Blogs & Latest News

A Look Ahead at the 2021 Academic Year for Students | Ivy Central
College Counseling

What Will the 2021 Academic Year Bring for Students?

Twelve months ago, as the pandemic took hold around the world, students were graduating from high school into an uncertain situation. For many, the pandemic changed the world from what they had expected and for those preparing to start their university years, rather than leaving home and starting a new life abroad it has meant a year of online classes and spending hours in bedrooms at home. As a new cohort of students prepare to graduate, what will the new academic year bring?

Read More »
5 Steps on How to Find the Right College? College Selection Guide
College Counseling

Five Steps to Help You Find Your Perfect College Match

If you have decided that going to college or university is what you want to do after high school, then this article is for you. Making the choice about which college or university to attend is a difficult one, there are so many options to choose from! This article will show you the five steps to help you narrow down your choices to a manageable number that you can apply to. It does not matter if you are applying to institutions in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia or any other part of the world, these steps will help you.

Read More »
Newest Common Application Prompt | How to Write Prompt Essay?
College Applications

The Newest Common Application Prompt & Ways to Answer It

For the application year 2021-22, the Common Application has announced a new essay prompt –

“Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?”

Read More »
8 Key Tips on How to Get Into an Ivy League College? Ivy Central
College Applications

Eight Tips on Getting Accepted by an Ivy League College

For many students and families aspiring to a higher education experience in the United States of America, the Ivy League remains the pinnacle of educational achievement. Irrespective of whether they are right in that belief, the reality is that if pushed to name a US college many families of international students would name an Ivy League institution. Every year more and more students apply to one of the eight colleges that make up the Ivy League, drawn by their mix of high academic achievement, social prestige, wonderful facilities and extensive networking opportunities. If you are one of those who dream of walking the campuses of these colleges, here is what you need to know and eight tips on what it takes to win a coveted acceptance letter.

Read More »
Ultimate Guide to the Inter/Multidisciplinary Majors | Ivy Central
Admissions

Inter/Multidisciplinary Majors: Should you apply for one?

Interdisciplinary majors are those that inherently fuse two or more traditional areas of study (Biomedical engineering, Global Affairs, South Asian Studies) On the other hand, Multidisciplinary or Cross-disciplinary majors tend to externally combine different areas of study (Computer Science and Psychology; Mathematics and Philosophy; Physics and Geosciences).

Read More »
Five tips to help you get what you need to do
College Counseling

Class of 2025: The Bigger Picture

At the start of January this year I wrote a piece for this blog where I looked at what had happened in the early round of college applications for the class of 2025. Since the start of April colleges have been releasing statistical information for the whole application round, including the numbers of applications they have received and the all important admit rate. From this information, we are able to gain a better understanding of what has turned out to be a truly unique year.

Read More »
What to Do if You Are Waitlisted for A College? Guide for Students
College Counseling

Waitlisted! So what do you next to win the place?

If you have applied to colleges and universities in the United States you should now know which have accepted you and which have not offered you a place. For some, there will be a third category where the college has put the student on a waitlist. If the college is your top choice college, then being on a waitlist can feel like being in purgatory, somewhere between heaven and hell. Read on to find out how you can judge your odds of being admitted off the waitlist and what you can do to improve your chances.

Read More »
Comprehensive Guide to Womens’ Colleges in the US | Ivy Central
College Counseling

Womens’ Colleges in the US: To apply or not to apply?

You may have occasionally heard the term “Seven Sisters” with regard to Womens’ Colleges in the US. The term refers to seven historically all-women’s colleges namely: Barnard College, Bryn Mawr College, Mount Holyoke College, Radcliffe College, Smith College, Vassar College and Wellesley College.

Read More »
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 »