties include:

• Athletics: IvyWise has counselors who can guide families through the intricacies that student athletes may face if they plan to compete inter-collegiately in NCAA Division I, II or III.
• Visual and Performing Arts: For students applying to arts or music programs, an IvyWise counselor can help them showcase their talents in a creative and engaging way and can provide feedback on portfolios (such as art work, recordings, written pieces, etc.), while explaining how these supplements fit into the larger application picture.
• Learning Differences: Our counselors have experience advising students with learning differences, whether families are seeking specialty high schools and colleges with LD support or wanting to address learning differences in an application. We work hand-in-hand with families to give students the confidence and tools to achieve their goals. Our counselors are trained in reading and understanding psych-ed evaluations and IEPs and how they impact students in and out of the classroom.

For a full list of counselor specialties and areas of expertise, check out our team page.

The IvyWise Initial Consultation is the first step on the path to a successful academic experience and application process. Following a thorough review of your student’s profile, you’ll meet with the IvyWise expert counselor of your choice for 90 minutes to go over a personalized, strategic action plan to help your student achieve their academic and personal goals. This consultation also allows your counselor to make the best recommendation for ongoing work to fit your student’s needs. To learn more and enroll in an Initial Consultation, call us today at +1 (212) 262-3500.

Learn more about the IvyWise Initial Consultation »