Updated: Monday, May 19, 2025
When it comes to your college application, colleges will look to see how you spent your time outside of school. In addition to your extracurricular activities, you may also want to list hobbies and interests that you commit a significant amount of time to. Reading is probably one of the best hobbies you can have — it can deepen your interests in a particular subject, help you become a better writer, and will prepare you for the often grueling reading lists in college-level courses. Not only will many colleges appreciate an outside reading list, some will ask you to list your favorite books on their application supplements.
Regardless of what you read, summer is a great time to soak up some extra knowledge and luckily, it can be done while also soaking up some sun at the beach or by the pool! During the school year, we suggest students read at least one book per month outside of your required reading, but summer is a great time to dive in to a sea of page-turners. To help you get started, the counselors at IvyWise offer the following suggestions for summer reading:
Armed with our suggestions, you should have plenty of reasons to hit the books this summer. If you’re looking to take your reading a step further, you can create a customized summer curriculum that further explores a topic of interest or aligns with future goals.
Students should keep an annotated bibliography, which can later be submitted with your college applications.
At IvyWise, we work with students to identify summer experiences that will not only help them learn more about their interests but also keep them sharp and engaged during the break. If you need help with the remainder of your summer college prep goals, learn more about our college counseling services.
Is Cornell University on your college list? Because it’s an Ivy League institution with a low admissions rate, your application needs to be extremely competitive. Your responses to Cornell’s supplemental essay prompts can help set you apart if they are compelling, thoughtful, and authentic. Keep reading for some insights into Cornell’s 2023-24 supplemental essays.
Finalizing your list of best-fit schools is one of the most important steps of the college application process. Between writing supplemental essays, finalizing personal statements, and requesting letters of recommendation, there’s a lot that students need to prioritize – and often, they put off the difficult task of narrowing down their long list of best-fit schools. Keep reading to learn more about what you should keep top of mind so that you can narrow down your college list and stay ahead of the game on all of your applications.
Once you’ve put the finishing touches on your list of best-fit colleges, it’s time to consider application strategy. More specifically, rising seniors need to decide when they will apply to the schools on their list.
Early Decision can be a great application option for a student who is passionate about a certain school and able to meet the deadline. Keep reading to learn more about this application strategy and to determine whether applying early is the right move for you.
Most students know that Stanford is one of the country’s most prestigious colleges. However, far fewer prospective applicants possess an in-depth understanding of the most popular majors at Stanford University and the courses that set the school apart.
While virtually all Stanford programs are going to be engaging and academically challenging, there are a few that have gained significant popularity. Keep reading to learn more about the best majors at Stanford University and the classes students should put at the top of their wish lists.
