I run a very small college admissions consulting practice and this year I worked with 4 seniors who were qualified for Ivies. By qualified, I mean straight As, 1550+ on the SAT, and extracurriculars at the state/ national/ international levels.

Three of my students got in early to Stanford, Harvard or MIT. The fourth got into Stanford and another Ivy League school last week.

Since the admit rate at these schools is 4% or less, these type of results Just. Don’t. Happen.

I keep reflecting on what I did this year as a coach, and I want to share some insights I learned through the process:

A friend recently shared an ABC news story about Stanley Zhong, a student at Palo Alto’s Gunn High School who had a 3.97 unweighted GPA, a 1590 on his SATs and founded a company, RabbitSign.

Zhong applied to 18 colleges and was rejected by 16 of them, including the usual suspects: Stanford, MIT, Carnegie Mellon, UC Berkeley, UCLA, Cornell University, and Caltech.

But surprisingly, he also got denied from UCSD, UCSB, UC Davis, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, University of Illinois, University of Michigan, Georgia Tech, University of Washington and University of Wisconsin.

“Can I keep playing basketball / tennis / soccer in high school? I like it but it takes a lot of time and I won’t be getting recruited for college.”

“Is it better to start a nonprofit or do a competitive summer program to get into the Ivy League?”

“I lie awake at night worrying about whether I’m doing enough to get into college.”

These are just some of the questions – and concerns – students and families have shared with me over the years.

First, I want to clear up a misconception.

I was wrapping up a consultation with a family from China recently when the father asked this fascinating question: “What blind spots do Asians have about the American college admissions process?”

It was such an insightful question I knew I wanted to share my answer here:

MIT recently brought back the SAT and ACT.

They say it actually helps them diversify their student body more than when admissions was test optional, because scores show whether students can actually do the work.

Families are asking me how they should approach standardized testing now, and I say,

The pandemic has caused many universities to make standardized tests optional for admission.

And as of January 2021, the College Board eliminated SAT 2s and the SAT essay.

As a result, more students are taking their chances and applying to top schools.

Are you struggling with getting started on your college admission essays?

Here are some tips I’ve discovered for revving up my creativity as a writer:

How do you find a mentor? How do you network? How do you “sell” yourself without being slimy?

These are just a few of the questions I tackle with top-rated career coach and serial entrepreneur Joyce Guan West.

Has perfectionism been holding you back from pursuing your dreams?

If so, I have three words of advice: Just. Do. It.

It's that time of year again - college application madness! Listen to my podcast as I share insights from my years of experience as a college admissions consultant.

During this unprecedented of sheltering-in-place time due to coronavirus, students are asking, “What should I be doing?”

Here are my recommendations: