College Prep

Spring heralds the arrival of the campus visit season when colleges welcome students to take a tour and attend an information session. After limiting in-person visits due to the pandemic, many colleges are once again offering tours regularly. At IvyWise, we encourage students to attend virtual and on-campus tours when possible because the benefits of college tours — whether in-person or via a computer—are plentiful!

Tips for Practicing Essay Writing Over Spring Break 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.

4 College App Tips for International Students There are many good reasons to attend university in the US. One of the major features that tends to draw international students is the relative flexibility of the US university system. For the student who wants to explore their interests before declaring a major or the student who wants to craft a unique or multidisciplinary concentration, the US system could be a great fit.

By Robin, IvyWise College Admissions Counselor Enter any conversation about college admissions, and you will inevitably hear the word “transcript.” This all-important document presents an academic narrative of the applicant, showcasing the grades and courses the student has taken throughout their high school career. When college admissions officers read a student’s application, they not only review what grades the student has earned but also the rigor of the student’s course selection.

By Carolyn, IvyWise College Admissions Counselor As you might have heard, many colleges across the country have been adopting a test-optional application review process in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. If you know you will be submitting applications of your own sometime in the next few years, you might be wondering what exactly 'test-optional' means and whether or not these policies will apply to you. In this article, I will address some of these questions and consider the possible scenarios that you might encounter when your senior year rolls around.

By Danny, IvyWise College Admissions Counselor Embarking on a new journey is a challenging task to undertake. Going to college is among the most difficult new journeys, given that, for many students, it marks the first time being on your own and navigating a complex system. For first-generation college students, the journey can be even more challenging, considering you cannot turn to family members for guidance.

“Today was a good day at school. Ingrid and I played at recess.” And so began my very first journal entry.

We say this all the time: the earlier you start on college prep the better. But how early is early? The reality is that colleges look at everything from 9th grade on – meaning students need to show up to day one of high school ready to go.

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.

The landscape for higher education is always evolving. In recent months, the COVID-19 pandemic has catalyzed unprecedented levels of change, leaving many students and families with the same question: what will the future of college look like? Although there’s no crystal ball to use for absolute certainty, several trends have emerged that foreshadow what might be next for higher education.

This back-to-school season, I think it's important for students to take a step back and get inspired by a few pieces of advice that have helped many students in the past and remain valuable for everyone, no matter where they are in their educational journey. Students need to focus on the things that matter most to them and give themselves permission to work as hard as they can at those things. But these do not need to be the same conclusions that each person draws.

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.

One of the first things I do when working with families that have come to IvyWise for guidance is debunk the persistent admissions myth that colleges are looking for “well-rounded” students. In reality, colleges are looking for “pointy” kids in order to build a well-rounded class. It’s simple: students who develop a specialty area are often in a stronger position to stand out in competitive applicant pools.

For students studying a foreign language, learning doesn't have to stop just because class is no longer in session. In fact, summer break is the perfect opportunity to engage with a language more informally in order to continue to learn and develop language skills outside of the classroom. Often, after a lot of classroom learning, a language learner will start overthinking the language, or get lost in the weeds and lose touch with the fundamentals of basic comprehension and expression.

The Common Application is officially open for the 2022-23 college application season. 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 US.

Preparation for college, and even post-graduate life, starts well before students begin filling out college applications. Decades of research has identified key qualities associated with student success, and understanding these studies can enable parents to help their children develop these qualities early on and reinforce them throughout high school and the college admissions process. Success in the college admissions process starts with the student.

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.

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.

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!

Most US colleges and universities use a holistic review method when reviewing applicants for admission, considering various aspects of a student’s academic and personal record. This includes the tangibles, like a student’s four-year transcript, test scores, recommendation letters, and essays. But it also includes the intangibles, like a student’s passions, interests, and motivations.

Interested in applying to visual or performing arts programs in college? The application process, while not completely different than regular undergraduate admissions, can be more nuanced and requires a lot more prep and consideration. From finding the best-fit program to putting together a portfolio, here’s what you need to know about applying to college as a fine arts student.

Who says preparing to apply to college can’t be enjoyable? Of course, college prep still involves working hard, earning the best grades possible, and achieving your target scores on standardized tests, but there’s a lot you can control about the process that can —and should — be fun. As a college admissions counselor, I’ve had students tell me that the process of applying to college helped them get to know themselves, and that they found the experience ultimately very enriching.

With all of the changes that have occurred during the 2020-2021 academic year, it’s understandable that many students may feel off track with their college prep going into the Spring semester. Even if you’re normally really good at sticking to a schedule, it can be challenging to stay accountable when there’s so much uncertainty surrounding the admissions process this fall. As a result of the ongoing disruption caused by COVID-19, some students may be delayed in beginning their college preparation.

