Ivy Experience’s Fall 2024 Webinar Schedule
We are excited to announce our full schedule of webinars this spring! See below for topics, dates, and registration links....
We are excited to announce our full schedule of webinars this spring! See below for topics, dates, and registration links....
ACT has dropped a bombshell announcement of three major changes to the test coming to the National test dates in...
Get to know our essay coaches! We sat down to interview Lech Harris, one of our College Admissions Specialists! What...
Get to know our essay coaches! We sat down to interview Kevin Trudel, one of our College Admissions Specialists! What...
Get to know our essay coaches! We sat down to interview Jordan Holmes, our Assistant Director of College Admissions! What...
Get to know our essay coaches! We sat down to interview Alyssa Coltrain, our Director of College Admissions. What is...
The most important work on college application essays comes before you write the very first word of your very first...
In the summer of 2023, the United States Supreme Court determined that the admissions programs used by the University of...
Every year, the US News and World Report publishes its rankings of the top National and Liberal Arts universities in...
“I have this huge test I have to study for.” This is an email or text message that we get...
This year, the Department of Education has been working out issues with the new version of the Free Application for...
When we speak to students about the five factors under your control, one of the most important factors is grades...
No matter where you are in the college process, you will eventually want to reach out to someone on a...
We are excited to announce our full schedule of webinars this spring! See below for topics, dates, and registration links....
As decisions begin to roll out from some colleges around the country, it’s important to remember that some institutions were...
We have always preached that knowing how to navigate the college preparation process is essential to saving families time, energy,...
Let us you tell you a story… The following is a personal reflection by Ivy Experience co-founder Eric Karlan. Growing...
At the other end of your application is an admissions officer—another human being tasked with getting to know you in...
Who are admissions officers? Gatekeeper? Resources? Representatives? At the core of it, admissions officers are people—human beings who have preferences...
How you spend your time outside of class is very important to colleges. Spending time doing what you love is...
The college admissions process can seem like a race to the top. High school students seem to be thrown into...
Applying to college can be full of surprises, including some statistics about the process. Below we share some of the...
With ten campuses and a study body of nearly 300,000, the University of California (UC) system is an attractive option...
It is a great feeling once your essays and applications; you’ve heard back from colleges, and are finally able to...
When students are looking for what they want in college, they think about academic opportunities, location, school spirit, and so...
Many colleges and universities ask applicants to choose their course of study, or major, in their applications. Not all students...
Writing a personal statement can be a difficult task for students. Used to writing analytical essays for their classes, students...
Ivy Experience works with students at every phase of their high school journey and college preparation process. We work closely...
Writing a personal statement is ultimately personal. However, just like admissions officers, each of our essay coaches has their own...
For many students, the month of April can be both exciting and scary. They have heard back from all of...
We are going to be honest with you: there is no good time to write college essays. There are only...
So, your application has been waitlisted. Now what? A waitlist decision is never what you were hoping for and can...
Get to know our test prep team! We sat down to interview our Director, Jim Wismer! What were you looking...
Get to know our essay coaches! We sat down to interview Teddy Allor, one of our College Admissions Specialists. What...
In the coming weeks and months, high school juniors and their families will take advantage of vacations and long weekends...
Get to know our essay coaches! We sat down to interview H. Ulrich, one of our College Admissions Specialists. What...
Get to know our essay coaches! We sat down to interview Eric Karlan, one of our co-founders. What changes to...
Making the Most Out of Summer Activities Summers are a time for students to relax and rejuvenate––and after a challenging...
While it is common to hear a student rhapsodize over a reach school, it is unusual to hear much enthusiasm...
Once upon a time… We had a student who was deciding whether or not to take AP Chemistry. To advise...
Let’s be honest. There’s a lot that goes into college applications: grades, test scores, recommendations, activities, and essays. It can...
The college admissions process can be overwhelming. Beyond applications, essays, and standardized tests, some schools also require college interviews. So...
Much has already been said about ChatGPT. The Atlantic declared “The College Essay Is Dead”—but they are referring to...
Congratulations! You are done submitting all of your college applications. But don’t be tempted to sit back and wait for...
Getting deferred from your Early Decision or Early Action school is never the decision you were hoping for. But it...
There are seemingly innumerable factors that go into every decision, whether it is an acceptance, deferral, waitlist, or rejection. Many...
We often say that there are very few things under your control in the admissions process: your grades, your activities,...
Get to know our test prep team! We sat down to interview David Pauls, our Curriculum Development Specialist. What is...
Get to know our test prep team! We sat down to interview Torie Berke, our Coordinator of Tutoring! What was...
Often our students aren’t excited about the idea of liberal arts colleges, believing them to be too small, expensive, or...
What’s the difference between early action and early decision? What about single-choice early action? How do I choose? The way...
College Board announced in January that the SAT is going digital. Starting for U.S. students in the spring of 2024,...
The College Board has announced this morning that they are launching a computer-based version of the SAT starting in March...
In recent years, many colleges and universities have expanded their supplemental college essay prompts to include topics about diversity, equity,...
With the spread of “test-optional” policies nationwide, the term itself has become broadly used and widely misinterpreted. In this post,...
