Ivy League Prep Academy Podcast

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Kindness Can Get Me Into an Ivy League College? Nov 15, 2021

Show notes

Harvard university created an initiative that has now been signed by all the Ivy League schools, MIT, Stanford, Duke, Michigan, Chicago, etc. and dozens and dozens of other top schools called "Making Caring Common."
Making Caring Common is an attempt to refocus college admissions decisions away from things that require a certain income level or other significant advantages in order to fulfill, towards character traits that lead to a healthy campus and a good life.
The truth is it is difficult to stay positive when all around you people gossip.
If you don't make a sincere effort to rise about your environment, you will be unlikely to develop the kindness that your community needs.
But with a tiny introduction to human psychology, and an understanding of how important kindness, empathy, and support are, you can choose to rise above the negativity around you.
Learn about a student who got into an Ivy League School. Her admissions officer wrote her to welcome her to campus, and emphasized that the student's kindness was the character trait that really stood out for her, and got her admitted.
And learn what you can do today to begin developing your own character. You'll be glad you did!
Get the course, Elite College Admissions Made Easy Starter Course here:
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To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our website.
To follow on Instagram: @TheIvyLeagueChallenge
To join us on our Facebook group for parents:
Or schedule a meeting with Steve here

The Magic of Controlling Your Attention Nov 08, 2021

Show notes

Have you ever sat down to get your work done, and because you were completely focused, you were able to accomplish more in 60 minutes than you could normally do in a week?
If you have, you have experienced the magic of controlling your attention.
Do you know why we say "pay attention"? Your attention is not only valuable to you, it is valuable to dozens of industries that are designed to divert your attention.
Listen to learn the common causes of distraction and lost focus, and what you can do instead to take back your attention and your ability to get stuff done.
Want more help with your top-tier college ambitions? Check out my starter course, Elite College Admissions Made Easy Starter Course today!
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To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our website.
To follow on Instagram: @TheIvyLeagueChallenge
To join us on our Facebook group for parents:
Or schedule a meeting with Steve here

The Ivy League Admit's Mindset Nov 01, 2021

Show notes

My students in the Ivy League Challenge are often surprised when I share stories about how 'normal' and 'real' many of my peers at Harvard were.
I find that many high school students put Harvard students on a pedestal.
But what I wish everyone understood, is that these students were not born differently than you and your friends. They weren't bitten by radioactive spiders or anything like that.
My peers at Harvard, for the most part, were 'normal' students, just like you. What makes them great, actually, are just two things:
1) they have healthy mindsets around who they are and what they deserve
2) they have clarified their mission
Really, just those two things.
Because of their healthy mindsets, they approach challenges differently than others. For example, when they face a difficulty, they don't see it as a problem, they are more likely to see it as a challenge to be overcome.
And they have a mission-- something that ties their energy together, that focuses their attention, so that they can solve real problems in the real world.
Listen in to discover six of the most common limiting beliefs I hear from middle school and high school students.
1) I just don't have enough time
2) I'm just not that disciplined
3) I'm not in control of my time
4) Highly productive students are just born that way
5) I tried before and it just didn't work
6) I totally agree that I need to work on my mindset, I'll get to that later when I have more time
Get my guide for middle school students here
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To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our website.
To follow on Instagram: @TheIvyLeagueChallenge
To join us on our Facebook group for parents:
Or schedule a meeting with Steve here

The Hero on a Mission Oct 25, 2021

Show notes

Nothing is as compelling as a hero on a mission.
It is so easy to 'drift' through life.
Especially for teens. Middle school and high school is a 24/7, 365days/year battle to not be embarrassed.
That means trying to fit in.
But that is also a ticket to high anxiety and insecurity, and low self-efficacy.
Some people choose a different path.
Normal, everyday teens can become truly great. What makes them great?
They choose a mission.
When a core value of yours is violated, choose to step up and lead the charge to improve the world by righting that wrong.
Nothing is as compelling as a hero on a mission.
Not only can you begin to make your community better now (instead of waiting until you are older), but it is the mission that makes you great.
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To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our website.
To follow on Instagram: @TheIvyLeagueChallenge
To join us on our Facebook group for parents:
Or schedule a meeting with Steve here

Harvard Researcher, Teacher, Doctoral Candidate, Tessa Forshaw Oct 18, 2021

Show notes

Tessa Forshaw changed the way I teach high school students. After earning her BS degree in Australia, she came to the US and attended Stanford, where she earned her masters degree, and Harvard, where she teaches on the side as she pursues her Doctorate degree.
In this podcast, we discuss her experiences at Harvard & Stanford, how she recommends people think about these schools when they need to choose one to attend (she had to choose between Stanford, Harvard, and Oxford), some of the brilliant ideas I learned while taking her Design Thinking class at Harvard, and her advice for ambitious teens.

