College Application Tips

In recent years, there has been a steady growth of Chinese students enrolling in US universities and colleges, with nearly 300,000 coming to the US for the 2013-14 academic year. Although this is a fairly small number compared to the nine million university students studying in China, the country has also seen a steady decrease in students who sit for its national college entrance exam, the Gaokao. This indicates that international education is unquestionably on the rise.

Attending university in the U.S. is an appealing prospect for an increasing number of international students.

By Tasha, IvyWise College Admissions Counselor As a college applicant, you may be spending a lot of time brainstorming and writing college essays, but how will you know when you’ve finished? The writing process can sometimes feel interminable. You can always keep editing and polishing, but how do you know when to "put down the pen" and call it done?

By Rod, IvyWise College Admissions Counselor  Applying to U.S. colleges can be a confusing and stressful process.

By Danielle, IvyWise MBA Admissions Counselor and Former Director of Deferred Enrollment at Wharton MBA  Business is the number one undergraduate degree in the US. According to the National Center of Education Statistics, 19% of bachelor degrees granted in 2019-20 were business degrees. However, some of the most selective universities do not offer undergraduate business degrees.

By Rachel, IvyWise College Admissions Counselor and Former Assistant Dean of Admissions, Swarthmore College We often associate the spring of junior year as the time to begin college prep work, however, there are plenty of things students can do earlier in high school to help position themselves to be more successful in the college admissions process. It’s never too early to lay a strong foundation for your college application season senior year. In fact, colleges look at all four years of high school grades, courses, activities, and more when evaluating applicants – so the sooner you start your college prep the better.

By Kelly, IvyWise College Admissions Counselor As a University of California alum and California native, I cannot imagine another institutional system that truly offers something for everyone. From STEM to humanities, research to innovative arts, extremely focused students to those still figuring out their next steps, highly selective campuses to those with a great foundation for exploring yourself, the UC system packs it all in one and offers limitless options to explore, develop, and shine!  On top of that, the diverse community encourages students to get out of their comfort zones, study alongside peers from all walks of life, and be part of something bigger.

By Kelly, IvyWise College Admissions Counselor and Former Admissions Officer at Stanford University  Are you an aspiring artist considering applying to art or design programs? Chances are, you’ve seen an application requirement for a portfolio to highlight your creative background. The portfolio can often be as important as (and in some cases even outshine) the overall college application.

By Kelly, IvyWise College Admissions Counselor and Former Admissions Officer at Stanford University  When applying to arts programs or majors, many colleges will require an art portfolio as part of the admissions process. This is a critical piece of your college application that often requires many hours of planning and creating to ensure that you’re accurately highlighting your creative background, skills, and interests. It’s never too early to start thinking about your portfolio.

By IvyWise College Admissions Counselors From a summer job at the ice cream shop to attending your dream college to landing that perfect job after graduation, there’s one thing that they likely have in common: an interview. You will probably do many interviews over the course of your lifetime, and for some students, the college admissions interview is their first experience with interviewing. With so much riding on making a good impression, it’s not surprising that many students get nervous thinking about one.

For many students, essay writing is one of the most intimidating parts of the college application process. While the Common Application essay is open-ended and leaves a lot of room for interpretation, some supplemental college essays are extremely specific. Whatever the prompt, students must rise to the occasion and submit the strongest applications possible.

IvyWise counselors Victoria and Rachel explain why it's crucial for students to demonstrate their interest in their top-choice universities on the college admissions podcast, giving listeners expert insight from former admissions officers. Listen Now! By Alecia, IvyWise College Admissions Counselor Demonstrated Interest is a concept that is often misunderstood by many students and parents going through the college admissions process.

A blank page. The cursor blinks insistently, mockingly. You stare at the page, fingers on keyboard, ready to go.

Have you wondered about what happens to your applications after the submit button is pressed? All that hard work you have put in to making your application the best it could be is seemingly transmitted into an electronic abyss. It may be tempting to think that all that remains for your application’s future is a roll of the dice — hopefully in your favor — but while you are waiting for your results, your application is taking a long journey and undergoing various processes.

One of the most important elements of the college admission process is also one of the most overlooked by students and their parents: timing. When competing for admission at your top-choice college, it’s not enough to just write a few essays and hit “submit.” There are many nuances that students, parents, and counselors must consider — including whether to apply in the early round or not.