Ivy League Prep Academy Podcast

The myths that lead to the imbalance. Learn what college admissions officers actually care about when they shape a class. It's not what you think. ----- To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our website . To follow on Instagram:  @TheIvyLeagueChallenge To join us on our Facebook group for parents : Or schedule a meeting with Steve here

In part one of our November 2023 masterclass, we learn how and why teens get so far out of balance. While many people believe that teens have no choice in the matter, the reality is that it is both possible and strategic to create a schedule that allows for plenty of space for balance. ----- To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our website . To follow on Instagram:  @TheIvyLeagueChallen...

It is natural and understandable that teens want to find ways to impress admissions officers. And yet... that desire to impress often leads to the exact opposite effect. So what can we do instead? It's not what you expect. Listen in to learn more. ----- To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our website . To follow on Instagram:  @TheIvyLeagueChallenge To join us on our Facebook grou...

In part 2 of this series, we learn what the right amount of AP or IB classes will be for you. This is part 2-- be sure to listen to part 1 for context. ----- To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our website . To follow on Instagram:  @TheIvyLeagueChallenge To join us on our Facebook group for parents : Or schedule a meeting with Steve here

Although everywhere you turn, everyone talks about how important academic rigor is, there is more to the story. AP, IBDP, or A-level classes are unquestionably valuable. And yet, sometimes there can be too much of a good thing. This is certainly one of those times. Rather than taking a class load that pushes you to the edge of sanity, remember why you want to demonstrate academic rigor, and don&ap...

Exciting announcement for those who feel overwhelmed by school work as we approach the end of the semester.  I am hosting a free masterclass to help you help your teens balance everything. This masterclass is best for both parents and teens to attend together. Juniors and seniors (grades 11 and 12) are in the middle of the busiest times of their lives so far, and should join this masterclass. Also...

As more and more families realize how valuable academic research is as a college admissions strategy, they come to us to learn how to get started. But professors are busy, and most high school students don't have the skills or understanding to be able to contribute right away. This means that there are a limited number of professors who are willing to add a high school student to the team. Bu...

Zuzu (Ivy League Challenge student) and Gulnar (her mom) join me to discuss Zuzu's experience in the Ivy League Challenge. We discuss each weekly class from phase 1 (the first four weeks of the program) from both the student's and mother's perspective. Learn why they joined, and what they have experienced during this first month in the program. ----- To register for the Ivy League C...

Few things are more frustrating than working hard for weeks to put together your best essay, only to get a poor grade. Essay writing should be preferable to test taking, but because there are too many poor essay writing strategies, many students would rather take a test than write a paper. I hope that changes with this podcast. Learn how to be more effective and ensure that all of your essays get...

Do you ever feel frustrated because you spend too much time studying? Are you not getting the grades you want? Often some of the hardest workers don't actually get the best grades. This doesn't happen because these hard workers are not as smart. Many of these hard workers struggle to get better grades because they are using ineffective study strategies. Listen in today to hear my favorit...

We're several weeks into the school year. As the excitement of the new school year wears off, have you found yourself procrastinating important tasks? Join us for a free Defeat Procrastination Facebook group challenge! I'll give you some tools you can use to overcome procrastination, and then those who earn enough points will received my entire course for free! Join us at tilc.to/fb The...

Akaash has just completed the Ivy League Challenge, and is in the beginning stages of executing his impact project-- creating training materials for competitive math students who don't have access to tutors. Listen in to learn about what it is like as a grade 9 student, and how Akaash decided on his impact project. ----- To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our website . To follow...

Ishita shares her final thoughts about how the Ivy League Challenge impacted her college prep. Hear her thoughts as she wraps up our interview in part 2. If you missed part one, you can listen to that episode first. Find it here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1019335/11382451 ----- To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our website . To follow on Instagram:  @TheIvyLeagueChallenge To join us...

Registration for the Fall 2022 cohorts will close soon. To register, go to TILC.to/register when you sign up, you will receive access to the digital course, and you can also choose if you will join the Friday or Sunday night cohorts. Fall 2022 options are: Fridays, beginning September 30th, 8-10 pm EST or  Sundays, beginning October 2nd, 8-10 pm EST If you have a question you need answered first,...

As an almost-16-year-old, Ishita has already logged more than 800 hours of laboratory research work. Her excellence in the lab has allowed her to enter (and win) research competitions, win money, and even an invite to present at Harvard university. She discusses how she was able to succeed in the lab, and what other ambitious teens should be doing as well. Recently she expanded her efforts to crea...

Have you ever been in such a hurry to get something done, that in your need for speed you make mistakes that cost you time, and the task ends up taking longer than if you hadn't sped up? Often moving quickly slows you down, because if that urgent desire to achieve comes at the expense of critical fundamentals, then you'll develop the wrong habits, which will end up taking more time to un...

The summer before senior year is the busiest of an ambitious teen's life. Minna Most decided to take two weeks from that summer and dedicate them to participation in the Ivy League Challenge bootcamp. Listen in as she talks about how participation in The Challenge helped save her time by giving her clarity and confidence, and gave her her sanity back. ----- To register for the Ivy League Chal...

Fall 2022 Ivy League Challenge registration is now open.  The two options for Fall, 2022 are: Sundays, beginning September 25th (8-10 pm EST) Fridays, beginning September 30th (8-10 pm EST) For those who register early (at least 7 days before class begins, two additional bonuses are granted;  a 1:1 Strategy call with me Access to the online course Defeat Procrastination (regularly $197.00) Don&apo...

In the middle of a hectic senior summer, Maxine Most and her daughter decided to pause their college prep for two weeks in order to participate in the Ivy League Challenge bootcamp. Listen to the mother's perspective as Maxine describes what life was like before, during, and after the Ivy League Challenge for both her and her daughter. ----- To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our...

In parts 1 & 2 you learned the science that explains why it can be so hard to manage our time better. In part 3, I'll share the tactics I used to get into and through Harvard university. If you haven't listened to the earlier two podcasts, stop and listen to those first-- they set up part 3. This masterclass was originally taught in my Facebook group-- Parents of Ambitious Teens: Per...

We all know how important effective time management is-- begin able to focus the way you want to earns you better grades, greater confidence, and more time to do the things you want to be doing in life. In part two of the highlights from our masterclass, you'll learn about the study John Nash did at Stanford, and how understanding your neuroscience better can empower you to make better choice...

Effective time management leads to better grades, greater confidence, and more time to do the things you want to do in life.  So why don't more teens better manage their time? How can we help them improve? We recently did a free masterclass in my Facebook group (Parents of Ambitious Teens: Personal Growth & Healthy College Prep) to help teens and parents of teens find new ways to get thos...

Are you excited to go back to school? Horrified? Somewhere in between?  Regardless of how you feel, you know that this school year will be important for you to reach your goals and to grow as a person.  Listen in to learn the 5 keys to an amazing start to your school year!

One of the great ironies of life is that making hard choices leads to an easy life, but making easy choices leads to a hard life. Procrastination, junk food, late nights, etc.-- all easy choices-- lead to a hard life. But self-discipline, eating right, early mornings, and focused effort are all hard choices which lead to an easy life.  But we somehow keep on making choices which obviously make lif...

What if the secret to maximizing your odds of success is to choose the right field of competition? We all know that boiling water will harden an egg, but soften a potato. And if the reality is that people are born with differences, can we use those differences to move the admissions odds to our favor? Assuming a strong academic foundation, the best way to put admissions odds in our favor is to ali...