Blogs & Latest News

What Is an Internship? Do Internships Help College Admission
Extra-Curricular

Will an internship help you to get into college?

A common question that we hear at Ivy Central when helping students prepare to apply to college is ‘Should I do an internship?’ As you might expect, the answer is a little more nuanced than a straight Yes or No, so in this article, I will explore some of the considerations that anybody thinking of doing an internship to support their college application should reflect on.

Read More »

US Credit System: How does it work?

US universities are most known for the flexibility in their curriculums. This is due to the fact that they offer a credit-based system to measure coursework required for a specific Undergraduate or Graduate program. This framework provides greater freedom in course selection to its students. For instance, you could do a double major or a major and a minor, as long as you are satisfying mandatory credit requirements. 

Read More »

Demonstrated Interest: What is it and how to show it?

As the words suggest, demonstrated interest in college applications refers to how the applicant has indicated that they are interested in the college or university that is considering their application. The very fact that an application to attend has been received is a demonstration of interest but consider these two scenarios.

Read More »

Writing a ‘Letter of Continued Interest’

Congratulations on making it to some of the best programs in the US! We are sure most of you would have heard back from some of the colleges you have applied to. Given the record-breaking applications to highly competitive colleges in the US, this year has been an unpredictable one for most.

Read More »

Why ‘Model United Nations’?

Encouraging students to sign up for Model United Nations or MUN, we are often asked: “Why MUN”? Since many of you may be wondering the same, this blog attempts to answer your question.

Read More »
Letters of Recommendation: Who to Ask?
College Counseling

What is a Liberal Arts Education?

Not so long ago I had a long conversation with a parent who was concerned that their child was interested in applying to some liberal arts colleges. Through the conversation, we discussed just what a liberal arts education is and how appropriate it is for the modern employment market. In this blog, I’m going to share some of the points that came out of our conversation.

Read More »
Guide to the Role of Effective Reflection in Personal College Essay
Study Skills

What does it mean to reflect effectively? Why does it matter?

At Ivy Central, we help students look inwards to write essays that showcase the most honest version of themselves. We encourage students to brainstorm ideas for numerous iterations until they are satisfied with the version that represents them the best. In our experience, reflection is key to an outstanding and memorable essay. The best essays are also the ones that are personal and honest.

Read More »
In-Depth Guide on What is a Research University? Ivy Central
College Counseling

What’s a Research University?

In a previous article, I wrote about the many types of colleges and universities to be found across the United States. In this article, I am going to provide a more in depth look at one of those types, the research university. I will explain just what distinguishes a research university from other types and suggest what type of student best fits that environment.

Read More »
Common Application Essay Prompts 2021-22 & How to Ans them?
Admissions

Common Application Essay Prompts 2021-22 & How to Ans them?

The Common Application has a set of 7 prompts from which you select any one to tell a compelling story to the Admissions Team. Most students feel that this is where you list all of your achievements. False: Colleges are not looking for duplication of your resume in your essay. On the contrary, the CAE is a personal, creative, and reflective essay meant to focus on your unique values and skills as an individual

Read More »

Changes at the Common App

The Common Application has announced the essay prompts for the 2021-22 admissions cycle and for the first time in nearly five years there has been a change. Here, I will explain what the change is and its significance for students applying to college later this year.

Read More »
Exploring Types of Colleges and Universities in the US | Ivy Central
College Counseling

A Guide to the Colleges and Universities in the US.

Now is the time of year where those students who will be applying for college later in the year really start to think about building their college list. While every college is unique nearly all can be categorised into a type, often offering great advantages to their students. In this article, I will list some of the most popular types of colleges you should get to know as you narrow down the colleges and universities on your college list.

Read More »
9 Tips on How to Improve Your School Performance? Ivy Central
Study Skills

Improve Your GPA, 9 Tips to Boost Your School Performance.

In the last blog, I discussed Grade Point Average or GPA, how it is calculated and how it makes an important contribution to the profile you present to colleges at application time. If colleges consider your GPA to be important, then you should too. In this blog, I will show you how the key to academic success is not dependent on being smart, rather it is about being disciplined and efficient in your study habits. These 9 strategies will help you raise your GPA without getting stressed and working at all hours.

Read More »

Understand High School GPA – Grade Point Average

Most people aspiring to apply to college in the US will be familiar with the acronym GPA but in this article, I’m going to dig deeper, to understand the different types of GPA, how they are calculated and its significance in the college application process.

Read More »

The End of SAT Subject Tests and Essay.

Over the last few days, the College Board has announced that they are scrapping the optional SAT subject tests and essay, describing the move as an effort to ‘reduce and simplify demands on students.’ In this blog article, we will consider what is behind this sudden change and what the implications are for students.

Read More »