college essay writing and application

The Number of Applications and Your College List

Admission to the most highly selective colleges in America isn’t impossible, but it is improbable. The odds are strongly against you. Admission rates at these institutions range from about 5% to the low teens, and almost all applicants are excellent … read more

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Yes – Even Top-Tier Colleges Play the Rankings Game

After years of preparation, you now find that you’re finally in the market for a college. You want to determine which colleges are right for you because you’ll need to apply to them soon. Naturally, you’ll look for publications to … read more

stanford college counseling

Top-Tier Colleges Listed Among the Most Innovative Schools

If applied to the latest U.S. News survey that recognizes America’s most innovative schools, the headline above could be, “Surprising University Ranks First in U.S. News List of Most Innovative Schools”. For the third consecutive year, Arizona State University was … read more

yale doors open

Top-Tier College Consortia As a Factor in Selection

IvySelect assists you in your quest to gain acceptance to top-tier colleges and universities. Among our most important tasks is to help you select those 12 or 13 schools that best suit your educational goals, preferences, skills, and interests. … read more

international students

Can Colleges Unreasonably Rescind Offers of Admission?

The administrators of the Irvine campus of the University of California managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory this year. Their victory was in receiving 104,000 applications for the Class of 2021, the third largest number of applications … read more

college student reading

Is Small Still Beautiful at Dartmouth College?

Dartmouth College, founded in 1769 in the bucolic hills of northern New Hampshire, is a private, highly selective institution and one of the eight Ivy League schools. It has a total enrollment of only 4,307 students in its undergraduate programs, … read more

stanford college counseling

Two College Rankings That Calculate Return on Investment

Those familiar with college rankings resources know that the rankings issue of US News & World Report magazine, published in September of each year, is the most widely read and quoted source of not only rankings but other useful information … read more

college application and gender

Will Demographic Trends Affect Admissions at Top-Tier Colleges?

Like all other goods and services, college education is subject to the economic laws of supply and demand. From late in the last century until recently, college enrollment grew steadily and rapidly, sustained by the immense Millennial generation. Lately, however, … read more

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Harvard Social Clubs May Lose Right of Association

For many students, membership in a fraternity or sorority is a key element of their college experience. Their social lives as undergraduates are centered on their association with fellow club members. They form intense friendships

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Duke university

Grade Inflation – Is the Bell Curve Permanent?

Although altruism isn’t completely dead, people are, far more often than not, going to act in their self-interest. The administrators and faculties of colleges are as subject to this behavioral tendency as the rest of us are. This explains the … read more