college admissions

Tips for Admission to the California State University (CSU) System

The California State University (CSU) application is a bit more straightforward than the University of California (UC) system, which does include a series of Personal Insight Questions (PIQs) to answer. Consider this list of background information and tips to be aware of as you navigate through the CSU application: 1. Similar to the UC system, … Read more

Waitlisted: How to Approach First-Choice Letters

So, you’ve been waitlisted at your dream college or university.  Over the last twenty years at Green Ivy, we’ve seen that there’s still a chance that they will accept you off the waitlist.  In fact, depending on the school, you might even be able to tilt the odds in your favor by writing a first-choice … Read more

How to Approach Letters of Appeal for CSUs and UCs

In the event that you are denied admission to a Cal State University (CSU) or University of California (UC), don’t panic! You can try to persuade the admissions office to reconsider your application by writing a letter of appeal. Each of the UC and CSU campuses offer their own appeals process. You can find exact … Read more

Advising 101: Tips from the UC Counselor Conference

As many of us know, admissions to the University of California system has become increasingly selective over the years, particularly in the past decade. For instance, freshman applications at UC Berkeley have doubled in that time, and all UC campuses have now crossed the threshold of 100,000 for freshman and transfer applications each cycle. Given this … Read more

The Summer Before Senior Year: A Fantastic Time to Work on College Applications

When putting together our college counseling services at Green Ivy, we made sure to build in four-day intensive college application “bootcamps” for all of our students to complete the summer before senior year. This workshop allows them to jump start the application process in a structured and supportive environment, while giving them a foundation of … Read more

Advising 101: How Building a Positive Online Presence Can Impact College Admissions

Recent studies show that between 35 and 50 percent of admissions officers are viewing students’ social media profiles. This doesn’t mean they are looking for anything embarrassing or inappropriate, but it does mean they are using it as one way of gathering more information about applicants. When we talk about a student’s online presence, much … Read more