IvyWise Blog

Harvard is one of the most popular first-choice colleges for students, and it’s also one of the most competitive. Admission rates are consistently under 5% — for the class of 2028, the admission rate was 3.65%.

Given this competitive admissions rate, some very talented students are going to find themselves on Harvard’s waitlist. While most applicants have a general idea of what a waitlisted outcome means, few understand how waitlists really work and what they can do to boost their odds of admission.

As part of our IvyWise Gives Back initiative, we offer the IvyWise Scholars pro bono counseling program. Each year, we accept a select number of eligible students into the program. Through a combination of college counseling and tutoring, IvyWise Scholars are empowered to achieve their personal and academic goals. 

Students interested in attending college in Los Angeles often prioritize two schools: the University of Southern California (USC) and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). While they are both located in the same geographic area, they differ in a few significant ways that may impact which school you choose. If you’re considering both schools, it’s helpful to take a deeper dive into their similarities and differences.

Are you ready for Regular Decision notification dates? Admissions offices across the U.S. are working hard to get through hundreds of thousands of Regular Decision college applications for the class of 2029 in order to notify students of their decisions this spring.

The University of Southern California — or USC, as it’s best known — is a top research university and one of the most selective schools in the country. Located in sunny Los Angeles, California, it’s been a pioneer in academic and research initiatives since its beginnings in 1880.

Students navigating the college admissions process continue to experience unique challenges and changes, including the announcement of an entirely digital SAT, continued test-optional policies, increasing application numbers, and each student applying to more colleges on average. All of this has led to an even more competitive year at the most selective colleges in the U.S., while other schools plan to admit more students than ever before in order to manage enrollment numbers.

Superscoring is used by many colleges to evaluate your best possible performance on the SAT or ACT. What is superscoring? It’s when admissions committees consider only the highest section scores across all SAT or ACT test dates that are submitted when evaluating applications.

A letter of continued interest (often referred to as a LOCI) is a written statement that a student sends to the admissions office of a school they are still interested in attending, despite being deferred or waitlisted. Generally, these letters reiterate the student’s interest in and fit for the college in question and update the admissions office on any achievements that the student has earned since submitting their initial application.

Single-gender colleges — institutions that exclusively admit either male or female students — are often praised for their ability to empower and inspire confidence in their students. However, students may also miss out on some benefits and experiences offered by coeducational institutions. Learn more about the pros and cons to determine if a single-gender education is right for you.

The college admissions season is flying by, and before you know it early admission decisions will be released. Here’s our annual list of early admission decision notification dates!

Beginning last year, the college admissions cycle feels like more of a return to “normal.” After two years of primarily virtual college tours, many schools reopened their campuses for visitors. While remote during the COVID-19 pandemic, students applying during the 2023-24 admissions cycle have spent most of their time in high school attending in-person classes.

However, some of the college admissions changes brought about by the pandemic remain. Most notably, many schools are maintaining test-optional admissions policies. Students also still have the option to discuss how the pandemic impacted their admissions process in the Common App’s optional section.