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  • Painting Class

    What is a Portfolio? Who should submit one?

    A Portfolio is a collection of your personal work. This could be in the form of fine art, digital art, creative writing pieces, or performing arts such as music compositions, monologues, dance choreography – the list isn’t exhaustive, but it usually tends to fall under these categories. 

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  • What’s an ‘Extracurricular Spike’?

    When I meet with students to review their extracurricular activities for the first time, many are curious about whether or not they should focus on a single activity until they apply to college. I think for anyone considering an application to US universities, this is an important aspect to consider given the ‘holistic’ nature of…

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  • 21st Century Skills for students

    21st Century Skills

    Over recent years a new terminology has been spreading through the worlds of education and business, 21st Century Skills. In this blog, I’m going to explain where this terminology comes from, just what they are and why they are important for young people today.

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  • Advanced Placement exams

    What are AP Tests and should I do them?

    In a recent webinar Ivy Central did with students there were lots of questions about AP Tests, unfortunately, we didn’t have time to explain about them in detail so hopefully this article will fill the gaps.

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  • Deferred! What do you do next?

    When you apply to your top choice college in the early application round you will get one of three responses, accepted (yippee), rejected (boo) or deferred (what?). In this article I’m going to explore what it means if you are deferred and more importantly what to do about it.

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  • College Application Checklist for Grade 11th Students | Ivy Central

    A College Application Checklist for Grade 11 Students

    While it is a busy time for Grade 12 students as they apply for their regular decision schools (if applying to US unis), Grade 11 students are gearing up for their winter break. As you know, your next year would be crucial in getting you placed in a college of your choice.

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  • A Guide To STEM Majors – How To Avoid Dropping Out

    Majors in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) are the most popular choice of major for the students we work with, so it was rather a shock to come across a statistic taken from the Engage to Excelreport, stating that 60% of students who start college intending to complete a STEM major end up graduating…

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  • Why Should You Work With an Independent College Counselor?

    Why Work with an Independent College Counselor?

    As a person who earns a living as an independent college counsellor, you will not be surprised to know that I believe working with somebody like me can be a solid investment in your family’s future, in this blog, I will set out why. I don’t intend for this to be an extended advert for…

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  • Writing Essays for the University of California

    The UC application is round the corner and we are prepping for the 30th November deadline just as most of you are. If you are applying to one or more of these amazing universities, then these tips may be just the thing you need right now. 

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  • Summer Programs for High School Students

    While few Summer Programs have already opened their applications for an early-round, the others will follow suit shortly! This blog comes in the form of a step-by-step guide towards planning your summer for the next year. 

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