User Josephine asked: “I’m interested in University Summer Schools such as the Stanford one. I would like to experience the Stanford lifestyle and also, I’ve heard that it is a good opportunity to showcase ability in a typical undergraduate setting. What’s your take on that?”
Let me begin by emphasizing the intrinsic value of spending time […]
Ivy Classified
Secrets from within Ivy League admissions
University Summer Schools
Posted by ivyadmin on January 31st, 2008 | comment here
Published in Q&A
What subjects do admission officers favor?
Posted by ivyadmin on January 30th, 2008 | comment here
Published in Tips
Some schools have particular subject areas in which they like to see applicants excel. MIT, for example, puts particular emphasis on math and science. Ivy League universities, on the other hand, have no particular subjects they favor. In general, they want students to have four years in each of the five academic solids (English, Science, […]
The well-rounded applicant (part 2)
Posted by ivyadmin on January 29th, 2008 | comment here
Published in Q&A
User Josephine asked: “I read your post about how being all-rounded suggest that the candidate is uncommitted. I am really all-rounded. Im involved in sports, music, debate, strong in nearly all subjects, so do you think I should drop some of my sports to focus more on my interests? (I’m interested in studying Finance/Economics/History.)”
I am […]
Importance of AP Exams
Posted by ivyadmin on January 27th, 2008 | comment here
Published in Tips
What exactly do admission offices want from your AP scores? Are they looking for the fact you took a lot of AP exams, or for a couple of good scores (quantity vs. quality)? It turns out that admission offices look for the fact students made the effort to take the exam for the AP classes […]
Ivy League Financial Aid
Posted by ivyadmin on January 26th, 2008 | comment here
Published in General
The Ivy League has a financial aid system that is very different from other schools. They do not, by mutual agreement, give out merit-based or athletic scholarships. That is, they cannot pay athletes to attend, or give lowered rates to strongly desired applicants. Admission is need-blind. They do not look at how much money you […]
Common App vs. College’s App
Posted by ivyadmin on January 25th, 2008 | comment here
Published in Tips
Which application should you fill out when a college offers both the Common Application and their own? Well, there isn’t complete unanimity on this point, but my suggestion is to go with the Common App. When the Common App was first used, admission officers were very frustrated with the fact the format was different than […]
The well-rounded applicant
Posted by ivyadmin on January 24th, 2008 | comment here
Published in Tips
Historically, college admission offices have been looking for “well-rounded” applicants. These are students who do well academically in the humanities and sciences, and take a variety of extracurriculars (e.g. football captain, German club president, and vice-president of the student class).
Over time, the concept of a well-rounded applicant has shifted to the concept of a well-rounded […]
The Golden Ratio
Posted by ivyadmin on January 23rd, 2008 | comment here
Published in Tips
It is always difficult to decide which colleges and universities are the right fit. One of the biggest trends among students in recent years has been to increase the number of schools to which they apply. It is no longer extraordinary to hear of a student applying to upwards of a dozen colleges. The expansion […]
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- The Time Factor (part 2)
- The Time Factor
- Who are admission officers? (part 2)
- Who are admission officers? (part 1)
- Re: How do colleges know so much about my school?
- Financial Aid - International Students
- Compensating for weakness in one subject
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Recent Articles
- The Time Factor (part 2) The first response to news of the time crunch faced by admission officers is to spice up the application. This is done in a variety of ways, but I want...
- The Time Factor This is one of the more commonly known facts about college admission offices. Admission officers review your application for a fraction of the time you spend writing it. At the...
- Who are admission officers? (part 2) One of the most important things to keep in mind when pitching yourself is, 'who are you pitching yourself to'? Who are you trying to get to buy? Most students...
- Who are admission officers? (part 1) There seems to be a consensus in splitting admission officers into two general groups: Temps and Lifers. First, lets talk about Temps. These are usually recent graduates. Admission officers try...
- Re: How do colleges know so much about my school? The most common source of information is the High School Profile. Usually sent out by guidance offices, this form provides basic facts for admission offices. It will list information such...
