Tag: College Prep

IvyWise Resources

College Prep

Wednesday, May 17, 2023
A Gap Year Can Set the Stage for a More Meaningful College Experience

A Gap Year Can Set the Stage for a More Meaningful College Experience

If you surveyed the participants of an average college freshmen orientation, you probably wouldn’t be surprised to learn that the incoming class has a variety of experiences and backgrounds. However, it might be surprising to learn about the growing number of students who chose to take extended time between completing high school and enrolling in a university of their choice. Deferring enrollment—typically coined a gap year—is when a student decides to forgo a traditional timeline in pursuit of a different experience.
Thursday, April 27, 2023
The Benefits of Attending a Liberal Arts School

The Benefits of Attending a Liberal Arts School

Determining what type of college is best for you is essential to your personal and professional self-development and requires thoughtful self-reflection. As the cost to attend college continues to climb, parents are wondering if a liberal arts education is still valuable. I can assure you; it is.
Wednesday, April 26, 2023
Tips for Writing a College Admissions Essay

Tips for Writing a College Admissions Essay

The college application essay is an opportunity to explain yourself and to share your voice, talents, goals, and personality with the admissions committee. It’s also a chance to display your thought processes and carefully crafted writing style. If you are a current junior, you may think that it’s too early to begin drafting a personal statement.
Wednesday, April 26, 2023
How to Explore Your Interests and Choose a Major

How to Explore Your Interests and Choose a Major

As you imagine your college experience, perhaps you think primarily of the friends you’ll make, what type of campus you’ll be a part of, and how you want to be inspired and intellectually challenged. As you consider the intellectual experience and your eventual career, no doubt your choice of major plays a major (no pun intended) role in how you set the scene. While the choice of major doesn’t feel difficult for some students, it’s a daunting task for others.
Monday, March 6, 2023
How to Build a Strong Student Profile for College Admissions

How to Build a Strong Student Profile for College Admissions

Most savvy college applicants these days are finely tuned into the fact that it takes a lot more than being an accomplished, high-achieving student to gain a coveted acceptance to the nation's top institutions. But how exactly do you develop the best applicant profile? What can you do over your four years of high school to define your niche, find that hook, and, most importantly, become the best version of yourself that colleges will be excited to snatch right up?
Friday, March 3, 2023
Summer Activities for Grades K-12

Summer Activities for Grades K-12

It’s never too early to look into summer programs for your child. Summer programs are a great opportunity to delve into a subject more deeply, participate in sports activities, and prepare for standardized tests. Many summer programs offer subjects and opportunities you can’t find in most schools.
Thursday, March 2, 2023
Setting Academic Goals in High School 

Setting Academic Goals in High School 

Let's pretend you're a couch potato who wants to train for a marathon. You're going to want to set goals to help increase your chances of success, right? For instance, you may decide to increase your mileage or speed slowly each week.
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
The Four-Year Plan for High School Freshmen

The Four-Year Plan for High School Freshmen

Middle school was the time to perfect your study habits and learn to organize and multitask. Middle school was also a time for trial and error. You grew into your own skin, experimented with hobbies, and readied yourself for a more focused academic career.
Friday, February 5, 2016
The Importance of Diversity and Fit in College Admissions

The Importance of Diversity and Fit in College Admissions

By an IvyWise Principal College Admissions Counselor In 2013, a Pennsylvania high school student named Suzy Lee Weiss wrote an op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal about not being admitted to the Ivy League colleges of her dreams. The article drew national controversy over the unrealistic expectations of college admissions offices and the role of diversity in building an incoming class at the most prestigious universities. "I offer about as much diversity as a saltine cracker," she wrote, satirically.
Monday, May 9, 2016
The Truth About Affording The Rising Cost of College

The Truth About Affording The Rising Cost of College

Before you can even begin to consider the "will my child get in to her top choice college?" question, it's impossible not to reflect on the cost of attending college. In fact, you have probably been thinking about this since she was in diapers and - hopefully--saving some money for that very occasion!
Thursday, December 28, 2017
The Ultimate Guide to College Admissions Interviews

