Are you stressed about what is coming when you fill out the Common Application? Do you worry that you might have gaps in your story that need to be filled, but don't know how to find them ahead of time?I will be hosting a masterclass on May 8th in order to help you answer these questions, and give you clarity about what is important vs activities that are not important. At the end of the masterclass, you'll have a good idea of how your application will be read, and which area of your application you will need to supplement in order to have the strongest application possible. To register (for free), go to TILC.to/college-appSee you there!-----To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our websiteTo follow on Instagram:  @TheIvyLeagueChallengeTo join us on our Facebook group for parentsOr schedule a meeting with Steve here

What gaps might exist in your future application? How can you find those gaps so you can fill them before it is too late?We go through each element of the Common Application to identify how to prepare for every section. -----To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our websiteTo follow on Instagram:  @TheIvyLeagueChallengeTo join us on our Facebook group for parentsOr schedule a meeting with Steve here

Should you sign up for NHS? Is it worth the effort?What about volunteering in general? How much should I volunteer? How many hours is enough? Which type of volunteering is best for my application?Listen in to learn the answers to these questions and more.-----To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our websiteTo follow on Instagram:  @TheIvyLeagueChallengeTo join us on our Facebook group for parentsOr schedule a meeting with Steve here

April for high school seniors can be a stressful time-- instead of worrying about which schools might admit their application, many seniors now have multiple acceptances, and are anxious to make sure that they make the right decision. Listen in to learn my advice about how to best make that decision, and to make sure that you end up loving your choice. -----To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our websiteTo follow on Instagram:  @TheIvyLeagueChallengeTo join us on our Facebook group for parentsOr schedule a meeting with Steve here

If you are willing to spend a few minutes listening to this podcast now, you'll be equipped to save most of the stress coming your way when it comes time to write your essays. You'll need a notebook and a few minutes of time. Watch for these meaningful moments as they occur, and just keep track of them. By the time you need to write your essays, instead of stressing over what to write and how to write it-- and struggling to think of examples from your life that represent your values-- you can just open you notebook and pick the ones that work best. Future you will thank today you.The link I referenced in the episode is TILC.to/essay-----To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our websiteTo follow on Instagram:  @TheIvyLeagueChallengeTo join us on our Facebook group for parentsOr schedule a meeting with Steve here

Join us to hear how to avoid the major mistakes most teens make in their college prep so you can gain an advantage in future college admissions.Registration is now open and will close before class begins on Saturday night.Register at TILC.to/register-----To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our websiteTo follow on Instagram:  @TheIvyLeagueChallengeTo join us on our Facebook group for parentsOr schedule a meeting with Steve here

Do you ever feel like you don't have enough time? It is common for stressed teens and adults to say "I wish I had more time!"But actually, you don't need more time. You actually need more energy and better clarity. Listen in to discover why clarity and energy are more important that time.-----To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our websiteTo follow on Instagram:  @TheIvyLeagueChallengeTo join us on our Facebook group for parentsOr schedule a meeting with Steve here

Because college is difficult to prepare for, many families want to begin early. But when they ask how to prepare, too often they are told that there is no reason to start so soon. Many people believe that college prep shouldn't begin until high school.But as long as we don't get stuck in the impressiveness trap, college prep can be healthy and wonderful. Listen in to hear about the four things to be sure to do in middle school in order to begin preparing well for college. -----To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our websiteTo follow on Instagram:  @TheIvyLeagueChallengeTo join us on our Facebook group for parentsOr schedule a meeting with Steve here

