Greetings to you all.

In my recent College Acceptances Survey, I asked students to share their admissions experience and give advice to future students. Below is a summary of the students who have shared their thoughts.  

In next week's IvyClimbing newsletter, I will share with you my personal reflections of the season and discuss the challenges and trend of admissions.

Best wishes,

Wan Chen

College Admissions Counselor
www.IvyClimbing.com  

  

"Be in clubs (but not too many). Develop STRONG relationships with teachers so that you can pick 2 teachers who can write strong letters of recommendation rather than be stuck with limited choices. Ideally there would be 3 or 4 teachers you could ask. Have fun with college essays. Admission officers like to laugh too. Make a spreadsheet for deadlines and stick to it like flies to honey."

"There are quite a few things I regret, but in general I would say the biggest things are to not take Japanese and get better grades! I feel like my GPA was one of the main things that brought my application down. Also, I wish I was involved in extracurricular activities that I was truly passionate about. The entire application process was very easy and straightforward. I learned so much about myself, and I got into my dream school! There is nothing more I could possibly wish for. Thank you for everything!"

"I think I would participate in a lot more contests. Major contests are one of the few ways colleges can actually compare you on a level playing field with all the other candidates so I think that in most cases, colleges value any national contest results you provide. If you're aiming for one of the top colleges, starting to plan as early as 9th grade is a really good idea. For me, everything worked out OK because my activities just happened to match up well with my interests and there wasn't much tweaking we had to do. I just wanted to thank you and Joy again for all the help you've given me. And one more piece of advice I have for future students is to make sure you are comfortable with a college campus before applying ED or restrictive EA. A friend of mine who originally applied to Penn Early Decision just based off of information he found on the Penn website; he got in. Recently, he just visited the campus and said he didn't like the campus that much and was not very excited about living there for four years."

"Actually focus on my GPA and extracurricular activities. While GPA may not matter in most aspects of life, it still is extremely important to college applications. Also, once accepted by a college, don't throw away opportunities to visit. My experience with Berkeley's Overnight Stay Program (OSP) was rather eye-opening and allowed me to be acclimate to Cal beforehand."

"I would most likely have dropped math lanes earlier on and saved myself 4 B's in my transcript. I would advise future students to make sure to research colleges extensively before applying. There were many schools that I thought I wanted to go to before I looked into them more closely and realized that I did not like them as much as I thought."

"I would have gotten my act together sooner. My earlier grades really pulled me down."

"I'd focus more on the things I love to do; I'd tell future students to follow their passions in life, because then no matter which college they end up at, the past four years of high school still meant something valuable." 

Penn, Vagelos Scholars Program in the Molecular Life Sciences, Class of 2015

"I would develop better study habits and sleep more so that I could have more energy

Most talked about course - Management 100 that teaches leadership and teamwork Picture Taken by Angela Zheng

to learn and to participate in more extracurriculars. My advice to future students would be to make a plan, do your best, and don't stress out too much. Also, I don't compliment often, but Wan is easily one of the most amazing people I have ever met in my life. Not only is she incredibly intelligent and kind, but she also has a serious devotion and commitment to her students. Because of all the time, effort, and love that she put into helping me with my applications, I was able to get an early acceptance from Wharton, which has been my dream school since I was in eighth grade. I cried when I read the letter online!"

"I would focus a little more on schoolwork. I would tell others that it is important to seek help from others; things go a lot more smoothly that way."

"Start planning beginning from freshman year, don't overload on courses, go for more academic competitions."

"I would focus less on doing everything and try to do better on a few select activities I was really interested in. I really appreciated the service and I highly recommend it to everyone!"

Brown 8-Year Program in Liberal Medical Education

 

"Study harder junior year. Not let my environment and the deaths/suicides of students around me affect me to such a point."

"Join more clubs and continue them throughout high school. For future students: push yourself to try new things."