The Ultimate Guide to College Admissions Interviews

There are so few places in the college application process for a student’s voice to be truly heard. Sure there’s the essay and email communication with an admissions representative, but what makes a college admissions interview such a valuable opportunity is the chance to talk about yourself in a less structured and less formal way. It’s an opportunity to share your story the way you want it to be heard.
Monday, February 8, 2016
The Value of the Independent Research Paper and The Concord Review

The Value of the Independent Research Paper and The Concord Review

Compiled by Will Fitzhugh from The Concord Review The formal research paper in high schools has been steadily disappearing over the past two decades, and it shows no signs of revival. The accessibility of the Internet, larger high school class sizes, over-worked teachers, and a growing emphasis on alternative forms of research presentation has dwindled the traditional 15-20 page research paper to just a few pages and Power Point presentations. As the founder and editor of The Concord Review, I have spent the last 26 years championing the significance of the research paper.
Monday, February 8, 2016
There’s an App for That! Dr. Kat’s List: 5 Colleges for Computer Science and App Development

There’s an App for That! Dr. Kat’s List: 5 Colleges for Computer Science and App Development

Compiled by the team of counselors at IvyWise These days, with advancements in technology, there’s an app for just about anything and a need for people to build them. STEM-related fields are seeing a high demand for workers, with jobs expected to grow 17% over the next decade, and as a result, many students are realizing the value of a STEM education – often in terms of ROI and job demand. Computer science and app development are booming fields, and many colleges are catering to those needs with exceptional programs for budding techies.
Monday, January 25, 2016
Behind on Your College Apps? Here’s How to Catch Up

Behind on Your College Apps? Here’s How to Catch Up

Now that the early application round has closed, the window to craft thorough, compelling, and thoughtful regular decision applications is quickly closing. Many Regular Decision deadlines aren’t until January 1, so if you’re just now starting on your admissions journey, or need some help getting back on track, here’s what you need to do now in order to catch up and be ready to submit great applications by the regular decision deadlines. Make an appointment as soon as possible with your college counselor to go over your balanced college list (or what you have so far), what you need to do now to get on track, and collaborate on a plan of action.
Thursday, July 19, 2018
Tips for the College Transition

Tips for the College Transition

Making the jump from high school to college can be exciting, but also overwhelming for some students. With college life comes more independence, but also significantly more responsibilities than students may be used to at home. It’s easy to have a smooth college transition, however, if students keep these simple tips in mind.
Monday, February 8, 2016
Tips to Prepare for AP Exams

Tips to Prepare for AP Exams

AP exams take place in May each year, and students must prepare and organize a school year's worth of material into a manageable study schedule before the exams. Doing well in an AP course may raise a student's GPA, and by earning a 4 or 5 on an exam, students can even receive college course credit before stepping foot on a college campus. Students can take AP courses and exams on a variety of subjects, including Calculus AB and BC, biology, and world history.
Tuesday, May 30, 2017
True or False? 5 Test Prep Myths Debunked By an Expert Tutor

True or False? 5 Test Prep Myths Debunked By an Expert Tutor

For many students, mystery can surround the ACT and SAT, with rumors and misinformation circulating as students prepare to take these important college entrance exams. It’s important for students to inform themselves on the content of each test and to not buy into the hype about which test is “better” and other common myths. The truth is, there’s no test that’s more valuable or more likely, on its own, to get you admitted to your dream college.
Thursday, October 27, 2022
Essential Skills for Middle Schoolers to Prepare for High School and College

Essential Skills for Middle Schoolers to Prepare for High School and College

By an IvyWise WiseStart™ Counselor Middle school may seem like a long way off from college, but it will be time to send your student off on their own before you know it. While the middle school years may be too early to start diving into the deep end of college prep, they are still a formative time to establish foundational skills such as executive functioning and self-advocacy, which can help your student succeed in high school, college, and the professional world. The transition from middle school to high school shocks and surprises some students as academic demands increase and courses become more challenging.
26986
 简体中文 »
close wechat qr code