As college bound high school seniors anxiously await their admission decisions, the thought of actually preparing for life on campus tends to take a backseat until they learn of their acceptance. Luckily for many of these students, they already have the tools they need to succeed in college – they just need to know how to harness them. The college prep process may be over for college bound high school seniors, but there are a number of college prep tips that can carry students into their freshman year and throughout their college experience.

When I first meet freshmen, sophomores, or juniors who are just beginning to think about college and the application process, they often say that they are most worried about “getting in somewhere” and “getting all the work done.” Accomplishing these two things seems overwhelming to students – and understandably so. One way that students can get a head start on the process without feeling totally overwhelmed is to set some easy goals for themselves.

With all of the unavoidable summer distractions and widespread mixed messages, it's sometimes hard to separate fiction from fact. How is anyone supposed to know what's actually expected of a competitive student over the summer? You're informed enough to realize that television (and the characters and personalities therein) is neither a wealth of reliable knowledge, nor does it produce an excess of shining role models.

Preparing for college (and indeed for life!) requires steady effort throughout high school. However, even the most prepared of students can inadvertently hurt their college chances by making simple mistakes that are easily avoidable!

Summer break is just around the corner and soon current high school juniors will be rising seniors starting the college application process! There’s a lot that college-bound juniors can do between now and summer break to ensure they’re ready to apply to college this fall. Junior year is the most critical college prep time, as it’s the last full year of grades that colleges will see, and the last chance students have to prepare for the college app process before they’re actually applying.

Research is the most important thing that students will do when building their balanced college list. Knowing where to start and what to look for can be daunting, especially when there are thousands of colleges and universities in the US. There are a few things that students should ask themselves when researching for their colleges list in order to learn more about those institutions and why they might be a good fit.

Admission decisions may be coming soon for college-bound seniors, but for high school juniors, sophomores, and even freshmen, the college prep process is still top of mind, and there’s a lot that students can do before the end of the semester to get on track for their college goals. One of the most important things that students can do this spring – no matter what grade they’re in – is meet with their college counselor before the end of the semester. College counselors are a valuable resource not only during the college application process but also in the years leading up to applying to college.

IvyWise counselors Victoria and Nat discuss when and how to start college prep on the college admissions podcast, giving listeners expert insight from former admissions officers. Listen Now! How early is too early to start preparing for the college admissions process?

By Victoria, IvyWise Principal Counselor A lot of students I work with are still trying to discover or uncover their true passion and therefore a career path. This can be easy for some people but more difficult for others. I like to impress upon students that finding their passions and career paths are journeys that are different for everyone.

Compiled by Katherine Cohen, Ph.D., CEO & Founder and the team of counselors at IvyWise Summer will be here before you know it,and although this signifies the end of the academic year, it doesn't mean you should take a break from learning and developing your talents and skills.

Now that you're getting ready to dive back into coursework, it's a great time to get organized and prepare both mentally and physically for the school year ahead. High school can be an exciting and transformative time in a young person’s life, but it is often accompanied by busy schedules that can be stressful for students and parents alike. Take some time in the coming days to have a discussion with your student to coordinate schedules, discuss expectations, and outline priorities so that your entire family can hit the ground running come September.

Learning is more exciting than ever as students across the country have the opportunity to experience and interact with new technologies on their college campuses. The classroom of the future may be mostly electronic and far more accessible than the one you know today. However, schools are not just adopting new technologies for the sake of being cutting-edge?

Fall is college fair season, and high school juniors across the country will have the opportunity to explore different colleges and learn more about schools they’re interested in applying to next year. College fairs are a great opportunity to get student’s interest piqued in the college admissions process while also providing them with valuable information needed to make informed college decisions. As a counselor and former admissions officer I see the value in attending a college fair, especially for students who are just starting to think about what they want out of their college experience.

It's nearing that time of year when school lets out for the summer and you can finally relax, kick back, and binge watch your favorite Netflix shows or just hang out by the pool all day, right? Well, not really. For high school students who aspire to go on to college, they should know that colleges pay attention to what you do over the summer.

Want to get a head start on your college preparation this summer? There’s an app for that! Staying on track and organized is crucial for success in the college admissions process, and there are a plethora of smartphone and tablet apps available to aid students and parents in preparing for the college application season senior year.

Sometimes, the college process feels like climbing a mountain – a little intimidating, with some obstacles you need to navigate along the way. But if you pick your milestones, break it down into smaller pieces, and remember to have some fun along the way, you will make it to the top. For juniors in the middle of college prep, the second part of the year can feel like you’re staring up a mountain – so what do you do next?

For juniors preparing for the college admissions process, there’s a lot to consider when evaluating the strength of your applicant profile. There has been a lot of buzz recently about what colleges can do to alleviate college prep stress, and what colleges are really looking for in applicants today, so it’s easy for college-bound families to get confused by conflicting reports and certain admissions misinformation. Our team of expert counselors is here to set the record straight about what colleges actually want to see in applications and how students can prepare.