Tag: College Application Tips

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College Application Tips

Tuesday, August 31, 2021
Balancing College Apps and Senior Year Coursework

Balancing College Apps and Senior Year Coursework

By Mike, IvyWise College Admissions Counselor As the sun sets on the summer and we enter the 2021-2022 academic year, seniors are less than a year away from the induction into adulthood and independence that awaits after high school graduation. Before that new journey begins, seniors must contend with graduation requirements and post-high school plans. During my tenure as the Director of College Counseling at a private high school in New York City, I oftentimes saw seniors weighed down by the stress and uncertainty of the college application process.
Monday, July 26, 2021
How to Overcome a Difficult Math Equation

How to Overcome a Difficult Math Equation

By Carl F., IvyWise Master Tutor We’ve all been there: staring at an “impossible” problem on the ACT or SAT, unsure how we will ever solve this test troll’s riddle and make it safely to the other side of the bridge. Worse, you’re absolutely positive that getting this question right is the difference between your goal score and the one that’ll have you miss the cut for your ideal college.
Thursday, July 1, 2021
Defining Your Personal Statement for Medical School Applications

Defining Your Personal Statement for Medical School Applications

Writing your personal statement for medical school is simply an opportunity for you to convey to an admissions reviewer: why medicine? Remember, medicine is a helping career, and you will want to communicate what is unique about being a physician that you feel that you cannot find the same satisfaction in other helping professions such as a teacher, firefighter, minister, or counselor. For many students, realizing that becoming a physician is the right career for them is often a result of several different life experiences, discussions, or in some cases, coincidences.
Wednesday, February 24, 2021
Colleges that Accept Many Students Through Early Decision

Colleges that Accept Many Students Through Early Decision

Students who are interested in applying Early Decision likely have many questions about the process. From what the timeline looks like to how this process will impact their admissions odds, there are a multitude of queries that go through every applicant’s mind. Admissions rates are frequently top of mind, as students are eager to gauge their chances of acceptance.
Thursday, February 4, 2021
Colleges with No Application Fees

Colleges with No Application Fees

Students must weigh many considerations when compiling their list of best-fit colleges, including application fees. Many universities include a fee that prospective students must pay when submitting their applications unless the student qualifies for fee waivers. However, there are a number of colleges without an accompanying application fee.
Thursday, February 4, 2021
Top 10 Boarding Schools in the US

Top 10 Boarding Schools in the US

Boarding school can be an excellent opportunity for students to get a taste of campus life, learn from a diverse group of classmates, and explore new passions. Much like the college search process, there are a variety of institutions that students must consider before compiling their list of best-fit options for boarding school. Students who are interested in this opportunity should start by researching various boarding schools and pinpointing the choices that best align with their needs and goals.
Wednesday, October 14, 2020
Top MBA Programs Where You Can Apply As a College Senior

Top MBA Programs Where You Can Apply As a College Senior

After college graduation, business-minded students often consider two options: beginning their professional career versus enrolling in an MBA program. While there is no one-size-fits-all choice, there are certain programs that often prove to be best-fit options for MBA applicants applying directly from college. MBA programs vary greatly, so it’s important for prospective applicants to do their research and pinpoint the options that best align with their needs and goals.
Tuesday, September 29, 2020
Should Students Apply Test-Optional This Fall?

Should Students Apply Test-Optional This Fall?

SAT and ACT testing has been dramatically affected by COVID-19. Testing opportunities have been few and far between over the past two years, spurring many colleges to announce test-optional admissions policies. While some colleges have said the switch is temporary, standardized testing has been a hot topic for many years and this gives us an opportunity to reimagine the admission process.
Monday, August 31, 2020
Without Test Scores, How do Colleges Make Decisions?

Without Test Scores, How do Colleges Make Decisions?

