college counseling

Debunking Five Common Myths Surrounding College Admissions

Green Ivy has worked with students on their college applications for about two decades, so we have heard our share of myths, rumors, and misconceptions about the college admissions process. To help you keep things in perspective, we wanted to write about the five myths we hear most often, and explain why they don’t hold … Read more

Academic Advising 101: Tips on Proactively Managing the College Application Process

A 2018 Wall Street Journal article reported that, at some elite colleges, admissions officers spend approximately eight minutes (sometimes less) on each application. This phenomenon is partially due to the ever-rising numbers of applications colleges receive each year and is partially the result of applications at some schools being evaluated by several different people according to … Read more

Letters of Recommendation: A Key Aspect of Your College Applications

An important part of Green Ivy’s college counseling program involves helping students to understand the role that each piece of an application plays in college admissions. Students sometimes underestimate the importance of letters of recommendation from teachers and counselors, but we have seen them make all the difference in admissions to private schools. Recommendations are … Read more

Advising 101: Summer Programs—Best Practices and Green Ivy Recommendations

  Since part of our college counseling program at Green Ivy includes helping students choose the right fit for summer activities, we wanted to share our best practices for choosing and applying to summer college programs.  Remember: look at these programs as a way to expand or enrich a personal interest, and as one option for your summer. … Read more

Academic Advising 101: How to Make the Most of a Campus Visit

One of the most effective ways for students to get a first-hand feel for college campuses and narrow their perspective college lists is to spend time planning a variety of campus visits. This is also a key way students can show “demonstrated interest” in a college, an aspect that is considered in admissions, especially at smaller or lesser … Read more

Academic Advising 101: Mission Totally Possible—Creating A College List

Many students (and parents!) find drafting an initial college list to be a daunting task. After all, there are over 4,000 colleges across the country. While different college rankings can certainly offer a place to start when researching schools, the subjective rankings are often met with skepticism. At Green Ivy, we believe it is more … Read more