Ivy League Prep Academy Podcast

Motivation is overrated. It really is.  Think about it: 1. motivation is NOT the key to winning-- we know this because the winning and losing teams are both motivated to win. 2. Motivation wants fast results-- but real excellence wants consistency over the long haul. 3. Boredom (or any number of other common challenges) can kill motivation. Here are six things that will help you create the success...

Asfi Tias is a rising senior who is also aspiring to go to a competitive college in preparation for medical school in a few years.  Listen in to hear about her experience before, during, and after the Ivy League Challenge. Hear about her impact projects, her advice for younger ambitious teens, and what she believes are some of the biggest mistakes she made that others can avoid.

You're teen works hard, but just can't seem to get the grades or test scores they need to reach achieve their ambitions.  You know grades aren't everything, but you also know they matter-- a lot.  What do you do? Camille Roney only graduated high school because it was easier on the administrators to pass her than to get her to score above a D in any of her classes. She was failing c...

Do you ever feel like preparing for college is like fighting for limited seats on a train?  This can make you feel anxious, overwhelmed, and frustrated.  After all, there are only so many 'seats' available, right?  There are only so many valedictorians, so many science olympiad winners, and only so many captains of the team. The seats on the "we're better than everyone else at...

Daniel Waheed shares his impact projects, and talks through how he is tying in his core values and personal history to craft his application narrative. In this interview, we learn about how to think about an impact project How being more effective is easier than being less effective (in college prep) Why his impact project isn't even just about college prep-- it is his genuine calling.

George Banke felt like he was floating along in life, and lacked the focus that he needed to feel confident in his college prep.  In this interview, he shares what happened to give him the clarity he needed, and what he is doing now to prepare for college in a way that is exciting, motivating, and effective.  Listen in to learn about his impact project as well. 

In part 3 of our 'sneak peak' into the recent Masterclass about how to help build teen confidence, we learn: *Why feeling nervousness is wonderful-- and how to convert the nervous energy into excitement that can help you focus and perform better. *How to anticipate being bad at something in order to later get good at it. *A reminder that we always underestimate how much we can accomplish...

In part two, we move on to the second type of confidence: the idea that when I don't have skills or experience, I still know that eventually I can figure out a solution as long as I bring myself to the equation.  This type of confidence requires that we have learned at least some skill at a high level before, so that we can anticipate with accuracy how the Valley of Disappointment will feel....

Teen (and preteen) confidence is one of the most important traits to help develop.  But how?  Unfortunately a lot of advice on the topic is incomplete. In my Facebook Group (Parents of Ambitious Teens: Personal Growth & Healthy College Prep) I taught a masterclass to help parents help their teens.  In part one, you'll hear about one form of confidence, and why the advice "just do it&...

Harvard professor Dr. Richard Weissbourd is currently a senior lecturer on education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and at the Kennedy School of Government. In our discussion today, we are particularly excited to hear about the Making Caring Common Project that he directs, and the Turning the Tide initiative, which is a national effort to reform college admissions that has engaged alm...

As someone who has written hundreds of letters of recommendation, and has spent just as much time talking to the admissions officers who read others' letters of recommendation, I know that these letters can make or break your application. But rec letters feel like something that is completely out of your control.  Or are they? There are things you can do to ensure you will be getting outstand...

Registration for the Summer 2022 cohort of the Ivy League Challenge is now open!  To participate in the bootcamp (July 3-16) or standard cohort (weekly on Thursdays beginning July 14th) all from 8-10 PM eastern time, go to www.theivyleaguechallenge.com to register! To register for the Ivy League Challenge, go to www.theivyleaguechallenge.com To schedule a call with me, go to https://calendly.com/t...

Want to make sure you or your teen are on track in your college prep?  Wondering when college prep should really begin?  This podcast takes you through a free guide that I've created to help you follow a healthy and highly effective timeline of events to know you are fully prepared for college preparation.  To get your FREE guide, go to TILC.to/timeline

Registration for the Summer 2022 cohort of the Ivy League Challenge will open soon, but the date is already set.  Mark your calendars beginning Thursday, July 14, from 8-10 PM Eastern time. The course will run for 12 total weeks (weekly calls). Also, be sure to listen to this episode to hear the unbelievable great news about this upcoming cohort. To contact me, email me at theivyleaguechallenge@gm...

No matter how impossible this statement might feel right now, it is still true: YOU can get straight A's, even in your hard classes. When you create a strong academic foundation (and are willing to go back and fill gaps that might exist), manage your time, manage your energy, and manage your relationships, you can get perfect grades. Listen up to learn how.

You don't need more time in your day, you need to be more productive with the time you already have. But how? Do you get frustrated when you realize that you have ambitions that you are not living up to?  That frustration can lead to procrastination, self-doubt, discouragement, and more.  People who don't have the skills necessary to be more productive often end up dependent on deadlines...

If you were asked to create a fictional character to represent total confidence, how would you create that character?  Most people would make this fictional character a combination of Wonder Woman (knows every language, knows everything), Superman (stronger and faster than everyone else), and Captain America (no matter how scary the situation, he has enough courage to always act without struggle)....

Ever wonder what it is like to participate in the Ivy League Challenge? As a busy high school junior, Anubhav decided to add the Ivy League Challenge to his AP classes and other activities. Find out what he says about fitting everything in and what advice he has for middle school and high school students who want to make the most of their teenage years as they prepare for selective college admissi...

Media exposure can be the best, most effective way to create legitimacy and credibility for you as the expert or for your impact project as the solution to a problem in your community. But how do you find the right publications to highlight your project? Can you control that message by writing the article yourself? Publicity expert PollyAnna Brown, who has helped people get spotlighted in outlets...

Looking to land a competitive internship or research opportunity? Having a hard time finding an opportunity that will take you one while you are younger than the eligibility rules allow? Rather than giving up on the opportunity to connect with experts in the world because you can't 'find an opportunity', learn how to create the kind of opportunities that will help you grow and devel...

Why is it that some people seem to have everything put together? What's up with these people? They are smart, they exercise exactly when they say they will, they eat the way they choose to eat, and they are able to focus when they want to focus. How do you become the person you want to be? Do you think they want success more than you? That they have more will power? That they care more than y...

How do you show thoughtfulness in your personal statement? Why not learn from the professionals? Think about your favorite story. Whether a movie or a novel, that story will include a hero, a victim, a villain, and a mentor/guide. What may not be obvious at first (before adding thoughtfulness)-- is that the hero, the victim, and the villain all begin the same way. Think about it. Each of them begi...

Nilambera (Neela) Pradhan explains what attracted her to the Ivy League Challenge and how her impact project aligns so completely with her core values. To reach out to Neela, email her at spneela002@gmail.com or visit her website at www.atomstomountains.org ----- To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our website . To follow on Instagram:  @TheIvyLeagueChallenge Join Facebook group: Paren...

What if you could gain an incredible advantage in college admissions without sacrificing your childhood?  It's not just a dream.  Real college preparation is about  Identifying and aligning with core values  Making your community better in ways that align with your core values  Developing emotional intelligence, problem solving, self-efficacy, etc. All of these things should build a teen&apos...

What time of year is best? What age/year in school is the best time to visit colleges? How do we make the most of those college visits? How do we make sure we demonstrate interest? What questions should we ask while on the tour? While on campus? What else will we wish we knew sooner? There are a lot of important questions around making the most of college visits and college tours. Today we go over...