Ivy League Prep Academy Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Begin Essay Prep Now (You'll Be Glad You Did) Apr 08, 2024

Show notes

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
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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

Info Session Ahead of March 2024 Ivy League Challenge Cohort Mar 28, 2024

Show notes

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
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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

From Dysfunction to Impact; Productivity for Teens Mar 25, 2024

Show notes

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.
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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

Middle School & Before; How to Prepare for College? Mar 18, 2024

Show notes

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.
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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 Impressiveness Trap Mar 11, 2024

Show notes

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!
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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) Make Learning Fun Mar 04, 2024

Show notes

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.
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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

Community, Coaching, & the Ivy League Challenge Feb 26, 2024

Show notes

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.
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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

When Should I Join the Ivy League Challenge? Feb 19, 2024

Show notes

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.
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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 is it like in the Ivy League Challenge? From the student's perspective Feb 12, 2024

Show notes

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.
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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

Juniors, This Begins This Week! Feb 05, 2024

Show notes

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
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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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