Another round of bright young Ivy Scholars has gone through the admissions process, and we have enjoyed watching them grow and succeed. As the next round of college applications crests over the horizon, many parents want to know what it’s like to work with us, and what they can expect from the process.
In that article, we’ll answer that question, by looking at how we worked with students over the past year. First, we’ll look at a breakdown of the data, where our students applied and where they got admitted. Next we’ll discuss trends we saw in college admissions more broadly. Finally, we’ll share the stories of some specific Ivy Scholars students, so you can get an inside look at what you can expect working with us. Let’s get started!
Ivy Scholars Admissions Results
Our admissions results were a little interesting this year, which we’ll discuss more in the trends section. For better statistical analysis, the following table contains admissions data from the past two years, as this presents a better picture of our success rates. Due to admissions patterns, not every top school is listed here; some simply did not receive very many IS applicants, if any.
| College | IS Acceptance Rate | Regular Acceptance Rate | IS Admissions Multiplier |
| Caltech | 25% | 6.4% | 4x |
| Case Western | 42.8% | 27% | 1.5x |
| Columbia | 25% | 5% | 5x |
| Duke | 15% | 7.8% | 2x |
| Emory | 37.5% | 11% | 3x |
| Harvard | 20% | 3.6% | 5x |
| MIT | 18.3% | 4.8% | 4x |
| Northeastern | 24% | 7% | 3x |
| NYU | 24% | 12% | 2x |
| Princeton | 12.5% | 6% | 2x |
| Rice | 44.4% | 9% | 5x |
| Stanford | 15% | 4% | 3.75x |
| Texas A&M | 91.3% | 63% | 1.5x |
| Tulane | 75% | 11% | 7x |
| UC Berkeley | 28.6% | 11% | 2.5x |
| University of Rochester | 83.3% | 39% | 2x |
| UT Austin | 46.4% | 31% | 1.5x |
| Yale | 22.2% | 5% | 4x |
The regular acceptance rate is based on data reported in US News college rankings.
Schools that are excluded from this list are because of lack of data for statistical significance. For example, we had one student total apply to Johns Hopkins and Amherst, and they both got accepted. While we could claim a 100% success rate for these schools, that hardly seems honest.
Trends We See in Admissions
This is all anecdotal evidence, but these are the trends we see as admissions counselors, and some other thoughts on the data presented in the table above.
Dartmouth’s Location is a Turn-Off
Many of the students we work with are from urban areas, and a majority come from Texas. For these students Dartmouth’s combination of rural location and northern climate are a double negative, and drive many to apply elsewhere. This clearly isn’t true for all students, but is interesting to observe for a Texas-based company. We see a similar opinion of Cornell, which is also situated in a Northern and rural locale.
State Schools are Increasingly Popular
We expect to see a lot of applications to UT Austin and Texas A&M; we’re based in Texas, and these are great public schools in Texas. That said, the number of students we see applying to each has increased year over year. While they have many motivations, the benefit of in-state tuition is one we hear a lot. If you can get an excellent education at UT Austin, why not attend, and enjoy a steep discount as an in-state student?
Waitlists are Increasingly Popular
While it is not represented in this data, we have seen increasing numbers of students relegated to waitlists, instead of rejected outright. We believe this is a form of yield protection by universities, who can admit students off the waitlist to make up any shortcomings in their class, while constricting their actual acceptance rate to improve their spot on the rankings.
Ivy Scholars Admissions Case Studies
This is a lot of data, which is interesting and useful, but doesn’t really tell you much. Sure, we’re very successful, but what is working with Ivy Scholars really like? How do mentors advise and work with students? What is our process, and how do we tailor it to meet the needs of each individual student?
To answer these, we’re going to provide a pair of case studies of students we worked with in the past year. Each had their own pathway to admissions success, and each was a joy to work with in their own way. We hope that these shed light on the Ivy Scholars experience, and let you know what you’re in for if you work with us.
Abby H – The Extra Push
Abby was a great student when she began working with us in the spring of her junior year. She had consistently high grades, and challenged herself by taking a suite of AP subjects. She spent her summers diving into her interests in STEM, while her school year extracurriculars included leadership in her school and volunteering in her community.
Abby came to us because of the stress and uncertainty of the application process, and a desire for expert advice. Her first question is one we get a lot: was there anything extra she could do to strengthen her candidacy, and fill out her profile in a way that colleges want to see?
While she was a strong candidate, her goal was to major in STEM, either computer science or a related field. We saw that while she had a clear interest as expressed through her extracurriculars, she lacked a true capstone. We set her up with an Ivy Scholars Research Mentorship that summer.
She threw herself into the work with clear passion, and completed a research project in machine learning in only two months. It was accepted to an IEEE conference held at MIT, where she had a chance to share her findings with others in the field. Publishing research is not necessary to succeed in college applications, but it is a great way to signal your intellectual vitality, and a passion for a specific field of study.
After this, Abby’s mentor worked with her to refine her college list. While Northwestern was her top choice, it was far from the only college she was interested in. She was worried about applying early, and perhaps missing out on another opportunity.
Her mentor worked with her to determine exactly what she wanted from her college experience. There were a number of schools which fit her criteria, including Northwestern, which was her favorite. However, the admissions boost from applying Early Decision to Northwestern was quite clear. After much discussion, she realized that if she did get into Northwestern, she would be happy to spend four years there.
After helping compose some stellar essays, Abby applied ED to Northwestern. Her mentor kept working with her on supplemental essays and applications to her other colleges of interest, but two weeks before the deadline, the good news came: she had been accepted. We wish her well as she matriculates, and expect great things for Abby in the future.
Audrey C – Giving Back
In addition to paying students, Ivy Scholars has the Laurel Scholars scholarship program. We know there are lots of great students out there who can’t always afford the kind of help we provide, and we work with them for free, to help them achieve their collegiate goals.
A passionate dancer, Audrey came to us interested in pursuing medicine, specifically in applying to BS/MD programs. These are some of the most competitive educational programs in the country, but she was well up for the challenge. She had danced pre-professionally, and won numerous awards for ballet in competitions. However, she knew that these applications would take her full commitment, and turned that same effort to her studies.
She founded STEM Today, a project which began as an Instagram page devoted to breaking down complex research articles into forms easily digestible by high school students. While this began as a solo program, other students interested in the project soon began to reach out. She grew to lead a crew of more than 60 researchers, writers, and graphic designers, with six chapters across three countries.
In order to qualify for BS/MD programs, she needed research experience, so we helped her apply to a number of summer programs, and she was selected as a Welch Summer Scholar, an intensive internship which allowed her to gain practical experience working in a lab doing polymer research.
When it came time to apply to colleges, we helped her draft essays to tell her story, and show off her impressive number of accomplishments. We also explained the process to her parents, and helped them understand our strategy when applying to colleges, and when selecting the majors she would pursue.
She was accepted to a number of excellent programs, but has decided to attend Columbia University to pursue biomedical engineering. With her talent and skill, we know she’ll go far, and look forward to great things in her future.
Final Thoughts
We worked with many students this admissions cycle, and wish we had the space to share all of their accomplishments. We hope that this article has given you insight into how our process works, and how we help students with achieving their own educational goals.
We tailor our approach to each individual student, and meet them where they are. If you want to discuss your own situation with us, and hear how we can help you, schedule a free consultation today. We have a long experience working with students of all kinds, and are always happy to hear from you.