Beyond essays, applications, grades, and activities, what more can your student do to strengthen their application at their dream school? ...
When thinking about how to pay for college, many families immediately turn to student loans. But there are thousands of...
Your student has worked hard all through high school, and now it’s time to apply to college. Hopefully, their grades...
As you research a college and its application process, you may find a passage that defines the school’s score choice...
We get it: the ACT and SAT can be terrifying tests. Students spend days, weeks, and months preparing for them....
As students build their college lists, they may have a balance of likely, target, and reach schools. Likely schools are...
We see the headlines every year: Student gets into _____ of the eight Ivy League schools to which they applied....
I have no idea. That is not an uncommon answer when we ask students what they want to study in...
You made your way through four hours of standardized testing, whether the SAT or ACT. Maybe you are reviewing your...
Ideally, students complete the bulk of their college applications during the summer after 11th grade. But when it comes to...
What courses should my student take? What year of high school is the most important in their college application? There’s...
Extracurricular activities are perhaps the most fun part of high school and college applications—they are an opportunity to unearth curiosity,...
Below is a concise guide to testing for each year of high school, along with some basic advice for each...
While students might feel like they are returning to the same old grind after a fun and relaxing break, January...
Look Within Our advice is to look within when beginning your college search. Remember that you are not just looking...
Summer programs, trips, camps, jobs, internships, research, and more are likely to be canceled or moved online. Some are still...
Building a college list can be daunting – and oftentimes the most intimidating part is just figuring out where to...
With most students in a virtual or hybrid school model for at least the start of this school year, we...
Though we have worked in person with families in the Philadelphia and San Diego areas, many of our families only...
Where to start Without the option to visit colleges in-person, virtual tours and online content can provide a bridge and...
Before COVID-19, there were already more than 1,000 colleges and universities that were test-optional. But with so many institutions changing...
With continuing uncertainty about when (and if) schools will resume this spring, we recognize that juniors and families will have questions...
With many students getting time off from school due to the spread of coronavirus, we thought we should share some...
In the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, many colleges have made the decision to shut down their campuses for the remainder...
American University Why are you interested in American University? 150 words Bard College Why Bard? 250 words Barnard College What...
Begin with what you love. We often talk about activity advising in terms of the Japanese concept of ikigai. The...
We all know campus visits are an important part of applying to college – they can give students and families...
It’s midterm season (or finals, depending on how your school structures things). The new year means that many students are...
ACT announced three new policy changes today. Below is a summary of the changes, effective starting September 2020. ACT Online...
While most students will have to write a personal statement for the Common App or Coalition, many universities change their...
Guest post by Matthew Gnall The Athletic Advantage Forced to transparency by the SFFA lawsuit, Harvard revealed in a report...
Allgeheny American Amherst Arizona State University Auburn Babson Bard Barnard Baylor Belmont Bloomsburg Boston College Boston University Bowdoin Brandeis Brown...
Listen to Ivy Experience Director Jim Wismer and Academic Coach Gail Slogoff discuss test anxiety, including causes, symptoms, and strategies...
‘The Most Competitive Admissions Cycle Ever’ – Again If you have read any articles on admissions statistics this month, you...
We all know campus visits are an important part of applying to college – they can give students and families...
Below is an email we sent to the parents of our senior students, but its message is important for all...
If you are applying to college, you will almost certainly be using the Common Application. Here is our list of...
The ACT has had plans to shift to a computer-based testing format for years. For the 2018-2019 school year, all...
The University of California system recently published a list of 13 factors they weigh in evaluating every student’s application. While...
Every year, colleges become more competitive. The top colleges in the country are not growing as quickly as the number...
Another year, another group of schools joining the Common Application. Notable for many of our students are the additions of...
This is our first (of what we intend to be annual) State of Admissions – an email that recaps our...
The Common App recently released the prompts for the 2018-2019 personal statement. After making some tweaks for the past few...
In this Q-&-A-style guest post by Philadelphia area college guru Cigus Vanni (edited by Ivy Experience), Cigus explains what rising...
People are often confused by the ACT’s scoring system. Out of 36? How the heck does that work? Sometimes the scoring...
Ivy Experience’s founders, Eric Karlan and Karan Shah, tackled the most recently released ACT to offer insight on its contents relative...
In the coming weeks and months, high school juniors and their families will take advantage of vacations and long weekends...
With college essays and applications looming on the horizon, you may feel overwhelmed by what is ahead. What are colleges...
Is studying in groups helpful, or does it slow you down? Yes… and no… to both questions. Like anything else,...
It’s midterm season. We’re about halfway through the school year, and that means students are about to be tested on...
Junior year is a tough time. Classes are harder than ever, and grades are at their most important. Students have...
1. I didn’t shoot high enough. We’ve seen this play out countless times: a student gets into every school they...
With the week of Thanksgiving around the corner, the holiday season will be here before we know it. Don’t let...
The Common App is intended to save you time, energy, and stress in the college application process. It is meant...
The ACT has changed the Writing test back to a 2-12 scoring scale. Meanwhile the SAT will start August test dates in 2017!