Tessa also leads the charge towards better business practices through her work at the Harvard Next Level Lab, and professionally as a top executive at People Rocket.
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To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our website.
To follow on Instagram: @TheIvyLeagueChallenge
To join us on our Facebook group for parents:
Or schedule a meeting with Steve here

Stanford/Harvard Teacher Richard Cox Braden Oct 11, 2021

Show notes

The Stanford Design school is world-famous and is universally considered the top design program in the world.

Rich Braden is the CEO & founder of People Rocket, a design thinking consulting company. He has also lectured at Stanford & Harvard for years. He currently teaches creativity and innovation at Stanford, the d.school, and Harvard, where I took his class and was blown away by how down to earth and practical his thinking can be.
In this interview he was absolutely brilliant, and among other things, I asked him how we could use design thinking in our impact projects.

Enjoy!
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To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our website.
To follow on Instagram: @TheIvyLeagueChallenge
To join us on our Facebook group for parents:
Or schedule a meeting with Steve here

The Fire That Gets You Admitted Oct 04, 2021

Show notes

Instead of asking "am I doing enough to get in?"
We should instead be asking if we are spending our time and energy on the activities that matter the most.
Why? because asking the question "am I doing enough to get in" leads us to the point where we are too busy to become less busy. It is suffocating and soul-crushing and very ineffective.
Just as fire requires space between the combustibles in order to survive, your internal fire-- the fuel that can push you to be outstanding in your own way-- cannot survive if it is suffocated by video games or by extreme business.
Instead, make space in your day for quiet reflection, to pursue your interests, and to act on impulse when you are inspired to learn about or ask about something of interest to you.
These are the moments, if acted upon, that turn out to be the difference makers.
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To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our website.
To follow on Instagram: @TheIvyLeagueChallenge
To join us on our Facebook group for parents:
Or schedule a meeting with Steve here

Teen Leadership & Conflict Sep 27, 2021

Show notes

Top students believe that the goal of conflict is progress, not proving yourself right.
Conflict is important for growth and improvement, as well as success.
And conflict averse people are generally not chosen to lead.
But when does a group move from healthy conflict to toxic? How do we know if a group has gone from functional to dysfunctional?
The answer will surprise you.
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To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our website.
To follow on Instagram: @TheIvyLeagueChallenge
To join us on our Facebook group for parents:
Or schedule a meeting with Steve here

Be the Hero of Your Story Sep 20, 2021

Show notes

We all face challenges, including unfairness and injustice.
But imagine your life was a movie or a great story.
If you were playing the victim in this story, then your only role would be to be saved by someone else-- the hero.
The story doesn't get interesting until the hero faces a real challenge.
At the end of the movie, the victim is safe, having been saved by the hero, but is unchanged because they have not grown in any way.
Meanwhile, the hero of the story is bloody and bruised, but has grown and was changed by facing his or her challenge.
When you realize you are the hero of your story, you see challenges-- even unfairness and injustice-- as the reason to rise up and fight for your mission.
The world loves to follow a hero on a mission.
I even argue there is a plot twist here; guess who decides the story? The author of the story... is you. You are the hero, and the writer, of your story.
If you think the movie of your is boring because it is only about a victim waiting to be saved, I challenge you to begin writing your story differently.
Be the hero.
Business expert Donald Miller teaches how businesses should guide their customers through their individual hero's journeys. Borrowing from his brilliant writing in his book Business Made Simple, today's podcast shows how high performing teens can adopt this same winning mindset.
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To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our website.
To follow on Instagram: @TheIvyLeagueChallenge
To join us on our Facebook group for parents:
Or schedule a meeting with Steve here

Should you be a "Team Player"? Sep 13, 2021

Show notes

It turns out that nearly all of the students who get admitted to elite universities share a lot of common traits.
No skill or strategy can compensate for poor character, but what are the traits that these successful students have in common?
Today we'll discuss the first of these common traits: The mindset that you are always part of a team, and your job is to give more value than you take.
Listen to learn more.
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To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our website.
To follow on Instagram: @TheIvyLeagueChallenge
To join us on our Facebook group for parents:
Or schedule a meeting with Steve here

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