Just Admit It!

In this episode, IvyWise college admissions experts Christine (formerly at Yale and Georgetown), Judy (formerly at Georgetown), and Meg (formerly at Princeton University and Amherst College) offer their insight — from both professional and personal experiences! — into how parents can strike that balance.

In this episode, IvyWise counselors Christine (formerly at Yale and Georgetown) and Scott (formerly at Yale) talk to Martin (Founder of Campion College Consultancy and former Head of Careers and Higher Education at South Island School, Hong Kong) and Jenny (Keystone Tutors’ Regional Director of Asia) about the similarities and differences between the university admissions processes in the U.S. and...

In this episode, IvyWise college admissions experts Amy (who was an Associate Director of Admissions at Bucknell, where she played volleyball at the Division I level as an undergrad and later on specialized in athletic recruitment advising), Juaquin (who was an Admissions Officer at Occidental and was a recruited swimmer at Wesleyan), and Nat (who was a Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at N...

In this episode, IvyWise counselor Nat (former Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at NYU and NYU Abu Dhabi), Lorenza (IvyWise Executive Functioning Coach), Martin (Director of Upper School at Bennett Day School), and Jennifer (Upper School Counselor at Bennett Day School) discuss how building executive functioning skills and good study skills from a young age can help to set students up for s...

In this episode, IvyWise counselors Christine (former Assistant Director of Admissions at Yale and Georgetown) and Nat (former Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at NYU and NYU Abu Dhabi) review the 2020-21 college admissions cycle, including how COVID-19 and test-optional policies impacted students’ college prep and the number of college applications, and offer their predictions for future a...

In this episode, IvyWise college admissions experts Nat (former Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at NYU and NYU Abu Dhabi) and Christine (former Assistant Director of Admissions at Yale and Georgetown) share tips on what waitlisted students can do to optimize their chances of enrolling at their best-fit universities.

In this episode, IvyWise college admissions experts Nat (former Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at NYU and NYU Abu Dhabi) and Nellie (former Associate Director of Admissions at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania) share insight into one of the most complex pieces of the college admissions puzzle: financial aid.

In this episode, IvyWise counselors Christine (formerly at Yale and Georgetown) and Nellie (formerly at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania) share insight into the complex and competitive business school admissions process. We also have a special guest joining us, Ed Hsu, who has a dual Columbia MBA/Princeton MPA degree and is now a Senior Adviser, Disruptive Technologies within t...

In this episode, IvyWise medical school admissions counselors McGreggor (formerly at MIT and currently in Harvard Medical School admissions) and Juhn (formerly at Stanford University School of Medicine and UC Berkeley) share insight into the complex and competitive med school application process. Tune in now to learn about all aspects of the admissions process — from selecting undergraduate course...

In this episode, IvyWise college admissions counselors Christine (former Assistant Director of Admissions at Yale and Georgetown) and Nat (former Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at NYU and NYU Abu Dhabi) discuss the importance of the transcript and share advice on why students should thoughtfully consider what courses to take each year and how to plan ahead for subsequent years.

In this episode, IvyWise college admissions counselor Juaquin (formerly at Occidental College) talks with Amy (formerly at Bucknell University) about how the transfer admissions process works and share tips on how students can build their balanced college lists and perfect their application materials. They also address some of the most pressing FAQs we have been receiving from students who are con...

In this episode, IvyWise counselor Nat (former Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at NYU and NYU Abu Dhabi) joins Eric (former Admissions Officer at Columbia University), both of whom went through the college admissions process as recruited athletes, to describe what the athletic recruitment process entails and how prospective college athletes can prepare.

In this episode, Eric (former Admissions Officer at Columbia University) and IvyWise counselor Rachel (Former Assistant Dean of Admissions at Swarthmore College) discuss the importance of identifying interests, forming a plan to make an impact both inside and outside of the classroom, and committing to these activities for the long-term.

At IvyWise, we advise students to apply to about 13-15 colleges, with as close to an even distribution of target, reach, and likely institutions as possible. In this episode, IvyWise college admissions expert Rachel (former Assistant Dean of Admissions at Swarthmore College) joins Zach (former Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at Boston College) to share their top tips on how to create a man...

This special episode of Just Admit It! gives a sneak peek into an admissions committee via the IvyWise Roundtable process. Our unique Roundtable process simulates the real-world admissions committee found at top universities across the U.S. In this episode, IvyWise expert Victoria (former Assistant Director of Admissions at the University of Chicago and Sarah Lawrence College) joins Zach (former S...

It’s never too early to start planning for higher ed! College admissions officers evaluate all four years of high school, so it’s crucial for students and families to start planning for college from ninth grade onwards. In this episode, IvyWise counselors Victoria (former Assistant Director of Admissions at the University of Chicago and Sarah Lawrence College) and Nat (former Senior Assistant Dire...

In this episode, IvyWise counselors Victoria (former Assistant Director of Admissions at the University of Chicago and Sarah Lawrence College) and Rachel (former Assistant Dean of Admissions at Swarthmore College) explain why it’s crucial for students to demonstrate their interest in their top-choice universities and provide examples of how (and how not!) to do so.

In this episode, IvyWise counselor Nat (former Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at NYU and NYU Abu Dhabi) joins Eric (former Admissions Officer at Columbia University) to offer advice on when and how students should start planning for standardized testing, discuss the important distinction between 'test-optional' and 'test-blind', and analyze how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting students'...

Most U.S. universities use the ‘holistic review’ process when evaluating college applications. This means admissions officers place emphasis on the applicant as a whole person, not just their academic achievements, so soft factors may be given just as much consideration as the empirical data present in hard factors. In this episode, IvyWise counselors Victoria (formerly at the University of Chicag...

In addition to the personal statement, many colleges and universities ask supplemental essay questions as part of the college application process. These essays can range from 100-250-word responses to short, 50-word "popcorn" questions. In this episode, Eric (former Columbia University admissions officer) and Zach (former Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at Boston College) spill the tea on...

Writing the personal statement is often the most challenging aspect of college applications, so it’s no wonder that this is our most frequently received question from students. In this special extended episode of Just Admit It!, IvyWise college admissions expert Rachel (former Assistant Dean of Admissions at Swarthmore) joins Zach (former Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at Boston College)...

In the debut episode of Just Admit It!, IvyWise college admissions experts Christine (former Assistant Director of Admissions at Yale and Georgetown) and Nat (former Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at NYU and NYU Abu Dhabi) join Eric (former Admissions Officer at Columbia) discuss how the coronavirus pandemic is impacting higher ed and how the high school Class of 2021 can navigate the alt...