The process of preparing for, taking, and responding to standardized test scores is a stressful and overwhelming one for students and families, and with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, this process has only become more stressful in recent years. One of the ways that colleges have responded to the pandemic's obstacles is to implement test-optional admissions policies to avoid disadvantaging students who have been unable to sit for an ACT or SAT. This was a sudden and drastic shift that left many students and families with questions about how it will impact their own applications.
Monday, August 3, 2020
The Myth of the Well-Rounded Student: Colleges Want Specialists

The Myth of the Well-Rounded Student: Colleges Want Specialists

“To get into a good college, do I need to play an instrument, join a team sport, participate in community service, run for student government, win robotics and writing competitions, sing in the school musical, write for the newspaper, and design the yearbook cover?” One of the most common questions I receive as a college counselor is some version of the above. As the college admissions process becomes increasingly competitive and opaque, students feel pressured to do it all.
Friday, June 26, 2020
Getting a Jump Start on College Applications

Getting a Jump Start on College Applications

What's the best college prep that rising seniors can be doing this summer? Preparing their college applications! Checking things off your college application to-do list this summer is a great way to stay busy and will help relieve added pressure and stress in the fall of senior year.
Monday, June 1, 2020
Books to Help With Essay Writing and Story Telling

Books to Help With Essay Writing and Story Telling

As a former high school English teacher, I always tout the importance of reading as a means to improve one's writing, especially when it comes to the college essay. Author Annie Proulx perhaps sums it up best: "Writing comes from reading, and reading is the finest teacher of how to write."  Reading exposes you to different writing styles, diction, and sentence syntax which can influence, improve, and even inspire your own writing style.
Monday, June 1, 2020
Get Started on Your Common App This Summer

Get Started on Your Common App This Summer

While the Common Application does not open until August 1, the summer is the perfect time for rising high school seniors to get started. Students can create accounts, input basic information, and begin their personal statements. At IvyWise, we encourage students to become familiar with the Common App before senior year so that they can feel confident and prepared as they embark on the college application process.
Monday, October 3, 2016
10 College Application Essay Dos and Don’ts

10 College Application Essay Dos and Don’ts

IvyWise counselors Rachel and Zach share their top tips on how to brainstorm and write college application essays, and what admissions officers are looking for when they read them on the college admissions podcast, giving listeners expert insight from former admissions officers. Listen Now!Writing college application essays is often the most stressful part of the admissions process for students, and as a result many tend to put them off until the last minute.
Friday, February 5, 2016
10 College Application Mistakes to Avoid

10 College Application Mistakes to Avoid

By Mari, IvyWise Master Admissions Counselor Just as there is no one path to getting admitted to a particular school, there is no one reason that applicants get rejected. Usually, it is a combination of factors, not all of which are within the applicant’s control. There are, however, many common mistakes that can be easily avoided by planning ahead, taking your time, and being mindful of the information that you’re giving to the admissions committee.
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
2023-24 Common Application Guide

2023-24 Common Application Guide

The Common Application for the 2023-24 college application season is officially open! While there were several significant changes made to the application last year, the Common App essay prompts will remain the same for the upcoming admissions cycle. The Common Application is the most widely used application for college admissions in the U.
Thursday, July 28, 2022
Ten Ways to Demonstrate Interest in Colleges Over the School Year

Ten Ways to Demonstrate Interest in Colleges Over the School Year

By Krista, IvyWise College Admissions Counselor and Former and Former Assistant Director of Admissions at Johns Hopkins University Demonstrated interest is an important part of the college application process, and there are a lot of ways for students to show their interest in colleges throughout the school year. Demonstrated interest is the amount of interaction and interest a student has shown in a particular college or university. This includes how they’ve interacted online, in person, and how they show they’ve done their research when applying (or informed interest).
Thursday, July 28, 2022
3 Types of Students Who Should Consider a Liberal Arts Education

3 Types of Students Who Should Consider a Liberal Arts Education

By Tasha, IvyWise College Admissions Counselor and Former Admissions Officer at the University of Southern California Have you dreamt of an intimate and intellectually rigorous college experience, one where you engage in deep classroom discussions around a single table with your professor and classmates? Seminar style classrooms, like the one described above, is the bread and butter of liberal arts colleges. The liberal arts model is all about small class size, critical thinking, inspiring classroom discussion, interdisciplinary learning and intellectual curiosity.
Thursday, May 27, 2021
Standing Out in the Liberal Arts College Admissions Process

Standing Out in the Liberal Arts College Admissions Process

I’ve always been fond of the small but mighty group of institutions called liberal arts colleges. Maybe it’s because I began my admissions career at a liberal arts college. It might also be because, as numerous highly selective universities share that their number of applications increase by tens of thousands (and in some cases, eclipse 100,000!
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