The Experts on Admissions to Top Colleges - Ivy Compass

Spotlight: 5 Helpful College Admissions Sites

Posted by Erin Lewis at 9:00 am

There is an unlimited number of online resources that cover various aspects of the college admissions process.  From time to time, our blog will spotlight those you should bookmark (or save to Evernote, one of my favorite online organizational tools).  Today, I’d like to share 5 sites prospective applicants should visit:

1. New York Times, The Choice

The Choice is a relatively new blog that provides context, from a variety of perspectives, for any student preparing to apply to college.  Two weeks ago, The Choice published a series of posts in which readers forwarded questions for William Fitzsimmons, the Harvard College Dean of Admissions.

2. The College Board

The place to register for the SAT and other College Board standardized tests.  The College Board was also one of the first organizations to bring useful information about the college application process online.  You can register for an SAT question of the day in either email or RSS formats, look up all the colleges in your state or conduct an advanced search of schools that fit your criteria, among other things.   I wouldn’t visit this site to get the latest admissions news (visit #1, The Choice, for that), but if you’re interested in college admissions generally, The College Board publishes reports and materials on the topic.

3. U.S. News and World Report

Each year, scores of editorials scrutinize the U.S. News and World Report methodology for ranking colleges and universities.  That being said, the site is the best comprehensive and accessible list of schools I’ve seen on the web.  And if you don’t like their rankings, just click on the A-Z Directory or do your own Advanced Search.

4. The Education Conservancy

I couldn’t in good conscience send you to U.S. News and World Report without recommending The Education Conservancy’s College Unranked also.  While U.S. News and World Report has an incredibly accessible college list that allows you to do a thorough search for schools, The Education Conservancy does a good job of explaining that finding the right college will have little to do with its ranking and everything to do with it being the right fit for you.

5. Colleges That Change Lives

First a book and now a website, Colleges That Change Lives has a focus similar to that of the The College Conservancy.  They both place an emphasis on a student-directed college search and application process.  The site offers facts and figures about colleges that fit their criteria for being standouts.

Categories: Uncategorized

Tags: blogs, college admissions, college board, college rankings, college search, evernote, harvard, sat

Welcome to the Ivy Compass Blog

Posted by Erin Lewis at 9:00 am

Getting started is one of the more challenging aspects of applying to college.  A recent study by professors at Harvard and the University of Michigan suggests that the pressure of applying to competitive colleges can cause students to focus on the wrong strategies for becoming successful applicants.  Wouldn’t it makes sense to talk to someone who has admitted students to the most competitive schools in the U.S. to learn how to get started on the right path to becoming a strong applicant?  If you agree, then you’ll understand why my colleagues and I came together this fall to write The Ivy Compass Blog.

We are former admissions officers from highly selective colleges in the US.  In our careers, we have met students from across the country and have read thousands upon thousands of their applications.  Our blog draws on years of admissions experience to help readers understand what the process looks like from the standpoint of an admissions officer, as well as what it takes to become a competitive applicant long before applications are due.

As the name Ivy Compass suggests, we’re dedicated to offering students direction as they prepare to apply to highly selective schools.  We’ll accomplish this through our blog, podcasts and video clips.  To give context, we’ll comment on the latest trends and topics in admissions.  Throughout the year, we’ll post links to resources that we find particularly helpful and we’ll write book and website reviews.  We will also pepper our blog with helpful lists and feature stories.

We invite students, families, guidance counselors,admissions officers, independent college counselors or anyone interested in selective college admissions to read, comment and share.  We are looking forward to hearing from you.

Categories: Uncategorized

Tags: harvard, ivy compass, university of michigan