What IvySelect Does for You
IvySelect is a college admissions consulting firm specializing in Ivy League and similarly elite colleges and universities. We help you and your family make one of the most important decisions that you’ll encounter — selecting which college or university is best for you.
Upon engaging with you as a client, your IvySelect consultant begins a conversation to gather data about your educational goals, academic record, interests, strengths, weaknesses, preferences, skills, and aptitudes. From this base of information, we form a profile of you as an individual. All else proceeds from this profile.
Once we have developed your profile, we provide the services described below:
1- Form a Strategic Plan – In order to arrive at your intended destination, the top-tier institution that fits you best, you’ll need a “roadmap”. We rely on your profile to formulate a strategy and a plan for its execution. We determine the most beneficial “positioning” of you as an applicant amidst the keen competition for admission to top-tier institutions. A key part of the strategy is the identification of the optimal core message for you. With our guidance, you’ll clearly and consistently communicate this message to colleges though all suitable channels. Your plan will also include such fundamentals as which standardized tests to take and on what schedule, a timeline for campus visits, expressions of “demonstrated interest”, and deadlines for the submission of applications.
2. College Search – Based on your profile, we’ll work with you to develop a list of institutions that fit you best. To supplement public information, we apply our first-hand knowledge of colleges and universities to determine the best matches for you. IvySelect spends a great deal of time researching and visiting top colleges and universities as well as communicating with admissions officials, We do this on an ongoing basis to form a nuanced understanding of the type of students that each institution values the most. We work with you to build a list of 12 or 13 target schools, all of which you would be happy to attend and that comprise a range of acceptance probabilities for you.
3. Informed Guidance – IvySelect’s thorough understanding of the common aspects of the admission process as well as each elite school’s non-standard admissions practices is updated regularly. To maintain our edge, we attend workshops, seminars, and conferences hosted by the major educational associations that serve our profession. We stay current on the standardized tests, the advantages of different application platforms, essay prompts, interview techniques, and many other relevant topics.
4. Essay Consultation – In general, the students competing with you for admission will have academic credentials as good as yours. Therefore, one of the best ways to distinguish yourself is through the quality of your essays. We assist you in two ways. First, we brainstorm with you to determine which essay prompts and/or topics are best for you. This process is based primarily on your interests and passions. Secondly, we comment on ways to clearly convey your core message within the word limitations of your essays.
5. Interview Preparation – Interviews often play a pivotal role in a top-tier school’s acceptance or rejection of an applicant. Your IvySelect consultant coaches you on what questions to expect in an interview, how to interact with various types of interviewers, how to present yourself, and how to project an upbeat image without coming on too strong. Our prep sessions increase your confidence and reduce your stress. We’ll assist you in coming across as an authentic, thoughtful person capable of contributing to campus life.
6. Guidance on Letters of Recommendation – Thinking that they’re just another mundane requirement, many students underestimate the importance of letters of recommendation. Admissions officers review them carefully to see if you have certain characteristics that they seek in applicants. IvySelect assists you in the identification of those faculty members who know you best and have positive things to says about you. Since you’re usually limited to only two, we advise you regarding who among your potential recommenders are most likely to have a beneficial impact. Then, based on your strategy, we’ll advise you on the development of letters that subtly reflect your core message.
7. Optimizing Your Advantages – Many students improve their chances of acceptance by emphasizing an extraordinary talent, skill, body of knowledge, or status that they possess. This may be an ability to play a sport well, excellence in a STEM niche, or a talent for a performing or fine art that’s highly sought by an institution. Some students, as children or siblings of graduates, are potential legacy admits. Whatever it may be, IvySelect helps you identify your “hooks,” and provides strategic guidance to help you ramp up and develop those hooks, in order to make sure that you use your “hook”, to maximum advantage.
8. Guidance on Curricula and Activities – As a high school underclassman, we help you select the AP and other courses that will best serve your goals. Likewise, we offer expert guidance in choosing extracurricular activities and jobs that are most likely to work to your advantage. In supplementing your academic credentials, our recommended activities will help you to make the case that you’ll be a valuable addition to a school’s community.
Every educational institution is different. A primary advantage of retaining IvySelect is that our consultants possess an understanding of the unique aspects of each top-tier school. In short, we enable you to navigate the complexities of college admissions and make wise choices.
