Admissions Counseling

College Counseling

Admission to college can be very competitive. At IvyWise, we offer services to help families navigate the selective college admissions process.

IvyWise can help you get into your best-fit college

IvyWise has been in business for over 20 years and our team has over 150 years of combined experience. We help students get into their best-fit colleges through our proven methodology. In 2018, 91% of IvyWise students gained admission into one or more of their three top-choice schools.

What is College Counseling?

In your student’s IvyWise program, your counselor will work with your student to:

  • Refine coursework plans, testing schedules, and extracurricular activities
  • Research appropriate colleges and develop a balanced list of colleges based on your student’s needs and desires
  • Facilitate or improve teacher relationships, and ultimately select teachers for letters of recommendation
  • Identify and recommend extracurricular and summer activities, as well as internship opportunities
  • Plan for and prioritize college visits, including preparing for college interviews
  • Keep your student on task to complete all components of the college application
  • Brainstorm and provide feedback on personal statements and essays
  • Evaluate offers of admission as well as develop a strategy for waitlist and deferral decisions
Meet Our Counselors

IvyWise College Counseling Services

At IvyWise, our programs are tailored to fit each student, no matter what stage of the college admission process they are in – or where they live.

The IvyWise Initial Consultation is the first step on your student’s path to a successful application process. To prepare for this consultation, we ask that you provide us with all the information about your student that will be considered in his or her admission process – including transcripts, test scores, resume, interests, activities, experiences, etc. Prior to your consultation, our research team spends hours in collaboration with your counselor as they review your student’s profile and create a customized strategic plan that your student can implement to optimize his or her admissions process and outcomes.

Your family will then meet with the expert IvyWise counselor of your choice who, having had direct experience in the admissions office of a competitive US university for years, will explain the holistic admission process and provide comprehensive feedback on how your student’s applicant profile fits into the college admissions rubric. Within the consultation, your counselor will provide advice on course selection, extracurricular initiatives, summer programs, standardized testing goals, and, depending on class year, even preliminary advice on best-fit colleges for your student.

Following the consultation, your counselor will present a full report of his or her advice, including a recommendation for the ongoing IvyWise services that best support your student in reaching his or her personal, academic, and admissions goals.

As part of the Initial Consultation, students may also participate in a 30-minute online tutoring demo with an IvyWise tutor. Students may take our practice tests and benefit from specific expert feedback on whether they are better suited for the SAT or ACT, as well as an assessment on the areas they should strengthen as they prepare for their standardized tests.

Comprehensive College Counseling Programs

Whether you’re entering your freshman year with an eye towards college admissions, or just starting the process junior year, IvyWise offers comprehensive, individually tailored programs to help guide you throughout the entire admissions process.

In this four-year program, students will work with their counselor to select courses that will ensure a challenging yet appropriate curriculum, solve academic problems that may arise, facilitate or improve teacher relationships, identify and recommend extracurricular and summer activities, develop and explore core interests, learn how to make a significant impact in their school, local and global community, and maintain the confidence to meet these goals. They will work over four years to build a strong profile for the student, then work to develop a balanced college list, application strategy and begin working through their college applications senior year. Term: 4 years Hours: Generally 25-40

Starting their sophomore year, students will work with their counselor over three years to refine course selections, address academic red flags, foster teacher relationships, deepen involvement in current activates, identify new extracurricular and summer initiatives, and more, all the while maintaining the confidence to achieve their academic and personal goals. During senior year, students will work with their counselor to develop a balanced college list, application strategy and work through their applications. Term: 3 years Hours: Generally 25-35

In this program, juniors will work with their counselor to review their high school career thus far and maximize the time they have left to strengthen their profile. Students will begin to work on building and finalizing a balanced college list, create and update their resumes, and begin to brainstorm dynamic personal statements. They will also create an application strategy, which will include advisement on applying to schools in the early round if appropriate. Term: 2 years Hours: Generally 25-35

IvyWise also offers pro bono counseling for a select number of students who qualify each year. Learn more about our pro bono services here.

College Counseling Programs for Seniors or Transfer Students

IvyWise offers comprehensive, albeit fast-track senior programs, in addition to short-term options that give you targeted counseling. Whether you need full college application support, focusing on an application to your top-choice school, or you want insight for a specific school where one of our counselors has had direct admissions experience, we have options to suit your needs.

As seniors, students will work with their counselors to solidify their college lists, hone their application strategies (Early Decision vs. Early Action, etc.), complete their resumes, prepare for admissions interviews, and write and revise their personal statements and essays, including supplements. Students will submit nearly-finalized versions of their applications to our IvyWise Roundtable, in which our entire team of expert counselors will review all aspects of a student’s application, simulating a true admissions committee. Each student’s counselor compiles the feedback, providing the opportunity for the student to make the revisions recommended by our panel of former Deans of Admission. Term: One semester – one year Hours: Generally 18-33

Application Boot Camp is ideal for students seeking to tap into IvyWise’s full breadth of services but in a focused, fast-tracked, and affordable means. In this program, you will work with an IvyWise counselor on all aspects of the Common Application including personal and activity statements, as well as the supplement for your top-choice school. You will have the full support of our Client Relations team to keep you motivated and on track with all your application’s requirements and deadlines, and, in programs of 10 hours or more, your application will be submitted to the IvyWise Roundtable where you will receive feedback from our entire team of expert counselors. Term: One semester Hours: Minimum of 6

Application Review is ideal for students who have already completed the application for one top-choice school or the Common Application and one supplement and are seeking a thorough, expert review of these materials. After a student has submitted all materials to be reviewed, they will schedule a call with an IvyWise counselor who will provide comprehensive evaluation of all application aspects and make suggestions for improvement. This service is also available for students who have been deferred or wait-listed. Term: One meeting Hours: 2

Receiving a deferral or getting put on the waitlist can be confusing and disappointing. IvyWise counselors provide expert insight into what comes next. He or she will review all of the student’s application materials and provide a strategic plan to help maximize the chances of admission. An IvyWise counselor will:
  • Review your student’s application and provide feedback on factors that may have prevented admission in the early or regular round.
  • Provide step-by-step guidance on the best plan of action, including helping your student draft a deferral or waitlist letter expressing his or her continued interest in being admitted to that school’s freshman class.
  • Help your student evaluate any other acceptances and choose the school best suited to his or her needs.
  • Discuss alternative options if your student is having second thoughts about his or her top-choice school.
 

Applying to college as a transfer student is different than applying as a high school senior. Not only do requirements differ in terms of standardized tests, recommendations, deadlines, and essays, but in many cases it can be more difficult to gain admission as a transfer student. IvyWise provides guidance and support for your transfer applications. Our expertise in admissions counseling includes in-depth knowledge of and experience with the transfer admissions process. Our counselors will work with you one-on-one to:
  • Determine whether transferring is the best option to help you reach your goals
  • Identify what you are seeking from your undergraduate experience
  • Discover the schools that will be a good fit for you to transfer into
  • Apply to the schools, including guidance with the resume, essays, and more
Our counselors will advise you on the appropriate courses to take at your current institution to ensure a smooth transition to your transfer school, as well as suggest ways to make the most out of your time in your current school.

Specialty Counseling Services

In addition to guiding students in all stages of their academic life, IvyWise offers experts to help with most any niche request, including athletic recruiting, development, counseling for students with learning differences, and more. Read More

Tutoring

IvyWise provides individual tutoring in all academic subject areas, from math and sciences to language and literature, as well as test prep for college entrance exams, AP and IB exams, and more. IvyWise tutoring is seamlessly integrated into your college counseling program, allowing students to reach their academic goals. Read More

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