How to Make Your College Application Stand Out

Harvard University‘s longtime Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid William Fitzsimmons has long lamented (or bragged, depending on whom you ask!) that Harvard has no choice but to reject over five incoming classes worth of students with perfect or near-perfect grades and scores. So, what distinguishes an applicant who will … 

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How to Impress College Admissions Officers

Many students think they know how to impress admissions officers at America’s elite universities. Maybe they’ll send them long-winded emails filled with not-so-subtle brags about their accomplishments. Perhaps they’ll include recommendations from influential politicians with their applications. Or maybe they’ll get involved in just about every club and sport their high school … 

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Questions to Ask Admissions Officers on High School Visits

Many parents who are not Ivy Coach‘s clients come to us for a PostMortem after their children have been deferred or denied admission in the Early Action/Early Decision round. During this session, we discern what went wrong so that some of the same mistakes are avoided in the Regular Decision round. One … 

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Top 3 Mistakes Students Make on The Common Application Essay

Previously Published on April 28, 2011: At Ivy Coach, we call it a PostMortem. It’s when students who were not our clients come to us in mid-December after they were either deferred or denied in the Early Decision/Early Action round, and they want to understand what went wrong. And while they likely … 

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Race in College Admissions Post Affirmative Action

Originally Published on January 7, 2018: Even after the Supreme Court’s ruling that struck down Affirmative Action, race remains a factor in the elite college admissions process. Why? Because a guiding mission of these institutions remains to educate diverse classes of students. And the Supreme Court’s 6-3 majority opinion, penned … 

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Reasons Why Colleges Revoke Offers of Admission

Originally Published on January 22, 2018: Can a college rescind an offer of admission? Yes, you bet a college can change their minds and revoke a student’s conditional offer of admission. And we do use that word ‘conditional’ because every offer of admission that a college extends is conditional (do read that fine print, or, sometimes, … 

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Which Honors to List for Elite College Admissions

Originally Published on December 31, 2012: If your child isn’t sure which honors to list on The Common Application to impress admissions officers at America’s elite universities, know they’re not alone. Many college applicants fill up the space, which typically consists of up to five slots, without giving much thought … 

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How to Internally Transfer at UPenn to Wharton

Originally Published on September 21, 2018: Every year, we at Ivy Coach help students at the University of Pennsylvania transfer into The Wharton School from another of Penn’s undergraduate schools, most often the School of Arts and Sciences. These students are what’s known as internal transfers. Ivy Coach Helps Our Penn Admits … 

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How to Navigate College Admissions with Twins

Originally Published on May 24, 2019: Are you a parent of twins navigating the highly selective college admissions process? If so, your two children likely don’t want to apply to the same school in the Early Decision/Early Action round. “But, Ivy Coach, how did you know?” Duh, we have a … 

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