One of the most compelling and authentic applications I read during my time as an admissions officer at Duke University was from a student who applied as undecided.

Applying to U.S. colleges can be a confusing and stressful process. Part of this stems from the fact that schools typically have several application rounds and deadlines that you need to know about. Understanding and leveraging these different options, however, can provide a strategic advantage in the college application process.

Business is the number one undergraduate degree in the US. According to the National Center of Education Statistics, 19% of bachelor degrees granted in 2019-20 were business degrees. However, some of the most selective universities do not offer undergraduate business degrees.

One of the most daunting parts of the college application process is the pressure to decide right now what you want to study and the type of career you plan to pursue. First, you should know that being unsure about these things, or even having no inkling at all of what you want to do after graduation, is normal.

From helping you manage time and attention to solving problems and maintaining emotional control, executive functioning skills are invaluable for navigating the complexities of daily life and achieving your goals. These cognitive processes can have a significant impact on your quality of life. Keep reading to learn more about executive functioning and how you can improve these skills. 

As the sun sets on the summer and we enter another academic year, seniors are less than a year away from the induction into adulthood and independence that awaits after high school graduation. Before that new journey begins, seniors must contend with graduation requirements and post-high school plans.

In Semester 5 Episode 6 of our podcast, IvyWise College Admissions Counselor Robin (formerly at Georgetown University and Vanderbilt University), Executive Functioning Team Leader Lorenza, and Executive Functioning Coach Nicki share their top tips on how school high school students can further develop their executive functioning skills and practice stress management and self-care during the college application process.

The process of preparing for, taking, and responding to standardized test scores is a stressful and overwhelming one for students and families, and with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, this process has only become more stressful in recent years. One of the ways that colleges have responded to the pandemic’s obstacles is to implement test-optional admissions policies to avoid disadvantaging students who have been unable to sit for an ACT or SAT.

Superman pajamas, summer road trips in an RV, driving a carriage, a Cuban grandfather. All seemingly disparate topics, yet these subjects happen to be from some of the most memorable college essays I read as an admissions counselor. Selecting a topic for your college application essay can be one of the most daunting tasks, and finding the right topic takes creativity and soul-searching.

The spring semester is a popular testing time for college-bound students and is often the first time that high school juniors crack open an SAT or ACT prep book. What’s important for younger students to realize, however, is that starting test prep early — even in ninth or 10th grade — can help students have the best chance of reaching their goal scores and mitigate the stress caused by too much testing at once.