Category: Choosing a College
Building a College List in a Virtual World
How to Build Your College List in a Virtual World
Building your balanced college list is one of the most important steps in the application process. Students must do their research and visit campuses to pinpoint their best-fit options, but many might wonder how this all works in a virtual world.
The Benefits of Attending an HBCU
Learn About the Benefits of Attending an HBCU
There are a host of famous faces who count Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) as their alma mater, including our Vice President Kamala Harris. Given their list of noteworthy graduates, many students might be interested in the benefits associated with attending an HBCU.
5 Questions to Ask When Finalizing Your College List
If You’re Finalizing Your College List, You Should Answer These Questions
Finalizing your college list is one of the most important decisions high school students will have to make. Before solidifying your choices, it’s important to research each school thoroughly and reflect on what you are looking for in a college.
5 Colleges With Unique Majors
If you think your choices for college majors are limited to studies such as English and Mathematics, it’s time to think again. Universities across the world are offering students a host of innovative and inventive fields of study devised to align with the interests and goals of their entire student body.
Fall 2021 College Reopening Plans During COVID-19
Colleges are Hopeful for a “Normal” Fall 2021 Reopening Plan
In the wake of COVID-19, colleges and universities across the globe have implemented various reopening options in order to resume and continue instruction for the spring 2021 semester, and many are starting to set their sights to the fall with optimism that they will be able to return to normal operations by then.
What Does ‘Rolling Admissions’ Mean?
Understand How the Rolling Admissions Process Works
Just like there is no one-size-fits-all top-choice college for every student, the application process itself is far from universal. Some students may choose to apply early, while others could benefit from a gap year, regular round applications, or selecting institutions with rolling admissions processes.
5 Tips for Choosing the College That Fits Your Financial Needs
Every Factor You Need to Consider When Reviewing Financial Aid Packages
With the May 1 enrollment deadline approaching, current high school seniors have some big decisions to make. In addition to choosing an institution that aligns with your academic and social interests, it’s important to select a college that is financially feasible for you and your family.
Dress to Impress: What to Wear (And Avoid) During College Visits
Choose Appropriate Outfits to Look and Feel Your Best on School Tours
College tours can feel a little intimidating, especially if this is your first time visiting a campus. In order to keep your nerves under control and learn as much about each institution as possible, it is important to plan ahead and prepare for every visit in advance.
6 College Application Lessons Students Can Learn From The Bachelor
When it Comes to College Applications, Students Get to Give the Final Rose
What does the ultimate guilty-pleasure reality television show The Bachelor and the college admissions process have in common? It may feel like students are competing for their own “rose” from their top-choice schools, but, while there may not be romantic beachside getaways or dramatic tell-alls, a student’s quest to find their best-fit college is pretty similar to The Bachelor’s mission to find a future partner.
Still Not Sure Where to Enroll? Tips For Choosing the Best Fit College
Students Have Until May 1 To Decide Where to Enroll
The May 1 enrollment deadline for college bound seniors is fast approaching, and while many students may know where they want to spend the next four years, the jury may still be out for others deciding where to enroll for the fall.
Ready for College? Here’s Some College Prep Advice from IvyWise Students
Learn About the College Admissions Process From Two IvyWise Students
As high school seniors across the US, and the world, await admission decisions for the class of 2021, it’s important to remember the focus of this process at the end of the day: the student. At IvyWise we have the honor of working with some amazing students, and they have some advice for other students just starting the college admissions process.
The Best Fit College Size For You: Small vs. Medium vs. Large Colleges
The Size of Your College Can Have a Big Impact On Your Experience
When searching for best-fit colleges, size is often one of the first things that students consider. Many college bound students already have an idea of what they’re looking for in a school before they start researching specific institutions – maybe it’s a large student body with endless possibilities or a small campus with an intimate atmosphere. Going with your gut is a good place to start, but there are many pros, and cons, to certain college sizes that students might overlook when building their balanced college list.
Can’t Choose? These Colleges Combine Liberal Arts and STEM Education
Who Says Liberal Arts and STEM Can’t Coexist?
As more families consider the ROI of a college education, the value of a liberal arts education in today’s world has been a hot topic. With many STEM degrees and programs topping lists of “highest paying majors” and “best college ROI,” many have waged a war on the liberal arts, pegging them as useless degrees that don’t warrant the cost. However, while a STEM degree can open doors to lucrative careers, many employers are finding that, without a liberal arts background, many STEM graduates lack the necessary communication, management, and collaboration skills that are necessary in the workforce.
Why Your Interests Matter in the College Admissions Process
Your Passions and Interests Can Lay The Groundwork For a Successful College Experience
When preparing students for the college admissions process, we place a lot of emphasis on identifying and developing students’ interests in addition to good grades and test scores. As we’ve said before, students’ interests are important because it helps colleges make admissions decisions and build well-rounded classes. However, developing students’ interests isn’t just about getting into college – they’re a key factor in helping students succeed during their four-years and after graduation.
Finding Your Best Fit School: Spotlight on Northeastern
IvyWise Team Member Lindsay Tells Us What Made Her Fall in Love with Northeastern University
Even though it has a reputation as a college town, I fell in love with Boston as a 3-year-old. The way my family tells the story over two decades later, Boston was all I talked about for months after the weekend we spent there—the Italian meal we ate in the North End, the dollhouses at the Children’s Museum, even the bell hop at our hotel. I was a child obsessed. At a bookstore on Newbury Street, my parents bought a copy of The Trumpet of the Swan, the children’s classic about a trumpeter swan with no voice, who eventually finds work on the swan boats in the Boston Common. Back in New York, I demanded several chapters read to me on a nightly basis. Our Boston trip took on mythic proportions, and at the time, my family joked that I would find my way back there as a college student.
Finding Your Best Fit School: Spotlight on Barnard – Part 3
IvyWise Intern Paulina Tells Us What She Loves about Barnard College in NYC
The college application season of the 2012-2013 school year put me through a string of acceptances and rejections that ultimately led me to Barnard College, the women’s college of Columbia University. I’ll admit that I was initially unsure about picking Barnard—its Upper West Side location certainly hiked its tuition rates up, and after four years at an all-girls high school, I didn’t know if attending another women’s institution was the right choice for me.
2014 Princeton Review College Rankings
Where Do Your Favorite Colleges Rank?
This week The Princeton Review released its 2013-14 Best 378 Colleges rankings, ranking some of the country’s best colleges in 62 different lists. While we don’t encourage you to make rankings a defining factor when building your balanced college list, these lists can be a good place to start when researching what you want from your college experience.
5 Ways to Narrow Down Your College List
Now Is The Time To Start Thinking About Where You Will Apply
It may be the middle of summer, but application season is fast approaching! In just a couple of weeks the Common App will be released, but with the prior announcement of the essay topics, and some schools announcing their supplement questions early, many rising high school seniors have already started on their applications.
Unusual Graduation Traditions
Unique Ways Colleges Say Goodbye to Students
As the semester comes to a close, college seniors everywhere are saying goodbye to the schools that have been their home for the past four years. While graduates typically commemorate the event with caps, gowns, commencement speeches, and a march set to “Pomp and Circumstance,” some colleges have been known to incorporate some less conventional traditions.
Colleges That Celebrate Earth Day
Earth Day inspires students and schools to take initiative and help the environment. Some schools use Earth Day as a time to spread awareness and aid the effort to go green by hosting week-long events, fairs, and fundraisers.