"I would consider the time I need for my extracurricular commitments more carefully and pick less time-consuming classes. Do not get overly ambitious and pick classes that you can't handle comfortably. The consequences for picking classes that are too hard are much more serious than the consequences for picking classes that are too easy. From my first meeting with Wan, I knew I had come to the right place. Her dedication to each one of her students was obvious, and her encouraging personality and enthusiastic energy carried me through the entire way. In the end, not only did I get into my first choice college with a generous scholarship, but I also learned much about myself and developed an appreciation for what I did. Wan was always there to be my beacon in the turbulent sea of college applications, and exuded a sense of confidence that was both contagious and extremely welcome throughout the tense application process. My parents and I are wholeheartedly grateful to Wan. She is extraordinary, both as a college counselor and friend."

"I've always followed the 'do what you are passionate about' philosophy but the whole application process has almost made me feel like nice guys finish last. I have always been against being cutthroat, but people look so much different on paper from how they really are at times and I feel that some credit wasn't quite given."

"Instead of going to debate camp the summer before junior year, go to a math camp instead."

"Not take 'filler' classes like Foods and Interior Design to fulfill requirements (I did Photo 1, AP Photo counts as same requirement and it is an AP!) Start looking for internships/good opportunities as a freshman! Find what you really enjoy, and try to become the best at it/get the highest position possible in that area. I can't believe I have so many great choices, sometimes, I still find myself doubting my good luck (and well-prepared applications thanks to you!)

"Really do what you love, not what you think will look good on apps. What you think will look good, other people think too, so you end up just looking like everybody else. Find your groove and go from there!"

Barnard College of Columbia University. Most famous alumna - Martha Stewart Picture Taken by James Zheng

"Do what you love. Sometimes it's about having the courage to try something new, to take a detour because you never know where it will lead you. Thank you, Wan, for always believing in me and giving me that spark to express myself and bring out my personality through my college applications. With your guidance, I was able to hear back from my top choice, Columbia, in December, and I can't wait to step onto campus in the fall. Whenever I had a question or a bit of doubt, I was able to voice my thoughts to you and get that reassurance to keep me confident and collected. More than a counselor for the college application process, I know that I have found a mentor for many years to come!"

"I would take classes that I wouldn't mind studying for. I felt pressured to take classes just because they were labeled 'honors' even when I didn't care about the material covered, so I just couldn't bring myself to study and my grades dropped."

"Start working with your college counselor early."

Princeton, Class of 2015

  

"I would put a significant more amount of focus on maintaining straight A's. Rather than focusing on piling my college resume with extracurricular activities, improving my GPA would have helped me throughout college applications far more than any activity. Also I would have a specific dream college, something concrete & motivational to work towards. Thank you again for your continuous words of encouragement and constant pillar of support. Your knowledge, patience, and positive spirit were definitely key to my college application success."

"Do what you have a passion for, and be good at it."

"I would say to try to discover your academic interests as early as possible. This way, you can start expressing your interest in these subjects through programs, extra classes, etc. This also helps to show your passion for this interest when you apply to colleges."

Swarthmore College, among the most beautiful campuses in the country. Picture taken by James Zheng

"To all future students, just do your best and be who you are. There is no formula for success! The college admissions process is not about the counselor, it's about the student. As a counselor, Wan respects and preserves each student's unique identity and helps that 'spark' shine through in the application. In the beginning, I was just an ordinary Asian girl from Monta Vista with OK SAT scores and a 4.0 GPA, and I desperately needed something that would make me 'unique.' When searching for a college counselor, I hoped that I would be able to find someone who would offer some insight on how to differentiate myself from the other applicants in the pool. During our first meeting, Wan not only told me what to do, but also why and how it would add to my profile. Throughout the entire application process, Wan and I worked as a team to create the best applications possible, and the information she had to offer consistently amazed me. By the time we were finished, I could not help but feel impressed by the applications sitting in front of me. Even though the results were unknown, I had full confidence that my applications were the best they could be. Starting from December, acceptance letters started coming in. I am now grateful and humbled to say that I was accepted by Harvard, Stanford, Yale, and MIT. Although it will be difficult to choose, it is one decision that I am truly happy to make."

"During the summer, Wan convinced us to visit Dartmouth and Brown, and the visit ultimately changed our decision on which college to apply to early. Because Wan is so experienced, she knows which colleges best fit each student and works hard to help them get into their dream schools. We sincerely appreciate all the help she has given us and her support is invaluable."

 
Wan Q. Chen
College Admissions Counselor
Read IvyClimbing archived admission newsletters

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