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College Essay Tips

IvyWise IvyWise Building Your Applicant Profile vs. Telling Your Story

Building Your Applicant Profile vs. Telling Your Story

The college application process is stacked with buzzwords, including the often-used “holistic review” and “hook.” Right now, more and more families are trying to decipher terms like “profile building,” “applicant profile,” and “telling your story.” What do these terms mean, and how do they differ? How do you approach your applicant profile? How do you tell your story? What can families do to prepare?

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IvyWise Undergraduate Business School Essay Tips from a Former Admissions Officer

Undergraduate Business School Essay Tips from a Former Admissions Officer

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.

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IvyWise How to Improve Your Writing Skills Ahead of College Application Season

How to Improve Your Writing Skills Ahead of College Application Season

If you’re wrapping up junior year of high school, there’s a lot to think about: college tours, signing up for standardized tests, applying to summer programs – the list goes on. There is one more thing you should be prioritizing as you look toward your senior year: developing your writing skills.

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Spring Into Self-Expression: Developing Your Writing Voice Through Journaling

And so began my very first journal entry. The navy blue velvet cover, complete with the silver outline of a unicorn, has withstood the test of time. As a 9-year-old, I recall feeling a sense of self-importance as I put ink to paper in rather awkward cursive handwriting and recounted my school day in a short paragraph. 

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IvyWise Books to Help With Essay Writing and Story Telling

Books to Help With Essay Writing and Story Telling

As a former high school English teacher, I always tout the importance of reading as a means to improve one’s writing, especially when it comes to the college essay.
Author Annie Proulx perhaps sums it up best: “Writing comes from reading, and reading is the finest teacher of how to write.”  Reading exposes you to different writing styles, diction, and sentence syntax which can influence, improve, and even inspire your own writing style.

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College Application Essay Writing 101: The Writing Process

For students that have already selected an essay topic, starting on the actual writing process can be just as intimidating. “Process” is the key word here. Writing takes time, and you must set aside at least several weeks to work on the personal essay. So how do you dive into the “process?” And where do you start? Well, I’m here to help you get started!

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IvyWise How to Pick a College Essay Topic

How to Pick a College Essay Topic

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.

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IvyWise 3 Things Admissions Officers Look for in Students

3 Things Admissions Officers Look for in Students

The holistic admissions process can be confusing to both college-bound students and their parents, but identifying what college admissions officers are looking for in students’ applications can actually be pretty simple.

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10 College Application Essay Dos and Don’ts

IvyWise counselors Rachel and Zach share their top tips on how to brainstorm and write college application essays, and what admissions officers are looking for when they read them on the Just Admit It! college admissions podcast, giving listeners expert insight from former admissions officers.

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10 College Application Mistakes to Avoid

Just as there is no one path to getting admitted to a particular school, there is no one reason that applicants get rejected. Usually, it is a combination of factors, not all of which are within the applicant’s control.

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