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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SAT vs. ACT: How To Decide Which Test to Take

Previously Published on February 22, 2023: Are you trying to figure out if the SAT or ACT is better suited for you? Long gone is the era when students on America’s coasts took only the SAT and students in the middle of the country took only the ACT — and … 

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How to Get a Great Letter of Recommendation for College

In the college admissions process to highly selective universities, letters of recommendation are among the critical inputs in the decision-making tree. At America’s elite universities, other key inputs include the candidate’s high school, demographic background, coursework rigor, grades, test scores, extracurriculars, essays, and the interview. Unlike many other inputs, letters of recommendation … 

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When Are College Applications Due?

When are college applications due to America’s highly selective universities for the 2023-2024 admissions cycle? You may be searching for these institutions’ Early Decision/Early Action deadlines. Or perhaps you’re looking for the Regular Decision deadlines. Or maybe even the Transfer Admission deadlines. Either way, we’ve got these dates for you. … 

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Can You Apply to Ivy League Schools on The Common Application?

Over 1,000 colleges and universities are members of The Common Application, the most widely used college application platform. Over 1,000 colleges and universities are members of The Common Application, the most widely used college application platform.  As there are only around 50 highly selective universities in America, suggesting an array … 

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2023-2024 Caltech Supplemental Essay Prompts

The California Institute of Technology has released its supplemental essay prompts for the 2023-2024 admissions cycle. The school, one of the last among America’s elite universities to release their essays for applicants to the Class of 2028, asks applicants to respond to several required and optional essays as well as short … 

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2023-2024 University of Virginia Supplemental Essay Prompts

The University of Virginia has released its supplemental essay prompts for the 2023-2024 admissions cycle. In addition to The Common Application’s Personal Statement, applicants to UVA’s Class of 2028 must answer one essay question. Additionally, an optional essay question is hidden at the bottom of the “General” section that we … 

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The Most Popular College Essay Prompts for 2023-2024

With the 2023-2024 college admissions cycle in full swing and now that all of America’s highly selective universities have released their supplemental essay prompts, let’s analyze the most popular types of essay questions asked of applicants to the Class of 2028. So here goes! Most Common Supplemental Essay Prompts for … 

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2023-2024 NYU Supplemental Essay Prompt

New York University has released its supplemental essay prompt for the 2023-2024 admissions cycle. In addition to The Common Application’s Personal Statement, applicants to NYU are asked to respond to one optional 250-word supplemental essay — and it’s a different one from years past. For this supplemental essay, NYU applicants … 

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2023-2024 University of California Essay Prompts: Berkeley, UCLA, and UCSD

The University of California schools have released their 2023-2024 essay prompts for applicants to the Class of 2024. Unlike most highly selective universities, the UC schools are not members of The Common Application — the school has its own application. Just like in previous years, applicants to the University of … 

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