Most ambitious teens (and their parents, if we're honest) ask the question "what's most ambitious to an admissions officer" early on in the process. They figure that they can sacrifice the things they are curious about for a few short years, then later when they get into their dream college they can start doing those things they love so much.Of course, being as impressive as possible means taking the most rigorous coursework available to them, and then working hard to get great grades in all of those 'impressive' classes.On top of that, they hear that they should demonstrate leadership. So it's not enough to just join 8 clubs, they need to lead 3 or more of them.It's not enough to just be on the sports team-- you need to be the captain. You can't just compete in MUN, you need to be a leader...Later on they may hear that the most impressive students have published books or won national awards or worked alongside professors and doctoral candidates to conduct biology research.These families will push and push and push to fit in more and more novel ways to become impressive. But...Even if you are successful. Even if you are the ONE in your school who is valedictorian and captain of the team and president of the most clubs-- you are THE MOST impressive student in your school-- the reality is that there are 30,000 high schools in N. America. And each of them has a valedictorian. So there are tens of thousands of people who spent all four years of high school stuck in what I call The Impressiveness Trap. And all of those tens of thousands of teens submit applications that look nearly identical. they look nearly identical because they were all over-scheduled in order to become as impressive as possible. Ironically, the things that they sacrificed in order to be more impressive-- those things they would have spent time exploring because they were interesting to them-- THOSE are the things that are interesting to an admissions officer. So that is why it is good advice for your teen to approach activities without considering future admissions officers.The key is (over time) to explore those curiosities to a deep and meaningful level, and connect that interest and exploration to some positive impact in the community. This is where parents or mentors can make a big difference. Listen up to learn more!-----To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our websiteTo follow on Instagram:  @TheIvyLeagueChallengeTo join us on our Facebook group for parentsOr schedule a meeting with Steve here

Want to increase your chances of getting into Harvard? My suggestion for you is to cultivate a sincere love of learning. Figure out a way to inject genuine curiosity and excitement into your learning. But how? I've recently read Adam Grant's book Hidden Potential, and I love how a couple of his stories help explain how and why this is such a powerful solution.-----To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our websiteTo follow on Instagram:  @TheIvyLeagueChallengeTo join us on our Facebook group for parentsOr schedule a meeting with Steve here

Parents are so important to teens' success. Even if you feel like your teens are annoyed by you, your efforts are very important. For many reasons, however, parents often have a hard time motivating or inspiring teens. Sometimes the teens assume that the parents are biased and can't see the teens objectively. Other times teens don't want to be controlled, and so they will resist the advice that comes from parents. However, teens are much more inclined to listen to mentors or coaches. They are also excited to share and learn from their peers. Wise parents can leverage this to recruit help in motivating or inspiring their teens. This is how we do it in the Ivy League Challenge.-----To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our websiteTo follow on Instagram:  @TheIvyLeagueChallengeTo join us on our Facebook group for parentsOr schedule a meeting with Steve here

For those who enjoy this podcast, one question remains very important-- when is the best time to join the Ivy League Challenge? Is grade 8, or 9, or 10, or some other grade the best time? What if my teen is too busy to add this class to his or her schedule?Or the opposite issue-- when is my teen old enough to join? I hope this episode will help answer those questions.-----To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our websiteTo follow on Instagram:  @TheIvyLeagueChallengeTo join us on our Facebook group for parentsOr schedule a meeting with Steve here

Erica, Claire, and Molly join us to answer questions about what it is like to be in the Ivy League Challenge. Listen in to learn more about what you can expect in the program.-----To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our websiteTo follow on Instagram:  @TheIvyLeagueChallengeTo join us on our Facebook group for parentsOr schedule a meeting with Steve here

Attention Juniors! This is the week that you should be sending out your emails to future recommendation letter writers. You've worked hard to be a great student. Your teachers love you. You might think that is enough to ensure you will get a great letter of recommendation. But the reality is that very few teachers ever receive any kind of training on how to write an outstanding letter of recommendation. So those letters often end up sounding the same... ("I love having [name] in my class, they are always prepared for class, they ask great questions, they help out their peers... you'd be luck to have him/her on your campus...")If you plan to apply to a school that is selective, then nearly all of the recommendation letters for nearly all of the applicants will sound nearly identical. And yet recommendation letters can be the difference maker and ensure you get accepted rather than rejected. This link takes you to the other podcast episode that I referenced in the show: https://www.theivyleaguechallenge.com/podcast-how-to-get-outstanding-letters-of-recommendation-1-----To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our websiteTo follow on Instagram:  @TheIvyLeagueChallengeTo join us on our Facebook group for parentsOr schedule a meeting with Steve here

