If you’re the parent of a college-bound high school student, you might be feeling a healthy dose of their stress about the process. And who can blame you for wanting to help steer the fate of your child in the right direction? There’s plenty you can do to set your child on the right path towards admission to a highly selective college. You’ve already made the wise choice of turning to Ivy Coach to equip yourself with knowledge free from the many misconceptions that swirl around the elite college admissions process. Use this article as your window into our college admissions blog, following the links embedded within to learn more about the admissions topics you need to know.

Ivy Coach’s Resources for Parents Navigating College Admissions

• To firmly ground yourself in the here and now of college admissions, you’ll need to shed what you might have learned when you were your child’s age about how to get into a top school. No, a well-rounded approach to elite college admissions is not a smart move. While this way of framing an applicant as a jack of all trades might have worked in the 1980s, nowadays, the students with singular hooks are happy to fill the slots that applicants who applied as well-rounded are rejected from.
• And why is the singular hook approach the way to go? Because students who have distinguished themselves through the pursuit of one specific discipline, art form, cause, or passion instill faith in elite college admissions officers that they will make the most of their time on campus. Whereas the student who has spent some time volunteering at a soup kitchen when he’s not at soccer practice or competing in science fairs certainly has a great heart, he’s not going to take advantage of the highly specialized resources and opportunities available on an elite college campus. He might join an amateur soccer league or help out his community, but he’s not going to step foot in the cutting-edge genetics research lab or apply for a prestigious public policy internship. The student with the singular hook, on the other hand, will!
• Yes, colleges want your child to demonstrate their interest in attending. They might not be forthcoming about this on their websites, but yes, indeed, they seek to admit highly enthusiastic students who know they want to attend. So how do you, as a parent, help your child to demonstrate interest? A great place to start is by taking them on a college tour and ensuring that you have your child’s name on any and all sign-in/attendance sheets for prospective students.
• Once you have a family trip to your child’s future school on the books, talk to your child about the benefits of applying via their top choice school’s Early round. This is yet another way to demonstrate interest, and in the case of Early Decision, making a binding commitment to attend shows admissions officers that your child means business. The Early round advantage is undeniable in the elite college admissions process, so it is incumbent upon you to get your child moving on their college applications as soon as possible to give them enough time to assemble the necessary materials for a strong ED or EA (Early Action) application.
• Say your child has earned admission to the school of their dreams. It’s now more important than ever that you encourage them to maintain strong grades and avoid senior slide at all costs. And yes, this naturally includes steering them clear of any and all disciplinary trouble.
• Oh, and this might go without saying, but don’t sabotage your child’s classmates to give yours a leg up. This shortsighted decision will undoubtedly backfire and will just serve to make you look ridiculous. Hey, you might think that’s a crazy idea, but we’ve seen it before!

Ivy Coach’s Assistance With Navigating the Elite College Admissions Process

At Ivy Coach, we do more than just optimize your child’s odds of admission to highly selective colleges across the country. We’re also your one-stop source for any and all questions you may have about navigating college admissions, college campuses, high school course registration, school choice, and more. Seeking to manage the stress associated with senior year? We’ll take the reins on your child’s applications so you can focus on your family.

To get started with us, fill out our complimentary consultation form, and we’ll be in touch with an outline of our services led by our team of former elite college admissions officers.