Parents of college-aged students are dropping six figures to try to get their children into Ivy League schools and to avoid being among the many thousands rejected.
Brian Taylor, the managing partner of Ivy Coach, has helped hundreds of students get into the school of their dreams, including at the eight Ivy Leagues, and he has a few tricks up his sleeve to help exceptional students prevail.
The Dartmouth alumni said it takes more than good grades and a laundry list of extracurriculars to get into an elite institution and that some parents, who are dishing out six figures for his services, aren’t ready to hear it.
‘These parents sometimes are just overconfident about their children,’ Taylor told Daily Mail. ‘[They say]: “My child is the best, and what they do is so interesting, and that their grades are so compelling,” but what they’re not seeing is the full spectrum.
‘When 95 percent of students are [being] denied admission to these schools – because at most of these schools, it’s a single-digit admission rate, a low single-digit admission rate, you know – their kid’s just not all that interesting.’
So it’s Taylor’s job to help build a resume that will speak to an elite institution’s interest, and sometimes, this starts as early as middle school.
He said that mapping out a student’s coursework before starting high school can help their chances of getting in, especially if this will require them to take classes outside of their school’s offered curriculum.
Even if parents believe their son or daughter is taking the highest level of classes offered at the school, it doesn’t mean it’s considered competitive compared to the schools other applicants are applying from, he explained.
Brian Taylor, the managing partner of Ivy Coach, has helped hundreds of students get into the school of their dreams, including at the eight Ivy Leagues, and he has a few tricks up his sleeve to help exceptional students prevail
The Dartmouth alumni said it takes more than good grades and a laundry list of extracurriculars to get into an elite institution and that some parents, who are dishing out six figures for his services, aren’t ready to hear it
‘We tell them that they need corrections to their courses, and they say: “Oh no, [their] courses are what they are. My child is taking the most rigorous curriculum at their school.”
‘But they’re not just competing against kids from their high school, they’re competing against kids from across the country and around the world, and oftentimes, what the school offers in terms of the curriculum is not what highly-selective colleges want to see.’
He recommends top students dreaming of spending four years on an Ivy campus look to extend their coursework at places like Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth and other gifted programs that offer courses for grades.
‘They would send those transcripts along with their high school transcripts, so they never have to ask their high school for permission to take these courses, just take them,’ Taylor told Daily Mail.
And those courses need to be within the five core subjects – English, social studies, math, science, and foreign language.
‘Often, students come to us senior year, and they are in AP Statistics, and they think that’s math, or they stop their foreign language. What a mistake,’ he said.
He also warned of students biggest mistakes in applications such as using AI and bragging in their essays.
‘And the whole game in college admissions is to make yourself not only likable, but lovable. You’re trying to inspire a human being – not AI – to root for you,’ the coach told Daily Mail.
He encourages students to take courses at places like Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth and other gifted programs that offer courses for grades to remain competitive to other applicants (pictured: Yale University)
A file photo of a student moving into a dormitory at college
And he warns that schools are using AI detection software, so admissions counselors will know if a student is using the tool to do the work for them.
He also said: ‘AI has no voice.’
‘So, when they apply to these schools with no voice, well, that’s the whole part of the essay, is to showcase your story, to dare admissions officers not to offer you admission through your narrative,’ he said.
He also advised students not to hide their diversity, as schools will find out.
‘You can’t hide that, nor should you,’ he said. ‘Admissions officers aren’t discriminating on the basis of race alone. They’re discriminating when you present a profile that’s so often associated with race, so stereotypical activities that they so often see.’
For example, he said, admissions counselors might see country-specific dance courses or certain professions a student is interested in that might give them insight into a student’s race.
‘They see this profile and they yawn,’ Taylor told Daily Mail. ‘The whole game is not only to be lovable, but to show how you’re gonna change the world in a wonderfully unique and, what we like to say, weird way.’
He also advises to avoid using the term ‘like-minded’, as the purpose of college is not to be around those that share similar viewpoints and interests.
‘And the whole game in college admissions is to make yourself not only likable, but lovable. You’re trying to inspire a human being – not AI – to root for you,’ the coach told Daily Mail (pictured: Harvard University)
‘No, no, no, that’s not the point of college,’ Taylor said. ‘The point of college is to surround yourself with people who think differently to challenge your views.’
Another tip, keep social media pages private and be selective when deciding to display one’s political beliefs.
‘If a student is a physics kid, they should not be writing about Israel-Palestine,’ he said.
‘If a student is an international relations kid with a specific interest in Israel-Palestine, by all means, write about it. Write about it in a way that shows that you have respect for both sides. Write about it in a way that shows that we’re all more alike than we’re different.’
And as for the dreaded SAT and ACT scores, unfortunately, those still rank pretty high on getting into these schools, especially as the Ivies have gone back to being test-required.
‘Students without test scores are not created equal. They need those scores. They don’t know all these high schools,’ he said.