Many students join the Ivy League Challenge when they are young. At that stage in your life, it is normal to become excited about executing an impact project, but then to get off track. Twisha joined the Ivy League Challenge as an 8th grader. She loved it, and was excited to start an impact project, but it never quite got off the ground. Because she was also busy with schoolwork, she just let her project slip. Today, we discuss her story, how she got back on track, and some great ideas about what listeners can do in order to get back on track as well. As you learn about how she got back on track, Twisha also shares her progress with her project.  Below are the links that we mentioned in the show. I encourage everyone to check out her website, podcast, and social media channels. She is open for collaboration and willing to help provide content that you might find valuable--  you just need to reach out to her and let her know. 1. The Scientific Soirée Website: https://sites.google.com/warriorlife.net/the-scientific-soiree/welcome2. The Scientific Soirée Podcast: -here is episode 1: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2294306/14250380-here is episode 2: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2294306/14345688-please check if this link works! This should be the link to the podcast itself, but I’m not sure if it will work or not, which is why I put the links to both episodes above: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2294306/episodes3. Instagram: -handle: @the_scientific_soiree_-link: https://www.instagram.com/the_scientific_soiree_igsh=NGVhN2U2NjQ0Yg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr4. LinkedIn:-name: Twisha Sharma (student at Valley Christian High)-link: http://linkedin.com/in/twisha-sharma-04950a277-if you know anyone who might be interested in the site or podcast, please share with them as well. Twisha's goal is to educate and inspire other young people to like science.-----To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our website.To follow on Instagram:  @TheIvyLeagueChallengeTo join us on our Facebook group for parents:Or schedule a meeting with Steve here

Eliza and Rachel are first cousins and are both elite violin performers. When they toured Southeast Asia, I was able to attend their concert in Singapore and even attend a practice session with them.That practice session inspired this discussion on perfectionism in music and in life. One of my favorite interviews of all time. Enjoy!-----To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our website.To follow on Instagram:  @TheIvyLeagueChallengeTo join us on our Facebook group for parents:Or schedule a meeting with Steve here

Our Hacking College Admissions workshop begins just a few hours after this podcast goes live. The workshop is free but you must register to attend. To register, go to TILC.to/hackIn this interview, Asfi shares her interview about how the Ivy League Challenge helped her in her life and her college prep. She also talks through how she decided on Cornell instead of the many other great college options she had. enjoy!-----To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our website.To follow on Instagram:  @TheIvyLeagueChallengeTo join us on our Facebook group for parents:Or schedule a meeting with Steve here

Most ambitious teens spend their high school years pursuing the activities that they believe will make them most impressive to an admissions officer. This takes tremendous effort and sacrifice. But ironically, even if you are successful-- you become the most impressive person in your entire school-- you will eventually discover that there are 30,000 high schools in North America. And the "most impressive" students almost all did exactly the same things. So you end up with a boring application. I will be hosting a workshop from January 15-18, 8-9pm eastern time, on Zoom.To join (for free), register at TILC.to/hackSee you there!-----To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our website.To follow on Instagram:  @TheIvyLeagueChallengeTo join us on our Facebook group for parents:Or schedule a meeting with Steve here

Is the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program right for you? Once you are committed to the diploma program, how can you ensure your success? Nandita Nair is a senior now whose predicted score is well above 40 (she requested I not share the exact predicted score). In this episode, she discusses the challenges with the IB-- how you should decide if the IB is right for you, and how to succeed once you are in. This is a tremendously valuable interview. -----To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our website.To follow on Instagram:  @TheIvyLeagueChallengeTo join us on our Facebook group for parents:Or schedule a meeting with Steve here

I recently spoke at a GradAchiever event online. The message aligns closely with what I discuss in my own podcast, and because I am so happy with the free platform that is available, I wanted to share my presentation with my own audience, and encourage you to check them out at www.GradAchiever.com-----To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our website.To follow on Instagram:  @TheIvyLeagueChallengeTo join us on our Facebook group for parents:Or schedule a meeting with Steve here