Ivy League Prep Academy Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Real Strength-- How to Develop It May 24, 2021

Show notes

Avoiding frustration and discomfort is not the ticket to a good life. Just as our immune systems would become weak in a sterile environment, our personal fortitude-- our inner strength-- cannot grow when life is too comfortable.
So why do so many try so hard to avoid discomfort, even when it is good for them? What if we shifted our mindset around frustrations so that we saw life as a good coach-- not someone who pampers their players, but someone who willingly toughens up the players so they will compete at a higher level and win the game.
The next time you are insulted, or surprised in unpleasant ways, try this technique instead of reacting with anger: pretend that life is your coach, and this is the test that is toughening you up. Say to yourself "that is a pretty good challenge, I didn't see that coming, but I'm up for it..."
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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

Ivy League Challenge: Accepted! Hear from a participant in the challenge, Ata May 17, 2021

Show notes

Ata participated in our most recent Ivy League Challenge (online version) and was willing to share his experience with us.
You can get a feel for what to expect if you join our community, and hear about his amazing impact project as well!
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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

3 Steps to Better Problem-solving May 10, 2021

Show notes

One of the things that I heard over and over again at Harvard was "great solutions depend on great questions." If you want to get better answers, you have got to learn to ask better questions.
While I have used many different less-effective approaches to problem-solving in my life, over time I have arrived at a 3-step problem solving process that actually works. Today, I'm sharing it with you.
The podcast episodes I referenced were this and this.
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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

What's Below The Surface? Discovering Your Core May 03, 2021

Show notes

A few days after beginning classes at Harvard, I felt something that I later realized was common among my peers-- impostor syndrome. It took some time to realize that I belonged there alongside some of the most brilliant minds in the world-- even if I considered myself average and normal.
I tried to hide what I felt, and appear confident and in control. However, under the surface I "knew" I was a fraud. I now realize that I spent a lot of energy keeping a mask over my "real" identity (the impostor) because at the time I was afraid he was the 'real' me.
Of course the impostor was also not me, any more than my mask was. The real me was one layer deeper-- at my core values.
Identifying our core values is perhaps some of the most important work we can do in our lives, but few know how to do it.
I hope this episode will convince a few more to give it a try.
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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

What Admission Decisions Are Really Like Apr 26, 2021

Show notes

Have you ever wondered what it is like in the room where admissions decisions happen? Understanding the process can be critically valuable in helping you decide how to present yourself in your application. Listen to find out what you can do to ensure your application is more memorable.
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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

How to Be More Confident Today Apr 19, 2021

Show notes

If competence were a prerequisite for confidence, the world would be full of timid people. You don't need to know everything and you don't need to be able to do anything particularly well in order to be confident. Instead, you must believe in your ability to figure things out.
Taking the mindset that you can figure out what you will need to succeed allows you to approach new ideas and take the risks that will lead to growth, and eventually, to success and competence. At this point, the competence, confidence loop is real and will continue to build you up.
In the meantime, get started! Be willing to take some risks, to fall down, and give yourself an opportunity to get back up and grow into your own confidence.
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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

Admissions Advice: Don't Be Well-rounded, Do This Instead Apr 12, 2021

Show notes

Somehow the myth of the "well-rounded strategy" continues to thrive today. Don't buy into it. I've seen students drive themselves to exhaustion chasing extra clubs, competing in sports they don't like, playing instruments that drive them crazy, and volunteering for hundreds of hours in community service chosen because they believed it was the thing that admission officers "wanted to see."
Don't buy the hype. You'll make yourself sick with exhaustion, and will likely make your admittance less likely than if you follow a better way.
The episode I referenced on deliberate practice is here.
My interview with Iris is here and part 2 of that interview is here.
To Download the 5 Fatal Pitfalls to Avoid in Middle School if you Want to Get into Your Dream University go 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

How to Actually Reach Your Goals (Really!) Apr 05, 2021

Show notes

Sick of making and then breaking goals? You are almost certainly doing it wrong. Find out why most resolutions/goals are never achieved, and what you can do instead.
To make it easier to use, I've broken down a seamless process into 10 defined steps. I'll list them here, and you'll want to be in a position to pause the podcast as you go so you can make the most of this advice.
The link to the free guide 5 Fatal Pitfalls to Avoid in Middle School if You Want to Get Into Your Dream University can be downloaded here.
The 10 Steps to Successfully Reach Your Goals:
1. Begin with a clear picture of the kind of person you want to be after 1 year
2. Brainstorm some "wouldn't it be cool if..." aspirations
3. Write them down
4. Figure out the priority (which one do you want to act on now?)
5. Rephrase the aspiration as a S.M.A.R.T. goal
6. Think of potential obstacles to reaching that goal
7. Create a plan for when you face the obstacle or challenge
8. Think about the identity of the version of yourself who has reached this goal
9. Adjust your environment and your thinking to match that identity
10. Choose your friends wisely-- you will become the average of the five people you spend the most time with.
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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

Correctly Defining Success & Failure Mar 29, 2021

Show notes

Correctly defining success and failure may be the single most important step on the road to success.
We know that no one develops any meaningful skill without pushing themselves to do things that are outside their abilities. Of course this leads to a lot of falling down and getting back up.
The master becomes great because she is willing to fail more than others. So if "failure" is a necessary step on the road to "success," then what does failure actually mean? What does success mean?
Once we correctly define these terms, we immediately have direction and forward momentum.
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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

Get What You Want By Shifting Your Focus Mar 22, 2021

Show notes

On more than one occasion in business classrooms at Harvard, I heard how important it is to measure the things that you want to improve. What you measure, grows. It was no surprise to me, then, to learn that LeBron James tracks his progress on everything from weightlifting to diet to flexibility and more. Like so many other elite performers, he clearly knows that he will get more of what he measures.
Learn how to get what you want by shifting your focus and measuring the things that matter to your success.
I believe that everyone deserves to live up to their potential, and the admissions process shouldn't hold you back.
Here is a link to the Ivy League Challenge Daily Planner that I mentioned in this episode.
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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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